We are not a nation of the humble,

but a nation of fools: proud, defensive, confident-we-know-what’s-best, wise in our own eyes, leaning on our own understanding, critical-judgmental, competitive, willful, agendafied, self-absorbed, angry with the opposition.  Independents, not God-dependents.  Believers in a sovereign nation, not a sovereign God.  Obsessed with being the Superpower, with being superior.  Self-appointed PolicemanOfTheWorld.  Chastising other nations.  If power corrupts, Superpower corrupts supremely.  We are a nation of ambitious fools, obsessed with somebodiness.  Not a humble nation that minds its own business.  Not a humble people who enjoy everyone just as they are, especially the opposition.  And Christians are no better than nonChristians, but we Christians imagine ourselves Jesus-like: humble, gracious, unconditionally loving, selfless servants of all, enjoyers of enemies.  Fools, all of us, Christian and nonChristian, self-deceived about the extent of our pride, fool-likeness, worldliness.  Fools are always self-righteous, contentious, uncompromising, clear-sighted about the weaknesses of the opposition, but blind to our own issues.  Our increasing political divisiveness will end badly.  Civil war.  Our only hope is a Holy-Spirit-led awakening that humbles Christians into an other-worldly humility and other-worldly love that causes seculars to want what we have, instead of being so turned off to the message of the Jesus we proclaim.  Jesus is not the problem.  Seculars are not the problem.  We are the problem.

—Dave McCarty, GospelFriendships, chiefest of fools, chiefest of the self-righteous, the one most needy of further overhaul by Jesus’ Spirit, no matter how much he’s been overhauled to date, not proud to be an American, not proud to be a Christian, but embarrassed, in a Saturday morning rant, hoping to return on Tuesday to being the chief confessor instead of the chief accuser

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