Saturday Night Theologian
7 March 2010

Isaiah 55:1-9

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.