Make America Great Again When It Already Is Great

Brand American Great Again? When was America ever Not bad? August 30, 2020 Rob Dalrymple

It is non uncommon today to see the polarized camps of the right advance the slogan "Make America Nifty Again" only to have pundits on the left respond, "When was America ever Keen?"

Others have cleverly taken this slogan and its characteristic red hat in club to market place their own agendas:

Those in the cheese industry take suggested putting a ban on pre-shredded cheese so that nosotros can "Make America grate again."

A bookstore sign states, "Make America Read Over again."

Those in the wine industry take suggested, "Make Napa grape again."

Then there are those who have taken the opportunity to sardonically accelerate other political entities:

One such group sported a moving picture of Obama wearing an, "I already made America Great Once again" chapeau.

Some of my British friends and relatives have suggested: "Brand America Slap-up Britain Again."

Some other quipped, "Make America Native American Again."

And still another, "Make America United mexican states Again."

Then there was the "Look, what about Canada?" chapeau; for which someone posted a "Please leave Canada out of this" hat.

Trump's MAGA slogan has certainly appealed to many. While some accept used it to advance an agenda of American nationalism, others have simply rallied around the notion that we should put America showtime.

Some amidst the older generations hold to an idealistic conception of America and have memories of America as the defender of democracy. Others look to the era of Reagan and the demise of the communist e as a time in which America was great.

In that location is no question that America has advanced a form of commonwealth and freedom that has been largely unparalleled in history. And many accept benefitted from it.

What is oft overlooked, withal, and equally racial tensions go along to ascent in our cities we must recognize the legitimacy of the fact that for many others America has never been great.

Certainly, this is true for the indigenous people. Information technology is also true, with perhaps one brief 12-year exception (1865-77), and fifty-fifty that is debatable, for most African Americans. For many African Americans, this land has hardly been great. Sure, it has been at times better than many countries.

In fact, the African American narrative notes, if this country has been keen, information technology is likely because it was congenital on the back of slaves.[ane]

Many white Americans have a misperception that since the 13^th subpoena ended slavery, life has been well, or at least better and improving for people of colour ever since. The reality, however, is that, as W. Due east. B. Du Bois lamented, "The slave went costless; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved dorsum again toward slavery."

I will not recount the horrors in this post that African Americans have faced since the end of slavery except to note that in many ways life became remained simply as bad for the majority of them. This is a fact that, and I will speak for myself, I was simply unaware of until recently. You might view the Netflix "13^th"; or, read Bryan Stevenson's Simply Mercy, or sentry the film by the same title; or, Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow.

Remained just as bad every bit slavery you might inquire? Yes, with the advent of convict-leasing, Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and chain gangs up to the present state of mass incarceration, life has not improved for many African Americans.[2]

I am sure that I will need to double dorsum to this indicate in future posts. In that location are some who believe that there is basic equality between whites and blacks in modern America. I can clinch you that not only is this wrong, it is terribly wrong!

What does this hateful for us?

First, the people of God are called to advance the gospel of the kingdom of God.

That gospel begins with Jesus as Lord. This is non some dainty and meaningless utterance (I am convinced that most Christians have given petty thought to what "Jesus is Lord" really means and the implications of such a proclamation: perhaps a skillful identify to start is the series of seven posts on what is the gospel and the kingdom of God).

The proclamation that Jesus is Lord means that nosotros are not; neither my power, time, wealth, educational activity, aspirations, family, good looks, nor anything else you may desire to add together hither. But He is Lord. (This is important because too often we live our lives as though we are Lord. We neglect to give, serve, and love as though He is Lord, and instead give, serve, and love to meet our ain desires).

To proclaim that Jesus is Lord as well means that Caesar is not: neither is whatever regime, dictator, king, president, nor any other ruler. (This is of import because too often evangelicals accept identified our empire—for well-nigh of you reading this it would exist the US—with the gospel of the kingdom of God. Too many evangelicals have wrapped their hopes and convictions not in the gospel of the kingdom of God, just in the garb of secular politics. They take assumed that a political party is the party of the church building/kingdom. And that the hopes and aspirations of this party are synonymous, maybe non always, but certainly too often, with the gospel of the kingdom).

I Digress: I know that some of you lot may disagree with this exclamation, so I will digress to address it briefly past noting two things:

First, that the hopes and aspirations of the kingdom of God have been too closely associated with the state is evident when Christians bewail the lack of prayer in schools or the posting of the 10 commandments on government property. I hear 2 Chron 7:xiv ("if my people . . . apprehensive themselves and pray . . . and then I will heal their land") cited and applied to the Usa way also oft. This passage has cipher to do with any secular state.[3] The gospel does not need prayer in the public schools to accelerate. Christians should respect other's desire to not have prayer imposed on them and instead should focus on living out the gospel in their own lives and allow that to be a witness.

Secondly, that the hopes and aspirations of the kingdom of God have been too closely associated with a political political party within the land is axiomatic when leaders within that party are identified every bit called by God to lead the people. God chooses people within the church to lead His kingdom and accelerate the gospel. Surely, we can acknowledge that the leaders of secular states are chosen by God (but this ways that God chooses all leaders), but they are not put in power to advance the gospel of the kingdom. They may be called to maintain justice and fairness, but they are not called to advance the gospel.

Also, the claim that certain leaders of a given state are Christians and that God has instituted them so that they may advance the gospel can be quite dangerous to the advancement of the kingdom of God. For one, some of these leaders do not display any serious commitment to Jesus as Lord and advancing them as Christians but makes a mockery of the gospel. Non-Christians wait at them and express joy at the church building. "If that is what a Christian looks similar, and so I do non want to be one" is a mutual sentiment.

Furthermore, the leaders of a secular state are put in ability to advance the well-being of that land. The ambitions of that land volition frequently disharmonize with the gospel of the kingdom of God.

I annotation this first bespeak—that Christians are called to advance the gospel of the kingdom of God—because too many evangelicals are advancing the gospel of a political party or the gospel of our nation every bit a Christian nation. The secular state and the kingdom of God are often, though not ever, at odds.

Secondly, nations volition oft do good those in power even if that means that others suffer.

The fact is that those in power often seek the well-being of those who helped them make it ability, as well as their own well-existence, in club that they might retain said power. This is simply the nature of power.

The problem is that power and its benefits come at the expense of others.

Thus, to "Make America Great Over again" may seem like a dandy ambition: even for those who practice non abet its nationalistic and racial implications. For others, nonetheless, MAGA says, nosotros need you lot to suffer more in club that we might accomplish this.

What does this hateful in calorie-free of our present climate?

Here is where my ii points come together. The church is called to accelerate the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is "good news" (i.e., the gospel) to the "poor" and the "oppressed" (Luke 4:18). And it is here that the goals of a nation and the kingdom of God clash.

What does this hateful? Shall we non endeavor to brand our nation great? Of form, we should. But, from the perspective of the kingdom of God, we should endeavor to make it great for all—peculiarly the oppressed.

When Scripture says that God has established governments and places kings in ability (cf Rom 13:i), information technology notes that they are, "a minister of God to you lot for good" (Rom 13:four). From the perspective of Jesus and the kingdom of God, "expert" must apply to all.

What does this mean when information technology comes to the electric current climate of the Us: both in regard to the racial issues that go along to foment and in regard to the ballot season?

It means that seeking to brand our nation slap-up begins with addressing the racial inequities that beset our land.

Information technology as well ways that the country is empowered to be a means through which justice can be achieved. Merely we should never blur these two into one.

The aims of the people of God in relation to the kingdom of God and the aims of a nation are non the same and are often at keen odds with one another.

Thus, the people of God must be a voice to the nation making certain that the nation is advocating principles of God's kingdom and not merely its own agenda. For, its own agenda too often excludes those with no ability.

When it comes to "Make America Great Once more" we must retrieve that for some "When was America Ever Great?" is a reality.

footnotes:

[i] We must recognize that Africans were non the only people group upon which the wealth of this nation was built. The Chinese were brought over the build the railroads in the west and treated brutally. There was the bracero menses in which Mexican workers (and some from Guam) were used to provide agronomical labor and endured tremendous injustices.

[2] I recognize that the issue of racism furnishings more simply African Americans, simply all people of color. In the limited space of this post, and in light of the recent events of the shooting of another black homo, I am only addressing the racial tensions that impact African Americans.

[3] In its OT context it applied to the nation of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah to be specific. I would argue that an application of this poesy in low-cal of the coming of Christ and the beginning of the kingdom of God would exist that God would restore the NT people of God in relationship to His kingdom. The NT people of God, nonetheless, exercise non reside in merely 1 nation today. We are in most nations. Thus, applying this verse to one nation over and to a higher place the others, fails to recognize that the church building exists within diverse nations and is not identified with any 1 nation. Applying this verse to the Usa is also tragically imperialistic.

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Source: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/determinetruth/2020/08/make-american-great-again-when-was-america-ever-great/

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