- Jan 25, 2009
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Shalom
For anyone interested..
It has been the case in the U.S that many have long advocated for the ideology that God somehow sees the U.S as a "New Israel" of sorts - predominately due to the viewpoint that the U.S was founded on Christian principles and that its expansion has arisen as a means of supernatural blessing.
However, from what I've studied, it seems the U.S has never, at ANY point, been Gods covenant nation who operates with Divine sanction. That was reserved for Israel...and even then, the U.S has already had a wide range of things done in the name of the nation that've never been a part of God's heart ( more shared in #501 ).
When you understand the roots of how things develop, it seems to make sense of many factors. Many, due to their eschatological view of a "Christian U.S" developing where a theocracy under God arises, seem to feel that the U.S needs to be fought for - and "brought back" to it's heritage.
However, I wonder, if supporting a theocracy, if that theocracy others may want would support those who are Indigenious peoples/"First Nations" people who are believers. FOr it often seems that discussion of theocracy often leaves out the fact that many Native Americans and others are often not considered as those who'd be leading the way if they trusted in Christ.
For more information, the Puritans originally came to America in order to gain freedom of religion, freedom from the persecution that they were experiencing at the hands of an antagonistic Church of England. And so they fled. In their fleeing they encountered all kinds of hardship and tribulation, and yet they endured and finally made it to the Promised Land. It was these kinds of experiences, and the relative success of establishing a new nation, that imbued Puritan pastors and theologians with the notion that Divine Providence had carried them into the new land of promise. Indeed, many (if not all) of the Puritans believed that they were truly the new Israel of God, and that they had been given Divine sanction to sack the native Americans (like the original Israel did with the Canaanites), and take their lands (manifest destiny)
Many tend to have a postmillennial view of heritage that believes that America has its rootage in Divine favor and blessednessas Gods covenant people [As a side note, the interesting thing about this is that most American's who appeal to this age as constituting a "Christian" heritage to our nation are not postmillennial, but premillennial dispensationalists, which is completely at odds with postmil thought]. And it is this kind of mindset that believes that America is exceptional, that is, because we have been blessed of God (as his covenant nation), and thus we can offer things to the rest of the world (even if that means that we, in a utilitarian and pragmatic way impose ourselves on other nations for the greater good; i.e. which is the preservation of Gods new Israel, America) that the rest of the world needs. By the logic of others, we are the dispensers of Gods covenant promises after all
. But people fail to realize that other nations have been exceptional as well and it's theological error trying to assume that a nation being exceptional at many points is either exceptional at ALL points or "exceptional" according to the standards of the Lord. ....and as it concerns God rulling the nation, one would have to see a radical shift where God is honored at ALL points in order for any talk on theocracy established by men to be possible.
A school of thought existing doesn't equate to it being historically valid or accurate. It simply means that it exists. And for anyone interested, there's actually a good book on the issue entitled "Between Babel and the Beast" addressing the issue very well (more here ).
And for more, one should consider investigating the work of Roger Olson who has provided a mini and partial review of Peter Leitharts book, Between Babel and the Beast. (more here ).Leithart challenges a religion that he (amongst others) has labeled Americanism (or the worship of America as Gods special nation, like the new Israel). Moreover, for others who've spoken on the issue. One is Soong-Chan Rah in his work The Next Evangelicalism: Releasing the Church from Western ... - Page 449..and another is Andrea Smith of Native Americans and the Christian Right: The Gendered Politics of Unlikely Alliances.
As the Late Richard Twiss said best:
If anyone here has any thoughts, I'd love to hear sometime....
For anyone interested..
It has been the case in the U.S that many have long advocated for the ideology that God somehow sees the U.S as a "New Israel" of sorts - predominately due to the viewpoint that the U.S was founded on Christian principles and that its expansion has arisen as a means of supernatural blessing.
However, from what I've studied, it seems the U.S has never, at ANY point, been Gods covenant nation who operates with Divine sanction. That was reserved for Israel...and even then, the U.S has already had a wide range of things done in the name of the nation that've never been a part of God's heart ( more shared in #501 ).
When you understand the roots of how things develop, it seems to make sense of many factors. Many, due to their eschatological view of a "Christian U.S" developing where a theocracy under God arises, seem to feel that the U.S needs to be fought for - and "brought back" to it's heritage.
However, I wonder, if supporting a theocracy, if that theocracy others may want would support those who are Indigenious peoples/"First Nations" people who are believers. FOr it often seems that discussion of theocracy often leaves out the fact that many Native Americans and others are often not considered as those who'd be leading the way if they trusted in Christ.
For more information, the Puritans originally came to America in order to gain freedom of religion, freedom from the persecution that they were experiencing at the hands of an antagonistic Church of England. And so they fled. In their fleeing they encountered all kinds of hardship and tribulation, and yet they endured and finally made it to the Promised Land. It was these kinds of experiences, and the relative success of establishing a new nation, that imbued Puritan pastors and theologians with the notion that Divine Providence had carried them into the new land of promise. Indeed, many (if not all) of the Puritans believed that they were truly the new Israel of God, and that they had been given Divine sanction to sack the native Americans (like the original Israel did with the Canaanites), and take their lands (manifest destiny)
Many tend to have a postmillennial view of heritage that believes that America has its rootage in Divine favor and blessednessas Gods covenant people [As a side note, the interesting thing about this is that most American's who appeal to this age as constituting a "Christian" heritage to our nation are not postmillennial, but premillennial dispensationalists, which is completely at odds with postmil thought]. And it is this kind of mindset that believes that America is exceptional, that is, because we have been blessed of God (as his covenant nation), and thus we can offer things to the rest of the world (even if that means that we, in a utilitarian and pragmatic way impose ourselves on other nations for the greater good; i.e. which is the preservation of Gods new Israel, America) that the rest of the world needs. By the logic of others, we are the dispensers of Gods covenant promises after all
A school of thought existing doesn't equate to it being historically valid or accurate. It simply means that it exists. And for anyone interested, there's actually a good book on the issue entitled "Between Babel and the Beast" addressing the issue very well (more here ).
And for more, one should consider investigating the work of Roger Olson who has provided a mini and partial review of Peter Leitharts book, Between Babel and the Beast. (more here ).Leithart challenges a religion that he (amongst others) has labeled Americanism (or the worship of America as Gods special nation, like the new Israel). Moreover, for others who've spoken on the issue. One is Soong-Chan Rah in his work The Next Evangelicalism: Releasing the Church from Western ... - Page 449..and another is Andrea Smith of Native Americans and the Christian Right: The Gendered Politics of Unlikely Alliances.
As the Late Richard Twiss said best:
If anyone here has any thoughts, I'd love to hear sometime....