It seems that the Bible has a very dim view regarding the fusion of faith and politics.
This made me wonder about the aspirations of "Christian nationalism," the utopian belief among many evangelical Christians that if we can just get Christians into political leadership that America will enter into a season of peace, justice, and prosperity.
Where do people come up with these ideas? Have evangelicals not read the Bible? Just read 1 and 2 Samuel. Human governments have always been disasters, bastions of moral chaos, corruption and oppression. And if this was the case with David, the God-fearing ruler of Israel par excellence, what makes us think any "Christian nation" we might construct would be any better?
I think it's very clear in the New Testament that Jesus eschews any attempt at establishing a "Christian nation." The devil gives Jesus that option right at the start of the gospels. And Jesus flatly turns the offer down. Evangelicals, listen to that, read the Bible: Jesus flatly turns the devil down. And I think Jesus does so for many of the reasons we see in 1 and 2 Samuel. The reign of God just can't be established via a nation state.
