Owen E Williams: Christianity, Kartoniert / Broschiert

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The Christian faith is barely recognizable today compared to its foundational doctrines and beliefs as outlined in the Bible. Biblical teachings on bias, partiality, indifference, and warnings of greed, lust, and the love of money seem foreign to today's Christian church.

This body of the faithful is no longer content with even having a form of godliness. It only displays a consuming gospel of selfishness, hate, separatism, violence, racial identity, stubborn lies, vengefulness, privilege, and entitlement. This loud and bold body takes excellent pride in prognosticating and pontificating these behaviors while demonstrating zero faith in the "Ancient of Days," who says that our lives are "but a vapor in the wind." There seems to be extraordinarily little understanding of seasons and the ability to transition and adapt to God's will when he does something new in the land. Blinded by desire and enslaved to the flesh, this body seems incapable of brotherly love, personal charity towards the stranger, living justly, having mercy, and walking humbly before their God. And, in this ethos, they have inflicted much pain and suffering amongst the brethren.

But like the apostle Paul, I see another member in the body taking control, confusing the mind, manipulating the flesh, and rendering us blind to our behaviors. In this blindness, we have switched faithfulness to God for patriotism to the country, commitment to submission, repentance, and the will of God for vengeance, separatism, racism, sexism, and sectarianism. Let us pray that God touches our eyes.

Today, we see an emboldened Christian nationalist doctrine espousing an ideology that has long been defunct and defeated but still lives on in the hearts and desires of a small global minority who are becoming successful in making this ideology a Christian grassroots political movement.

In the United States, this ideology has hijacked the Republican party and threatens to usher in a lawless population if their privilege and entitlement desires are not realized. These desires run the gamut from extreme financial conservative policies that have the potential to disenfranchise poor people who are predominantly black and brown with limited education. It has also become increasingly consumed and concerned with racial identity and citizenship.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the Democratic Party's ideologies have become increasingly irresponsible regarding sound fiscal management and distribution, and dangerously irresponsible in matters of accountability and responsibility concerning citizenship.

At the same time, both parties cite Christian values as the foundation for their love of country and fellow citizens. Who is right in their beliefs? Are both correct? Or are both wrong? Are the synoptic gospels big enough to accommodate both ideologies, and if so, how can they coexist?

This book explores these questions by examining how these phenomena came to be, their symptoms in the current American political climate, and the consequences should it continue to go unchecked. We, the faithful, can be reminded by God's Word and follow His heavenly vision to avoid these pitfalls of entwining Christianity and nationalism on a political scale.