Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Christian Nationalism Is Authentically Mormon

But it is not authentically Christian! From Andrew Sullivan here. A taste from a 1987 statement by Ezra Taft Benson:

Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.... For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off... 
I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it. I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it. 
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10).

2 comments:

jimmiraybob said...

Jon,

When you posted page 94 from Noll, Hatch, and Marsden, The Search for Christian America, I was intrigued and curious what was on page 93. So, after years of languishing on my "Books to Buy" list I finally did (along with John Fea's, Was America Founded as a Christian Nation).

I immediately read the section on John Witherspoon, that includes page 94, and have just finished the first chapter introduction. I wish I'd read this years ago. Oh well.

If The Search was specifically "written to Francis Schaeffer" it certainly suffices to address Ezra Taft Benson from a completely opposite Christian perspective.

"Our historical research has convinced us that two contrasting dangers lurk in wait when we attempt to put the past to use for present purposes. The first danger comes as a result of treating the naturalistic political ideals of American history as if they were on par with scriptural revelation. This leads to idolatry of our nation and an irresistible temptation to national self righteousness. The second danger comes from a failure to establish an independent scriptural position which allows for selective approval and disapproval of the culture's various values. This failure can lead to secularization, if Christians merely tag along when the culture veers away from God, or it can lead to confusion, when Christians are unable to figure out how public institutions that once supported the faith now work against it."

Jonathan Rowe said...

It is a fantastic book.