Thoughts from the Pastor

Faith, Freedom, and the Call of the Church

At Campground United Methodist Church, each of our worship services includes a time we call the Celebration of Generosity. It’s a space for us to reflect on the blessings we’ve received, and the ways we’re called to give—of our resources, our time, and our hearts.

As I prayed and envisioned what today’s service might look and feel like, a phrase kept coming to mind. It’s a hot-button term these days—and I usually steer clear of hot-button preaching, because, frankly, it often throws things out of balance. But this phrase stuck with me. It’s something we need to talk about: Christian nationalism.

Now, just take a moment and think about those two words together: Christian and nationalism. One comes from the church, the other from the world we live and work in—our nation. And we know what our parents used to tell us: “Don’t mix religion and politics.” Still, I believe there are places where faith and civic life intersect in meaningful, even necessary, ways. The key word? Balance.

Let’s start here: scholars disagree. Not surprising, right? Scholars get paid to debate, write books, and generate conversation—some of which is incredibly insightful, and some that makes you wonder how it got published at all. Just like doctors practice medicine, YouTubers seek clicks, lawyers argue cases, and yes, pastors preach sermons—sometimes even long ones. (I might be guilty of that today!)

In America, we are blessed with freedom of religion—a freedom that was paid for by the blood of soldiers. And just as our spiritual salvation was bought with the blood of Jesus at Calvary, our national freedom also came at great cost. That deserves a heartfelt amen.

But we often gloss over hard issues, don’t we? As a parent, it’s difficult to bring correction when things feel out of control. We experience similar tensions in the church. Here’s a confession: we’ve let Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Halloween distort the original meanings of sacred holidays. We drift. We lose focus. But freedom, real freedom, includes the freedom to choose—and that’s why our nation was founded.

Yes, not all of our founding fathers were Christian. Some were theists, believing in a higher power. But what they did affirm was the right to religious freedom—a radical departure from the state-controlled religion of England. For that, I am deeply thankful to our soldiers, past and present. And I’m just as thankful for Jesus, whose sacrifice bought our salvation. I’ve wrestled with this for weeks. What does it mean to serve both God and country?

At Campground UMC, we are committed to three things. Some of you may remember I once shared this as our “elevator speech”—a quick way to share our vision, rooted deeply in the Gospel of Matthew:

1. To Be Relevant

Matthew 22 reminds us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind—and love your neighbor as yourself.” We studied this deeply in our "Art of Neighboring" series. It shapes everything we do. In a world that’s changing fast, we want to be a church that still speaks clearly and lovingly into people’s real lives.

2. To Be Fair

Matthew 7:12 gives us the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Or as some now call it, the Platinum Rule: Love others as they want to be loved. It’s a higher standard—one that asks us to go beyond our comfort zones and truly consider others. At Campground, we’re striving to live that out.

3. To Be Christlike

Matthew 28 gives us the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This is our mission—not just for pastors, but for every follower of Christ. We are called to go, to teach, to baptize, and to embody Jesus in the world.

So yes, maybe I’ve already preached a sermon before the sermon today. But this message has been on my heart, and I thank you for letting me share it. As we honor Fort Bragg Sunday, and reflect on what it means to serve both our God and our country, may we continue to grow as a church grounded in relevance, fairness, and Christlikeness.

Thank you for your prayers—and for walking this journey with us.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Bobby