Within hours, social media feeds filled with profile pictures draped in the Stars and Stripes and statements like “FAFO.” The mission’s execution and talk of “restoring democracy” tapped a familiar chord in the American psyche. Prominent theologian Stanley Hauerwas, who has long critiqued American militarism, argues that fusing the cross with the flag produces “an identity without difference”; when Christians make it their task to “make America work,” they “lose [their] ability to survive as church” because they become governed by the story of America rather than the Gospel. But the church’s task is not to make America great but to witness to the kingdom of God, a kingdom whose King refused to call down legions of angels and instead suffered violence rather than inflict it.
Author: Editor
Published at: 2026-01-18 23:00:00
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