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Pioneer and Bell Church of Christ

WILL GOD DAMN AMERICA?

Jeremiah Wright is now infamous for using the expression, "God Damn America." In context, the statement was a part of his liberation theology, concept of social justice, and redistribution of wealth. Concepts, which by the way are foreign to the Bible. Damn implies being "condemned by God to eternal punishment in hell." Individuals are damned (Mark 16:15-16), nations are punished and/or destroyed by God.

 

When a nation rejects God, God rejects that nation. When ancient Israel rejected God, God sent them into Babylonian captivity for 70 years. America can learn its lesson from Israel when it rejected Jehovah as the God of Israel. Jeremiah the prophet pointed out (Jeremiah 6:18-19), God would "bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." When a nation rejects God's Law (revealed in both the Old and New Testaments) He shall bring evil upon it.

 

Consider the statements by the Apostle Paul in Romans one. First, he points out that the "wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Rom 1:18). He goes on to state that man is without excuse because when they knew God they did not glorify Him nor were they thankful (Verse 20-21). Humanism is condemned when they "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" (verse 25). Because they did not "like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Verse 28).

 

Among the wicked practices, such as "leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly"
(verse 27), they were filled with "with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful" (verses 29-31).

 

How many of these things are tacitly endorsed in our society today? How many, in the words of Paul, "knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (verse 32)?

 

Dale I. Royal, Elk City