The slaying of Ahmaud Arbery has sparked outrage across the world. This is a good time for me to quote the Appendix “The ‘United States’ Compared to ‘America’” that I published in 2004 in my book Visions of America, at pages 215-216:

In my books, I use the terms “United States” and “America” differently.

The term “America” is the term I use for the ideal community that is composed of Christians and non-Christians.

As I discuss in Visions of America, Visions of the Church, America is that ideal community that was first discovered in the hearts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus—a community of good neighbors. Therefore, anyone in the world who seeks to implement American ideals can be an American regardless of their religion, nationality or citizenship.

In contrast, I use the term “United States” to refer to the actual, historical entity that exists today as the “United States of America.”

Unfortunately, the actual, historical United States of America is marred by Sin and falls short of being the ideal America envisioned by Abraham, Moses and Jesus because all humans (except Jesus—the Holy One of Humanity) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Similarly, Visions of America, Visions of the Church, describes visions of the ideal community called the Church that is composed exclusively of Christians—a community of best friends. It also describes ways that the actual, historical Church has been marred by Sin and falls short of being that ideal community because all Christians (except Jesus—the Holy One of Humanity) “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

If they lived in the United States today, Abraham, Moses and Jesus might well be called “people of color”.

Before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Abraham, Moses and Jesus might well have been explicitly discriminated against by laws and customs.

In the United States in the 21st Century, Abraham, Moses and Jesus would risk being gunned down by police and vigilantes. Why? Due to fear and hatred of their skin color. Due to fear and hatred of terrorism.

Therefore, today we still fall far short of my Vision of an America where ALL people are blessed, where ALL pharaohs are challenged to let ALL people be free, and where ALL hurting people are healed.

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To read more about how the core ideals of America are under attack, please read my blog “Nationalism Is Patriotism Gone Astray”.

To read about the Hope and Vision needed to establish the ideal America, please read my blog “Martin Luther King, Jr.—Restoring Hope and Giving a Vision”.

To read more about my Visions of America, please read my blog “Pandemic Wisdom: Visions of America”.

To read how everything about a civilization must be framed so as to offer mercy and forgiveness, please read my blog “Building Houses on Rock: Mercy and Forgiveness”.

To read about how a good civilization will be built on a foundation of Wisdom—so that everyone will do everything in a way that they want it done to themselves, please read my blog “Building Houses on Rock: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

To read about my Visions of America and Visions of the Church, please read my books Visions of America, Visions of the Church (published together).