The purpose of this book, One Nation, Many Gods: Confronting the Idols of American Empire, is to offer an invitation to dialogue on how to love America and how to be a patriotic Christian. What kind of citizen should a Christian be? Since God is the ultimate political word, how will we relate to the political reality of the nation? Our world today is in crisis mode. Who of us is not aware of the wars and rumors of war, the threatening consequences of global warming, the misfeasance and malfeasance of official governance, rampant racism, and the tragic consequences of radically unfair wealth distribution?There are times when we need to reaffirm openly, courageously, and resolutely our ultimate allegiance to God. We feel the present is such a God-filled, significant time, a kairos moment. We have written this book on this occasion to sound an alarm within the Church and to invite us to open ourselves to God's judgment that we may respond as faithfully in a time of widespread injustice and human suffering. Our Christian consciences compel us to speak in the face of national idolatry and the Church's apathy. And so we speak out in faith, by the grace of God, who calls us to confession, repentance and action.