Talk Dissects the Idea of Christian America

Richard Hughes, senior fellow in the Ernest L. Boyer Center and distinguished professor of religion at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., will talk about his new book, “Christian America and the Kingdom of God,” at a free lecture and book-signing event Thursday, Jan. 14, at Hieronymus Lounge inside Westmont’s Kerrwood Hall at 7:30 p.m. The Westmont College Office of the Provost is sponsoring the lecture.

Hughes, author or editor of more than a dozen books, says “Christian America and the Kingdom of God,” published by University of Illinois Press, illuminates the devastating irony of a “Christian America” that so often behaves in unchristian ways.

“In a nutshell, this book seeks to assess the myth of “Christian America” by comparing that construct with the only phrase in Scripture that is even remotely analogous to the idea of a Christian nation, namely, the Kingdom of God,” Hughes says.

According to Hughes, 80 percent of the American people claim to be Christian in one form or another. However, he compares the Christian character of the U.S. to the Christian character of the Roman Empire following Constantine or the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century. “Christian trappings abound, but if one compares, for example, the Christian dimensions of the Holy Roman Empire with the teachings of Jesus, the differences are stunning,” he says. “Jesus counseled peace, but the empire practiced violence. Jesus counseled humility, but the empire engaged in a ruthless pursuit of power. Jesus counseled concern for the poor, but the empire practiced exaltation of the rich.”

Hughes, who has also written “Myths America Lives By” and “How Christian Faith Can Sustain the Life of the Mind,” earned a doctorate in the history of Christianity from the University of Iowa. Prior to his current post at Messiah, he spent many years on the faculty at Pepperdine University where he was named Faculty Person of the Year for 1992-93.