Another day, another controversy. I just returned from Istanbul to this?
The Secretary of the Department of War (formerly known as the Department of Defense) Pete Hegseth said, “Today, at my direction, I'm establishing the Office of Religious Affairs. It will report straight to the top -- a direct line to the secretary ... as Psalm 33:12 extolls us, blessed is the nation in which God is the Lord."
Wow! Has he not read the U.S. Constitution? Selling a curated version of Christianity? One minute these people pray to “Jesus,” wear their gigantic crosses, and the next they celebrate and brag about the people they have killed. Whether it’s girls in Iran, the leader of Iran, the people on boats off Venezuela, or anyone else they have decided “deserved it.”
But I have to point out some discrepancies here… since when did Christians celebrate death? Or what happened to innocent until proven guilty? Children certainly don’t deserve to suffer because of the actions of their governments or decisions made by world leaders.
And there’s another contradiction we simply can’t ignore. Our government is secular for a reason. When our Founding Fathers created the U.S. Constitution, they included certain protections for freedom to practice Christianity, Islam, Judaism or no religion at all, while preventing the government from establishing a particular religion.
So we cannot spend years warning Americans that Muslims or politicians like Mayor Zohran Mamdani are “supposedly” going to bring Sharia law to America, while at the same time demanding that our own government and public servants conform to one particular interpretation of Christianity.
And where is Congress now? Earlier this year, members of Congress were certainly paying attention when they believed Islamic religious law threatened the separation between religion and American government. For instance, Congressman Randy Fine introduced the “Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act,” warning that Sharia law could not be forced on the United States, and several members of Congress joined him. The House even held hearings titled “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution.”
So where is that same concern now?
If the principle is that religious doctrine should not be imposed through American government, then that principle cannot suddenly change depending on which religion is involved. We cannot sound the alarm when the religion is Islam and remain silent when government officials force Christianity. Either we believe in religious liberty and constitutional limits for everyone, or we don’t.
You cannot condemn theocracies in the Middle East for mixing religious authority with government and then turn around and advocate for your own version here.
Jesus wasn’t passive about this kind of hypocrisy or exploitation of faith. He said, “ Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? … You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye.”
He also flipped the tables when he noticed that people had corrupted something that was supposed to be sacred. Don’t get me wrong, He could be compassionate toward sinners while being incredibly direct with people who used religion for their own purposes, to include Pharisees.
As followers of Christ, we are called to live our faith and share the Gospel. Jesus told His followers to go and make disciples of all nations but He never forced anyone to follow Him.
Jesus said people would know His followers by their love not by their political power, wealth or military strength. He said, my sheep know my voice and I know them. Scripture tells us the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I could go on and on.
Meanwhile, the enemy, Satan, is the one described in the Bible as the one who comes to “steal and kill and destroy.” The father of lies and deception.
You cannot sell cruelty, vengeance, forced belief or the celebration of human suffering and simply put Jesus’ name on top of it. Jesus is not a mascot. He is our lord and savior, worthy to be praised. But know this, He is not mocked and He sees everything. He knows people’s hearts too. He created us!
The Bible says He will give you a new heart, a heart of flesh and not of stone. If these people truly represented Him, they would be honoring Him and actively seeking to become more like their master. Which master are they serving? The master of love, compassion and justice? Or the master of manipulation? The one who offered Jesus riches and the kingdoms of this world?
If we are afraid of another religion being imposed on us, then we should understand exactly why we must never impose ours on someone else.
Perhaps the question isn’t, is America becoming more Christian? But, are Christians in America becoming more like Christ? And before you say, “Well, at least they are bringing Christ back, unlike the democrats?” Think for a moment: are they really?
Are they reflecting Jesus’ values and teachings on forgiveness, compassion, justice, humility, integrity and mercy? Are they welcoming the foreigner or taking care of the poor, orphans and widows, as commanded? Are they doing every thing in their power to live at peace with one another? Are they turning the other cheek? Are they meek and compassionate or are they cruel? Do their hearts break for the injustices of this world?
Remember this. Behind every war, sanction, bomb or missile they drop, there are human beings, also created in God’s image. We can debate governments and policies without losing our humanity.
Until next time!
