Of all the issues affecting the church in America, I believe one of the greatest is the rise of Christian nationalism, the linking of national identity with Christianity. In other words, the idea that you cannot be a Christian unless you are a proud American, and vice versa.
The concern with this is that Christian nationalism raises a political and national identity to the level of idolatry, and is in direct opposition to Christ's own assertion that the Kingdom of God had come and that all true believers were to enter His Kingdom.
In an op-ed published in the Christian Post, Joseph Mattera wrote about the "7 signs the leaven of Herod has taken over your life." (Jesus spoke about the leaven of Herod in Mark 8:15). Here is an excerpt from Mattera's op-ed:
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Too many Christians have acted as though the destiny of both the nation and the body of Christ depends upon who gets elected as president or other high levels of government. While voting for godly capable leaders is an important matter of biblical stewardship, to equate a political leader with the fate of a nation is borderline idolatry. This violates the teaching of Scripture, which portrays Jesus as the only one who has the government on His shoulders and is the anointed one who inherits the nations (Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalm 2:8-9). If you act as though anyone other than Jesus is the savior of your nation or Church, then the leaven of Herod has taken root in you.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐
Many Christians on both the Left and the Right act as if their particular political party represents Godโs Kingdom. However, Jesus said, โMy kingdom is not of this worldโ (John 18:36).
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ
Many Christians seem to be more passionate about changing laws and promoting public policy than pouring over the Word and seeking the face of God. God has called us to bring systemic societal change commensurate to the extent we seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). When your passion for political change eclipses your pure devotion to Christ, then the leaven of Herod has infected you (2 Corinthians 11:1-3).
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ
Although the Bible calls for the Church to be the light of the world, the focus is never primarily on external but on internal change. Jesus said that unless a person is born from above, he will not see the kingdom. Paul said the Gospel is the power of God for those who believe (John 3:3-8, Romans 10:16). When your focus is on creating a utopia through external change instead of first starting with internal personal transformation, then the leaven of Herod has infected you. Truly, only transformed people can transform culture.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก
๐. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐-๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
