What’s So Special About America?

The Idea of American Exceptionalism

American Exceptionalism, like the American Dream is an idea often mentioned but rarely defined. At least, no two people seem to define it the same. However, the things that have made America exceptional may not be things at all. Also, the references to American Exceptionalism often do not refer to America being exceptional but rather to Americans being exceptional. It seems reasonable and wise to ask; How did Americans become exceptional? Or, why do we think Americans were exceptional? Are there virtues Americans have entertained that have made them exceptional? Given the flaming rhetoric that has surrounded this idea it seemed like a Biblical response would be fitting.

In the title of Newt Gingrich’s book, A Country Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters we see a common assumption of the American conservatives shining through like a city on a hill. Gingrich assumes in his title that American Exceptionalism may be usefully defined and that we may have a common, national discussion about it. There is a lot of assuming going on there, much of which is not warranted. On the other side we have writers like Michael Lind, in a piece titled The Case Against American Exceptionalism” discounting the idea as “amusing if it were not so dangerous.” Seemingly, in his view, there is nothing exceptional about America and we ought to climb down off our tall horse to get a closer look at reality.

Having summed thousands of published words on the topic in a single paragraph let’s think this American Exceptionalism concept through for a bit. American leftists, we may observe, like to dismiss American Exceptionalism as mostly a product of environment. They assert that the isolated nature of the North American continent and its vast natural resources gave Americans of European extraction, an heretofore unprecedented advantage in history. And thus, the story line continues, European Americans simply stumbled into some pretty easy gold, picked it up, and became dominant in the world; a world that could be assisted by adopting our inherent socialism. The conservative Americans give less credence to the talk about environment and like to remind us that we Americans worked harder, produced more, and ran our country better. Thus we became wealthy and deserve to run the world because we have greater wisdom and work harder than everybody else.

Liberal and Conservative Views on Exceptionalism

The historical view by the left and right also differ. Conservatives tell us that the discussion about American Exceptionalism was begun by Alexis de Tocqueville in his work Democracy in America where he wrote “The position of the Americans is therefore quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one. Their strictly Puritanical origin, their exclusively commercial habits…” The liberals, discontent with this finding of its roots, look to Joseph Stalin who reportedly used the term American Exceptionalism for the first time, to disparage Americans. I would, on the third hand, suggest that since de Tocqueville wrote in French and Stalin in Russian, this entire game of tracing the history of the phrase must be left to the linguists given that neither first-place candidate would have actually written “American Exceptionalism” in any form most of us could read. The importance of the phrase then, is not so much in its origin as its meaning.

de Tocqueville’s approach likely came with some accuracy when he mentioned the Puritanical origin of the Americans. Puritanism we may recall, is not genetic but having to do with the Spirit and the law. The Puritans were driven by their love of a Biblically based life and their observance of God’s law. It seems that what made Americans exceptional was nothing inherent in them. We may be reminded that Christ warned “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Thus, Americans were not even good, much less exceptional, by anything inherent in themselves. Hence, any exceptionalism noted may be attributed to the works of God not men. God and His works are exceptional. If we are exceptional it is only by God’s grace and power. It is by His sovereign will and work.

The Biblical Idea of Exceptionalism

It is only through the exceptional, faithful covenants of God that any of us differ from the men of our age. It was about 4 millennia ago that the Lord of all the earth promised His people in Deuteronomy 28

Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you, and overtake you, if you will obey the Lord your God.

A few of these blessings included

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country…Blessed shall be the offspring of your body…The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you…The Lord will command the blessing upon you…The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself…The Lord will make you abound in prosperity…The Lord will open His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season…you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow…

All of these and much more were the blessings of the covenant for the nation that obeyed and worshipped the God of the Bible. Now this is exceptional.

National Exceptionalism then, has nothing to do with anything native in the people themselves. It has everything to do with the Creator of all things making exceptional blessings, unfolding exceptional providences, and by His own power, raising up exceptionally gifted people that makes a nation exceptional. What made America and Americans exceptional was our Puritanical heritage as de Tocqueville attributed. It was Biblical obedience and the resultant blessing that we see in our history.

America Can Be Exceptional Again

God promises to bless His people to a thousand generations (1 Chronicles 16:15, Psalm 105:8) to those who love Him. That covenantal promise, like all of God’s promises, is to the children and their children for as long as they are faithful. As we watch the blessings of God evaporate we may rightly conclude that the promises of the covenant are being lifted. We have tossed God aside as an unnecessary person, one of disinterest to us. At the conclusion of Deuteronomy 28 God promises that if His people become unfaithful He will remove the blessings of His covenant promises. This, I believe, is what we have begun to experience over the past few decades. Instead of lending to other nations we are now, heavily, borrowing. Instead of our national enemies being decisively defeated before us we find our military interventions naggingly pestered with a lack of success. Our economy stumbles. Our children are killed in the womb. Our security lessens and liberty wanes.

These are the signs of the lifting of the exceptional covenant blessings of God. We are a people in the dock before the Judge of the universe. We are a people weighed in the balance and found wanting. We are an exceptional people become common.

If however, we will return to worship and obedience of the living God of the Bible, then we can, by His grace, become the people of blessing once again. If we will return to God He will return to us. Now that would be exceptional.

For Christian Culture,

Don Schanzenbach, 11-26-13

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Also Read: American Dream Exchanged for an American Nightmare

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