America: a cousin to the Kingdom or a dangerous substitute?

America: a cousin to the kingdom of God or a dangerous substitute?

The above title topic was stimulated when I read a 2014 book entitled America by Dinesh D'Souza. In one sense, I would call this book a must read because it is necessary to force some deep thinking about American exceptionalism and the kingdom of God as justice for the oppressed poor. On the other hand, it may be a dangerous read for those not already deeply grounded in the biblical teaching on the kingdom and justice---Jubilee justice. The book will raise the question: Is there a cultural war between American exceptionalism and the kingdom of God or is America a cousin to the kingdom of God?

Though D'Souza identifies himself as a Christian, the book America is built upon American historical arguments, not biblical truths. D'Souza is smart enough to know that most of the founding father were deists, not theists, that the deist, Thomas Jefferson, edited the supernatural out of the gospels. See the Jefferson Bible.

The key historical argument in the book is that America is an exceptional nation, hence the phrase "American exceptionalism." A few years ago, a poll revealed that around 60 percent of Americans still believe in American exceptionalism. D'Souza believes that the political and economic geniuses who created this great nation around the concepts of democracy and capitalism. This is why America is the greatest nation in the world and why much of the rest of the world has copied some aspects of our democratic process and our capitalist system.

Again, D'Souza does not specifically claim that America is a Christian nation, as many Americans do, but he does believe to the core of his being that America is an exceptional nation. And, though he does not use this phrase as such, America is almost the kingdom of God here on earth. D'Souza is smart, brilliant. Using a clever mixture of truths and half-truths, he will probably convince all but the historically and biblically well-informed, that what he writes is true.

Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; the founding fathers wanted to be free from British tyranny. But Jefferson himself was a tyrant. How? He owned around 260 slaves, probably raped slave women, endorsed the idea of removing all Indians east of the Mississippi, this idea was later implemented by President Jackson, and Jefferson wanted to "annex" Cuba (conquer and colonize). Jefferson, an America tyrant, wanted to replace the British tyrant. Is this part of American exceptionalism? Later American tyrants conquered and "civilized" the West and stole half of Mexico. D'Souza explains why all this necessary and ultimately good, even for slaves and Indians.

If you already believe in American exceptionalism, this book will convince you beyond the shadow of a doubt. If you already believe in the kingdom of God as justice, you will see American exceptionalism, as a diabolic substitute for the kingdom.

The full title of the book is America: Imagine a World Without Her; this implies a disaster if America continues on a downward path led by socialist Obama, and especially if he is followed by Hillary. On the front book jacket this question is raised; was America conceived in liberty or in oppression? The good news: Our founding father created the closest thing to the kingdom of God on earth. The bad news: Progressives such as President Obama and Hillary Clinton are ruining this great nation. If Clinton is elected in 2016, the decline may become irreversible. So argues the brilliant Denish D'Souza, immigrant from India, now American citizen, who is eternally grateful to America for giving him an opportunity to succeed.

My introduction might imply that he is a crackpot, but if he is, he is a brilliant crackpot who should not be lightly dismissed. He may be wearing rose-colored glasses as he interprets America, but he has done his research homework thoroughly, read the relevant literature, and argues his case well. He professes to be a Christian, but he makes only historical arguments; he ignores the biblical teaching on oppression, poverty, ethnocentrism repentance, restitution and justice which if fully faced would gut some of his key arguments.

Was America conceived in liberty? Yes, for the WASP rich, white male elite? Was America conceived in oppression? Yes, for Native Americans, African Americans, women and the poor.

One red flag that D'Souza acknowledges, but then largely ignores, is found on page 43: "Admittedly, out of the fifty-five men [founding fathers] who gathered in Philadelphia, no less than thirty owned slaves." Others were involved in the slave trade in one way or another, such as building slave ships. Slavery was pervasive and corrosive in American society during the late 1700s.


Can slave owner types be trusted to set up a society that provides liberty and justice for all??? Liberty and justice for all or ethnocentrism and oppression for all non-Anglos? A deep sensitivity to the biblical horror of oppression would have alerted D'Souza and patriotic evangelicals to push much deeper on the slavery issue.

Dinesh believes that America is in decline because of the socialism of progressives such as Obama and Clinton. But our decline began with the Puritans and the founding fathers; our decline also began with a church that neglected biblical justice, with a church that failed to release the oppressed, with a church that allowed a rich elite to control both the political and economic policies of the country. That same highly Americanized church is still failing in 2015.

Justice was not central in the Declaration; justice was not central in the Constitution; justice is central only in the Pledge---"with liberty and justice for all." The Pledge was written by a socialist, the kind of people D'Souza asserts are destroying America.

A final thought: Freed slaves died like flies. Why? At the moment the slaves walked of the plantation shouting Hallelujah, they became homeless, landless, foodless and justiceless.