Everyone who is concerned for the biblical worldview should read Jon Meacham’s “The End of Christian America” (Newsweek, April 13, 2009 issue) and “Faith Isn’t Under Fire: The difference between Christianity and ‘Christian America’” (April 8, 2009).

While you’re at it,  you should read Tim Graham of the Media Research Center’s rebuttal in “Newsweek Editor Welcomes Easter with ‘The End of Christian America’” (April 5, 2009).

Meacham, the editor-in-chief of Newsweek Magazine, former Newsweek religion editor, considered this subject too important to leave to an underling.

Meacham is not arguing that Christianity itself is disintegrating in America; he’s arguing that the political idea of conservatives and many evangelicals of a “Christian America” — in which the government supports things like school prayer, outlaws abortion and mandates the teaching of creationism in public schools — is on the way out.

Meacham brings in polling, history and Christian thought into the aritcle. The germ of the article comes from a poll on American’s self-identified religious affiliations. Meacham has some insightful comments about the history of the term “post-Christian.” He talks about Augustine’s City of God and how the kingdoms of this world can never be equated with the kingdom of God. And he talks about the American experiment in which there is no firm “wall of separation” between church and state, but a continuous ebb and flow. He also reminds us that America’s founders valued freedom of conscience very highly.

Like I said, I think every Christian ought to read Meacham’s thoughtful article. And before anybody panics and thinks we’ve dropped off the edge, I’d like to remind us all that Christian faith itself arose in a polytheistic, pluralistic, relatively “tolerant” Greco-Roman milleu — and, despite waves of fierce persecution, did just fine in that environment.

So — what do you think of Meacham’s article?