Part Six of A Call to Christian Patriotism

We cannot know at this time how the USA Presidental election will turn out. Is there a prophet among us? Let's evaluate. Kenneth Copeland and Pat Robertson both seem to have to have predictions about 2012 as seen on YouTube. Copeland thinks that God is on America's side. Pat Robertson's take.  I do agree with Robertson that we need to pray. But I do not follow these two men, just find it amusing that they have to have predictions. Go to YouTube if you wish.

Tim Challies writes here on the distribution of wealth which he sees as an issue in this election. Being content is a Christian issue and the government cannot provide for all our needs and wants.

Muslims Worshipping in NYC

What I am concerned about in this post are the Muslims. A person can live in one country and have strong allegiances to Muhammad and the Arab concerns. This was true in World War II with many Germans still tied to their homeland. In our country we have all nationalities. Public schools let Muslim women (staff and students) wear burkas in the classroom, whereas in many school districts other students cannot have their head covered with a hood, hat or cap because these conceal earbuds that can be connected to an electronic device such as a game or a phone. I have read that anywhere from 2 to 7 million Muslims live in the United States even though Muslims hate the West and believe first and foremost in Sharia law. Over a dozen years ago before 9/11 The UMC had a resolution of tolerance here. Can we tolerate the potentials of some radical Arabs and Muslims within borders? One suicide bomber within our borders can do a lot of damage and feel he has been approved by his Islamic deity Mohammad.

Last Monday as reported by Reuters:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated," ignoring a U.N. warning to avoid incendiary rhetoric ahead of the annual General Assembly session.

Ahmadinejad also said he did not take seriously the threat that Israel could launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, denied sending arms to Syria, and alluded to Iran's threats to the life of British author Salman Rushdie.

The United States quickly dismissed the Iranian president's comments as "disgusting, offensive and outrageous."

I need a president who will not quickly dismiss international problems or offer easy solutions.

There was a very interesting address by Obama at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt in 2009. In this address he said many things and essentially has a humanistic conclusion:

I’m a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan familu that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.

As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. . . . And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers—Thomas Jefferson—kept in his personal library. [Obama gets applause here. ]

His speech covers many world tensions of the Middle East and Arab nations. More applause came after he dealt with Israel and Palestine. Ahmadinejad take note. Obama in 2009 speech says:

America’s strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. . . . On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians - - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. . . . The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security. . . .

There's one rule that lies at the heart of every religion -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. . . . We have the power to make the world we see, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.  The Holy Koran tells us: "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another." The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace." The Holy Bible tells us: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on Earth.

The link to the above released from the White House seems to have been taken down and so you will have to email me to get that lengthy address. I did find it here originally.

In the current (9/1/21) Time magazine, Fareed Zakaria writes: "If pluralism and radical Islam have a future, stronger voices of tolerance are needed."  But we do not have the power to make the world what we want through tolerance. We do not have the power--God does.

These ten posts are going through Howard A. Eyrich's A Call to Christian Patriotism and reflecting on what he writes and the Scripture he uses. He uses the example of Paul with his plural citizenships (Jew, Roman and Christian) in Acts 22 and 23. Then Eyrich writes:

Unfortunately there are those in America who profess Kingdom of God citizenship and prostitute it for their greedy personal ends, whether money or power. But the Christian Patriot cannot react by slipping into being passive. We are under obligation to preach the Gospel. We are under obligation to worship God. We are under obligation to pray in public and private for those who rule over us. We are under obligation to be salt and light. And, if we imitate Paul as he bids us do, we are under obligation to intertwine our spiritual and temporal citizenships for the glory of God while trusting God with the outcome as he did (p. 77).

Eyrich goes on in the next session featuring John 21:14-25 to give these four priorities: loving God, humble service, submission to the Lordship of Christ, honor and obedience to those who rule over us. He notes that our ultimate ruler is the Constitution and its Bill of Rights (pp. 79, 80). Again he highlights generational transference of blessings that begin with a right view of God (p.83 and passages from Deuteronomy 5, 6, 30). Excellent! Buy his book! He concludes on p. 89:

O Christian Patriot, join your family in prayer! Over the last several weeks we have looked at the patterns God has established to transfer blessings. Study the prayers of the Bible! Engage our God on behalf of our nation that we might continue the legacy for freedom and be the engine of the Gospel to the rest of the world. Teach history so that your children learn from the past. Pray that by learning history they will not repeat its mistakes, but will commit themselves to be godly citizens who promote righteousness in both personal and public life.

If Muslims can pray publicly and their women wear a head covering for all to see, surely we need dedication as dual citizens of the USA and Heaven. Paul provides such a good example of balancing it all.