A lot of passionate opinions flow through my brain on a daily basis, and too often I craft a few sentences while driving or doing dishes that I foolishly believe I will remember later. And then a month passes and I’ve nothing, blog-wise, to show for it. But yesterday I read a letter written by James Dobson about his recent visit to our Southern border, and this time my thoughts are making it to the keyboard. There’s so much surrounding this immigration/separation issue that I’m not going to dwell on now – so much that should be criticized, lamented, and corrected – but near the end of his letter, Dobson asserted something that I just cannot let stand:
“America has been a wonderfully generous and caring country since its founding. That is our Christian nature.”
James Dobson, https://metrovoicenews.com/james-dobson-letter-explains-his-border-investigation/
I’m not arguing that genuine Christian nature doesn’t include generosity and caring for others – those are some of its defining characteristics. What I think is ridiculous to state is that these characteristics accurately describe America’s history. When we try to join the two, like the Alabama car dealership giving away Bibles, flags, and guns to customers for Independence Day, we create a mockery of our faith.
Dobson’s statement follows a carefully crafted lie that white people have told ourselves about America. Our selective memory lulls us in believing that settlers came here for religious freedom, befriended the indigenous people, founded a nation where “all men are created equal”, were briefly led astray by the culture of slavery, ended said slavery, and elected a Black president. Boom. We’re good people. Like all effective lies there are bits of truth there but as we (should) know the actual story is so much uglier. Under the guise of making this country great for a select population, Americans have killed, raped, tortured, exiled, and imprisoned those who were definitely not viewed as an equal creation.
There are so many different directions I could go from here. We could talk about how Christians then and now have founded hospitals and aid organizations, given millions of dollars and hours to help those in need, and fought for an end to slavery and oppression. We could mourn that others randomly choosing verses to support their cause, or never even opening the Bible in their sweaty grasp, have perpetrated or gone along with the state-sponsored evil of our history. We could consider the implications of Muslims and others around the world equating all that goes on in America with Christianity because of foolish statements like the one Dobson made. But here is where I’ll land: There is much good in this country. I am thankful every day that I live here and not in a place like North Korea, and some of my dear friends are pleased to be in America where it is safer than their former homes in Afghanistan. But I can never allow myself to forget that some of the worst atrocities and most heinous acts of terrorism in this country have been perpetrated by people who look like me and at times even claimed the same God. And unless we want that hatred to be confused with the message of the gospel we cannot call America a Christian nation. So Mr. Dobson, in the words of Jesus himself, “you are quite wrong.”*
* Mark 12:27b (We can just call this an example of taking a verse out of context.)
What I've learned so far... 