Standing Up for God's Right to Damn America

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s discourse doesn’t sound any more damning of America than that of Pastor John Hagge, who’s quoted as saying Hurricane Katrina was God’s judgment on gays in New Orleans and calling the Catholic Church the Whore of Babylon. Hagge recently endorsed Sen. John McCain for president.

Criticisms of Wright’s sermons and Michelle Obama’s statement raise a deeper issue: Is patriotism compatible with Christianity?

The question goes beyond Wright’s freedom of speech or Barack Obama’s freedom of religion to consider God’s right to damn America, rather than confine himself to piecemeal damnations of homosexuals, abortion doctors and the City of New Orleans.

Using Hagge’s reasoning, the Columbine High School shootings were God’s vengeance against Littleton, Colorado for the election of Rep. Tom Tancredo (R, Colo.), whose proposed illegal immigration laws violate Old Testament commandments against mistreating the stranger in one’s land.

It doesn’t take a theologian to see what caused 9/11: the pork and shellfish served in Manhattan restaurants. As for the Pentagon, Old Testament prophets like Hosea attributed God’s wrath to Israel’s engagement in unjust wars. If Katrina was preemptive vengeance for a New Orleans gay celebration, perhaps 9/11 was preemptive vengeance for Iraq.

Before Hagge labels churches the Whore of Babylon, he should consider that Babylon is in Iraq. So are American troops, thanks to pastors like Hagge who in 2000 pimped the voters in their churches to the Republican Party.

Modern religious leaders like Hagge manipulate Christians by implying God holds voters accountable for the choices of gays and pregnant women. By contrast, Old Testament prophets more often attributed God’s wrath to the behavior of political and religious leaders than the behavior of private citizens.

Regarding his decision to invade Iraq, our president says he answers to a Higher Father. I’ll take his word on this. But troop surges were never necessary in biblical warfare. Indeed, the biblical sign that God was on a nation’s side was its ability to win wars against overwhelming odds.

I’d guess the president has some answering to do.

A patriot says, “God Bless America.” A Christian gives God the right to choose whether to bless or damn America.