The Idol of Patriotism

Old Glory 4 by Karen Werner

We are on the precipice of our nation's 250th birthday. Arguably more so than any previous Fourth of July in recent history, patriotism is practically humid in the air. Red, white, and blue deck the halls. The flag waves proudly. At least in the South, I imagine that beer and fireworks sales have skyrocketed. Hot dogs and charcoal are being prepped, and maybe a brisket if we're lucky. The point is, celebration is here and ready. For the Christian, however, it is important to be mindful. There is, at some point, a line in the sand: a point at which patriotism becomes idolatry, and our country our idol. The question, for the Christian in particular, is where that line dwells.

There is a common argument to be made that celebrating the United States is, in fact, celebrating Christianity, or even a "Christian" thing to do, because the United States is, or was, a Christian nation. It is important to define and verify this claim.

I can think of three potential definitions for the term "Christian nation":

1. A theocracy. A country such as the Vatican City, where religion, in this case Christianity, is upheld by governmental policies, principles, and procedures, and where the church functions at least in part as a governing authority. Seeing as our Constitution provides for freedom of religion and our country functions with a general separation between church and state, it is fair to claim that this definition does not belong to the United States.
2. A nation whose culture reflects that of Christianity. Seeing as we are a society of individualists who practice many of the things God would find abhorrent, I do not believe that the United States fulfills this definition either.
3. Lastly, a nation whose predominant religion is Christianity. This one is complicated. Yes, the most popular religion within our country is Christianity, at least according to Wikipedia. Yet there is also a large population with no religious affiliation, and many of those who claim to be Christian do not live as such. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether this shallow definition is fitting.

In short, I do not think the United States is, or was, a Christian nation. But wait, you say, what about all the references to God in our Constitution and on our dollar? Didn't the Founding Fathers establish a nation on Christian principles? To a certain extent, I would say yes. The Founding Fathers were largely deists and agnostics, from what I can gather, and many were not what we would call Christians. They did, however, believe, establish, and uphold many Christian principles, primarily because that was the zeitgeist of the time.

In an era in which Protestantism was thriving, religious freedom from under British regime was at an all-time high, and the concept or popularity of other religions besides Christianity had hardly been rooted, the accepted societal code of morals followed closely after the Christian principles of morality. Thus, while the United States was not a Christian nation, per se, it was established upon many Christian principles.

"It is good and right for Christians to express thankfulness to God for the blessings of earthly freedom, and for the military personnel whom God uses to protect that freedom. . . Gratitude and demonstrating honor are godly virtues." - Primrose's Good Patriotism vs. Ungodly Nationalism

Does that give us cause, however, to celebrate that nation? Absolutely. As Christians, we are called to love things that are beautiful and good. In many cases, the United States fulfills that criterion. Our continual emphasis on freedom reflects not only the free will God has established in us, but the freedom we find in Christ's sacrifice. When our nation feeds the poor and clothes the widow, the Christian should celebrate. In the American Dream, our encouragement to constantly do our best and create better lives for our children is worth celebrating. There are many aspects and values of our nation that are cause for rejoicing.

The problem of idolatry arises when we compromise our worship of God in favor of celebrating the nation. When we assume our leaders can do no wrong. When we blindly throw our support towards sinful principles, because they are put forth by our political party. When we treat other nations and other peoples as being inferior to our own. When we stop analyzing the actions and principles of our country with nuance, we risk falling prey to blind praise.

Scripture tells us that we should seek the welfare of our nation (Jeremiah 29:7), and this is true. Seeking welfare, however, includes mindful consideration of right and wrong, starting with Scripture and working our way outward. Seeking welfare means celebrating what is virtuous, good, and upright. Seeking welfare also means calling attention to what is wrong, evil, and sinful. It means seeking justice and loving well. When all we have is undying loyalty to a faceless idea of America, rather than genuine and mindful understanding, we risk neglecting our God, hurting others, and losing ourselves. This Fourth of July, let us celebrate with fireworks and hot dogs galore, but let us not forget the spiritual consequences of unwary patriotism.

"And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history -- money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery -- the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." - C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity