Monthly Message - The Purpose of a Nation
A large body of people united by common descent, history, culture or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory. That last sentence is the oxford definition of the word Nation. A nation is typically thought of as a country
or territory that is home to an organized people who have some sort of governing system put in place and usually a military to protect itself. All and all the definition of a nation leaves room for a lot of uncertainties. The purpose of a nation can be even more ambiguous. And since Trump has gotten into office, it would seem that the Christian ethos has been very concerned about what the role of the nation is. Should the nation be giving aid overseas? Should the nation be responsible for
educating the youth? Should the nation, if powerful enough, keep the peace in other regions outside its borders?
The purpose of a nation may be thought of as what a Nation ought to do. Of course, finding two people who agree on even 70% of pressing political issues is harder than pushing a camel through the eye of a needle. So how ought the Christian
think about the role of their nation? This is a question I cannot answer for two reasons. 1. I don't think it can be uniformly answered for all nations in a nuanced way. 2. I do not have the knowledge necessary to answer the question even for the nation in which I live - the inner workings of tax law, politics, and foreign affairs is well beyond me.
So then, why bring all this up about the purpose of nations? Well, I do have something that may be worthwhile to share. That is, I highly doubt the vast majority of people have the knowledge at their disposal to overcome the two reasons I just expressed that keep me from discerning the purpose of a nation. Perhaps saving Ukraine from Russia is exactly what needs to happen to stage off World War III, or maybe some greedy Politian's in America just want to use
taxpayer dollars to seize control of lucrative minerals that Ukrainian land possesses. Maybe the Department of Education is necessary in some form to educate the least privileged among us, or maybe it's a corrupt and malicious organization that is pure waste. Maybe some misguided US foreign aid is the best attempt at charity our fallen nature can muster, or maybe USAID is just a way for the powerful to gain control and wealth. Who really knows. I certainly have my opinions and I am sure you do
to. And you should have opinions, since everything I just talked about is funded at your expense. However, we know for sure that we live in the enemy's camp and Jesus never said he came to make the world a better place. He instead came for souls, yours and mine alike.
The more I dive into politics and global finance the more I realize that
there is no possible top-down solution to all the problems we face. There are only bottom-up solutions. We can gripe on social media all we want, criticize the president all we want, praise the president all we want, but the only way the everyday person can enact change in their community and nation is by obeying the one who is truly Lord.
If you
believe you have the ability to put together a coalition/organization/campaign and stop corruption at the highest levels of government and redefine what nation is and ought to do, then all the power to you. You have my prayers!! But I truly believe that you would be a far greater pain to the enemy by just being a Christian who obeys the teachings of Christ in their everyday life. I do not know the purpose of a nation, but I know the purpose of a human being. It is to Love God and neighbor. Let
us act on this great commandment before we demand it of our nation in affairs we do not truly understand.
