The video was well done but there are some serious questions anyone who thinks they are follower of Christ but feel themselves drawn to this video.

Born-Again America is an odd idea. When we think of “born again” what is the purpose of being born again? From what are we departing and to what do we become in this process?

I think the video is well-meaning. That is to say, the people and motive behind it are for an ostensibly for “good” purpose. However, is this purpose/motive God breathed? How does it line up with Christ’s message and stated purposes?

I would submit that this video utterly disconnected from the point of Christ’s teaching.

This assessment may come as a surprise since many “christians” in this country hold America high as the pinnacle of what the entire world should be: “christian.” This is another point I find troubling for alleged “christian.” America never has been “christian” in any sense of the word by nature of what christian is said to mean. America will not go to heaven because it has a relationship with God and has never repented of its sins to where it could collectively have a relationship with the Lord. And how does an entire nation have a relationship with the Lord anyway? The mere suggestion sounds more like a neo-Israel Covenant Theology mindset; not New Testament (NT) personal relationship with God on an individual level…

America could only at best be “christianized” to a greater or lesser degree. Even this is highly debatable. What is christian about slavery, the annihilation of aboriginal people—that would be indians to all you Homeschoolers? What is christian about nuking 600,000 non-combatants allegedly to save 50,000 soldiers to turn around and then waste as many or more in the next two “wars?” What is christian about a culture of materialism, indebtedness, consumerism, usury, manipulation of other country’s affairs for this country’s political interests all of which “churches” either support or turn a blind eye to? What is christian about occult practices, clandestine fraternal orders and hate groups, which have been allowed in many “churches” memberships in this country’s history? These evils are not committed by a narrow few but by the vast majority of who calls themselves “church.” Nope America is about as “christianized” as Joseph Stalin, though it is a little more cheery.

The phrase kingdom of God, mentioned in the New Testament 130+ times is a reality that what calls itself “church” has neither connection to nor understanding. Christ himself mentioned this concept some 90 times. Aside from the fact that modern “church” as interpreted this phrase in so many ways relegating it to near myth or a best only any eventuality makes America an allowable replacement therapy for most christians in this country. Yet, Christ said, “My kingdom is not of this world…”

If we are following Christ can our’s be of this world, namely, America?

The text 2 Cor. 5:17 known by heart by most evangellifish—a term coined by George Verwer founder of Operation Mobilization to describe Evangelicals who have become very wishy-washy in recent decades. They skate right over a major little word in this well-known text, which is in the original language but is many times missing or downplayed in English versions. Let me put it out here to reconsider:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” KJV (I am not a KJV nut but in this case this version is consistent with the original language).

The little word that has killer meaning in this verse is “all.”

What is new if we are really in Christ? Everything!

If we came to Christ as Americans, according to this verse and many others we are no longer.  (See: http://kingdomcitizenship.org/wp/2010/01/a-follower-of-christ-is-an-american-no-more-2/)

More authoritative than this article, there are 175 texts in the NT depicting “not belonging.” What do I mean, not belonging? Paul and most other NT writers use various terms, slavery, bondservant, soldier, ambassador, alien, stranger and many others, to depict the followers of Christ. The common denominator between them is that the person depicted in these ways, e.g. any follower of Christ, does not belong to the society around them.

In addition to this, another 35 texts illustrate clear disassociation from former belongings and identity within what culture, and what the believer thought—past tense in case all you non-grammarians hadn’t caught—of themselves. Let’s use a text to put in another way; apostle Peter in Acts 3 speaks about a man’s healing… In verse 11 he starts by relating about early Israel, for which he uses the inclusive pronoun “our” to indicate identification with them. He continues this trend until he starts talking about the Israel who executed Christ. In this case, Peter uses the disassociative pronoun “your” in respect to the leaders of Israel, hence Israel as a whole. The context is not broken into separate stories or situations, so why would Peter change pronounal usages unless he was illustrating disassociation from things in the flesh to things of the Spirit? This occurrence happens another 34 times in the NT.

There is still more, another 40 texts in the NT drives this trend further. Another factor of this concept is a class of texts that differentiates between things of the flesh and of the Spirit in direct connection to “belonging” and “identity” with the world as the collective of non-believers. In 1 Cor. 5:9-11 Paul writes about not having interaction with immoral people, which are actually believers who have become wholly wicked once again but still attempt to hang around the followers of Christ. The Corinthians could have taken Paul to mean something else in verse nine. However, Paul carefully closes any potential misunderstands noting if we were to stay away from non-believers, whom religious people would normally consider immoral, we’d have to leave the planet.

Back to the video, Born Again America…
There is not an ounce of kingdom of God understanding in this video. When we strip away the eternal perspective within a temporal existence (what I am advocating) we get a temporal focus, no different from any religion, like that of anybody walking the planet. Since conservative christians—an adjective concept I find hard to reconcile with anybody really following Christ—feel they were marginalized in the Presidential election of ’08, now they will pursue the political system for better inclusion or to try and regain dominance…

Could it be that America is on the skids because this is the only way God can get many believers’ attention?

God is not in America. He is in believers who are in America as well as many other places. The focus on America “coming back to Christ” is a hysterically laughable ruse. It is a temptation to focus on the temporal at the expense of what God is doing. Jesus was not concerned about Israel being free of Rome. Neither should we be concerned about Neo-Rome (America for you in church pews) recognizing us or giving us inclusion. The modern church is typified in the Old Testament by the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the time when it was judged. There is/was epic compromise and spiritual adultery. I am not referring all the religious edifices you don’t go to because they are screwed up. I am talking 98% of what you would call orthodox, fundamental, primary, evangelical, charismatic churches in the best sense possible.

I have written extensively, if this treatise is not enough, about this subject church-state relations in a book, The Diluted Church; calling believers to live out of their true heritage. It is available on my website www.kingdomcitizenship.org or Amazon. Discussion on this topic is available to you at http://kingdomcitizenship.org/forums/index.php -or- http://kingdomcitzenship.ning.com/ I and my friend Kyle Knapp, a folk musician and house church operative in the Nebraska area, do a podcast about related subjects: http://www.tuesdaytogether.us/podcast/

It is about time that the followers of Christ in America begin to listen to what God is doing rather than allow themselves to be manipulated by a political order that seeks to distract us from following God. We need discernment and we need to realize who we are and that our kingdom (belonging and identity) are not in this world. This does not mean we stick our head in the sand and wait for the sweet-bye-and-bye. It means we engage the world as the only alternative to man’s ways so that it can see itself.

When believers join one side or the other in the world’s political games anything that would be differentiating about who we are following us is obscured by the political basket we hide our light under. Those who seek representation in a political process are automatically marginalized in the essence that the political process is about the gaining of power, not the wielding it to help a cause. Causes and issues are merely bait. If the political order (democrat and republican) were to really fix all the problems they’d have a hard time finding ways to be elected.

Please stop by and visit us at www.kingdomcitizenship.org. We do not have all the answers but we are pressing into the One who does.

Sincerely,

Timothy L. Price