My Country

My Country
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Right at the outset it is vital that you understand this vital truth: There have always been two Americas. There were always two Israels in the Old Testament. There was the Israel of YHWH, that is both the envisioned Israel and the godly remnant within the nation. Then there was the other Israel, the Israel of Baal and Ashtoreth. This was the Israel that God exiled, both in the Assyrian captivity of the Northern House, then in the subsequent Babylonian captivity of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

America has had a similar history. From its inception as a haven for those of the Puritan faith, to its Declaration of Independence in the late 18th century, there were always two streams of thinking, philosophy and faith in American life. This dualism was Israel’s curse and has been America’s.

America is frequently mentioned in both Christian and secular circles as a shining example of liberty and freedom. Of that, there is no doubt. The problem is: What kind of liberty and freedom from what? Liberty and freedom are not terms that can be universally applied to all people unless there is a context. For example, to a devout Muslim who believes that society should be under Sharia law, Western notions of democracy and the judicial system are not liberating; they are bondage. To a Christian reconstructionist, who believes in a Biblical model of government, economy and law, the present consistency of Western democratic governments is equally as repulsive as it is to the radical Muslim. And equally as oppressive. Although it is an extreme example, here is one that serves the point well: To a paedophile, laws that prohibit paedophilia are oppressive and curtail the freedom to molest.