I ADMIT that I am totally unqualified to make these comments, having never been to the U.S.A. let alone lived there for any period of time. But I have read many American books and articles and... well... isn't the Internet about people freely sharing their thoughts and perceptions about whatever issues they like? I feel I AM qualified to do that!

Most Americans seem to have a deep love for their country, and a sense of pride about what it means to be American. This is a wonderful, healthy thing. (I can remember a time when Australians in general had an incredibly negative attitude towards their nation, government, etc - but all that has changed. Largely through our achievements in sport, music and science, Australians now have a national pride to rival that of Americans.) But, for Christians, our love for our nation must be conditioned by our love for Jesus Christ. And that means we cannot love all aspects of the prevailing culture.

Some aspects of the American public ethos are decidedly anti-Christian. I think it is disgraceful that children cannot read the Bible and pray in school. If liberty is one of the great hallmarks of American society, then it is a very strange liberty indeed! From my (limited) understanding of American history, this was never the intent of the original legislators. Separation of Church and State was a wise move but it was concerned with preventing the inevitable abuses of state religion, certainly not with not preventing the free exercise of personal faith.

The American media these days portrays a society where teenagers and adults experiment freely with sex and relationships (Felicity, Ally McBeal, Friends, etc, etc). At what point does the Christian throw up his/her hands in disgust and say "I can no longer call this nation a Christian nation" ? When violence continues to escalate, materialism runs rampant and sin in all its forms abounds more and more, when will American Christians admit that they are now cross-cultural missionaries in their own nation? If they are not cross-cultural, must they not be living in the same mire?

My dear American brethren, the rest of the world owes so much to the fine churches, preachers, musicians and writers of the American church. But you really do need to divorce yourselves from your nation's contemporary culture! And you cannot turn the clock back. As I write this, the 1900's are history by three days. They will never return. The Church cannot afford to stay in the C20th (much less the C19th or the C18th) while all the world marches into the C21st!

I get so frustrated whenever I read books from American authors. So many of them see everything in terms of the cultural war for America. Radical Christian singer, Carman, writes: "There is a cultural war going on in America today. Many groups are struggling to capture the high ground and raise their standard over the nation... In the '50s and '60s Christianity was much more dominant in society." (Raising the Standard: 1994 p220) It's like America itself is the prize in the current cultural war. But the USA is only one nation. American Christians should be seeking first the Kingdom of God, not the American nation.

Here's what I see happening (and I'd love to hear from American Christians on this, whether agreeing or disagreeing): the weeds are growing along with the wheat. It's inevitable. The wheat cannot stop the weeds from growing. Jesus did NOT instruct His disciples to stamp out sin. Their mission was to be a light in the world, pointing sinners to the One who is able to cleanse and save them.

Because America is a democratic nation, Christians have the right to be heard. And so they should take every possible advantage of that right. But American Christians should realize that many millions of Christians do not live in such privileged circumstances. The early Church grew up under Roman government, which meant that, from time to time, they were persecuted and even tortured for their faith. Even today, for most Christians around the world, the great issue is not changing their society, or their legislation: the great issue is remaining faithful to Christ, whatever happens. American Christians are struggling for cultural power, while most Christians around the globe are struggling for moral purity and doctrinal integrity. Pastors without Bibles or resources are struggling to meet the needs of growing congregations. For them, the condition of their society is irrelevant: they are committed to serving Christ, and they actually rejoice if persecution and hardship makes their Christianity so much more authentic.

American Christianity is obviously robust and highly influential. (And I'd love to spend some time there because I'm sure I could learn a great deal!) But it would be wonderful if Americans could get the stars and stripes out of their eyes and replace them with a vision of the Cross!