What Does It Mean To Be Christian In America? First of a series.

that God has maintained some sort of holy curtain of protection from natural and man-made disasters and attacks historically because of our supposed holiness;

that America has enjoyed some vague status in the eyes of God as an especially chosen people and nation more worthy than the rest of the world.

-Being "fearful" of God in a way that recognizes God's capacity for wrath and punishment to those who stray, backslide and slip into immorality. The God of the CCA's is perfectly capable of destroying the innocent with the guilty as evidenced during the 9/11 attacks and the godly fist of Katrina expressing His displeasure with an entire city that has supposedly mocked God for too long.

This is the stuff of which an American Christian separation from global Christianity is made.

You tell me, gentle readers. What does it mean to you to be Christian in America at this time in our history?

A large portion of those who are Christian in this country are not politically nor religiously/evangelistically active and will not be aware of the points - pro or con - upon which this article is based.

Although many Christians are not actively and outwardly religious except perhaps on rare Sundays, special holidays or family events, there are millions who sit in congregations and outwardly celebrate their religion in a spirit of worship and fellowship every week. Yet many of these do not cross the line into the politics-and-religion discourse. They are content in their lives but are they content with what they are told from the pulpit or see and hear on television and radio?

The citizens of this country named in the above two paragraphs comprise those who hold the power to impact the political and spiritual direction in the U.S. and the time is coming when it will be unavoidably necessary to willfully and powerfully express themselves as to meaning in all our lives.

Two days ago I listened as a network reporter on-site in Louisiana concluded his report about frustration with governmental delay in rescue operations with "This is not the America I grew up in."

This weekend, author Tim Wise published an article in Counterpunch.org, A God with Whom I am not Familiar in which he wrote of sitting in a restaurant booth next to uninhibited and openly practicing Christian diners.

[excerpts]

"I watched you as you

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