In the lead-up to last weekend’s Super Bowl game, entertainer Kid Rock—who would headline the alternative halftime show sponsored by Turning Point USA—said his show was designed for “those who love football, love America, and love Jesus” [1]. More than a few besides the present author likely wondered what these three have in common.
If nothing else, something is terribly wrong when the Savior whose ministry was so focused on helping the weak has His name hijacked by masculinity-obsessed “alpha males” who enjoy a game of gratuitous violence. And while the Jesus of Scripture most assuredly loves the people of the United States, it can hardly be assumed that He favors any one country over the rest. To the Roman governor who tried Him He declared, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). And the final gospel message proclaimed to humanity according to the Bible is addressed to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6).
The Christian gospel found in Holy Scripture is not bound up with the policies or destiny of any nation, human culture, or political ideology. When professed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ permit themselves to identify with such a construct, they pervert the message and the mission of the Savior they claim to adore. The Jesus of the Bible is not an American mascot. Nor is His kingdom dependent on the civil enactments or military adventures of the United States, or any other country.
The Modern Prophet Speaks
Those professing respect for the voice of God’s end-time prophet might be interesting in her pointedly negative witness relative to the game of football:
Some of the most popular amusements, such as football and boxing, have become schools of brutality. They are developing the same characteristics as did the games of ancient Rome. The love of domination, the pride in mere brute force, the reckless disregard of life, are exerting upon the youth a power to demoralize that is appalling [##2|Ellen G. White, Education, p. 210.##].
Can one honestly say this is any less true now than when it was first written?
The popular evangelical world doesn’t have access to the above inspired warning, to be sure, but such admonitions as the above should certainly dissuade devout Seventh-day Adventists from endorsing, or sympathizing with, the “football, America, and Jesus” mantra.
Far more seriously, the words of Ellen White predict the catastrophic consequences of America facilitating and harnessing the use of force in the name of Christianity. Despite the pronounced fears of so many conservative Christians, the inspired pen never forecasts a time when a secular state will restrict religious rights in the name of overt godlessness or some notion of the “common good.” Rather, it is religion (i.e. professed Christianity)—not secularism—that will curtail the rights of those whose choices run counter to those of the religious majority.
In the prophet’s words:
The founders of [America] wisely sought to guard against the employment of civil power on the part of the church, with its inevitable result—intolerance and persecution. The Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.” Only in flagrant violation of these safeguards to the nation’s liberty, can any religious observance be enforced by civil authority [##3|——The Great Controversy, p. 442.##].
Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state, that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured [##4|——The Great Controversy, p. 581.##].
Conclusion
For more than one reason, hyper-macho Americanism has no place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. To equate, or even associate, alpha-male amusements like football with Christianity, or even with the essential purpose of America, is a tendency at odds both with the Bible and the U.S. Constitution. The words of the poet Emma Lazarus, though not found in any of America’s governing documents, more accurately summarize the American purpose and dream than the dubious cocktail of “football, America, and Jesus.” Many will recall these stirring lyrics:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shores.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door [5].
The God of Scripture does not glorify boastful, self-imagined strength. Rather, He embraces and exalts the weak, making them strong in the truest sense.
REFERENCES
2. Ellen G. White, Education, p. 210.
3. ----The Great Controversy, p. 442.
4. Ibid, p. 581.
5. “The New Colossus” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Colossus
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan