The Big Choice Looming Ahead
(Part 3 of America as a Christian Nation)
America has always carried the image of being a “Christian nation,” and in a way that separates it from the Christian nations of Europe, where Christendom reigned for centuries. America has an odd identity as a Christian nation because, unlike most nations in Europe, the Framers of the Constitution made it clear that they did not want America to be officially Christian—Christian according to Christendom—but unofficially so—Christian according to influence.
They designed a system of government that was both secular and Christian, the two held together in a paradoxical and symbiotic relationship.
For close to 250 years America has been officially secular, yet far more robustly Christian than the very nations in Europe that established Christianity—or some subgroup, like Catholic or Lutheran—as the religion of the realm. Church attendance across America is still very high. Christianity still exerts a great deal of influence. It is diverse, creative, entrepreneurial, and vital, far more than in most other nations.
Still, that influence is declining. Social scientists have observed the trend, using a variety of social scientific tools to prove it. We can learn a great deal from these studies, to be sure. But we feel the effects of the decline, too, like the symptoms of an oncoming cold. It worries us. We want to know how to change course and reassert Christian influence.
At just this point we face a major decision: do we reverse the decline through imposition and coercion, and thus try to reestablish Christendom, or do we follow the example of the early Christians who pursued what I have called “the third way” (see Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian Third Way Changed the World).
The first way was the Roman way—cultural accommodation to gain acceptance and power, though at the price of Christian uniqueness and integrity. The second was the Jewish way—cultural isolation to preserve identity, though at the price of influence and growth.
The third was the Jesus way.
In panic and fear some Christians in America want to make Christianity the official religion of the nation. This is the strategy of Christian Nationalists, and not a few evangelicals, too. They champion restoring the practice of prayer and Bible reading in public schools, displaying the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols in public places, and securing special privileges for Christians and Christian institutions. Advocates argue that they are only affirming what everyone knows is true. They also believe that these efforts will overcome the threats posed by secularism (in education, media, entertainment, etc.), immigration, and other religions, especially Islam.
America is still majority Christian. Why not make it official? But Europe tried this model and failed, as the Framers observed. The establishment of Christendom undermined true Christianity. To be sure, the era of Christendom did accomplish good—for example, religious orders, medieval universities, legal codes, renewal movements, and activism, all of which kept Christendom going far longer than it otherwise would have.
But there was a price to be paid all the same. The price was widespread nominalism, abuse of power, and failure to practice the very faith that dominated western culture on the official level for so long. Christianity functions best through persuasion, not coercion. When God chose to enter the human story, he came as Jesus, not Augustus or Alexander the Great or Socrates or Hercules.
The Jesus way is the harder way; it is also the better way. We don’t need more cultural Christianity. We need an infusion of real Christianity.
The early Christian movement rattled and intimidated Rome, even though its numbers were small and its institutions, such as they were, marginal. On the eve of Constantine’s conversion, the number of Christians comprised no more than 10% of the population. For the most part the majority of these Christians were serious. They had to be because they faced Rome’s suspicion and hostility, which made nominalism difficult. Christianity exercised influence because Christians lived like Christians, at least for the most part. Rome didn’t know what to do with such a powerful and transformative religion that refused to do as Rome did.
The problem with Christianity in America has nothing to do with the loss of official establishment status. The problem is that it wants to take a shortcut to influence by returning to the old arrangement of Christendom. Such a strategy will only contribute to its decline. The old way sabotaged itself. It was—and still is—the way of accommodation. American Christian Nationalism is only the latest iteration.
The Jesus way—the way of discipleship—is as relevant now as it was then. It is the secret to Christian influence.
Disciples witness to Jesus and serve the common good of society. Disciples live as salt, leaven, and light. Disciples show special preference for the least of these. Disciples practice their vocations with the kingdom in mind. Disciples steward resources, make sacrifices, love enemies, practice virtue, win the lost. Disciples live for the kingdom, not for a nation or a political party or a class or an income status.
We don’t need to establish Christianity as the official religion of the nation. We simply need to make disciples.