Former and probable future presidential candidate Mitt Romney is out
with a new book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. In
the book, Romney criticizes President Obama for being too willing to
apologize for some of the past actions of the United States, and he lays
out his vision of where the country needs to go in terms of economic and
foreign policy. Although I haven't read the book, its title and
description suggest that Romney adheres to a doctrine increasingly
popular in some circles, especially on the political right, called
American exceptionalism. This idea states that the United States of
America holds a unique place in the history of the world because of its
commitment to civic virtue, its high ideals, and its embrace of
democracy. This view is popular among many on the religious right as
well, where American exceptionalism takes on the added dimension that
America is uniquely blessed by God and is God's chosen vessel in world
history. What is the appropriate Christian response to such a theory?
I believe the answer is simple: American exceptionalism is a heresy that
is contrary to the basic teachings of Christianity, not to mention other
religious traditions, and its proponents are laying the foundation for
undermining the very nation they claim to honor with their praise.
American exceptionalists do not claim that the U.S. is a perfect country
or that it has not made mistakes in the past, but they tend to minimize
or even excuse what they admit to be the sins of America's past
(slavery, Native American genocide, and not much else) and glorify
America's triumphs, especially its military prowess. Today's reading
from Isaiah helps to put this heretical doctrine in its proper light.
"See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do
not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy
One of Israel, for he has glorified you." The unknown prophet living
among the Israelite exiles in Babylonia makes it clear that the exalted
future he sees for Israel will be based not on the people's greatness
but on the grace of God. Furthermore, he explicitly warns them not to
rely on ordinary human strategies for attaining greatness, such as
building great armies or acquiring enormous wealth: "My thoughts are not
your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord." Only when
God's people turn from their wicked ways and seek God's forgiveness can
they receive forgiveness: "let the wicked forsake their way, and the
unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may
have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." As
Jesus taught his followers, an important aspect of receiving forgiveness
is admitting one's sins and asking God for mercy (see the story of the
Prodigal Son). The same principle applies to nations as well. America
has traditionally stood for freedom for its people, it has welcomed
strangers to its shores, and it has embraced the principle that all
people are created equal and should be treated equally. These are
stances of which anyone could be proud. The reality, of course, is that
the nation has frequently violated its principles, by imprisoning people
of Japanese descent during World War II, by discriminating against
immigrants, and by denying equal rights at various points in its history
to Blacks, women, and homosexuals. In its foreign policy, America has
sometimes stood with the weak against the strong, and at other times it
has exerted its military muscle to bully weaker nations. In these and
many other ways, America has shown itself to be just like other nations,
possessing high ideals but often failing to live up to them. At present
the U.S. does have exceptional military might and exceptional wealth,
though the Great Recession may take its toll on both. In the final
analysis, America has the opportunity to be exceptional, but only if it
can take its eyes off itself and its delusions of grandeur, its covetous
desire for global economic hegemony, and its idolatrous pursuit of
permanent military supremacy. The path to true exceptionalism does not
lie there. Instead, a truly exceptional country will show its greatness
by eliminating poverty within its own borders and striving to eliminate
it worldwide. It will stand with the oppressed against their
oppressors, even (or especially) when those oppressors represent the
corporate interests of the wealthy. Finally, a truly exceptional
country will recognize the futility, the lunacy, indeed the evil of the
pursuit of military superiority and will beat its swords into plowshare,
its spears into pruning hooks, and convert its military budget into an
aid package for the country's and the world's neediest people.
Psalm 63:1-8 (first published 14 March 2004)
It was announced this week that both Mars rovers, Opportunity
and Spirit, found conclusive evidence that the planet once had an
abundance of liquid water. Scientists were excited by the news, because
most believe that life could not have arisen without the existence of
water in its liquid state, but now that it has been found, expectations
are high of finding evidence of life at some point in the history of Mars.
Life requires water, and the psalmist says that his flesh faints for God
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Just as water
sustains physical life, so encounters with God sustain spiritual life.
The Lenten season is a good opportunity for all people of faith to reflect
on their spiritual lives and to seek encounters with God. As you seek God
in these days before Easter, where will you look? Maybe you'll encounter
God in the quiet of your study. Maybe God will be revealed in the beauty
of nature. Perhaps you'll find God while ministering to other people.
Or maybe you'll have a fresh encounter with God while going about the
daily routines of life. Keep your eyes and ears open for God, for you
never know when you'll have an encounter, but if you seek God with all
your heart, you will find God. Like a cool drink of water to a parched
throat, we all need an encounter with God in our lives.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (first published 14 March 2004)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan opens on the bridge of the
Enterprise, with Lt. Saavik, a young Vulcan officer in command.
Faced with a no-win situation, she makes a decision, and everyone on board
is killed. The camera then fades back, and it turns out that she has been
in a simulation called the Kobiashi Maru, a scenario in which there is no
way out. Captain Kirk, we find out, is the only person ever to have
escaped "alive" from the simulation, and he did it by reprogramming the
computer. "I don't believe in no-win situations," he says, and he proves
it later by escaping an apparently hopeless situation once again by
cunning and trickery. Mr. Spock, on the other hand, faces his own
real-life Kobiashi Maru, and he makes the decision to sacrifice his own
life to save the crew. Paul tells his readers that, as far as temptation
is concerned, there is no such thing as a Kobiashi Maru scenario. No
matter what the situation, God always provides a way out of temptation.
Of course, avoiding temptation in the first place is usually easier than
extricating oneself from it, but we don't always have both options.
Unlike Kirk, we can't reprogram the computer of life, and we're stuck with
the decisions we make, even the bad ones. When we're faced with
situations that seem too hard to handle, it's good to know that we can
trust God to deliver us. And when we do fail, it's a comfort to know that
God is always willing to forgive.
Luke 13:1-9 (first published 14 March 2004)
In Thornton Wilder's book The Bridge of San Luis Rey, a bridge high in the Andes mountains collapsed while five people were on it, and they plummeted to their deaths. The lone witness to the event, Brother Juniper, a Franciscan monk, immediately sought to put a theological spin on the event. Why had these five died and not others? Brother Juniper put his theological training to work, and reasoned as follows. "If there were any plan in the universe at all, if there were any pattern in a human life, surely it could be discovered mysteriously latent in those lives so suddenly cut off. Either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan." He undertook an investigation of their lives, and he arrived at reasons that God chose these five to die and not others. The problem was that Brother Juniper was wrong in his analysis of all five. None of the five was as wicked as Brother Juniper suspected, so God wasn't punishing them for their particularly heinous sins. Contrary to Brother Juniper's supposition, accidents do happen, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't have a plan for each of our lives. Brother Juniper's theological problem was that he thought that accidents ruled out God's sovereignty. Had he really known the secret lives of the people he piously condemned after his investigation, he would have known that God had no reason to punish them. He didn't understand that the sovereignty of God is so unfathomable to humans that accidents--real, tragic accidents like the one described in this novel--can happen, while at the same time God remains in control of the universe.