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With the election of Donald Trump (made possible in part by the support of over 60% of white evangelical Christians) the old hobbyhorse about America being a Christian nation was retrieved from its stall for another tour of the nation.

America could be a Christian nation. I pray it someday will be. But it is not now.

I am reminded of that when I recall that ¼ of American children go to bed malnourished; in the world’s most prosperous nation children die of asthma because their parents can’t afford health care; single mothers and their children are forced out of their apartments by unscrupulous landlords; young couples are forced to work 2 jobs to support themselves and their offspring; and the homeless continue to struggle without shelter.

2,000 years ago Jesus warned the nations of the world that if they wanted his blessing they would have to do better. In his sermon in Matthew 25, he laid down the criteria for those nations who wished to win his favor:  “If you (talking to the nations gathered before him) want my blessing, you will have to feed the hungry, provide clean drinking water for the thirsty, welcome the stranger and immigrant, cloth the naked, and have compassion for the prisoner.”

He then warned those nations who failed to show love and charity to the needy that the “curse is upon you; go from my sight to the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his angels.”
For “anything you did not do for one of these, however humble, you did not do for me.” (Mt 25:45)

We are a Christian nation to the extent that we prioritize the poor and marginalized and meet the needs of the most vulnerable. Only when we respond with compassion and love may we claim the right to call ourselves a Christian nation.

When those with abundance share with those forced to live with scarcity we may rightly claim the title. When we decide to say no to greed rather than celebrating it, we may rightly claim the title. When we work to narrow the gap between the morbidly wealthy and the desperate poor. But not until then.

When we elect individuals of either major political party who ignore the poor and needy in favor of the wealthy and well-fed, we subject ourselves to the judgement of Jesus and forfeit the right to refer ourselves as a Christian nation.

Polk Culpepper is a retired Episcopal priest, former lawyer and a Washington resident.