Category Archives: Citizens of heaven

A Theology of Foreignness

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1930_Jewish_immigrants_to_PalestineI’m working on a summary of the biblical teachings on “foreignness.” Here are some initial thoughts. I’d really like your feedback:

The theme of aliens and strangers courses throughout the biblical narrative. Many of God’s people lived as aliens. Some emigrated to other countries for economic reasons (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob); some were taken forcibly (Joseph, Daniel, Ezekiel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah); some moved from a desire to form part of God’s people (Rahab, Ruth); others went seeking refuge from violence (Moses, David, Jesus’ family). The willingness to live as an alien is a praiseworthy trait in the Bible (Hebrews 11:13–16). In fact, all Christians are called to live in such a manner (1 Peter 2:11).

In the same way, the Bible praises those who welcome strangers. To this day, nomadic cultures value highly the norm of hospitality, the receiving of guests. People like Abraham, Rahab, Boaz (edited 9:47 a.m.) and Abigail show the value God places on treating strangers well. The Law forbids the mistreatment of aliens (Exodus 22:21; 23:9) and actually demands that God’s people love aliens (Leviticus 25:23; Deuteronomy 10:19). The alien was to be cared for and provided for (Deuteronomy14:29; 16:11, 14; 26:11).

Jesus mentioned the treatment of aliens as one of the points of judgment applied to the “sheep and the goats” (Matthew 25:35, 43). The concept of “hospitality” in the New Testament is related to the receiving of strangers, both linguistically (xenodocheo, philoxenia) and by example (Hebrews 13:2).

Thoughts on citizenship

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The question of citizenship has come up again, this time in a group on Facebook. For some, it’s a minor issue. For me, it’s a major one.

The thread quickly spun out of control, in my opinion, and I’ve done my best to refrain from making it longer. The discussion is occurring in a group that seeks to focus on practical ministry issues, not ideological debate.

So I’ll post some random thoughts here. Some I’ve expressed before, some I haven’t.

  • The Bible never says that we should live as good citizens, at least not of any earthly country. I grew up hearing that and believing it to be true. But it’s not there. We are told to live as aliens, strangers and ambassadors… and citizens of heaven. (OK, Philippians 1:27 actually says to live as citizens, but I think the context shows Paul isn’t talking about living as good citizens of Rome)
  • Opposing American exceptionalism isn’t being anti-American. Christians should be pro-America, just like we are pro-England, pro-Afghanistan and pro-Mexico. Our desire should be to treat all nations of this world equally, since we are equally aliens to all and ambassadors to all.
  • Yes, Paul claimed to be a citizen of Rome. I’ve offered ideas on this, but recognize that those who want to grasp at straws will grasp at straws. I’m a citizen of the U.S. by birth. I can’t change that, at least not as far as the world is concerned. When forced to declare citizenship in official situations, I don’t state, “Citizen of heaven.” Yet my heart knows which is true, and I want my life to declare the same.
  • I won’t kill for this country, nor any country. I find especially abhorrent the idea of taking the lives of fellow believers, yet many have told me they would freely do so in the name of country. I can’t picture it.
  • I understand somewhat the idea of country as an extension of family, as merely a larger community we are a part of. Yet I find countries acting as “the powers” described in the New Testament, coming to have a drive for self-preservation that puts them in competition with the Kingdom of God.
  • I won’t pledge allegiance to a flag or a country. I won’t treat national icons as sacred, nor use religious terms in reference to military nor political entities nor their members. If I’m going to err in this matter, let it be on the side of avoiding idolatrous behavior. Let me be accused of too much loyalty to God.
  • I refuse to stand in judgment on those who come to different conclusions. I’ve journeyed long to reach the point where I am; how can I condemn those who stand where I once stood? And I’m quite aware that I am a fallible man who could be wrong in these judgments.
  • I won’t be ashamed of my convictions in this matter. I won’t be apologetic for making the choice to value my heavenly citizenship so highly that I won’t share it with other entities.

Lots of thoughts. Each of those statements could spark a flurry of responses in the original context, so I’ll post my views here. If I can’t stand the heat, I shouldn’t write in The Kitchen.

Citizen Paul: Example or excuse?

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But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” (Acts 16:37)

As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” (Acts 22:25)

I’ve written before about Paul’s citizenship (Like this post, this one and this one). Given how often it gets mentioned in relationship to topics like patriotism and nationalism, I thought it worth another look.

When we take minor points out of two stories in the book of Acts and use them as the justification for broad areas of activity, I can’t help but think that we are using Paul for an excuse rather than an example. Look at some points about what happened:

  • Paul had to tell people he was a citizen. Admittedly in each of these stories we are dealing with people that didn’t know Paul well. Still, it should be noted that in these only two cases we have, Paul had to point out that he was a citizen. There was nothing about what he was doing or saying that made that obvious.
  • People were surprised to learn that Paul was a citizen. Again, we’re dealing with people who didn’t know Paul. But it’s telling that he wasn’t acting the way they would expect a citizen to act. He wasn’t doing the things that most Roman citizens did. There was nothing about his life, his dress, his choice of companions, etc. that pointed to him being anything but a Christian.
  • Paul wasn’t doing most of the “citizeny” things that we talk about. When we talk about being good citizens, we often look at political activity, support for the military, etc. These examples show none of that. Paul mentions his citizenship in legal settings, much the way he used his status as a Pharisee.

Scholars are divided as to why Paul mentioned his citizenship. In Acts 22, it saved him from a beating. In Acts 16, Paul allowed himself to be beaten and imprisoned, then mentioned his citizenship after being released. Some say it was for the advancement of the gospel. Some say it was to protect others, the jailer in Acts 16 (who still could have gotten in trouble for “fraternizing” with Paul) and the Roman soldiers in Acts 22, who would have been legally liable had they beaten Paul. We don’t know for sure. But we do know that it was for none of the reasons that people appeal to today in citing these examples.

If we follow Paul’s example, we’ll live in a way that others will know we are Christians, but won’t know we’re citizens unless we tell them. We’ll only use our citizenship in extreme situations, for legal purposes. And we’ll focus our attention on our heavenly citizenship. (Philippians 3:19-20)

A time to mourn

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As Ecclesiastes says, There is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” This is a time to mourn. 38 people were killed when a helicopter was downed in Afghanistan on Saturday. Not 30. Not 22. 38 people. We don’t just count the Navy SEALs nor the U.S. servicemen. The loss was just as great for all involved.

It’s tempting to use this moment for political purposes. If you favor withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, this proves your point. If you oppose withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, this proves your point. If you support the President, this proves your point. If you oppose the President, this proves your point.

But this is a time to mourn, not to politick. I posted a comment on Facebook yesterday (in a group), and I now think that it was mistimed. There are points to be made, but this isn’t the moment. This is a time to mourn.

It’s only natural, I guess, that we in the U.S. should relate to this death more than the recent killings in Norway. Had these been servicemen from the base here in Abilene, I would probably feel it even more. But I can’t help but think that citizens of the kingdom of heaven should mourn all deaths, not just the passing of those geographically or ideologically close to us.

I would ask that, if you feel pain today, that you remember that pain when you hear of other deaths, of suicide bombs and drone strikes. Even if they aren’t Americans, even if they aren’t specially trained soldiers, we should feel the pain of each and every loss. May those days also be a time to mourn.

The Case for Non-Participation: Citizenship

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The strongest argument for non-participation has to do with a Christian’s citizenship. It’s a case I’ve made before, but I feel strongly enough about it to address it again. To be honest, I think that a true understanding of citizenship limits a lot of the nationalistic expressions and patriotic stances that I see in Christians in the United States.

For many, there almost seems to be a conflation of the Kingdom of God and the nation of the United States. (“God bless the U.S.A.” is less about God and more about the U.S. A.) What’s good for the U.S. is good for God. That attitude runs contrary to what I see in the Bible, where Christians are to live as strangers and aliens, seeking a heavenly city rather than an earthly one.

No man can serve two masters. No one serving as a soldier in the Lord’s service should be distracted by the “civilian affairs” of this world. You can’t be an ambassador of one nation and full-fledged citizen of another.

We are citizens of a nation that spans all earthly borders, includes all nations and races, speaks every earthly tongue. The good of every person on this earth is our business. The welfare of every nation on earth is our concern. Our main prayer is that we be able to lead quiet lives, able to spread the good news of God’s reign.

I don’t see how serving in the military of any one country can fit with that stance. Again, I’m in no place to condemn those who make a different choice. But I know that growing up, I never heard this teaching. I thought patriotism was a natural part of Christianity and military service a necessary part of patriotism. My aim is to help others at least recognize that they are making a choice, one that can have powerful consequences.