Art for Jesus - in Japan

I totally agree! The American "civic religion" disturbs me. The idea that we are "specially blessed", draping the cross in the flag, etc. God has no partiality between the nations. The only nation that ever has had a unique relationship with God was the nation of Israel. If wrapping the Cross in the American flag meant: the United States, as a nation, must get up on the Cross and live sacrificially for others, I could get behind that. I don't think that's how most people interpret that image. I'll be interested to see your further thoughts.
 

Well said, Ramone! I love the artwork too. By the way, I recently posted that "wisdom" kanji art to my blog with my own comments. Thanks again for letting me "steal" it!
 

Here is the longer description I put up for this painting on Facebook:

We must submit to the plumbline of the Gospel, to the Cross, and let go of our righteousness for His. The Good News is not about us. It's not about the American way. The Good News is about Him and Him alone: Jesus the Way. From the very beginning of our short history, in America we have mixed the Gospel with our "nation", but the two do not mix because His Kingdom is not of this world. Unwittingly we have idolized our nation by including it in the Gospel.

He is calling us to allow Him to break up what we've trusted in. We must let Him break our foundations and bring us into seeing His Kingdom instead of just our nation (or "His Kingdom AND our nation"). It's not about "going back to what America once was", because that's an illusion anyway and a false comfort. Nor is it about "restoring" righteousness or morality. It's about repenting for how we have taken our eyes off of the cross even from the very beginning, and how we have tried to spread all the fringe benefits of Christianity (morality, etc.) in place of the real Gospel, and then how we've tried to force our brothers and sisters to acknowledge His name. It's about repenting for thinking we bore His name and were His special nation, when in fact we were misrepresenting Him much of the time.

There is no going back to the false comfort & illusion of what once was, because it wasn't as we really thought it, and even if it was, it was not and is not the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of God's grace cannot be legislated into an earthly kingdom. It is not meant to be divided up by nations. Instead the Gospel proclaims that there is *one nation* (the Church) of priests amidst all nations, no matter where we are. It's time to realize we are not called to use the Old Covenant to try and establish "a Christian nation", because we are insufficient for that task. We were made sufficient as ministers of the *New Covenant*, which is meant to transcend borders, nationalities and races. It's time to let go of our hope in the vision of fashioning a country founded on Christ (the New Covenant) but managed in Old Covenant-style and with Old Covenant vision, because that is spiritual adultery (trying to mix the covenants). It's time to proclaim Christ alone, and His Kingdom alone. Love your country, honor your people, but when it comes to God's name and blessing, check your flag at the door. Embrace and take up the cross alone.