Tasteless Salt

We will make America a Christian nation again! 

Folk are saying it. Some are prophesying/prophelying it.

I just wonder what that would even look like.  Would America be Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, etc? 

When the proclamation is made to make America Christian again, the speaker is viewing that change through the lense of their own religious practices, theology, doctrine, and understanding of scripture. 

To make America fit their picture of Christianity, their religious practices, theology, doctrine, and interpretation of scripture has to be rammed down the throats of everybody else regardless of their own views of Christianity. 

They even go to the extreme length of wanting their brand of Christianity passed as legislation to ensure the conformity of everybody else to their system of beliefs.

Here's my take on this. 

1.   We are not God and need to stop acting like we own His thoughts and ways.

2.  Salvation is a choice.  We individually choose to accept or reject the work Christ did for us on the cross.  

3.  Choices are a direct reflection of the condition of the heart.  If the heart is changed, choices will also change.

4.  Holiness can NOT be legislated.  Folk will find a way to do what they want to do, taking measures not to get caught.  

5.  The meaning of "let your light so shine" has been horribly twisted to excuse the misguided direction some have taken in the name of Christ.

There's some messed up stuff going on in the Church.  Given all of the hate, nastiness, bigotry, marginalization, and hypocrisy being wrapped up in scripture, is there any wonder more and more folk are giving Christians a side-eyed look?  

There's so much nasty and obviously deceptive political wrangling going on that has absolutely nothing to do with looking out for the interests of ALL the people of this Nation, I get very upset sometimes just thinking about it.  On one such occasion, I was absolutely livid.  Then, I was swiftly and bluntly checked by the Holy Spirit. I wasn't told to participate in a coup, to cut folk out of my life who didn’t agree with me, or to go buy a semi-automatic. I was simply asked, "What does any of this have to do with salvation?"

How in the world can we minister to someone who's looking at us side-eyed?  We will only be effective ministering to those who are just like us: Salt that has lost its savor...