January 25, AD2012

President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union speech last night, began by citing the Navy Seals’ assassination of Osama bin Laden, under his command, as an inspirational model for all patriotic Americans to work together as a team, and to embark, under his ongoing leadership, upon a mission of destiny to rebuild the American Dream. Here is an excerpt from his speech:

[As it is with Navy Seals, under my leadership,] “So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.”
--Barack Obama

The President then credited past generations of patriotic Americans for this nation’s greatness, and promised that, today, we the people, with himself as President, and with “common purpose, ... our journey moves forward” to fulfill the destiny of America.

And, as is customary for Presidents to do on such occasions, the President concluded his speech by invoking the obligatory support of Divine Providence with those “You-owe-it-to-us” magic words, “God bless America.”

Coincidently (as some might see it), I posted an article (“A Rocky Marriage”) on my web site only hours before the President’s speech, in which I examined the same brand of Establishment rhetoric that has tickled the ears of so many Christians since America’s Colonial days.

And last night’s latest rendition, like so many in times past, was delivered by the Establishment’s current Chosen One.

In my article, I wrote of American Civil Religion:

It began as an odd-couple courtship in America’s Colonial days when a political Establishment seduced naive Christians to become their mistresses with enticements of lofty promises of an Exceptional Rosy Future in the New World, touted then and still, as “Christian America,” “The New Promised Land,” and “A Shining City on a Hill.”

Over the generations, some in the political Establishment, in the interest of getting votes, gaining power, and amassing wealth, have also relied on the old, always-works-tactic (and its variations): “Candy is handy, but liquor is quicker.”

What has always made the Establishment’s promises so alluring is that they appeal to the flesh and are said to be backed with assurances of the guidance and blessings of “Divine Providence.”

Indeed, the Establishment has always patronized their mistress’s vision that their affair will bring about Heaven on Earth--far surpassing anything ever envisioned, let alone accomplished, by even the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Media-Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

We know how God dealt with those six proud empires of history. And we are foretold how He will deal with the seventh and last.

If you have not read my article (“A Rocky Marriage,”), I urge you to do so; simply click on the title.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. (New American Standard Version of the Bible) unless otherwise indicated. For more information, please see Legal and Acknowledgments.
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