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What I Hate about America …
Posted on November 5th, 2008 in Church Life, Faith, Politics by Fred McKinnon
The election is over. Obama was declared the winner, as I’d suspected over the last few weeks.
As I’ve been praying over the last week especially, I realized something.
What I hate about America ….
I hate about ….
ME.
OK – so “hate” is a very strong word. I confess, I used it on purpose. I bet that title grabbed your attention. I hope so. The word may be appropriate, though.
Just what am I talking about?
It all came to me last week during prayer time. We were together, repenting for all the sins of our country.
“God forgive us, as a country, we are ___________________” (insert your sin of choice)
Greedy.
Materialistic.
Immoral.
Captured in Idolatry.
Swept away by entertainment.
Selfish.
Deceptive.
The more we “repented” of all those sinful things we hate about our country … the more I realized that I often have all of those sins in my own heart.
And I realized that the condition of our country, sadly, is a magnification of the condition of the Church.
This must change.
As for our election … my thoughts are simple.
I didn’t vote for Obama, but not because of the color of his skin. It was for policy issues only. But now he’ll be my President. I’ll pray for him. I hope that he’s successful. I do not wish harm or anything bad him, and it breaks my heart to see some of us doing just that. As if we can’t wait for him to fail. C’mon folks. This is our country we’re talking about. It’s not a game.
As for the race issue – all I can say is that I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible leaps we’ve gained as a country. It’s a historical day and I’m proud to have witnessed it. America is truly a place, as Obama said in his speech last night, where “all things are possible”.
Let us come together as Americans, in unity. Let us change the face of our land, not by party or laws, but by the actions we live. Let us be “transformed” instead of “conformed”. (Romans 12: 1-2)
In closing, I’d encourage you to check out a great post by Brad Ruggles called “History in the Making”.
PS: I TRULY DO LOVE AMERICA!
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11 Responses to “What I Hate about America …”
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great post Fred. You are right, get on our knees and pray for our own hearts first, then for our church and country……it’s time to get serious – about the state of our own hearts.
wow fred…great thoughts…dead on. I think for me in all of this I am hoping the “church” actually gets a clue and stands for what its suppose to. and then acts in mercy, love and justice.
klamperts last blog post..Fee: All creation sing (Joy to the world)
Joel,
Thanks – that’s the thing – the “church” often reacts, but not always with mercy, love, and justice. Plus, we react, yet live as hypocrites. God help us change.
Great post.
I think far too often we try to blame our country and its leaders for things that we, the Church, should be doing.
Brad Ruggless last blog post..History In The Making
Yes. Great post. I was very disappointed with the outcome politically. But not historically and culturally. I am proud to live in a nation that has freely elected a minority as leader of not only our nation, but also of our nation which is STILL the great beacon of the free world.
My prayer is that we’d show love not only to the ones that are easy to love, but also to those that we might easily consider our enemies, even if only politically. God help us as the Church to stand firm in our faith, to hold fast to truth, while all the while extending the helping hand of mercy and grace that puts others above ourselves. Let us live the Beatitudes, not view them as a list to check off.
Russs last blog post..Blog Friends [Joel Klampert]
Amen, brother! I (working with the public) am appalled at the things I’ve heard today. At one point I said “Listen, what’s done is done. He is OUR president now”.
The response? “He’s not MY president!”
My response? “The you are not truly an American”
I’m luck to be alive! But I am also so right. We talk about how much we love this country, but when we see things that don’t go “our way” in the country we (with our actions) so often disown the country we say we love.
This isn’t a time for division. That time was during the campaign and election process. Now is the time for us to join together and be unified.
Many things have been said about Obama. I’ve heard tons of “what he said” and “what he did”, but I’ve not seen or heard it MYSELF.
All authority is from God. The people IN that authority may not be, but the principle of authority IS. Therefore, we are commanded to pray for this authority. We are also to submit to this authority until such a time that it goes against God.
Great post. I’m going to support our new president – not because I voted for him (I didn’t), but because that’s what this country is for.
In the words of “somebody” . . . “I might want to kill the direction of this country sometimes, but I’d kill FOR this country ANY time.”
Robert McKinnons last blog post..Ramblings from the air . . .
Good thoughts, Fred. They echo my own. I also disagree with him on policy issues. I couldn’t care less what ethnic background he has.
We have a job to do now, church… pray for our leaders.
Mikes last blog post..What You Wish For
A really good post, Fred. No, he was not my choice for President. But he is the President elect now. We must pray for him. According to the Scriptures, God has placed him in this office of authority (see Romans 13: 1,2). Our responsibility is to submit to the authority of the office of President (not resist) unless the authority violates the authority of the higher authority, the Lord God. And I agree, the condition of the nation is a direct result of the church (which is you and I) not consistently upholding the Standard of Christ. This MUST change to the extent that the life of Christ Jesus is manifested on a daily basis in the way we think (as a man thinks in his heart…), the way we speak (out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks), and how we act. May it be so, in Jesus name.
Fred,
Excellent post. I agree that we are too often conformed to the world, instead of being transformed. When we are conformed, we lose our ability to be salt and light.
I also agree that we must submit to government authority. However, I also believe that the authority we must submit to is not only those that are elected, but also the Constitution that established the government. We have a responsibility to evaluate the government that we have to see if it is within the bounds of the Constitution. If it is not, either the government needs to change or the Constitution needs to be amended.
As the church, we need to reclaim from the government the roles that God has given to Christians and the church as His servants. When a Christian, out of love for God, and love for his neighbor gives to those in need, the giver, the receiver, and God benefit. When government takes from one to give to another, the giver is robbed of the act of giving, the receiver is robbed of the act of receiving true charity (and being ministered to), and God is robbed of glory. If all God wanted were for the hungry to be fed, he could provide manna and quail.
Unfortunately, in the last century, we have created a government that is in competition with God for the hearts, souls, and minds of men. Even more unfortunate, is that it has not been a complete accident. Many opposed to God have had an influence on the current shape of government. For many, government is God, yet these same people accuse Christians of wanting to create a theocracy. Regardless of what the situation, issue, or ailment, the first reaction of many people is to look to government for a solution.
Consider that 100 years ago the federal budget was 2.5% of GDP. Today it is 20% of GDP. One hundred years ago, the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Federal Reserve did not exist. The federal government did not fund education. The typical interaction with the federal government was sending and receiving mail. Things were by no means perfect, but people in need generally relied on God, themselves, their family, their neighbors, and their church. The increase in the size of the federal government has created in many an entitlement mentality.
Where will the church and the nation be 100 years from now?
Good post Fred, I agree with Deanne above me, but from a slightly different perspective.
I don’t think as Christians we are reclaim the government. I think we are to shine in culture and in turn watch God change the hearts and minds of those around us. In this, everything will change. Social issues, Sin issues, Politics.
I hear you as well Fred. I find myself often praying about what I think is wrong or needs prayer, when in reality, it is me that needs to be changed. All of a sudden ,y prayer changes perspective and my heart is truly drawn to what God’s heart is drawn towards.
I will commit as you have to praying honestly for Obama and our country as we walk through an historical time.
In a documentary about Billy Graham he said that it didn’t matter to him who the president was. They all need prayer. They all need God.