Same-Sex Marriage, America, and the Kingdom—2

lgbt_american_flagsIn the previous post I attempted to provide some perspective following the Supreme Court’s recent decision on same-sex marriage.

Still, I suspect there are those who agree with my assessment from a Kingdom perspective but are devastated by the belief that by this Supreme Court decision America has crossed a line and is no longer a Christian nation.

I don’t see the Obergefell decision as a turning point but a confirmation. America has not been a Christian nation—if there is such a thing—for a very long time.

America has been like the guy who goes to church on Sunday but lives like hell Monday through Saturday, who knows all the religious lingo and prays publicly over his meals but looks at pornography privately after every one else has gone to bed, who talks of the sanctity of marriage but recently got divorced for the third time. Same-sex marriage is not a fork in the road; it is a place far down the road we’ve been on for many years.

What is a “Christian nation” anyway? My pastor told me the other day he thought there was no such thing as “Christian music,” only music made by Christians. I’m thinking it’s the same with nations. There are no Christian nations, just nations lead by Christians.

These thoughts make for a very strange 2015 4th of July. I suspect many Christians will, for the first 4th of July of their lives, not feel proud to be American.

Fortunately, being American was never essential to being a citizen of the kingdom of God. And the only patriotism I can find a basis for in the Bible is for Israel under the old covenant (Deut. 10:15; Isaiah 43:20) and the Church under the new (I Peter 2:9).

So, enjoy your beer, barbecue and fireworks today, but remember it’s really not about America. It never has been.

It’s all about His kingdom. GS

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