I received an email the other day, asking me to get behind the slogan “In God we trust” on our coins, and the phrase “under God” in our pledge of allegiance.  The fear expressed in the email is our government plans to remove both of these from future use.  In support of their request, the writer of the email stated that “86% of Americans believe in God”.

The statistic made me wonder, if it is true that 86% of Americans believe in God, why do we behave the way we do?  Why is it that in the last 36 years we Americans willfully murdered over 50 million unborn babies, many for no other reason than to exercise a choice of convenience?  Why is one of our leading industries in this nation the production and distribution of pornography?  Why is drug abuse and alcoholism a major blight across our land?  Why are there homeless people on our streets, and children going to bed hungry?  Why are our cities filled with violence and innocent people are indiscriminately shot down in our schools and work places?  Why has the divorce rate hovered around 50% for decades, and domestic violence a common occurrence in our homes?  If 86% of Americans believe in God, why do less than 30% actively worship Him in the church of their choice each week?  Why do our children become the victims of sexual predators both within and without their homes. Why? Why? Why? Why?

Obviously, one can believe in the existence of God and still be far from being a Christian.  Belief can simply be a mental agreement, but being “Christian” requires a surrendered life.  As the Apostle James teaches us, even demons believe but it results in fear.

I contend that if our country truly contained 86% of believers, our actions and present circumstances would be quite different.  Who we are and what we claim to be are too different things.  We appear more concerned about what our slogans and mottos say than what our lives and actions portray.  In reality, we trust in God only when it is to our advantage.  We stand under His authority only when it is convenient.  To make the slogans accurate to our present situation, they should probably read, “We sometimes trust in God” and “One nation trying to come out from under the control of God.”

Personally, I would like to retain both statements, as I believe they attest to our country’s heritage, and place before us a goal to be achieved.  But as modern testimonies of our culture, I fear we contradict them by our actions.  These words do more to reveal our hypocrisy and defame God than define the nature of our nation.

If we are really concerned about the expression our nation makes to the world, it will be made more accurately coming from a nation living in accord with God’s will than from a few well placed phrases.  There are no shortcuts.  If we want to be known as a Christian nation, then it is time we begin to live as one – all 86%.

Pastor Mark