Hey Alice! I don't have time to write out a full explanation and commentary during this end-of-semester blitz, but here's the lowdown: It bothers me that many people are willing to make the leap from the idea that "America was founded on Christian principles" (which has a glimmer of truth in it, perhaps, but is *far* from the whole story) to "America is a Christian nation" (which seems to me to be both an oxymoron and a very bad idea). Presenting the biblical text side-by-side with a selectively laudatory and triumphalist account of American history, as the American Patriot's Bible does, seems to encourage people to make that illogical leap. Furthermore, I am grieved by the ways in which biblical/religious rhetoric is used in American public discourse to advance agendas that seem (to me) to have little or nothing to do with the central message of the Gospel. This is why many non-Christians in the US associate the concept of "Christianity" primarily with a pro-war, pro-capitalist, anti-gay, anti-environmental (etc etc) agenda, rather than with anything actually having to do with the teachings of Jesus. For me, the American Patriot's Bible calls to mind the famous words of Samuel Johnson: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
Would be interested to hear your thoughts on it as well!
why? full explanation and commentary please!
ReplyDeleteHey Alice! I don't have time to write out a full explanation and commentary during this end-of-semester blitz, but here's the lowdown: It bothers me that many people are willing to make the leap from the idea that "America was founded on Christian principles" (which has a glimmer of truth in it, perhaps, but is *far* from the whole story) to "America is a Christian nation" (which seems to me to be both an oxymoron and a very bad idea). Presenting the biblical text side-by-side with a selectively laudatory and triumphalist account of American history, as the American Patriot's Bible does, seems to encourage people to make that illogical leap. Furthermore, I am grieved by the ways in which biblical/religious rhetoric is used in American public discourse to advance agendas that seem (to me) to have little or nothing to do with the central message of the Gospel. This is why many non-Christians in the US associate the concept of "Christianity" primarily with a pro-war, pro-capitalist, anti-gay, anti-environmental (etc etc) agenda, rather than with anything actually having to do with the teachings of Jesus. For me, the American Patriot's Bible calls to mind the famous words of Samuel Johnson: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
ReplyDeleteWould be interested to hear your thoughts on it as well!