“Contradictions in Faith: The Politics of Belief”
Rev. Joseph R. Reid
While teaching children about world religions, a teacher asked her students to bring a symbol of their faith to class. The next day, she asked each student to come forward and share the symbol with the class. The first child said, “I’m Muslim, this is my prayer rug.” The second child said, “I’m Jewish, and this is my families’ me-no-rah.” The third child said, “I’m Roman Catholic, and this is my Mom’s rosary.” The fourth child said, “I’m Greek Orthodox, and this is an icon of my patron saint.” The fifth child said, “I’m protestant, and this is my families’ Bible and a copy of the second amendment to the constitution.
And so it goes in America. Who we are and what we believe are two different things. Last year, as a nation, we went on a roller coaster ride in international and national politics concerning the possibility of our country embarking on another war in the Middle East around the use of chemical weapons of mass destruction by the Assad regime in Syria. There were many sides to the issue, military action, diplomacy, or diplomacy threats by force or doing nothing. Few of the nations involved, including the U.S., through the United Nations and others considered the way of Christ or unconditional love. Now we are facing a continuous cyberwar threat from North Korea and an extension of the war in the Middle East.
As Christians we should be the chief advocates for peace, not war! Love, not hate! We are fighters for truth and justice, not the politics of aggression, especially when our national interest or welfare is not threatened. But even if it is, we should compel our leaders to seek the high ground of reconciliation and armistice before we think of using forces.
As Christians we cannot bury our heads in the sand of other world theology. We must grasp hold of the politics of faith in a God who is able to work out all things. What sets us apart as American Christians is a shared belief that has sustained us from the founding of this country, several wars, the great depression, the struggle for women and civil rights, and now the economic struggles of today, a belief that we are a chosen nation under God in whom we trust! It says so, on our money and was added to our Pledge of Allegiance. It has been a long-held belief that we are the nation to lead the world to peace and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. We are a nation founded on our faith in a God that does the impossible. Our politics of faith has made us the greatest nation on earth, blessed as long as we seek God’s will and treat everyone as we wish to be treated.
As the New Year begins, we should remember who we have pledged to be, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Ours is a politics of faith.
