Community

The President, in addressing the nation on his concerns about the Assad regime and their indefensible use of chemical weapons upon their own people, grounded his argument for the necessity for us to take military action in part on the phrase "American exceptionalism". To my mind, that is a dangerous idea. America IS exceptional. We are exceptionally wealthy, we are exceptionally powerful. And we are exceptional in another way -- this is a country founded not on historic alliance, or geography or language, but upon a commitment to an ideal.

In that sense, the President was exactly right. We are exceptional, but the idea of American exceptionalism can so easily bleed over into a belief that we represent the truth, the light and all righteousness. We don't. We are born into community and suckled by it, but we must never permit ourselves to make an idol of our culture, country or community of faith. To do so will lead us far from God and into fields tilled by a farmer you would not like at all. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, "Community" by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.