Here are some of the latest books that I have read that have challenged me and encouraged my heart and mind. 

Book #1: ’Surprised by Hope’ Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.
The first one is by one of my favorite authors; NT Wright
Probably one of my favorite books of all time.

Book #2: Overcoming Life’s Disappointments by Harold S. Kushner
Kushner takes the experiences of Moses and helps us find faith and strength from this remarkable man of faith. Dealing with disappointments is something that all of us have in common. Learning how to handle those disappointments is a great challenge. Kushner gives great insigthts and encouraging stories of how to respond to heartbreak and unfulfilled dreams, with understanding rather than with bitterness.

Book #3: Jesus The Jewish Theologian by Brad H. Young
This book reveals just how Jewish Jesus was. His insights into the parables of Jesus are worth the price of this book. Very insightful and challenging.

Are we a Christian nation or a nation that is full of Christians? Should we be striving to be a Christian Nation? 

I have spent a great deal of time in the last three years wrestling through the concept of ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’/ ‘The Kingdom of God’ as taught by Jesus in the gospels. He taught about it; preached about it; demonstrated it; and he explained it in his parables. Jesus was a Kingdom man. He spent 3 years teaching about the Kingdom. Even after he was resurrected from the dead he spent the next 40 days teaching his disciples about the Kingdom of God. It must have been extremely important if Jesus spent the majority of his time proclaiming and demonstrating the Kingdom of God.

What is the Kingdom of God? What is the Kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of God / Heaven; is the people of God doing the will of God on earth, making the world a better place to live. If I go into a room, my city, whole foods, I either bring with me the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Hell. God’s kingdom is brought with me when I obey the teachings of Christ whose words are literally God’s words. Hell’s kingdom is brought with me when I don’t obey Christ’s words to heal, help, serve, feed, etc….. (Matthew 5-7)

I believe that we are called as followers of Jesus to establish the Kingdom of God on earth just as Jesus taught, proclaimed and demonstrated. If we keep this as our central focus than to call ourselves a Christian nation is probably not accurate. I’ve seen a lot of people who call themselves Christians bring a lot of hell with them here on earth. I have seen and experienced Christians participating in racism and judgmental attitudes towards other human beings who are created in the very image of God.

If a Christian nation is a nation where the Kingdom of Christ is spread, than we cannot, with a clear conscience, call ourselves a Christian nation. A nation with Christians would be a more accurate statement.

I have a hard time believing that Jesus ever wanted us to create a Christian nation. Don’t we remember what happened after the death of Constantine? All other religions except for Christianity were declared illegal. A nation of Christians who were persecuted for their faith became a nation of persecutors.

I’ve witnessed a lot of people getting upset over the recent election. Fear arose among the Christian community over our new president. One person even said; ‘He’s going to take away our Christian rights. Our nation is going to pot; we won’t be a Christian nation anymore.’ I’m going to put myself out on a limb here and say; ‘I’m not interested in being a Christian nation as much as I am interested in being a nation that accepts Christians who are free to enter and invite others to enter the Kingdom of God.’ The Jewish people have understood this philosophy throughout the millennia, as they are a nation no matter how scattered they are and regardless of the country in which they live.

A Christian nation is a nation without borders. The Kingdom of God is the only Christian nation that I know of and want to be a part of.

Pastor Jon