The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in "Street Level" belong solely to the author. They are not and do not necessarily reflect the opinion(s) or position(s) of the organization, board of directors and/or any other individual(s) or entity (ies) affiliated or unaffiliated with Christians in Public Service, Inc. (CIPS)

The true test of a true leader is how well we keep our word. Character is demonstrated every day and by every action. Let your yay be yay and your nay, nay. In keeping our word, we keep our integrity. Be known for the commitments you keep, not disgraced because of the commitments you break.

It is as simple and as complex as this. 21st-century Christian nationalists are to America what 1st-century Judaizers were to Israel. Jesus spoke against them. So did Paul and the prophets. And before my trip to Greece last fall, I dabbled some in warning people but that was a battle I did not see as mine. One I did not want to take on.

I saw it as an "evangelical Christian problem." It is their problem. Let them fix their problem. But it is all of our problem as followers of Jesus Christ. Because this nationalist movement will forcibly mandate how we are to live, educate our children, and live freely our lives.

Paul warned against this in his letter to the believers in Galatia because the religious leaders were imposing, very much like today, religious burdens that they need not carry, and ones Jesus, by his death, burial and resurrection, freed them and us from. We are not to be under the ungodly and unholy yoke of Christian nationalism policies, rules or mandates.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1

Christian nationalism is driving people, especially young people, away from the church because they see the hypocrisy. Church attendance continues to slide while for the first time in American history, church membership is less than 50%. And these "Christian leaders" are too blind to see that the problem is the problematic church. The most vocal church people preach one thing to the rest of us, yet live as they want.

It is for freedom Christ died for us all. We are free to choose or not. Believe or not believe. They speak the words but have hearts of stone except for their own.

It's how the religious of Jesus' day could so easily lead the charge to crucify the very One they had waited centuries for as foretold by the prophets. Be leery of anyone speaking the language of Christianity without love and compassion for people. Watch how they live not what comes from their lips. Without the correct application of scripture. Applying it only to fit a political and social ideology or construct.  

We need wise, bold, knowledgeable leaders unafraid and unashamed to push back against this heresy that is destroying the people of God, dividing our communities, cities, states, and nation, and minimizing justice and righteousness for all.

Those who claim to be for right but keep their mouth shut for fear of offending those with deep pockets and big platforms, thus shutting off the spigot of dollars and open doors. They should be ashamed. I have tuned many out though I still count them as friends.

But as the Apostle Paul asked the believers in Corinth, “What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

What do any of us have that God didn't provide or need that he won't provide? We need righteousness, not self-righteous, controlling, religious dogma.

Not those claiming some mysteriously Christian "special knowledge" as so many of them claim to have. There is no one given in this century  "special knowledge" nor has God given anyone or any religion a special assignment to lord their religion over the rest of us.

Jesus taught the opposite. They speak in broad  terms of "America First," "Christian nation," and " biblical worldview," as it pertains to governments and systems, governing bodies, curriculums, statutes, and especially if they speak of having a mandate from God to guard the "gates of the city."

These are not evil people but seriously misguided people who believe they have been given special powers, special mandates, and special orders directly from God. Some will come to you speaking in "tongues." Claiming to have special knowledge or a word from God for the nations or cities. These people have control now of many state legislatures and their goal is to take over cities, then states, then the nation. And it is up to us, who know better to teach better. As did Jesus. As did the Apostles.

All of this sounds like a Steven Spielberg movie but it is our reality in America. It did not end well for Israel in the 1st century and it will not end well for America in the 21st.

The self-imposed shackles are off my feet. My mind is as clear as the Aegean Sea and my heart beats for truth in governing and serving and educating people. If I am like the salmon swimming upstream I am confident in knowing there were those before me who did the same. There are always those in every generation. This happens to be my generation. Your generation. Our generation.

And when it is all said and done I want it said of me as it was with many of old that I "served the purposes of God in my generation."

For most of my adult life, as a black conservative and evangelical,  I once too was a Christian nationalist. I get it. Not proud of it, but I get it. I was wrong. I don't care how big of a platform the most famous of them are, they are famously wrong. God called me out from among them but until that two-week long sabbatical of sorts to the ancient cities of the Bible, I didn't have the confidence.

Now I do. America was never a Christian nation, though founded upon flawed Christian-Judeo values. It will never be a Christian nation because church membership and those claiming any religion are dwindling faster than at any moment in American history.

Those values were the values of and for, white land-owning men. Not for humans who looked like me. In fact, these Christian-Judeo men treated those who looked like me, though created in the same image of God as they, less than animals. Chattel to be bought and sold.

Would a "Christian nation" do this to humans created in the very image of God? Neither sugar-coating nor revisionist history can change this. America was not founded to be a "Christian nation" yet God has blessed America despite its abiding hypocrisy.

Generations of blacks, despite it all, believed in the God of the Bible. I would argue that our faith is much stronger. Has been and will be because God is all we had and still have as America reverts in many ways back to the worst of what made it great.

So, no more fear. Not at all. What can these people do to me? One word, nothing. What has God done for me? One word, everything. All to Him I owe. And I owe people nothing but an obligation as commanded by Jesus to love them.

Dorothy Burton is the founder of CIPS, author of "Why We Fall: The Power of Self-Awareness"and host of the "Governing God's Way" Podcast. A sought-after speaker on issues of faith in public space and public servant leadership, Dorothy works with local governments and leaders, helping them achieve optimum self-development, organizational, and team effectiveness. She can be reached at dorothy@dorothyburton.com