Wednesday, June 06, 2007

"Under God"..."In God we trust."

You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).

There has been a lot of talk lately about God and government. Should our Pledge of Allegiance include the words "under God"? Should our money say, "in God we trust"?

I would like you to consider this question: which "god" does the Pledge refer to? Who is the "god" in whom our people trust? Is it the God of Abraham? Is it the Triune God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Is it the god of Mohammed? Who exactly are we talking about here?

Frankly, our Pledge is vague—so is our currency. The fact of the matter is that a Jew and a Christian and a Muslim could all say with equal conviction that our Pledge and our money are dedicated to the "god" who they worship. This is equally true of Mormons, Hindus, and every other religious group. All religions have some great power that they call "god"—so when you speak about "god", you need to get more specific.

When we pledge our allegiance to America, which "god" is America beholden to? Which "god" do we trust in to keep our banks solvent? Jews and Christians and Muslims and Hindus and Mormons would all give you different answers. They would each say "god", but the "gods" they refer to are quite different from each other. They are different in their personalities, their goals, and how they interact with us.

When I pledge allegiance, the God to whom I submit is the Triune God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The God in whom I trust is the one who hates sin but has pity on the sinner, who sent His Son to die for all the many ways in which I have angered Him by my selfishness and an inability to look away from evil’s temptations. My allegiance is to the God who said, I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God (Isaiah 4:6). I trust in His Son Jesus who said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). I believe in the God who so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

When you speak the Pledge of Allegiance or read the motto on your money, which "god" are you thinking of?

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