Sunday is July 4th – Independence Day in the United States.
Every year my inbox gets filled with questions about the appropriate place of patriotism in the Christian life. I love these questions, and I’m thankful that people at Faith want to honor Jesus in every area of life, including their civic engagement.
Since I get these questions every year, I thought it would be fun and helpful to put together a blog to answer the two most common questions that I get.
As a Christian, what should my attitude be toward the nation in which I live?
A Quick Theology of Nations
In the Bible we see that God establishes all nations (Acts 17:26) and plans to bless all nations through Jesus (Gen. 22:18). These two truths mean that Christians should love, value and respect all nations on the earth.
Additionally, in the Bible Christians are called to obey, honor and pray for the specific leaders who govern them (1 Peter 2:17, Rom. 13:1-7).
Nations provide many benefits for which we should thank God. Here are just a few: Nations disperse power throughout the earth so that no single government is left unchecked (Gen. 11:7-9). Nations provide a sense of belonging (Rom. 9:3-4). Finally, nations establish systems that protect and provide for their people (Rom. 13:4).
Patriotism that Honors Jesus
Since God establishes all nations and since God uses nations for good, Christians can be thankful to God for the nation in which they live and Christians can seek to love, support, defend and serve their country. This kind of patriotism honors the Lord.
However, Christians should never exalt their nation above other nations since God loves, establishes and plans to bless all nations. Additionally, Christians should not celebrate their nation above Jesus, nor should Christians look to their nation to be the kingdom of God. The Bible is clear that nations come and go and only Jesus ushers in the kingdom of God.
Since only Jesus redeems and remakes this world, patriotism that honors Jesus does not blindly accept or wholeheartedly endorse its country or its governmental leaders. Every nation is governed by sinners. Every nation falls short of the kingdom of God, and no nation will usher in the kingdom of God. Therefore, patriotism that honors Jesus not only celebrates its nation’s successes; it also mourns its nation’s sins.
So what does this mean for Christians on Independence Day? Should we celebrate? Should we go to the parades, BBQs, and fireworks?
Yes, patriotism has a place in a Christian’s life, but considering what we have said, patriotism that honors Jesus isn’t a triumphant, assertive expression of nationalistic pride. It is a humble gratitude to God for the blessings that our nation enjoys paired with a sorrow for the many ways that our nation has fallen and continues to fall short.
So this Fourth of July, American Christians can celebrate. We can be proud of our nation’s great traditions and historical achievements. We can celebrate that many of our nation’s founding ideals were grounded in God’s Word. We can celebrate the sacrifices that brave men and women in our military have made for human freedom and flourishing. We can celebrate the courage, work ethic and ingenuity that has brought so much good and prosperity to our country. There is much to celebrate.
But there is also much to grieve. This Independence Day we can also mourn our nation’s past violence toward Native Americans. We can reflect on our nation’s sinful history of slavery. We can repent that we live in a country where the unborn is unprotected. We can ask God to have mercy on our political leaders who sow seeds of dissension. We can weep that in our nation God’s plans for sex, gender, and marriage are flippantly disregarded. This is not an exhaustive list of all the sins that mar our nation, but it is sufficient to show that American Christians have reason for both celebration and sorrow when we consider our nation on this Independence Day.
In summary, Christian patriotism says, “I love my country. I love its great traditions. I love living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. But I am also deeply saddened by my country’s sin. So I will celebrate my nation, and I will ask God for mercy for my nation. Finally, I will not place my hope in my nation nor will I look to my nation to become the kingdom of God. As a Christian, my hope is in Jesus and my citizenship is ultimately in the kingdom he has promised to bring.”
Is there an appropriate place for patriotism in a church service?
If you have been to Faith, you may have noticed that we do not celebrate the Fourth of July in our worship services. We may make a brief mention of the holiday, but we do not have the American flag in our worship center, we do not sing patriotic songs and we do not pledge allegiance to our country. We also take this approach to other national holidays like Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day. Sometimes people wonder why we have taken this approach.
Here’s the reason we have intentionally left patriotism outside our worship services.
Historically, Christians have gathered on Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, to ground their identities once again in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The purpose of the church gathered is worship and instruction. It is for Christians to remember again that they belong to one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (Eph. 4:5). In worship, Christians celebrate God for the freedoms that we find in Jesus, and we remind ourselves that in Jesus we have been transferred into a new kingdom with a new citizenship in heaven. A Christian’s ultimate joy and confidence is Jesus, and a worship service at a local church is a time to celebrate this reality.
So the purpose of a worship service is at odds with the purpose of patriotism.
In patriotism, citizens pledge allegiance and celebrate their country. There is nothing wrong with patriotism in its proper place and proportion. But there is no proper place for patriotism in a worship service because the purpose of worship is to celebrate Jesus. At best, it is confusing for the church gathered in worship to pledge allegiance or to celebrate anything other than Jesus.
So at Faith our conviction is that patriotism should happen outside our worship services. When we gather as the church, we want everything we say and do to exalt Jesus and to invite people to give their allegiance to him.
Charlie Sandberg is a Colorado transplant from Minnesota who enjoys writing, reading, running and spending time with his family. He is the teaching pastor at Faith and has been a member for 15 years. He loves helping people know and love Jesus by teaching the Bible.