Category Archives: Citizens of heaven

Nationalism

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In discussing my post on Hugo Chavez and Jesus, a friend of mine defended the term nationalism, saying that it merely meant “having loyalty and devotion for….” He went on to speak of his loyalty and devotion for the Tennessee Vols and for his family. My friend asked if there was anything wrong with that.

I responded:

“Obviously, loyalty and devotion can run on different levels. The difference between what you feel for the Vols and what you feel for your family is great. One is relatively superficial, while the other reaches to the core of your being. You would probably be willing to die for your family, but I doubt you’d be as quick to die for the Vols.

“But let’s follow that line of thinking. How would you feel about singing the Tennessee fight song and school song during a church service (Aren’t there some hymnals that have “Rocky Top” in them)? Have church members prepare care packages for the athletes? Have regular prayers for “our Vols”? Hang a University of Tennessee banner in the front of the auditorium? Does any of that seem out of place?

“What if you did the same with pictures of your family? Sang songs praising your family? Regularly asked all of the church members to pray prayers of thanks for your family, “the greatest family in the world”?

“Those sorts of things happen in churches around the United States, not out of loyalty and devotion to the Vols or your family, but out of nationalism. That’s the scary thing to me.”

What do you think? Would asking everyone in a congregation to share in a show of devotion for my family or for my sports team be out of place during a church service? If so, why do we not find similar displays of nationalism to be out of place?

Yesterday I discussed the meaning of the term “allegiance.” In its most literal form, it refers to lordship. A man can’t serve two lords. Nationalism and Christianity do not mix.

Remembering Rwanda

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Yesterday, in the Christianity in Culture class that I teach at ACU, we read the first part of Lee Camp’s Mere Discipleship. At the beginning of his book, Camp discusses the horrendous civil war that took place in Rwanda in 1994 (the triggering event occurred 16 years ago yesterday, April 6). In a period of 100 days, over 800,000 people were slaughtered during tribal warfare between the Hutus and the Tutsis. What made this butchery all the more disturbing is the fact that over 90% of the population of Rwanda claimed some form of Christianity.

I wrote a few posts about tribalism in the past. While this tribalism is more apparent, with Hutu Christians and Tutsi Christians murdering one another, it exists in many forms around the world. Until our first loyalty is to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, we will allow ourselves to mistreat brothers in Christ in the name of politics and nationalism.

None of that is possible when we recognize that we are one body. We are members of the same holy nation. Our allegiance is to her and her alone. (Remember that allegiance comes from the Old French liege, the term a vassal used to address his lord. When we pledge allegiance to someone or something, we are recognizing their lordship over us.)

May there never be another Rwanda, not only from the point of view of humanity in general, but from the perspective of God’s Kingdom. May His subjects come to see that we belong to Him, with all human loyalties falling far behind. May we truly be the body of Christ, the holy nation, the people of God.

Hugo Chavez and Jesus

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During my trip to Cuba two weeks ago, one sister gave me a poem. Here are a few translated lines to give you an idea of the flavor:

Long live my Venezuela
That was saved from the empire.
Long live Hugo Chávez
And the countries of Alba.*
My dear Venezuela
That is today the light of the world
Along with my beloved Cuba
and our beloved Jesus.

When she gave it to me, I glanced over it and expected the worst. After all, I’m from “the empire.” I was ready for her to chastise me for things that the United States has done in Latin America.

However, she merely wanted to give me this poem (given to her by the Holy Spirit, she said) so that I could share it with others. It was so obvious to her that any Christian would agree with the ideas she was expressing that she never stopped to think that I might see things differently.

Nationalism and Christianity don’t mix. Not in Cuba. Not in the United States. It’s no more wrong for her to write what she did as a Christian poem than it is for people to salute the American flag during a church service. But neither one is right either.

Nationalism and Christianity don’t mix. I was told that this sister has some issues mentally. What excuses do we give?

Nationalism and Christianity don’t mix.

*Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América — Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America. “Alba” in Spanish means dawn. This alliance is meant as an alternative to the U.S.-sponsored Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Photo by Victor Soares

Christian tribalism

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I’ve been waiting for someone to call my hand on something. Laymond kind of touched on it the other day. What about the Christian nation as our “tribe”; can we treat non-Christians differently than we do Christians?

I’d say no, not in the sense of being willing to harm non-Christians or cheat them in any way? But I do think it means something to be part of the same family, to be brothers and sisters. Paul wrote, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10) We do good to all, but especially to other Christians.

It calls for a balancing act, being fair to others while showing preference to our brothers. Our tribe transcends borders and barriers, but it is our tribe, our people, our nation. We are first and foremost citizens of heaven.

The church: God’s answer to tribalism

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I don’t think it’s easy for us to understand the barrier that existed between Jew and Gentile in the first century. Not so much in terms of social interaction (although that definitely existed), but especially in terms of religion. It would have been extremely difficult for a Jew to look on a Gentile as an equal, spiritually speaking. This was still true even in the early church.

Because of this, it was a stunning message that Paul and others preached, a message of equality in the gospel: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:14-18) Christ had torn down the wall of division. He had brought Jew and Gentile into one body.

To Paul, this was one of the great truths of Christianity, a mystery that God had kept hidden in the past: “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 3:6)

At the heart of all of this was the church, God’s masterpiece which he had to show off to all creation: “Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:8-11)

The rulers and authorities which would divide people, placing them in rival clans, tribes and nations, these powers would be shown God’s power to reconcile, to bring people together. Where is that power seen? In that church. Because of this, the Lord’s church must be an agent of reconciliation, a force for bringing all people together, regardless of nationality, language, race or other human division.

Tribalism is an enemy of the church, a tool of the powers and authorities that set themselves up against God’s authority. God’s truth is that all men are made in his image and all men can be brought into the body of Christ, the holy Christian nation. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28-29)

Because of this, Christians must work at bringing people together. We must learn to ignore nationalities and other aspects of tribalism that would separate us from others. We have to come to an awareness of the length, depth, width and height of our kingdom, spanning borders, time zones and continents. The church is God’s answer to man’s tribalism.