What happened to American democracy?

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil . . .” (1 Tim 6:10).

Sure, America is a democracy. However, over the next several posts I would like to suggest that it isn’t as rosy as we might believe.

It is commonly believed that American democracy is the best form of government and that America has a responsibility to spread democracy to the world. This conviction is so ingrained in our society that one is not allowed to question it without being accused of the dreaded “communist” label.

Okay. So, I am not going to question it.

I would like to note, however, that every system of human governance is prone to abuse, even the best forms.

NB: The best form of government is a benevolent dictator. Of course, as long as humanity remains in its current state, there can be no such thing. And even if we had a benevolent dictator, what happens when they die? A study of Chinese history affirms that the children of good rulers eventually become corrupt.

Democratic Republic

Okay, technically, the US is a democratic republic. We democratically elect representatives who then vote on most of the legislation. But this is not my point.

My point is two-fold:

1. Biblically speaking, no form of human government conforms to the biblical ideal
2. America’s democratic system has been co-opted and is being co-opted more and more by the rich and powerful

Regarding the former point, it is critical for the church to first know and understand the nature of the biblical ideal. Then, we are responsible for working towards this ideal within our sphere of influence.

NB: I will address the biblical theology of this more in a series of weekly livestreams, part 1 of which airs tonight at 5:00 PST / 8:00 EST (July 11, 2024)

NB: To stay informed of upcoming livestreams, be sure to “Subscribe” to the Determinetruth YouTube channel.

Regardless of what form of government we live in, we are called to live according to God’s ideal (this is worth a whole book or more).

In addition, depending on the form of government we live in, we should encourage our government (if possible) to function according to this ideal.

This latter point is subject to abuse, so allow me to clarify.

This does not mean we should try to impose a system of government upon a nation. After all, point #1 above notes that no ideal form of human government exists. In addition, the biblical ideal begins with loving your neighbor (and even your enemy), which by itself means that we should respect their rights and freedoms.

Imposing a form of government on others (as Christian Nationalists desire) fundamentally contravenes the command to love our neighbor (Yes, there are always limits to this. We do need to impose laws to some extent, such as, thou shall not murder. But we are not to impose laws such as, “thou shall attend church every week” or, “thou shall not practice Judaism, Islam, etc).

Has America’s democracy been co-opted?

What I would like to focus on here is the fact that America’s democratic system has been co-opted and is being co-opted more and more every day.

Before we travel down this path, allow me to address an underlying concern.

One problem with making this argument, even among Christians, derives from the glorification of the state. Hence, point #1 above is significant. We must recognize that no human government conforms to the biblical ideal.

NB: At this point, many will respond by saying that the US democratic system is the best form of government, and those who deny this are communists. Sure. Let’s assume that this is true for the sake of argument. My point is that we have idealized American democracy so much that we are unwilling to listen to criticism. That is dangerous.

It is interesting how much resistance there is to any criticism of the US democratic system. It is as though we are undermining God Himself. This is precisely the point I wish to highlight.

The fact that many Americans are uneasy with any attempt to criticize America demonstrates the religious nature of the American system. Now, I don’t mean that the system is inherently religious (contrary to the desires of Christian nationalists). I mean that the system has been religiously embraced.

This is precisely what the Book of Revelation discusses (Jesus also addresses this problem in Mark 13 and Matthew 24).

NB: This is a core tenet of Michael Gorman’s book Reading Revelation Responsibly. We interviewed Professor Gorman for the Determinetruth podcast to discuss the book of Revelation and this issue. The podcast went live last week (July 8, 2024) and can be accessed here.

The power of lobbies

One of many ways the American democracy has been and is being co-opted is by the power of lobbies. One of the more powerful lobby groups is AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee).

NB: For a detailed look at AIPAC’s power, see John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, The Israel Lobby, and Ilan Pappe, Lobbying for Zionism on both sides of the Atlantic.

The power of AIPAC is virtually unquestioned in Washington politics. AIPAC has significant influence over most Congresspersons and the White House, which is one reason why US support for Israel is a bipartisan issue.

Now, I recognize that some of you may be a bit uneasy at this point. After all, you may be convinced that support for Israel is a good thing. Let’s leave that off the table for a moment.

The question is whether or not a lobby should have the sort of influence over the American political system that AIPAC does. Again, some of you may not see a problem here, but that is because your views align with AIPAC’s goals—unquestioning support for Israel.

But what if—hypothetically speaking—AIPAC or a similar lobby was demanding unquestioning support for Russia, China, or N. Korea? Would we not want to require that such a lobby’s influence be limited?

AIPAC and American politics

The power of AIPAC was on full display in last month’s primary election in NYC. The Democratic incumbent was ousted primarily because of his criticisms of Israel’s war on Gaza. Even this ABCNews article notes that “Latimer, [the opponent in the election] a pro-Israel candidate, was recruited to run by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).”

AIPAC spent $14 million in ads to support Latimer’s efforts to unseat the incumbent Jamaal Bowman (See Politico). And this is only the money that came in from AIPAC. And this was only for a primary election. The goal was simply to unseat the incumbent because of his open criticisms of Israel’s assault on Gaza. The amount of money that was given in support of Latimer was so great that it has been declared the most expensive House primary ever.

There is no question that money was the primary factor in who won this election. Hence, my supposition that American democracy has been and is being co-opted.

This election and AIPAC’s influence show how deep the problem is (again, ignore for a moment whether or not you agree with supporting Israel).

AIPAC’s influence in this election confirms that very few, if any, Congresspersons can criticize Israel, even when Israel is deemed to have gone too far in their assault on Gaza, and expect to continue their political career.

Again, you may not believe that Israel is going too far. The point at hand, however, is that if Israel were to go too far, the American government, which supplies the money and the weapons for Israel’s assault, would be unable to declare such because few, if any, politicians would speak up against Israel.

NB: This is why Biden’s “red line” with respect to the siege of Rafah was nothing but smoke and mirrors. Netanyahu knew it, and he invaded Rafah anyway. And Biden did nothing. This is because US politicians cannot stand up against the lobbying power of AIPAC. Biden’s political career was on the line. And in an election year, he was not about to act against AIPAC.

Has America’s democracy been co-opted? You may not be convinced at this point, but unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

To be continued . . .

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