Kim Riddlebarger on Civil Religion

This is a link to Kim Riddlebarger's article - Civil Religion: The Chief Rival to Biblical Christianity. Given the press about the "evangelical" vote in the last election and that many "evangelical leaders" vie for  political connections for the sake of "Christianity," I think Riddlebarger's warning is worth considering. It is very interesting that in his first paragraph, he argues that those who buy into the "Christian America" myth and those who are uncomfortable with exclusive Christian truth claims are both pursuing a form of civil religion. My first impression would be that the myth crowd would be on opposing sides from the non-exclusive truth claim group, but perhaps they have much more in common. While the myth crowd claims to be under the authority of God's Word (see 2nd paragraph quoted below), does one have to compromise the truth at some level to maintain the myth? Also are both groups looking for affirmation and power within society-at-large as opposed to being a little flock comprised of strangers and aliens?

One of the most subtle and dangerous temptations Christians face during their pilgrim journey is the allure of civil religion. James Davison Hunter defines civil religion as a “diffuse amalgamation of religious values that is synthesized with the civic creeds of the nation; in which the life and mission of the church is conflated with the life and mission of the country. American values are in substance, biblical, prophetic values; American identity is, thus, a vaguely Christian identity.” (1) Civil religion often functions as an alternative public religious framework for many professing Christians, especially those who accept the “Christian America” myth, or who find exclusive Christian truth claims too controversial to play any significant role in the public square.

In modern America, civil religion is the chief rival to biblical Christianity. If those Christians who are committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the kingdom of Christ and the civil kingdom, and who willingly placing themselves under the authority of God’s word are considered too extreme to be fully welcomed in America’s public square, those who champion a generic “civil religion” are almost always welcome.

Read the entire post here.