Bible Study February 29, 2024
Matthew 22:15 – 22 (ESV)
“15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.”
Happy Leap Year.
I have been reading different articles on Christian Nationalism recently since it seems to be at the forefront these days.
The information I am sharing today comes from Religious News Service. The first thing we must understand is what is Christian Nationalism. The best explanation I can find is Christian Nationalism says our rights come from God. My comments follow – Our rights do not come from the government the government is to protect our rights.
We have privileges as Americans such as the right to vote, that many in other countries do not have.
The following came from RNS. “A new report released Wednesday (Feb. 28) found that roughly 3 in 10 Americans express some sympathy for Christian nationalism, with its greatest popularity concentrated in the Southeast and Upper Midwest.
The findings appear in a study from the Public Religion Research Institute, which probed public support for Christian nationalism as part of a broader survey of more than 22,000 adults. To assess feelings about Christian nationalism, respondents were asked whether they completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree or completely disagree with five statements, including “the U.S. government should declare America a Christian nation” and “U.S. laws should be based on Christian values.”
“Mississippi and North Dakota showed the highest levels of support for Christian nationalism, with Adherents and Sympathizers making up 50% of those states. They are followed by Alabama (47%), West Virginia (47%), Louisiana (46%), Tennessee (45%), Kentucky (45%), Nebraska (45%) and Wyoming (45%).
States exhibiting the least support for Christian nationalism were Oregon (17%), Massachusetts (18%), Maryland (19%), New York (19%), New Jersey (20%) and Washington (20%).” I do not believe these statistics would surprise anyone.
“The survey found support for Christian nationalism concentrated in two religious groups: white evangelical Protestants (66%) and Hispanic Protestants (55%). Christians who ascribe to beliefs often associated with Pentecostals and charismatic Christianity, such as modern-day prophecy, spiritual healing and the prosperity gospel, were particularly drawn to the ideology.”
“The survey also offered a potential preview of how Christian nationalism — and the political coalitions associated with it — could end up shaping this year’s presidential election. Asked about immigration and access to guns, about 50% of Adherents said they would only vote for a candidate who shared their views on the issues.”
How does this apply to the scriptures for today? Matthew tells us the Pharisees and the Herodians (followers of Herod) plotted to trap Jesus as they attempted many times. The Herodians were not a religious sect but a political group that supported Herod. They came to Jesus in the context of these verses and paid Him several compliments, yet trying to trap Him. They were attempting to put Him n a no win situation. We see that today many issues come up especially in politics and religion.
Jesus understood he was under Roman rule so he had to pay taxes to Rome. However Jesus wasn’t fazed He knew what they were up to. They didn’t care for His answer they just wanted to destroy Him. Is that not what we are seeing today?
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