Other "Thinking Drafts" and writing by Keith Drury -- http://www.indwes.edu/tuesday .

HOW MUCH OF AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY IS AMERICAN

AND HOW MUCH IS CHRISTIANITY?


It is near the 4th of July and I've been thinking tonight about American Christians. Wondering in what ways American Christians are more American than Christian... or more Christian then American. Here are some starter ideas on what America is about... and how it might affect the church. Add yours to the list by Email response.

1. America is about FREEDOM.

Independence Day is about... well, independence. This country was built on our refusal to let someone tell us what to do. We will accept some centralized rule, but when it crosses an invisible line somewhere in the sand we react... maybe even rebel. We like to sing, "I did it my way." In the church too. In the last 25 years there has been an explosive growth of independent churches. This suits the American spirit just fine. The down side is, if a pastor gets caught cheating on his wife, he won't have to accept church discipline -- in America he can just move down the street and start an independent church without any interference from anyone It's really quite American. Its what we mean by "freedom." Today is "independence day." Sometimes independence simply means lack of accountability.

2. America is about MAJORITY RULE.

In this country 51% of us can decide just about anything, and, interestingly, more than half of us do agree on many things. In fact, we expect leaders to get a "mandate" of at least 51%. This is one of President Clinton's problems. He has less than 50% of the country with him. Frankly, maybe there are only two people with him -- and both of them are in New York. So he's in trouble. In America you need a majority to lead -- we do not lead by coalitions. It is a winner-take-all method here. If 51% of us vote for a person, they can take charge. We believe so deeply in "majority rule" that we treat it like a theological truth, though there is scant support for it in the Bible. In fact we apply it to our ethics too. If 51% of the people believe having an abortion is OK, just about all of us will eventually come around to begrudgingly accept it sooner or later. We even do this in the church. If half of us decide that it is OK to wear Jewelry, or go to the movies, or dance, or smoke, or social drink, then we'll adjust the discipline to reflect it. It might take a 2/3 vote to actually make the change, but once half the church believes a certain way, the 2/3 vote is easier to get than it might seem. Americans place extraordinary authority in majority rule. Even in the church.

3. America is about REBELLION.

We don't like to think of it that way. The rebels never do, (except when they lose). But, when we celebrate the 4th. Of July we are celebrating rebellion against legitimate Christian constituted authority. Face it, King George may have been a foolish King, but he was no evil tyrant. John Wesley scolded us at the time for our attitude and lack of submission. We ignored him, of course, and rebelled anyway. Americans are a stiff-necked people. Many of our cultural heroes are stiff-necked rebels. We love a "Cool Hand Luke" type of fellow. Rebellion is an American trait. Sometimes even in the church.

4. America is about CONSUMERISM.

The business of America is business. We love people who start with nothing and make a bundle. Even if they make it selling us something we don't really need. Americans like people who make things and sell them shamelessly. The richer they get the more we admire them. They can even sell time shares for hotel rooms not yet built -- we'll buy. And we'll buy notebooks, tapes, videos, and programs -- not always to use, just to have! Americans are consumers. We go to the best outlets, get the best prices, shop around to get exactly what we want. If we don't get it, we'll go down the street and find it. This goes for churches too.

5. America is about LOW TAXES.

I know. We complain about the awful tax rates. But the truth is, Americans carry a lighter tax burden than most every other developed country in the world. But even with such a light tax burden we act oppressed. We believe the only good tax is a dead tax. (Of course we expect the cuts to apply on other people's services, not our own.) Americans will pay some taxes, but not too much. This spirit carries over to the church. While an individual's tithe can hardly be seen as a "tax," sometimes "paying budget" is. Though we do not call it a "tax," many Americans figure... if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.... well, you get the idea. American church people will pay a sensible amount to support a district, the colleges, and the general church. But if that amount rises too high, the American rebel spirit takes over and the tea gets dumped into the harbor.

6. Americans are WARRIORS.

This country was born out of a war and we have fought wars in every generation since -- sometimes two or even three wars per generation. We don't like war, I guess, but we are always having to go and save somebody. Now that we are the only super power left it seems like we are going to have to become a sort of police force for the world. There are always little countries trying to take over other smaller countries. So, we have to go and stop it. That's OK, because we are good at it. Being a warrior is not a negative thing to Americans, at least not until recently. Remember when ol' Ben Franklin tried to get the country to adopt as its national symbol the turkey? They laughed. We do too. We prefer the idea of swooping down from the sky with sharp talons more than to cluck-clucking through the brush, hiding from our enemies. It's true in the church too. Church people like a good fight. People are much quicker to sign up to fight abortion or to protest the latest Madelyn Murray O'Hare plan, than to sign up to work in the nursery. Americans think nursery work is for turkeys. We would rather join the life-chain. But at least when we are fighting abortion, homosexuals, or congress, we're not fighting each other.

7. America is about GENEROSITY.

Americans are wonderful givers. We will give to help earthquake victims, Oklahoma City families, to feed hungry children, or to renovate the statue of liberty. Our government is a good giver too. Our president sometimes gives away tax money to Mexico or to Russia if they need it. Our government even gives away lots of cigarettes to poor countries around the world. I guess some of our Senators figured it was the Christian thing to do. But we also give away lots of peanut butter and dried milk too. And American Christians are great givers too. We pay our tithe, send missionaries out, build new buildings at camp, support the fifty bazillion people in Russia this summer, and help our colleges stay afloat. Christians give more than other Americans. The first 3% we give is because we are Americans. The rest is because we are Christian.

What do you think?
In what ways are American Christians more American than Christian? What good has rubbed off? Bad?


So what do you think?

To contribute to the thinking on this issue e-mail your response to Tuesday@indwes.edu

By Keith Drury, 1996. You are free to transmit, duplicate or distribute this article for non-profit use without permission.