American celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, and other national holidays often paint a heroic tale of discovery, settlement, unity, exploration, and progress. These celebrations mask a darker reality: the brutal history of conquest and imperialism, veiled acts of idolatry – worshipping power and empire – an empire built on exploitation, subjugation, and violence, all too often cloaked in the language of Christianity. To confront this reality is to reject the myths of American exceptionalism and to uncover the tragic consequences of empire that is rooted deeply in greed, domination, and evil.

Apply the teachings of Romans 12 to the State,
and you will wreck the State;
or apply Romans 13 to the church,
and you will wreck the church.