Yes, America is a Christian nation. It’s the Christian nation. Just one country is regarded throughout the world as a “Christian nation,” and that country is America. Were we founded to be a Christian nation? Dispute that all you like; there’s a case to be made either way. But there’s no disputing that we’re known globally as the world’s “Christian nation.”

Which means a lot for the future of our land. God acts for the sake of His reputation, His name, among the nations (Ezek. 36:22-23). How is He going to act with what we’re doing with (or to) His name?

He’s a God of mercy. But history tells us He’ll defend the truth of His name, even to the point of severely disciplining those who profane it — which includes us. Being a “Christian nation” is absolutely no guarantee things are going to turn out well for us.

For the Sake of His Name

The Bible tells us God has done all kinds of things for the sake of His name:

• He brought Israel out of Egypt (Ezek. 20:9)
• He guides His people in paths of righteousness (Ps. 23:3, 25:11)
• He saves His people (Josh. 7:9, Ezek. 20:44)

But God isn’t just some doting old man helping his grandkids. His zeal for His name doesn’t mean He hopes everyone will think kindly of Him. He wants us to think rightly of Him. He won’t let His name be associated with sin. It’s a very foolish thing to claim His name and deny His righteousness.

Painful Lessons for the Sake of His Name

Israel tried it, and they found out how foolish it could be. God was patient with them, pleading with them through His prophets, withholding His judgment for a long, long time — centuries, in fact (Ezek. 20:22). He didn’t wait forever, though.

The time finally came when He judged His people with war, conquest and exile. It was ugly. In the end it cured the Jews forever of their rampant idolatry. But the process was painful beyond words.

Europe was once known as the Christian continent. But Europeans were smug, convinced of their racial and religious superiority. World War I did a real number on that confidence. “How could we, the ‘civilized Christians’ of the world, have done this to ourselves?” Tragically, instead of doubting themselves in proper humility, they doubted God, giving up true faith for watered-down liberalism or complete secularism. Now only a remnant remains faithful there. Europe’s 20th century experience was painful beyond words, too.

How America Profanes the Name We Bear

Now the mantle of “Christianity” rests on America, and we’re not bearing it any better than Europe did a century ago. I saw this at first-hand for the first time in 1980. It was my first trip across an ocean, a visit to England and Scandinavia. There I learned that America’s most popular export was the TV show Dallas, a seamy serial that displayed “Christian” America as rich, greedy, power-hungry, adulterous and driven by sex.

It’s tame by today’s standards, though. Hollywood has added more and more explicit sex to its output, more cheerleading for homosexuality and gender experimentation, greater disregard for the things of God. America’s “elite” culture, including big business and even big sports, is falling all over itself to follow Hollywood’s example. Our colleges and universities are taking the lead in all this.

A remnant remains faithful here as in Europe. That faithful group, not the nation as a whole, are the true people of God in the land. Yet even the Church is wracked with doubt and sin. Sexual sin fills the religious news these days, but it’s only a part of it. A recent Pew survey found that half of white evangelicals, black Protestants and Roman Catholics in America deny Christ Himself, believing He’s not essential to a person’s gaining eternal life.

It’s hard to imagine God looking kindly on the way our “Christian” country profanes His name among the nations. Especially when our actions look so much like Israel’s in the day when God judged them.

Granted, we don’t bow to idols of wood and stone like they did. No, in many ways we do even worse. Israel’s idolatry included child sacrifice and ritual sex. So does ours, except we call it abortion and “hooking up.” And we do it in far greater numbers, with even less true justification. A false god is a terrible reason to do anything, but it’s still better than acting as if you’re your own god, crying out, “It’s my right! It’s my choice!”

Risk or Revival

I see great risk of judgment coming on America. God could easily do with us what He did with Israel. We deserve it. It won’t be pretty. It could mean losing almost everything we hold dear — everything except God Himself.

For if the God who is jealous for His name does judge “Christian America,” that judgment could be severe. Yet it will also be loving. He wants to bring correction and redemption. Ezekiel 36 tells how God, for the sake of His name again, brought His people back from exile and gave them a fresh start. Their experience in Babylon cured them forever of their idolatry. They were a people for God’s praise once again.

To avoid judgment, we need a revival of true faith in the land. That starts with us. We need to be a people for God’s praise once again. When people say “America is a Christian nation,” let it be true.