Note #1: Once again, fair warning to any who do not like to read anything related to religion. BUT, if you want to gather ammunition to use against any hard-to-take Christians you might have to deal with, read on. If it will do you good to hear a Christian apologize for just how obnoxious we can be, read on.
Note #2: On my last blog post Anvilcloud reminded me that "In the beginning was the Word." I laughed, not only because it was clever and funny, but because it led so perfectly into this post that I was working on.
I called Thomas Nelson publishing house recently. I just didn’t know what else to do. You see, we had received the monthly flyer from our local Christian bookstore. There are always good discount coupons, and sometimes books are $5.00. That’s right, $5.00. I have actually found several new authors that way. Authors who write great fiction, some of who incorporate intriguing current issues. Authors whom I think people who would never want to go near a Christian bookstore might enjoy, assuming they like fiction. Well, while glancing through the flyer to decide if it were worth keeping (I HATE paper!), I saw a new Bible, The American Patriot’s Bible.
The title disturbed me somewhat. I read the summary write up. Then I was, for sure, disturbed. Off to the computer I went to google this Bible. The subtitle? The Word of God and the Shaping of America. Their write up? I quote, “THE AMERICAN PATRIOT’S BIBLE connects the teaching of the Bible, the history of the United States, and the life of every American. Beautiful full-color insert pages spotlight the people and events that demonstrate the godly qualities that have made America great.”
On reading that phrase “godly qualities” a number of things came immediately to mind, of course. Things like: 1) Our treatment of Native American Indians; 2) The fact that slavery was not mentioned in the Constitution originally, and was not made part of that document until 1865, almost 90 years (how many generations?) after our “founding fathers” established our country; 3) The fact that a Voting Rights Act was necessary after still another 100 years, in 1965; 4) The lack of child labor laws for how long? It wasn’t until 1904 that a national organization against child labor was formed. I am sorry to say that I could go on. I could add lack of women’s rights for how long? But even with this short list would be difficult, at best, for a fellow Christian to identify the godly qualities.
After pausing and considering that one phrase I then clicked on the picture of the Bible, as the site encouraged me to do. Inside, a page with our Declaration of Independence. Another with our Constitution, or at least part, I guess. I can’t be sure how much. Of course there were pictures of our flag waving, the Statue of Liberty, monuments or buildings in Washington, D.C. There was a picture of George Washington, kneeling in prayer by his horse. On the facing page were pictures of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Regan on a horse. (Please see note at end.)
There was a list of full color features, which included:
- The Bible and American Presidents
- Christianity in Colonial America
- Faith of the Founders
- The Bible and American Education
- Monuments to American Patriotism
- Christianity and Civil Rights
- The Bible and Famous Americans
Dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded. That pretty much sums up my initial reaction. Then disgust. Then I became apologetic. I wanted to apologize to so many people I don’t even know. Impossible, of course. So I did what I said above, I called the publishing house.
I asked the male phone representative if I could make some comments. He gave permission. Here’s the gist of what I said (after having told him that I had always respected Thomas Nelson publishing):
I feel pretty sure I will be the only Christian who will call and say this.
I don’t mean to be in any way offensive. But I do want to be straightforward.
I just investigated The American Patriot’s Bible and was shocked Thomas Nelson chose to publish it.
This actually really frightens me for our country. To take God’s Word and add ourselves to it? How could I NOT be frightened? To me it is the height of arrogance. And God hates arrogance.
And how must this look to Christians in other countries? How could it not appear that we think we are better, that we think God looks on us as extra special. How could they not find this offensive?
I thank him for listening and assure him he doesn’t have to say a word; that I know I am not the normal call he will receive.
The man could not have been more gracious. He encouraged me to call anytime, saying that Thomas Nelson welcomes all comments. I couldn’t tell if the man thought at least some of what I said had value. Or if he heard a voice older than his and was being particularly respectful. Or if he was just trained extremely well.
Can we Christians get any more obnoxious? But then again, I thought we had maxed out on our ability to be so. Then I found this Bible. So, I doubt we’ve reached the limit. We’ll likely keep climbing up on that soapbox we think is so righteous, without pause to consider that what we’ve actually done is climb to a very dangerous cliff. What would stop us from doing so? Any voices that might be trying to warn us are written off, labeled as way too liberal. And of course there is also that oblique insinuation that some love their country more than others. (As if that in and of itself is not offensive enough?)
Let me make it very clear, as I have attempted to do in past posts. I love my country. As a teenager I had the very unique opportunity to live in Turkey for a summer. So at the age of 16 I saw first hand how rich we are in this country. I was able to get a good education due to state colleges, etc. In a nutshell, I have been able to grow and fulfill some dreams all because America is my home. But I must also say that I am a Caucasian female and was born just in time to be ready for college when some parents, at least, had begun to think it was okay for daughters to aspire to as much higher education as we wanted.
What is wrong with this picture, you ask? In a word, everything. Let me be specific. I’ll give you a Biblical principal we say we believe in and show you exactly how we have used it in a disgusting display of hypocrisy.
First and foremost, we have taken God’s Word and defiled it. Not just polluted it. But defiled it. The very Book we say teaches us not to be prideful or to think more of ourselves than we should; we have dared to use to brag about ourselves, to brag about our country. Here is a verse, Romans 12:3 from two different versions of the Bible. (Bold print added by me.)
…it is important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God…the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
The Message
…Don’t think you are better than you really are…
New Living Translation
New Living Translation
Could it be more spelled out any more clearly?
Secondly, we say we believe in searching our hearts, thinking about and being aware of our sins. Who has not heard that we have to “confess our sins”? But we do the opposite with respect to the country we love so much, the country “founded on Christian principals”. We will not face up to our wrongs as a nation. This represents a complete disconnect in our thinking!
Thirdly, we Christians believe we are to love God with all our hearts and all our minds, and to have no other idols before us. But if I look at The American Patriot’ Bible, I see idols, pure and simple. We are dangerously close to worshiping the founders of our country and our Constitution. Mortal, very human men, and a document created by men. Not surprising though. The Bible does warn us that we will come to worship the created rather than the Creator. It says it in this very Bible, where the beginning pages are devoted to men from our history, to the Declaration of Independence, to the Constitution, to buildings, no matter how majestic, still built by men. Let me cite Romans 1:25.
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator…
New American Standard Bible
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the created things rather than the Creator…
Today's New International Version
And look at Mark 7:8. Jesus Himself said this!
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.
Today's New International Version
Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.
Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.
New American Standard Bible
For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.
New Living Translation
New Living Translation
Same question as before. Could it be spelled out any more clearly?
By the way, were I not only talking about The American Patriot’s Bible, I could add to the idol list. Politics, revered, possibly haloed, political commentators, not to mention certain news organizations; all would make the list. Don’t believe me? Listen; truly listen to some of our Christian leaders and pay attention to where and with whom you see them. Decide if you are confused as to whether they are men of God, politicians, or campaigners.
I’ve decided we need new words. Either that or I have way too limited a vocabulary. I can’t think of words that would describe not only this Bible, but also the prevailing atmosphere within our Christian movement (for lack of a better word) that equates America and Christianity. Words like disgusting, ridiculous, simplistic, obnoxious, pompous, arrogant, all seem way too inadequate. They are not strong enough to describe where we are with our thinking. We need new words and we need the superlative forms of those words.
Since I am not smart enough to coin any phrases, I’ll do the only thing I know to do. For my part, I’ll sincerely apologize.
I apologize to any American being judged as not loving his/her country. Particularly when that judgment comes from a Christian, or even a pretend-to-be one.
I most definitely apologize to Christians in other countries for our failure, that of American Christians, to see ourselves as a family with you, for being “respecters of persons”, exactly as we are instructed NOT to do in God’s Word.
I apologize to non-Christians, both American and otherwise. I apologize for our arrogance and our self-righteousness.
And I apologize to God Himself for how poorly we are representing Him, for how much we are becoming “lovers of self”. I ask His forgiveness and ask Him to help us love and respect others, all of whom we claim to believe were created by Him. And I ask Him to help us, at least us American Christians, to focus on our Christian “crawl” and want to do better. I say “crawl” because I see us as no longer even trying to think about how to walk. From my point of view we have a long ways to go to get back to a Christian “walk”, if we were ever there in the first place. And I ask Him to let us see ourselves clearly, as in a mirror. That includes myself and all the many places I am wrong. Even if it is about all of this.
I don’t know if my sister will ever see this, but I am concerned if she does. She is worrying that I am too much against the Christian community. Maybe underneath she is afraid I will lose my faith. But she needn’t worry. If I have not lost it as a result of Natalia’s death, I doubt anything else in life is going to cause me to do so. But how can I fail to care about the very faith that is sustaining me, for sure? In the same way I would call out to Natalia if she were approaching something dangerous, I must do it here, no matter how harsh it may seem.
Note: I truly mean no disrespect. But I HAVE to ask. How did it NOT seem weird to design and print a Bible where readers could see a movie-star-like picture of anyone on horseback? Speaking for myself, I just don’t expect that in my Bible. A picture of Jesus, yes. Ronald Regan on horseback, no.
