“We desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the Gospel is American and how much is biblical.” ~ David Platt
Seems the American version is more about politics, economics, and superiority than about the teachings of Jesus. It seems heavy on judgment, even though James 2:13 says “mercy triumphs over judgment.” (That scripture probably drives a lot of people crazy.) It’s ambiguous on morality. It seems to hold strong positions on a short list of moral issues, but it gives the president a pass on all of them. (This is very confusing to those of us outside MAGA circles.)
When we say someone is a moral person, we don’t stop with the short list. We include honesty, integrity, compassion, respect, responsibility, faithfulness, fairness, kindness, courage, forgiveness, humility, loyalty, perseverance, gratitude, and self-control, not to mention core values like authenticity, balance, citizenship, community, growth, justice, and trustworthiness. And this isn’t even the complete list. It’s definitely long.
If we could agree on the long list rather than just the short list, it shouldn’t be that hard to leave the American version and get back to the biblical one.
Granted, the long list is daunting, but I can’t imagine a more unifying thing than admitting that and giving it a shot. We can also trust that God’s mercy is greater than his judgment. That’s good news.
For all of us.