Are we apologizing for being American?

We had our US regional gathering on Monday. We talked about the fact that the US has more representation on every level of this Congress than any other nation. Six leaders were invited to share briefly about issues that face the American church. Several spoke on the need to repent of racism and embrace the God given opportunity of the other cultures coming to America through immigration. We were also reminded of our need to be humble and listen to the rest of the world. There was a sentiment that we need to step back and listen and that we need to let others lead internationally and in the local context let those who are immigrants to the land step up and lead. At the end of the time, a brother asked me an incredibly honest and vulnerable question.

Is there an Anti Americanism that we perpetuate as Americans when we are so apologetic for who we are and what we have done?

I wanted to formulate some of my reflections on that question. First Americans are not the only ones with cultural blinders. Every nation and culture has their own blinders. Americans are not the only ones who need to be apologetic and humble but we can only start with checking our own attitudes and trust that others will see for themselves their own blinders. I want respond to that question with five factors that I think, we, as American need to consider every time we gather in international gatherings with brothers and sisters from around the world and even in our own country. (1) We live with the baggage of our cultures sin both past and current. Our country was built on a racist past of slavery and of cultural destruction of native peoples living in the land. We also live with the current hypocrisy that we as a nation of immigrants has a growing anti immigrant sentiment often with the undercurrent of xenophobia. I do not think we need to beat ourselves up over this but we need to realize we have to be honest with the fact that these are challenges we need to work out as a church according to God’s call to us in scripture. (2) We also live with the burden of our foreign policy whether we feel we have supported it or not. Americans have the burden of breaking through the assumptions that people have about our ideology or perceived imperialism. (3) We by nature are problem solvers and have always been leaders. We need to remember that people and nations are not problems to be solved and that the rest of the world does not “need” us to lead because we are Americans. Americans are known for speaking first and speaking loudest and too often end up shutting out other voices that need to be and wait to be heard. (4)We need to realize that we control resources as those who are generally wealthier and resource laden than most of the rest of the world. Without checking our attitudes carefully this too often leads to a patronizing attitude towards those we wish to serve and those we wish to work with. (5) There is a changing world and we live in a changing America. We can fight that inevitable change or we can see the opportunity that God may be giving us with these changes. Could these changes mean a greater mutual partnership with the church in other parts of the world as many of them step up to help lead? Could these changes mean a fresh revival of mission leaders for the church in America, leaders who might be bicultural?

America has a proud missions history. I am eternally grateful for American missionaries that brought the gospel to my homeland Korea and to those who sent them out. Americans believe in American exceptionalism as we would expect other nations to have a healthy sense of their own exceptionalism. But in this new season of churches growing all over the world, I think America should lead, and can lead but can we lead in the posture of being servant leaders.