I don’t like it when American leaders misuse religion as a morally justifying cover for their secular agendas; I don’t like it when Russian, Serbian, Greek or any other leaders do the same, either. God did not become human in the person of the Jesus Christ and plant his Church to provide a basis for social cohesion, ethnic solidarity, political statehood or superpower status. He did so to restore the communion of “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9) with the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. There’s no avoiding that Christian universality. When any other purpose is ascribed to Orthodox Christianity, its salt loses it flavor, its yeast no longer rises.

Ironically, Russia and the United States seem to be playing from the same playbook these days. Both wrap themselves in the mantle of religion; both make a blurry equation between patriotism and faith in God; both have, in varying degrees, an aversion to the free flow of information and critical analysis among the general population; and both have invaded countries that didn’t attack them first, under dubious pretexts. John McCain’s blundering bit of moralizing — “In the 21st century nations don’t invade other nations” — would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic in its hypocrisy and blindness. Russia and the United States might not be quite as different from each other as they think right now.

Hands off, politicians! Orthodox Christianity is not a means to your end — its means and end are Jesus Christ, who has a far different agenda than yours. “God is in right, not in might,” as the old Russian saying (attributed to Saint Alexander Nevsky) goes. Oh, if only we took those words to heart… But in the meantime, we cannot justify human sinfulness under the cover of religion. It’s not going to play well in front of the awesome judgment seat of Christ in the end.