America is the New Rome (Sort Of)

This weekend one of my friends asked me “True of false? America is the new Rome.” I didn’t get a chance to fully answer his question, and he should really know better than to ask me questions like that, because it ends up in posts like this.

There are a couple of ways to answer this question, depending on what the original meaning was. I think there are two likely interpretations, which are not mutually exclusive, but which I’ll take one at a time.

1. America is the new Rome = The cultural context of 21st century America is similar to the cultural context of the 1st century Roman Empire.

The answer: “sort of.”

There are interesting similarities like:
- The Roman Empire had an extremely globalized culture (common language, moral values, forms of entertainment [all Greek – thanks Alexander the Great!]) with people from all walks of life open to a wide range of political, cultural, and especially religious ideas – that sounds like America
- The Roman Empire undoubtedly had the top-notch military in the world, and “peace and safety” was part of its mantra – it proclaimed itself the peacekeeper of the world – that sounds like America
- The Empire thrived or fell on economic trade and how well the money flowed – that sure sounds like America
- The run of the mill citizen cared a lot more about their own well-being and popular entertainment than any of pressing social or political issues of the day, summed up in the phrase “bread and circuses” – that sounds like – Whoa! Did you hear the stars of “Twilight” broke up? Will Angelina and Brad have more kids?

But there are important differences:
- The Roman Empire depended on slavery to function – although you could make a pretty good case that the third world workers who we depend on for our stuff aren’t in a much better situation
- We (usually) don’t worship our leaders, present or departed, like the Romans did Caesar, although a 1st century Roman citizen, seeing some of the fine products you can purchase which feature Presidents current, recent, and past, and things like this:

Might be forgiven for thinking that we do.
- We don’t watch people kill each other as form of entertainment – we have refined that into football, which most people recover from

The important thing about these similarities between current America and ancient Rome is that ancient Rome was the culture into which Christianity was born, and thrived, even when it was violently persecuted. It thrived by standing in opposition to the idolatrous gods and empty promises of the age – where Rome worshipped Caesar, money, power, meaningless entertainment, and the handy ability to kill anyone who stood in their way, Christians worshiped Jesus, shared with those in need, served the forgotten and downtrodden, made strangers into family, and proclaimed the power of the gospel of the resurrection from the dead. The modern church should take a lesson.

2. America is the new Rome = America can be substituted into the place of Rome in interpreting Biblical prophecy (especially Revelation).

The answer: a very, very carefully worded “sort of.”

Revelation is one of my favorite books of the Bible. You should ask me about it sometime when you’ve got an hour or so and a Bible handy. The reason it’s my favorite, though, is because of the very clear picture it paints of the sovereignty of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s purposes for the world through Him. But carrying Revelation over into the present day is risky business. I remembering clearly hearing that this guy was the Anti-Christ:

The mark of the beast, right there on his head!!!

I think we can now say with confidence that Gorbachev was not the prophesied Beast of Revelation (there’s no Anti-Christ in Revelation, by the way).

So equating America, or any other modern nation, concretely with Biblical prophecy is tricky. Let me see if I can illustrate. I read the other day a line in a book by a semi-famous conservative Christian author who writes a lot about prophecy. He said, “One of the most frustrating things for American students of prophecy is that there is no clear mention of the United States in prophecies of the end times.”

Yes, yes that is frustrating. You know what would have been more frustrating though? To be any of the people who read the Bible prior to 1776 and would have wondered, “Where the heck is America?”

Revelation is so powerful because it pulls double duty as 1) a word of prophecy and encouragement to the people who first read it in the 1st century, and 2) a word of prophecy and encouragement in the 21st century. It was also, lest we forget, a word of prophecy and encouragement to people in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc., centuries.

And the message throughout all the centuries, 1st to 21st, has been the same. The point of the book is in the title – the revelation is that no matter how much it looks like the forces of evil, and sin, and death are winning, God and His Son are ultimately in charge of history.

Interpreted this way, any believer who finds themselves surrounded by powers opposed to God can say that they are in Rome. American Christians, faced with the idolatry of money and power, can be in Rome. Chinese Christians, faced with persecution, arrest, and accused of being traitors, can be in Rome. Even Christians in Rome can be in Rome! Wherever the powers of this world are opposed to the power of the gospel, that’s Rome.

And Rome, by the way, wasn’t always Rome, so to speak. In Revelation, although it’s pretty clear they are talking about Rome, it’s referred to as Babylon! And when the Israelites were in exile in Babylon, the prophets referred to it as a new form of slavery and exodus from Egypt! The last pivotal time of persecution, exile, and oppression for God's people serves as a model for the current generation.

And the good news? "The gospel," if you will? In each case, God delivers.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.” – Revelation 11:15
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” – Revelation 22:20

Power and Authority

Emperor Constantine's vision of the cross.

I’ve been mulling over this for the past several days. It’s from Chapter 2 of Tony Campolo’s Red Letter Christians. The chapter is titled, “A Biblical Approach to Politics.”

“Instead of using power to mold public policies, we should endeavor to speak with authority to those in power. The sociologist Max Weber gave classic definitions that differentiate power from authority. In The Theory of Social and Economic Organization, Weber explains that power is the ability coerce or to impose your will on others. Conversely, authority is having the legitimate right in the eyes of others to expect that proposals will be embraced and followed.

It is important to stress that for Christians, authority comes from sacrificing to meet the needs of others. As the ultimate case in point, Jesus speaks as “one having authority” (Matt. 7:29). He does not coerce us into yielding to His will. Instead, we come to an awareness that He has a legitimate claim to our allegiance through His sacrifices for us – especially His sacrifice on the cross.

…Jesus rejected power as His means for changing the world into His Father’s Kingdom…authority is earned through sacrifice.”

Yesterday we celebrated the life and legacy of one who recognized this distinction, and lived and led others in such a way that he could speak with authority in the face of injustice. Martin Luther King, Jr., was very strategic in the method of drawing the attention of the nation to injustice, but did so in a manner consistent with the gospel of Christ.

Many others have gained authority and effected great changes through embracing authority over power. William Wilberforce, the British abolitionist, William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi (an admirer, if not a follower, of Jesus), to name a few notables. All these earned authority in the way Jesus did – it was earned through sacrificial acts of love for others.

The greatest abuses of Christianity have occurred when the church has embraced power – coercion of others – as a way to accomplish the (perceived) goals of the kingdom. This applies to national, international, and local situations. The church loses its authority when it embraces power – because it turns away from Christ and becomes like the world.

The cross was not originally a symbol of sacrificial love – it was a symbol of power. It was the Roman Empire’s symbol that they would destroy any who opposed them. The cross was transformed into a symbol of sacrificial love by Jesus. His followers have far too often tried to transform it back into symbol of power – a symbol that the church, and by implication Jesus, will destroy any who oppose them. Perhaps the worst thing to ever happen to Christianity was the Roman Emperor Constantine’s acceptance of it (sort of). He claimed to see a vision of a cross and heard “In this sign conquer.” That sounds like Jesus, right? Constantine made Christianity cool – acceptable, and a tool for human power and influence. If you read the New Testament, it’s pretty clear that there is no protocol for an un-persecuted Christian.

The most militaristic book in the New Testament is Revelation. The word “overcome” or “conquer” is a key word in it. Here’s how the followers of Christ overcome the forces of evil – “They overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.” (Rev. 12:11)

This brings up a whole host of other issues that I’ll probably talk about later. For now, as we inaugurate a new President, as some of us hope for and some of us fear change – can we commit to seeking the authority to speak to our world in the way our Savior taught us – through sacrificial love?