An Open Letter to the American Evangelical Church

     American Evangelicals, what’s been won? Conservative court appointments and a spotlight on pro-life, for sure. If Jesus were to speak directly to the American church, he might give a shout out as he did to the Ephesian church for its hard work, perseverance, and intolerance of wickedness.     
     But then what would he say? I fear it’d be the same rebuke he shot back at the Ephesians. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”     
     Have we? We were called to be the bride of Christ, but are we now a mistress to power? Have we traded our trust in Jesus for trusting a political party? We are called to advance Christ’s Kingdom through a change of hearts, but have we sought to advance His Kingdom through a change of laws?     
     Instead of seeking first God’s Kingdom, where our primary citizenship lies, have we placed our hopes in our secondary, national citizenship?     
     If we have, that’s idolatry, and God hates idolatry.        
     Have we sought righteous ends by excusing unrighteous means of lying, bullying, and name calling? And doing the same ourselves?     
     If so, the watching world rightly labels us as hypocrites.     
     Jesus told the Ephesians that if they did not repent, he would remove their lamp stand (Revelation 2). What a warning that our light could be extinguished if we bow at the altar of power and politics.     
     Robb Ryerse, a pastor, paraphrases Jesus: “What good is it if we gain the whole Supreme Court but lose our souls?”     
     However we need to repent, we must do so not for America’s sake, but for Christ’s sake.     
​     ***     A song that challenges the American church is here.