The “Patriotic” Church(Part 1)
Part 1: Christian Nationalism and the Primacy of the Kingdom
This is the first of a multi-part series. Part 2: Christian Nationalism and the Prophetic Witness of the Church.
I wrote this series of posts a few years ago in an attempt to show that what we think of as a patriotic church - one filled with the symbols of the USA in an ode to our belief in American exceptionalism - is not really patriotic at all. True patriotism does not blindly celebrate the nation or elevate it to the status of the Kingdom of God, but works to help the nation see the truth about itself and fulfill its God-given duties and responsibilities. The church should take the lead in this respect, but too often falls short, choosing instead an uncritical celebration of the red, white, and blue. Perhaps it is a stretch to discuss the prophetic voice of the church in the terms of “patriotism.” However, in a context that is deeply patriotic, it’s worth considering how we might prioritize these values in light of the Kingdom. Finally, this is Independence Day weekend of a presidential election year, so if ever Christians were to do meaningful reflection about what it means to be patriotic, this is it.
This Sunday, in a celebration of Independence Day weekend, many a church will embrace the cultural liturgical colors of the season and turn to a “red, white, and blue” celebration of America. Although often stereotyped as such, this is not merely an Evangelical phenomenon, but a liturgy that draws in all flavors of Christianity, from mainline protestant to non-Denominational. For many, this Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate that uniquely American mashup of God and Country and invite the church to wear its patriotism on its shirt-sleeves. However, a truly “patriotic” church is not the one with the loudest patriotic music or the biggest American flag. Rather, the most patriotic thing a church can do is remind the empire of where it really stands by (Part 1) providing a window into the one true Kingdom and (Part 2) speaking prophetically into the nations of the world.
So, how is the church to provide this glimpse into the Kingdom? This is accomplished in a number of ways, but let’s focus on Sunday morning, the gathering of God’s faithful people in worship. Here, the church anticipates the kingdom with a gathering from every earthly nation, tongue, and tribe around the throne of God (Revelation 7:9–10). In practice, our local churches do not always strive for such a visible presentation of the kingdom (though some do it quite well)— in some ways this is a tragedy, in other ways it honors good and godly cultures and worship. Nevertheless, the church catholic, in its worship of the Triune God, reveals a unity of faith among a diversity of peoples unmatched in any one nation of the world. In the worship of the Kingdom of God there is indeed “neither jew nor greek, slave nor free, no male and female,” no CEO, no janitor, no black, no white(Galatians 3:28). It’s not that these different vocations, cultures, and ethnicities no longer exist in a Kingdom economy, but they are united without priority under the Lordship of Christ. In the unification of the various earthly cultures, the Kingdom transcends and transforms our earthly boundaries creating a true and better citizenship. Thus, a truly patriotic church recognizes that the nation and its boundaries exist in their proper, God-appointed places. Furthermore, the national, ethnic, and cultural markers of the nation are submitted to those of the church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. When the baptized, covenant people of God gather and share the Lord’s Supper, the church makes a much more powerful statement than any nationalistic liturgy can imagine. In such a context, the nation and its symbols are relegated to their proper place as human constructs that are good in as much as they serve their God-given purposes. It is the church with its symbols, however, that signals the Kingdom of God and worships the King before whom all the nations will bow down.
This understanding of the gathered people of God is what makes unapologetically American services, such as this one, so gut-wrenching.
Christian Nationalism of this kind glorifies the nations over the kingdom and promotes earthly citizenship over the heavenly. Its symbols of unity are stars and stripes rather than bread and wine. Fireworks spark the embers of the heart while the Holy Spirit is given no space beyond the tongues of American Nationalism. And while this example is extreme, countless congregations across the country will proud sing the national anthem, salute the colors, or even defiantly belt out Lee Greenwood’s call for God to bless the U.S.A. in Sunday services across the nation. But what about the Christian visiting from overseas? Or the foreign ex-pat working abroad? Or the refugee, relocated with nothing but the shirt on his back seeking solace in the confines of a local congregation? Are they not to be considered among the multitude of Revelation 7? Are they to become Americans first?
When the church takes up the symbols of the nations in its worship, it is no longer providing a window into the Kingdom but serving as a mirror of the world around it. In this case, it would seem that to be a Christian very much looks like being an American, inclusive of the good, bad, and ugly that our history (and our present) entails. It is, ironically, precisely at this moment of nationalism when the church fails its “patriotic” duty. Rather than reminding the nation that it is not the Kingdom, the church is all of a sudden implying that it is. Then, God-given roles and duties of the nation languish as the nation seeks to become the Kingdom, failing both its citizens and the world around it. No, it is the call of the church to remind the nation of its place by giving this world a glimpse of the Kingdom. It is there and there alone that we find the truly “patriotic” church and the nation bringing glory to God.
To be continued with Part 2 addressing the “patriotic” church and its prophetic responsibility…