The Rev. Pete Grassow is the lead pastor at Brookings First United Methodist Church.

There are people who want a Christian United States of America. House Speaker Mike Johnson, for example, has proclaimed that America is and was founded as a Christian nation and that Thomas Jefferson was “divinely inspired” in his writing of the Declaration of Independence.

There are many who want judges to rule according to Christian norms, and politicians who espouse Christian values. This seems eminently attractive — if you are a Christian! Of course, this ignores the fact that many Americans are not Christian, and a legally Christian country would impose Christian values on American people who believe differently. To which some reply that “America was founded on Christian values” and therefore those who believe differently can leave.

I come from South Africa. This was a country founded on Christian Nationalism. We had Christian education in schools, we opened Parliament with Christian prayers, and we passed laws according to Christian values. The great stumbling block in this system centered on this one question: “Whose Christianity?” There are many different theological views on what it means to be Christian, and as a result many different church denominations.

My country answered to the faith of the Dutch Reformed Church. The Roman Catholic Church was deemed heretical, and any form of African Christian expression that spoke about independence was suppressed. This “Christian nation” imploded in anger and violence as we struggled for a future where the beliefs and values of each person truly mattered.

So to those who dream of a Christian America: whose version will you support? How will you decide the correct version of Christian faith? Because the followers of Jesus do not all agree with one another on issues such as abortion, the death penalty, gun control and IVF. To add to this impasse — let us note that Jesus refused the invitation to impose his rules on the nation.

The idea of Jesus being a ruler of a nation was called a temptation from the devil (Matthew 4:9). Jesus resisted those who would make him a political leader (John 6:16), and Jesus insisted that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). It would therefore seem to me that those who are wanting a Christian America are ignoring the teaching of Jesus.

Let us learn instead to be respectful of differing religious views, and work for a country where diversity of opinion is valued, and the only common belief expected of everyone is that of loving our neighbour.