Christianity and Patriotism

Independence Day 2021

Talk about the Jenga tower of identity....

Have you ever wondered why we have the American flag in church?

Sometimes the American flag stood for extremely polarizing ideals in American history. What about during the civil war when we had two flags? And the traditional American flag stood for the enemy for half the country.

What does it mean that we have a flag in the back of our sanctuary? What does it mean that we don't have it up front?

Does having a flag in the church signify too close of a relationship between the government and church? Regardless of what your political persuasion is, you've had good reasons too seriously question your government over the last decade. You've had presidents too dislike or love. You've had presidents who have done things that are clearly in opposition to the teachings of God's word.

And what about American actions abroad? Was our war in Iraq gods war? How close of a relationship should there be between the church and state? is it Christian for Jesus’ followers to be patriotic?

Should we be singing patriotic songs in church given the fact that some of the things that America stands for does not represent what believers stand for?

Christianity and Patriotism.

Some people believe it is Christian and your duty as a Christian to be patriotic. Others believe it is your duty so much to fight for social change think you must do what you can do protest the country you feel is doing wrong. Think of athletes kneeling during the singing of the national anthem.

Let's talk through the perspectives and opinions about Christianity and patriotism.

God and Country Together

The greatest evangelist of the early 20th century and late 19th century Billy Sunday declared

“Christianity and patriotism are synonymous terms…. And hell and traitors are synonymous”—Billy Sunday

there are many Christians who see the goals of a country and the goals that God wants as one and the same. In other words, it is not only a civic duty to love America, it is a Christian duty to love America.

People who believe this takes seriously what Paul taught in Romans chapter 13. Of course as Christians we should all take seriously what Paul taught in Romans chapter 13. Let's take a look.

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

It seems like after you read this passage that any rebellion against the government is rebellion against God. It seems pretty clear that the government ruler is God's servant for your good. And it seems therefore that to be unpatriotic is to be ungodly. This perspective seems to make sense except when you take into consideration the context of the Roman government and what the Roman government looked like during the time that Paul wrote his letter.

Now taking the view that God end country our allies actually can seem to make sense here in the United states. We have a constitutional separation of church and state and the church is not meddled with by the government for the most part. We elect our leaders to serve us. It's easy for us to think of our leaders as God's servants to do our good especially if they profess Christian faith themselves.

American Faith versus Communist Atheism

This idea of Christianity’s being the same as patriotism was especially powerful in the earlier years of our country and frankly in the large part of the 20th century. Think about it there was a global threat of communism. And for many of your life growing up you experienced the Cold War and communism was distinctly anti God. Therefore the antithesis to communism. Therefore the salvation for the world was western capitalism and western Christianity and those two institutions were closely related to each other.

The problem with viewing patriotism and Christianity as allies is that we can think of them as the same thing. We can start to think that the essence and heart of what it really means to be a good Christian is simply to be a patriotic citizen of America.

Living in the Roman world that Paul lived in was quite different. The ruling authorities that Paul referred to in Romans 13 to were not actually friendly to Christianity. Paul was actually one of the few who actually enjoyed Roman citizenship. And very quickly as Christianity grew the Romans began to see it as a rather dangerous sect which needed to be eliminated. It needed to be stopped.

Christians in the world that Paul lived in understood that submitting to government authorities meant submitting to those who might kill you for what you believe and how you worship. If you think about it Paul was arguing that Christians submit to governing rulers even when those governing rulers were diametrically opposed to God's plan.

Polycarp

A famous early leader in the first years of the church was named Polycarp. He was a leader and a highly respected saintly man. He was rounded up in one of the Roman government’s persecutions of Christians. And he was so respected by the soldiers even who arrested him that they gave him an out to avoid being burned at the stake.

All he had to do was say “Caesar is Lord”.

And Polycarp responded famously. He said,

“I have served my king for 86 years and he has done me no wrong, how could I stop now?”

Polycarp understood that the Christian life was a life of submitting too your king. He accepted his execution because he knew he could not give up serving his heavenly king Jesus and yet he also knew he lived in a world controlled by an earthly king Caesar. In fact many of the believers in the early days of the church faced their death and arrest and more with bravery and confidence because of who their king was.

Christianity and Patriotism as Enemies.

On the other side of the spectrum there are those people who believe that the essence of Jesus ministry was resistance to what the Roman Empire stood for. Jesus commanded his disciples to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. In a sense Jesus was directing his Jewish brothers and sisters to overthrow the Romans by refusing to participate in violence. Jesus was establishing a counter Kingdom the Kingdom of God.

Think about it the Christians declared that Jesus is Lord. And in a world ruled by the Romans this statement had specific political connotations. Think about acts 17:1-8. And entire city was in uproar because the Christians were declaring that Jesus was Lord.

Acts 17:7 ESV

7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

Remember how the Jewish leaders used this idea of a Jewish king in Jesus to incentivize the Romans to put Jesus to death.

John 19:12 ESV

12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

Interestingly this perspective has sort of the same view as the other perspective when you see God and country as allies you think too much of the value of the country. God is sovereign over countries. In the same vein when you see God and country as enemies you think too much of the country.

If you think that to be a good Christian only means that you work for social reform and for caring for the poor and nothing political at all then you're reducing faith to just well to just social reform.

What’s the middle Ground?

The reality is the Bible doesn't answer all the questions we have about the relationship between our faith and patriotism. The Bible is pretty clear that we should honor our leaders. We should honor our country. We should show respect to people who are in positions of authority.

Scripture goes out of its way and the apostles and Jesus all go out of their way to define Christianity as a faith of heaven. It is not a political faith it is not a faith that is defined by its nationality. But it's also a faith that is not a regime overthrowing faith. The most important thing in every generation was for men and women and children to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And in every generation believers have compromised on cultural issues and compromised to work with a local government for the greater good. Until Jesus returns we work in imperfect governments and systems.

You know it's good and appropriate to want what is best for your country. Even the prophet Jeremiah wanted what was best for his country. And this was a time when the people of Israel were being dragged out of their homes and sold as hostages in Babylon but God encouraged them and said this to them.

Jeremiah 29:5–6 ESV

5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.

God told them to improve themselves and their world. He didn't tell them to just retreat and separate themselves into spiritual communities he told them to build lives and improve their world.

Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

God told them to pray for their country because of their country prospered then they too would prosper. Throughout the scripture there is this concept that we as God's followers should work for the stability peace prosperity and blessing of the nation around us. We should be people whose existence cause a country to thrive. I mean if we just live out the book of Proverbs we will make America great.

And yet in every generation Christians are also fundamentally and often painfully aware that we are aliens and strangers in a world.

James 1:1 ESV

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

2nd we are foreigners and strangers in this world. We have a citizenship that's not on earth. Our home and our citizenship is in heaven.

Philippians 3:20 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Throughout history Christians have also lived in conflict with local rulers. Frequently in the early years Christians would refuse to celebrate different festivals and feasts. Because these festivals and feasts were dedicated to false gods and emperors. And the expense of this dedication. The expense of choosing to not participate in these feasts was that they were branded as atheists and traitors.

We have a lot to be grateful as Christians who live in America. 2nd but we must always be careful to never give total allegiance to anyone but Jesus Christ. Remember how the Jewish leaders claimed that they had no king but Caesar. These were Jewish religious leaders explanation point they served God!

John 19:15 ESV

15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

We must not make the same mistake.

We must engage with the world around us as Christians. We must live and act and engage politically as people of faith. We must honor our leaders and how we speak and commit to pray for them with regularity.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 ESV

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

We must hope and believe in and pray for the prosperity of our country. But we must always remember we serve a greater king and we are from a greater country.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 13:1–7.