I have been a student of history most of my life. I have always been drawn to early civilizations, their customs, their kingdoms, their wars, and the stories they left behind. History, when rightly told, is not a dry list of dates and dead men. It is the story of human pride, courage, cruelty, mercy, failure, and sometimes redemption.
Since the beginning of time, nations have told their own version of history. Every kingdom wants to be remembered as the hero. Every empire wants its children to believe it fought only righteous wars. But the honest student of history soon learns that every nation has blood on its hands.
Now let me be plain. I do not hate America. I am thankful to live here. In many ways, it is still one of the best places in the world to live. We have freedoms many people only dream about. But loving a country does not mean closing our eyes to its sins. A man can love his family and still admit when his family has done wrong. In the same way, a citizen can love his country and still tell the truth about its history.
From the very beginning, this nation mistreated the Indian tribes who were here long before the founders of the United States ever wrote a constitution. Land was taken. Treaties were broken. Families were uprooted. Whole peoples were pushed aside in the name of progress. We may dress it up in patriotic language, but the truth is still the truth.
The Bible says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34, KJV).
We are a nation with a long history of violence. In the 250 years of our existence, by some estimates, the United States has been involved in war or military conflict for about 229 to 230 years. That means we have known very few years of real peace. We have fought major wars, small wars, declared wars, undeclared wars, and military actions that never made much sense to the common man who paid the bill and buried the dead.
Some will get angry when I say this, but I do not believe America has ever truly been a Christian nation. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say we are a Christian nation. Yes, many of our laws were influenced by biblical principles. Yes, many of the founders believed in God. Yes, churches have played a great role in shaping communities. But having Bible influence does not make a government Christian.
A Christian nation would follow Christ. A Christian nation would love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly with God. A Christian nation would not bless greed, excuse lies, ignore the poor, and justify the killing of the innocent.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, KJV).
Yet our government, throughout history, has often hidden the truth from its own people. There have been shameful chapters: human radiation experiments, the Tuskegee syphilis study, MKUltra, and other secret government programs that treated human beings like tools instead of souls created in the image of God. These things ought to trouble every Christian heart.
The Lord does not overlook such things. He sees the secrets of kings and cabinets. He hears the cries of the forgotten. He knows the names of those buried beneath the proud speeches of powerful men.
The prophet Isaiah said, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20, KJV).
This is not written to stir hatred for America. It is written as a call to honesty, humility, and repentance. A nation that cannot confess its sins will never truly learn from them. A church that cannot discern the difference between patriotism and righteousness is in danger of bowing before an idol wrapped in a flag.
I thank God for the good in this country. I thank God for the freedom to preach, write, worship, and speak. But I also know that freedom carries responsibility. Christians must be truth-tellers. We must not excuse evil simply because it was done by our side.
History is a teacher, but only if we are willing to listen. And if we listen closely, we may hear the warning of God still speaking:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7, KJV).
May God give us eyes to see, hearts to repent, and courage to tell the truth.
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