“AMERICA FIRST” isn’t just a slogan for our current political administration. It has been around for at least a century. President Woodrow Wilson pitched it during the 1916 election. It was even the name of an isolationist political party at the end of World War II, the America First Party, and again in 2002.
“America First” isn’t quite “Me First.”
But it is “Us First.”
And what is “Us” if not a bunch of me’s?
So “America First,” it could be argued, is a crowd of “Me First” souls.
Jesus wasn’t a Me First kind of a guy. He was a You First, Me Last kind of a guy.
From time to time, we Christians need to remind ourselves of that – if, for no other reason, to keep from mutating the name of Christ into something secular and selfish. That is not who the Bible teaches he was, or who the Bible teaches his followers should be.
When the apostle Paul wrote a letter to a new group of Christians, he gave them a model to follow. It didn’t look anything like Us First.
“You First” Christianity
“Don’t do anything for reasons that are selfish or conceited. Keep it humble. Think of other folks as more important than you are.
It’s okay to take good care of yourself. But take care of others, too.
Think the way Jesus thought.
He was God in every way
But he didn’t hoard his equality with God.
He gave it up to become a servant.
He traded the image of God for the image of a man.
He humbled himself.
Obeying God, he humbled himself to death—the most shameful death of all: crucifixion.” Philippians 2:3-8 Casual English Bible
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The deal’s good for a month, or for as long as I have giveaway books available.
Thumbnails of Philippians maps
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Casual English Bible
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Part of the classic American ideal of self-determination is its dark side — I got mine, you get yours. We’re seeing it now in our debate over universal health care. Why help the poor? If they worked harder, they wouldn’t be poor, right?
But it is strange to want to build a wall around our country to keep the non-causasians out so that our country — 10% of the world’s population — can continue to use up 90% of the world’s resources, living a standard of living that a large part of the world can’t even comprehend.
I don’t know if the issue is spiritual or simple ethics, but it can’t be right to want to have it all and then fight to the death anyone who wants to share in it.
Sure makes sense to me what you say. The prevailing attitude at the moment seems thoroughly secular to me. I don’t see Jesus behind what’s going on.
One of the things Jesus knew is you had to go to them to spread the Good News. He knew there simply isn’t enough room for everyone to gather in the Holy Land.
I am interested in book give away reading your bible plan phem, I have been taking care of my motherinlaw for 12 years day in and day out and my house my kids 4 and my husband the bible book has been my companion for this I Thankyou linda
The slogan “America First” is all about saving our country as one, the United States of America. We can either take back our country or loose it. If we do not defend the good of American citizens and America as a whole first and foremost, we will no longer exist as a Republic with the Constitution our foundation. Yes, we must make our nation number 1. If you are an American, America should be first. It does not stop you from living like Christ. “Israel First” is God’s slogan!!!!! And He hasn’t changed His mind in over 3,500 years!
There are plenty of fairly reasonable arguments for Americans to put “America First.” I just haven’t heard any that are Christian.
The philosophy of putting America first and everyone else second, with perhaps immigrants last, doesn’t seem to mesh with the teachings of the man on whom Christianity is based. Christians put others first and they welcome orphans, widows, and immigrants (“strangers in the land” as many Bible translations put it).
I know that a lot of Christians disagree. But so far, I haven’t heard any one of them make a case from the teachings of Jesus. Instead, they make a case from a non-Christian, secular philosophy of life that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Bible or Christianity. It seems to have more to do with the teachings of talking heads on selected TV and radio programs.
Our source of information matters. A lot. Garbage in…