Comments on: Just an Ethnocentric State of Mind

By: erichall81

erichall81 — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:47:54 +0000

I hear you Man, I’m reading The Gospel According to America right now and hearing David Dark talk about what went through his mind when a German person asked him what Americans thought about Germany and his only thoughts were, “We don’t.” Man, it kills me how we think the rest of the world is below us, if we decide to think about them at all. Anyways, I would like to be accused of a kingdom-centric attitude too.

By: gregorylynn

gregorylynn — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:58:15 +0000

It’s amazing the pride we’re taught to develop. In first grade we daily sang a song declaring my hometown the “grandest city in the USA”. Lubbock, Texas? Please! Then there’s Texas, a place so obsessed with Texas we’re surprised when we leave the state to find that others aren’t as well. Finally there’s our nation’s hymnbook, full of pride and so self-congratulatory.

When I moved from Texas, I saw the pride and felt gross in my own “clothes”. When I’ve left the country for missions I’ve felt slimy in my own ethnocentric attitudes. I’m working on dropping love for country for love for the kingdom of God, and I wouldn’t mind being accused of a kingdom-centric attitude.

By: erichall81

erichall81 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:59:21 +0000

Cretts,

I know you’re right, but it’s really hard watching our country do horrible things and not fess up to them. I do know that I need to focus on my real citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Thanks for reminding me. The only person that I can really expect to repent is myself.

By: erichall81

erichall81 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:52:01 +0000

It’s something to dream about Mikey, but I don’t see it ever happening. I just heard John McCain concede to Barak Obama on NBC. He made sure to say America is the greatest country in the world before he was done. I think the pride and lies will always be a part of our country.

By: cretts

cretts — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:44:10 +0000

I remember reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States in my AP American History class my senior year of high school and being blown away. It was tantamount to being 10 years old again and finding out that my parents had been lying to me for years about the existence of Santa Claus. I find it telling that we read Zinn’s book in AP class, and as far as I know, my colleagues in the regular classes stuck to more traditional text books. The assumption is that the really smart kids might be able to handle a more critical version of our nation’s history, but the masses should probably just stick to the track.

It seems to me that there is a gigantic difference between the story of our nation we receive as children and young adults, and the inevitable, more authentic version of our history we eventually encounter. This kind of indoctrinated patriotism, I think, is not unique to America – BUT, I think what it should remind us as Christians, more than anything, is that the United States is not exceptional, at least in terms of it’s call from God to bring freedom to the nations. America has its hands every bit as dirty as any other earthly nation, its just as selfish, concerned with power, and worldly as any other society in the history of the world.

I think what a dirty history of the United States should show us is that our citizenship to America is not synonymous with our true citizenship to the kingdom of God. It is out of this citizenship that we should work, serve, live, and even repent. It is this citizenship, and this kingdom that we should promote and cheifly concern ourselves with its welfare.

By: michaelmills

michaelmills — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:33:49 +0000

These are good thoughts that I often thing about as well.

I wonder, what would happen if we, as a country, ditched our denial, owned up to our errors, and sought the forgiveness of God and the rest of the world. What would the world think of us then? Would they get a glimpse of Jesus in that humility?

This doesn’t have to be stated but…I wish we lived in an ideal world. I can’t wait until we do.