Wait… God Isn’t American?
I know that this post may have a bit of tongue and cheek in it, but my intention is not to offend anyone. I merely wish to inform people of a more global perspective about Christianity. It seems that many American Christians, me included, often think internally. I spend much of my time focused on my aspirations, my dreams, my hopes, my family, my friends, and my life. This leaves little room for thinking about other people.
Some of you may be surprised to hear that Christianity is no longer primarily a white, American religion. According to Pew Research, 11.3% of the World Christian Population is from the United States. Admittedly, this is a significant percentage, but this still leaves 88.7% of Christians from different countries.
The overall percentage of Christianity in each country may be surprising. 79.5% of the United States population is Christian. You may be interested to learn that 90.2% of the Brazil’s population is Christian, 93.1% of the Philippines’ population is Christian, 95% of Mexico’s population is Christian, and 95.7% of the Congo’s population is Christian.
My point is that there are other Christians out there. Christianity is not exclusive to the United States of America. Americans do not have a monopoly on the faith. We say, “God bless America!” That is all well and good, but what about our brothers and sister living elsewhere? Should God bless America more than people in Canada, India, or Sudan? Our God is a God of all nations and all peoples. God loves Iraqis just as much as he loves Americans. God does not play favorites and neither should we.
This understanding is at the heart of the Gospel message. We often forget that Jesus ate with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. We often forget that Jesus reached out to the dirty Samaritan. Jesus spent his time on earth reaching out to the marginalized, outcast, and lowly. To my knowledge, Jesus never ridiculed prostitutes; He never berated immigrants; He never chastised the homeless. Jesus, however, did have some very harsh things to say to the Pharisees and Religious Leaders. Jesus’s most severe message was reserved for people that acted a lot like American Christians.
When asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Let us never forget these words of grace and love. We are not alone. We are not the only followers of God, and even if we were, we should respond to others with nothing but love. Our neighbors are not just those in America, but our neighbors are each and every person in this world. There is only one race and that is the human race; and we are all children of God.
And now, may we reach out to the people who do not look or act like us. May we respond to others with compassion and empathy. May we look to the refugees, marginalized, and outcast; and see them as the children of God. May we go forth with open hearts, open minds, and open doors.
Source: http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/
