What makes a great country?

This somewhat random thought came to me as I was sitting in church today:

We often speak of America as being the greatest country in the world, and there have been many reasons in the last 229 years for saying that. Perhaps the most common reason has been because of the variety and extent of the freedoms afforded to the citizens of this country. As a Christian, one of the freedoms I hold dearest is the freedom of religion... the freedom to believe what I want without fear of governmental persecution. At the surface level, we decry the persecution of the Ethiopian, Chinese, and Russian churches in the last 50 years, and it is indeed a terrible thing.

But back to my thought: what defines a great country? Is it the freedom to do, act, think, believe, and speak what we want? No. As a Christian, I am compelled to answer that a great country is one in which the Christians are most Christ-like, one in which a Christian's faith is real. It is a sad commentary on our "great" country that the "Christians" here give in to everything the world has to offer us. They are pseudo-Christians because their faith isn't real. They see Christianity as a hobby... a Sunday morning activity... a social club. A few see it as a crutch to get their ever-hectic lives. But all of these people miss the point, and most of them (dare I say it?) aren't really Christians. They name the name of Christ, but they lack the salvation and redeemed nature that Christ so freely offers to all. They are, for all practical purposes, pseudo-Christians.

So do we live in a great country? It depends. If your definition of greatness is merely a long list of freedoms, then yes, America is a great country and perhaps even the greatest country. But my definition of national greatness is different. Perhaps Communist Russia could be considered a great country because the Christians there were willing to die for their faith. How many house churches have been closed down and pastors imprisoned in Communist China? How many Christians in Ethiopia have been murdered because of their belief in Christ? Those 3 countries may have had few freedoms, but the Christians there knew what it was to be a Christian and to believe in Christ above all else. Those Christians can have the satisfaction of knowing that they didn't fall for just another religion... they died for the Gospel... they died as a testimony of the great redeeming power of Christ to save each individual from their sins if each one would only believe.

Greatness in a country can come from military might or from freedoms. But greatness in God's eyes comes from the commitment and dedication of His servants to His causes. May God have mercy on our country and allow us to be truly "great" once again...