The church needs to be careful about allowing nationalism and patriotism to influence our lives. They are dangerous sirens that would distract us from our mission. Yet, that doesn’t mean we disrespect the place where we live. The captives in Babylon were told: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7) As we live out our exile, I think we should do the same.

Therefore, I do think we should do the following:

• Be thankful for the country in which we live. We should be thankful for all good things that God puts into our lives. Riches are a danger, but that doesn’t mean we should seek poverty. Comfort can be an idol, but self-inflicted suffering is not the answer. We humbly accept when God puts good things into our lives, including the possibility to live in a safe and prosperous nation. And, as with all other blessings, our goal is not to keep that safety and prosperity for ourselves, but to share it with others around us.
• Pray for those who serve in the military. As I commented on yesterday’s post, I think that includes all who serve in the military, not just the U.S. military. But it certainly doesn’t exclude those who are in the U.S. armed services; many of them have suffered greatly because of their jobs.
• Pray for all leaders. Again, I think it’s wrong to limit our prayers to those who govern within the borders of the United States. The Bible says to pray for all people everywhere and to pray for those in power. I think those things go together.

I will be respectful toward the United States, just as I was respectful toward Argentina when living as an alien there. In both countries, I am an ambassador of God, serving in a diplomatic mission. I won’t favor any nation of this earth over any other, for my homeland awaits me, in the city that God is preparing.

I’m convinced that one of the greatest hindrances to evangelism is the rampant nationalism within our churches. That’s one of the reasons why I comment a lot on that subject, even though it angers some. (Their anger seems to confirm my fears about what nationalism does to us)

I’ll put it bluntly: I think too many Christians value the Stars and Stripes over the cross. Not every patriotic Christian falls into that category. But enough do that our churches get distracted from their true purpose.

This distraction makes us obsess over politics. It makes us glorify the military. It makes us view foreigners as dangerous people. It makes us value personal freedoms and individual liberty over the proclamation of freedom in Christ to the whole world.

We need to recover our citizenship as members of God’s holy nation. Our earthly citizenship should be like Paul’s, where no one knew he had it except when he told them. Even then, he only did so when absolutely necessary. Earthly citizenship is a bureaucratic technicality; heavenly citizenship defines us.

We need to discover the Kingship of the ascended Christ. Let the people of this world wrangle over partisan power and legislative liaisons. May we speak truth, seek justice, and commit ourselves to serve, not govern. May we worry about serving the King, not lording over the nations.

We need to learn to love God’s nation first. All peoples. All races. All languages. All tribes. We need to remember that the Christian immigrant or Christian foreigner is a citizen of my country, while my non-Christian U.S. citizen neighbor is not.

We need to pledge allegiance to God and God alone.

It seems to me that the mixing of patriotic and religious symbols is more prevalent in the United States than in other countries. For example, if I search Google Images for “Bible and flag,” I mainly get pictures of the Bible surrounded by the Stars and Stripes. That’s even true if I do my best to search in other languages. (The flag of the Dominican Republic has a Bible in the middle of it; that’s about the only flag of another country that shows up in such searches)

Am I wrong about that? What seems normal in the U.S. seems to be viewed as unusual in other countries.

I’ll admit that it makes me uncomfortable. I might feel more comfortable if I saw that this was the norm in other places. Or not. Either way, I’d love for you to help me find other examples of this mix between nationalism and Christianity. Thanks!

I have to admit, one of the attitudes that frightens me most in the American church is nationalism. Not all nationalism is wrong. As some have pointed out, nationalism can be closely related to gratitude, which is a positive trait. Yet, like many passions, it can easily lead us into dangerous territory.

For example, I’ve observed something interesting when singing groups perform at Christian events. I’ve seen the same thing at so-called progressive events and those considered conservative. I’ve seen it in groups of young people and in groups where I was one of the young ones there. You’ve probably seen it as well. The group performs to an appreciative crowd, getting loving approval as they sing old hymns or modern praise songs (depending on the audience). Then they sing one song that brings everyone to their feet, yelling and cheering. Which song? “God Bless The U.S.A.”

We’ll applaud politely if you praise God. We’ll cheer raucously if you praise the U.S.A.

I’ve seen it in the visceral reaction I get when I touch certain topics. Suggest that Christians be cautious about participating in politics, and you’ll get a vigorous backlash. Question whether Christians should join the military, and you might get asked to leave the church! Point out sinful actions over the course of U.S. history, and people will suggest you move to another country.

Preachers take the command to pray for all leaders (1 Timothy 2:2) and tweak it to be “pray for our leaders,” meaning U.S. authorities. Suggest that we should pray for Donald Trump, and you’ll get an enthusiastic thumbs up. Encourage people to pray for Kim Jong-un or Valdimir Putin, and few will be interested.

I’m admittedly afraid of the role of any and every nation in our Christian life. I believe they all end up being rivals to God. They ask for allegiance, wanting to hold a role of lordship in our lives. They would tell us who to hate and who to love, who to protect and who to kill. They would take our children to use as soldiers for furthering the purposes of this earthly nation… even when those purposes go against the good of God’s Kingdom. They want us to define ourselves as earthly citizens first and heavenly citizens second (or preferably, not at all!).

If my writing all this makes you mad, well, that kind of proves my point doesn’t it? If it merely makes you concerned, wanting to gently correct my error… please do so. I want to grow and learn in this and every area.