Every year around this time we all look forward to ruining our diets by eating hamburgers, hot dogs, soda, coleslaw, and other assorted foods to celebrate Memorial Day. And with July 4th coming quickly, patriotism pours out of every home and American (esp the more south you go). Now some will read this and get all holy on me and start to bash this, but let me give you some background.
My grandfather served as a Master Sargent in the Army. He fought in WWII, later to fight in Korea and then fought in Vietnam where he was awarded the bronze star medal (which when awarded for bravery is the 4th highest award you can receive in the Armed Forces). My dad was a Sargent in the U.S. Army working on helicopters (mainly Chinooks) for 19 years and did a tour trying to capture Manuel Noriega in Panama (if you even remember that). Finally my uncle fought in the first Desert Storm as a U.S. Marine. Numerous close friends have been and are in the military today. So the military runs through my blood, and I grew up as a military brat for what is now the larger part of my life. I am not writing about whether I love or do not love this country (cause I do love it), nor am I arguing about whether we should or should not celebrate nor recognize those who fought to give us our freedom. (we should!). What I am concerned about is how much involvement the church has in enabling an idolotry of patriotism and tying it to the kingdom, Jesus, and Christianity. As put in this article by Greg Boyd last year during July 4th--There is a real danger for the church in the idol of patriotism.
Here's where I feel we go astray:
First Websters defines patriotism as love, loyal and zealous support of one's country.
1. First, "we find Christians buying the age-old pagan lie that God uniquely favors their country, and their national enemies are God’s enemies." (taken from the article)
Now I am taking into account that God HAS blessed America greatly. We are one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in the world. We have an abundance of food, we have a great military, we have running, CLEAN water, electricity, the internet. Believe it or not if you live in the United States and make $15,000 a year, you are richer than 80.1% of the rest of the world. (They live on average $2 a day).
So the question that begs to be asked is does God only bless us simply so that we can gloat, or consume all we want? Is that a biblical attitude? Are we not blessed so that we make God's glory known? So that we can share the blessing (whether it is monetary, materialistic, or simply our knowledge) with every tribe, tongue and nation? Are we not called to go and make disciples of all nations with every bit of resources we have? Are we not called to serve the least of these and not ourselves? Or as I heard at a concert did God place America at the front of the line to help itself or to help those in the back of the line? Just something to think about and please this has NOTHING to do with politics. This line of thinking just simply is not biblical and I have heard and seen people take passages WAY out of context to make this line of reasoning fit. It is wrong.
This sentiment I think does great damage to the church and its vision, which is not to be American, but to display the Kingdom within America.
2. We frequently and quickly forget that we are first citizens of the kingdom.
Phil. 3:20-"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..."
So as not to do utter damage to the context of this passage, Paul has been describing two kinds of people:
You (the Philippians church) should consider all things a loss except for simply knowing Christ
You should consider everything now a loss compared to knowing Christ
You should gain Christ, by knowing him deeper, and living for him.
Things that are in your way of this leave them behind and strive toward what is ahead.
"There are those who live as enemies of the cross...they will be destroyed...their mind is set on the earthly kingdom. BUT our citizenship is in heaven..."
That's a big butt (I had to say it, makes me laugh every time I hear it). Paul states there are two people: those who are enemies, those whose kingdom is the earth, but YOUR primary citizenship, the one you should be concerned first and foremost about is NOT the kingdom of earth but the kingdom of heaven which will be made manifested when Christ returns! In no way am I saying to disregard anything here on earth (that would be far from my point and this isn't Fox News), but rather that we have duel citizenship first to the kingdom then as an outflow of our allegiance and dedication to the kingdom by our King Jesus, and in some ways making it manifested by submitting to our governing authorities (Romans 13:1-6; 1 Peter 2:13). It is easy to get wrapped up in our citizenship here and forget our kingdom citizenship.
3. Becoming too much like Israel (nationalistic rather than evangelistic).
Jesus told us to Go and make disciples of all nations....not just our nation or select nations. It is easy to fall so in love with this country that we become nationalistic. As stated earlier I love this country, and believe that God put me here to do his Kingdom work, and hopefully go beyond to reach more for the gospel of Christ. One of the main issues with Israel is that they were too nationalistic that in order to become part of the club you must perform certain things: by attaching extra works to salvation like circumcision, diet, and keeping the Sabbath. This kept their attention rather than being evangelistic. We seem to replace the joy and excitement of being American and associate it with the kingdom. Hence why churches (and I have seen this firsthand) sing God Bless America, America the Beautiful and other patriotic songs within a church service and can confuse a person emotionally and even spiritually. Its like an confusing interchange of nation and church. Pastor and Professor Russell Moore wrote in regards to this said,
“Scripture calls us into what the Bible tells us is a colony of heaven of the kingdom in the church, we ought to beware of any kind of nationalism, any kind of equating of the church with the nation, or the nation with the church. This is why American civil religion is so dangerous because it does that. It takes the experience, that transcendent experience of being a part of those from every tribe, tongue and nation around the throne and equates it with our experience as Americans. It takes the Deuteronomy blessings, goes right around Jesus and applies it to the United States of America.” “We have to give thanks, while not equating the country with the kingdom of God.”
I agree on his point. My prayer is that the church will keep its focus and praise God for those who have given their lives for us to be free, and be proud to be an American while keeping their feet grounded in that they are: citizens of the Kingdom.
Be Blessed
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