Rethinking America: The United States lack unity
Read More Looking Up
Read More Upward Glances
The formal name of our country is the United States of America.
Names are important.
North Korea is in the news lately.
Their formal name is Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but we are learning, more and more, that they are neither democratic, concerned about “the people,” nor a real republic.
They don’t live up to their name. This is not a criticism of North Korea though.
I’m not entirely convinced we live up to our name any better lately.
While we are definitely comprised of states in North America, “united” seems to be a difficult thing for us to live out. It’s been that way my whole life. I remember friendships in elementary school that ended when we realized our parents voted differently in 1992.
No president in my lifetime has won the office with more than 55% of the popular vote. The last one was Reagan, running as an incumbent, in 1984. The last person to hit 60% was Nixon. In 1972. Forty-four years ago. The 1972 presidential election is closer to the end of World War II. Prior to the 1950’s, though, almost every alternating presidential election was won by a margin of 10% or more.
Eras when that pattern was disrupted include times like the decades leading up to and following the civil war.
I know that presidential elections are not the best measure of unity. But there seems to be a striking correlation. Our country has enjoyed times of unity. Americans in the 1780’s and 90’s rallied around building this new nation.
Americans in the 1930’s rallied around fixing the economy. In the 1910’s and 1940’s, we unified with “the Allies” and “the Allied Forces” against “the Central Powers” and “the Axis Powers” in two world wars.
I’m not trying to look at history through rose-colored glasses, but it just seems like there have been times in our history where the United States has had a national purpose. This does not seem to be one of those times. We are states, but I would not describe us, as a people, as “united.”
John Adams, in a letter warning against adopting increasingly secular European philosophies, wrote, “Avarice, Ambition, . . . Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Self-governing requires self-control, a fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22.
George Washington, in his second Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, said the purpose of the Holiday was, “to meet together and render their sincere and hearty thanks to the Great Ruler of Nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a nation, particularly for the possession of constitutions of government which united and by their union establish liberty with order.”
God was supposed to be glorified for every good thing he accomplished in our country. That is where our enduring unity is supposed to come from.
But how do we get there from here? Jesus’ first words in the gospel of Mark were, “The time has come . . . The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) So do that first. Trust in Jesus and the Good News that Messiah has come, and he has paid for your sin and risen again.
Jesus’ last words before he went back to heaven in Matthew were, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
We will not fix our country by making better rules. We will fix it by making better hearts. So get busy making disciples, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13)