I really don't want my blog to be a book review, and I've only commented on a couple of books I've read in the past three years. But I've had a run of books lately that I really don't like. The latest is a book by David Platt called, "Radical: Taking Your Faith Back From The American Dream." The book is well written, and there's a hint of something valuable and obvious in it. As Americans, we need to realize that Christ is Lord of the whole world, not just our little self-centered, greedy, all consuming part of it.
But the book goes to far in demonizing the American perspective. The author seems to want us to feel guilty because we're not spending our last dollar and ounce of energy taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, because we spend more time making money than we spend giving it away, because we have so much in a world that has so little, etc. Evidently, we're supposed to put down our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness in order to make the world a little less miserable.
I am reminded of the Zambian pastor/farmer that we support, who is building a farm to support an orphanage and ministry. He pretty much despises American thinking, but tolerates it, of course, because we give him money. I love they guy, and his heart is right on. He spends every bit of his energy trying to spread the love of God both conceptually and physically to a world that needs basically everything.
But when he gets on his, "Americans are screwed up" bandwagon, I always end up thinking, "Yeah, but the things you say we're wrong about are the specific things that enable us to come over here and help you."
I get America's problems. Debt, greed, self saturation, etc. But as a nation, we also have a heart to help, to love, to equip and teach and to help the rest of the world rise up and be all that they can be. Why despise us (or why should we despise ourselves) for wanting our lives, our nation, and the whole world to be more successful, to have more and to do more?
I look at it this way:
God created the earth. Built in to that creation are whole systems of ocean currents, weather patterns, natural resources and ecosystems that - despite no little abuse of man - are able to continue to produce fresh air, clean water and food to feed the whole world. Yes, there are environmental issues. But creation still produces in abundance.
God created America. Built in to that creation is a belief that all are created equally and have certain inalienable rights, a belief that ingenuity and forward thinking risk taking is rewarded richly. And the good things that America has brought to the whole world are really good.
From an American perspective, the whole world should have food to eat and water to drink, a nice house to live in and a quality education system for their kids, a 7-11 on every corner and a gym on every block, a career that they can invest themselves in and a retirement plan for when they get done working. It's not like America strives to have these things at the expense of the rest of the world. We think everyone should have them. What's so wrong with that?