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Happy Birthday, America. Today you're 241 years old. I've known you for almost a quarter of your life, so I know you well. You've always been my home. But lately I feel something has come between us; there’s been some misunderstandings and I would like to clear the air.
First of all, I love you. Like I said, you're my home. I’ve been all over the world, but I've always come home to you. There's so much I admire about you. Your energy, your creativity, your entrepreneurial spirit. You invented the blues, jazz, and rock 'n' roll. You've led the world for most of a century in science and technology. You even put a man on the moon! You came up with the idea of preserving vast tracts of your natural beauty through the genius of National Parks. (Some have suggested this is your best idea and I agree.) You've given us great artists like Walt Whitman, Harper Lee, and Bob Dylan. You provided refuge for great thinkers like Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, and Abraham Joshua Heschel. You opened your door to millions of immigrants from around the world-- the poor looking for nothing more than safe haven and a new opportunity. You welcomed the Zahnds from Switzerland at the beginning of the last century. Indeed, you’re at your best when you live up to the lofty ideals of Lady Liberty.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Yes, America, I love you…but not like that. Not in the way of supreme allegiance and unquestioned devotion. You see, my heart belongs to another. I'm a Christian and I confess that Jesus is Lord. The Savior of the world is the crucified and risen Son of God, not "We the People." The gospel is the story of Jesus, not the American story. I know your 16th President claimed that America was "the last best hope of earth," but it's simply not true. The last best hope of earth is Jesus, not you.
Okay, brace yourself. I’m going to say some hard things.
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