Visions of a Christian America

by Most Rev. Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Presiding Bishop, United Catholic Church

On September 9, 1995, I was "channel-surfing" in front of my television late at night, just before going to bed. I hit one of the C-Span channels, and suddenly stopped. There before my eyes was a national meeting of the Christian Coalition.

At first, it seemed that it would be just another parade of presidential candidates, pandering for votes. But then one of the panderers finished, and to the microphone came a distinguished African-American gentleman. It was E. V. Hill, Pastor of the Zion Hill Baptist Church. Near the beginning of his address, he asked an intriguing question: "What would America be like if we were to become a Christian nation?"

That did it. I was hooked. You couldn’t have pried me away from that television. I strained to hear his answer to this profound question. At one point I thought he was going to really slip it to all those assembled Republicans — he said something about taking care of poor folks. But the moment passed all too soon, and the rest of his talk seemed to rock back and forth between nostalgia for the "good old days" and reverse pandering (saying what all those politicians wanted to hear). In the end, to my great frustration, he didn’t answer the question at all.

Though I was profoundly disappointed in his talk, I was at the same time intrigued and energized by his original question: "What would America be like if we were to become a Christian nation?"

The more I thought about it, the more I came to believe that there were two very different ways to answer that question, depending on how one defined "Christian nation." I was therefore led to two very different visions of a Christian America.

The first vision is of a Christian America in the sense that both public policy and the daily actions of our people followed the example of the life of Jesus and responded to the Great Commandment — love God and love your neighbor.

The second vision is of a Christian America in the sense that Christianity is at least the de facto official religion, with public officials claiming the authority of Christ and the Bible, but continuing to behave as fallen and fallible humans.

Eventually a third vision emerged, not of a Christian America, but of a pagan America in which Christ is nonetheless served and in which his persecuted church flourishes.

Let us take a look at these visions, one at a time.

Go to Next Page VISION ONE & State of the Union Address, Part I: Foreign Policy

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