A Message to the Church in the U.S.A.

The title of this essay is a very tricky one, almost leading the readers to believe that there is such an entity as "The American Church."  Perhaps, a better title would have been "A Message to the Churches in the U.S.A." I say this in view of the fact that obviously, Christianity in America, just like Christianity elsewhere, is not monolithic.  There are various churches and groups of churches (denominations), each claiming to be "the true Church of Christ," or at the very least, operating under the notion that a particular group is "the truest Church of Christ;" projecting the notion that this group has more of divine truth in its theology and way of doing mission in the world.

This writer (yours truly) believes that there are certain challenges for the Church in the U.S.A. that are not necessarily unique to its geographical location, but nonetheless, extremely relevant to its life and mission. In 2017, the Church in the U.S.A. is faced with challenges that it, indeed, has had all along throughout history, but that now more than ever, it has to come to serious grips with.

The first challenge that we as Christians have to deal with is that of identity.  What does it mean to be the Church of Jesus Christ in the U.S.A. in 2017 and for the rest of the 21st century?  Given the number of theological expressions that identify each church or denomination, and given the fact that we live and operate in an environment in which is not only culturally, but also religiously diverse, the Church has to come together as one to identify its identity.  The struggle for unity in the midst of diversity is an ongoing one.  Christians seem to agree that "Christ is Lord," but yet, go about expressing the concept of Christ's lordship in different ways, ranging from preaching a Gospel that is "heaven-bound" to proclaiming a message that emphasizes social activism in the present age as a sign of the Reign of God in Christ.

The second challenge is to determine how we can co-exist peacefully with people of non-Christian traditions. In the Middle Ages, the concept of the Lordship of Christ was conflated with the concept of the authority of the Church, resulting in Christendom vs. Christianity.  In Christendom, there was the notion that since Christ is Lord of all, that His Church had the right to lord it over and rule society. In 2017, and especially in the U.S.A., the Church would definitely face legitimate resistance on the part of both non-Christian faith groups ad well as on the part of agnostics and atheists.   If under the present Presidential administration of Donald Trump, governmental positions were awarded exclusively to people with "Christian values," there would definitely be a moral and righteous resistance on the part of these non-Christian groups.

The third challenge would be for the Church in the U.S.A. to reevaluate and rethink its concept of dealing with issues of social justice.  What positions can and should the Church in the U.S.A. take on issues such as immigration, race relations, national health care, our LGBT sisters and brothers, the path to citizenship, etc.?
Different churches speak with different voices to these issues.  It does not suffice to quote Scripture as a way of attempting to solve the myriad issues that affect us in society.  It would be more important, I believe, for the Church to seek to construct a biblical hermeneutic (principle of interpretation) that speaks clearly and unequivocally to the issues in front of us.

Finally, the Church has to ask, how best to resist those tendencies in society that clearly go against the biblical affirmation of human worth and also against the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This last challenge might be considered one among many the previously mentioned challenges.  In reality, it is the foundation for dealing with  the specifics clearly mentioned.

I end by saying that the days ahead are both challenging and critical.  The road is rough, but we cannot allow the load to lay us down.  There is a family that we are called to nurture and take care of, i.e. God's creation, which includes not only human beings, but also animals, birds, plants, and seeds and en fin, the environment in its totality.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona
Visiting Professor of Theology, Tainan Theological College and Seminary