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The Myth of Christian America  /  MCA (5 of 14): The English Come to America  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 1
David Bercot calls “Christian nation” an oxymoron and says the only Christian nation in this age is the Kingdom of God; what does that claim suggest about God’s purposes for His people living under “kingdoms of this world,” and where do you feel internal resistance to that idea?
Another way to ask: If the only “Christian nation” is God’s Kingdom, what does that say about why God’s people live under earthly governments? Where do you feel yourself pushing back against that idea?

Direct Answer Bercot’s claim suggests God’s purpose is that His people live as citizens of the Kingdom of God inside earthly nations without trying to “make” those nations Christian, because the two kingdoms cannot be united in this age. The transcript does not describe personal “internal resistance,” but it implies many Christians resist this because they want a nation to share their faith and power.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says historic Christian faith was “tied very closely to the kingdom of God” and that “you cannot try to unite the kingdom of God with any kingdom of this world.”
  • He calls “Christian nation” “essentially an oxymoron… like ‘freezing hot’ or ‘deafening silence.’”
  • “The only Christian nation that can exist at this time is the Kingdom of God.”
  • Attempts after Constantine, in Geneva, and in Puritan England “failed miserably” and produced “enormous blood guilt.”
  • His purpose for earlier lessons was to help listeners see the “absolute impossibility of having a Christian nation.”
Discussion Follow-ups What fears come up if we give up the hope of a “Christian nation”? Do we trust Christ’s kingdom teachings enough to live as a minority without using national power?

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