Patriotism and Christianity

“Then he (Jesus) said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’.”
Matthew 22:21

As we celebrate our Independence Day in America, there is division on what it means to be a patriot. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word patriot signifies a person who loves his or her country and is ready to boldly support and defend it (that meaning has endured since the word’s arrival in English in the 16th century). Many Americans support our nation despite its faults, desire to adhere to our Constitution and the intent of our founding fathers, and want to protect our values of liberty for all, individual work ethic, and respect for our laws. Patriotism appears to coincide with this group. 

But there are other Americans who claim that our Constitution needs to be changed to reflect a changing world, that our nation has historical faults it must now atone for, and that we need to have more progressive values such as diversity, open borders, and socialism in order to provide more fairness and equality for all citizens in work and income.  This group does not support our nation as it currently is but rather wants to change it to something else. This would suggest that they are not patriots, but revolutionaries.

As a Christian, my allegiance is to Christ first and foremost. I have freedom from sin and the assurance of eternal life through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, which is of utmost importance to me personally. And I can take that to any nation on the earth and live my life accordingly. But as an American, I love my country, the freedoms and opportunities we have, and the principles and values upon which it was founded. I have traveled the world and visited many nations. I have lived in another country. But I do not desire to live anywhere else other than America! We have freedom from tyranny and oppression on this earth through our Constitution and our military. We have the world’s best system of justice, although it is far from perfect. We also have the opportunity to pursue education in any field, choose our work and become what God made us to be.

And while Christian principles are in our Constitution, our government cannot force Christianity on anyone nor prevent anyone from practicing their religion. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his book Democracy in America, said, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” In other words, we need faith and Christian values in America if our nation and self-government are to survive. So there is very little conflict between the Christian faith and our Constitution and form of government.

So where is the conflict? The conflict comes from the revolutionaries who do not reflect what it means to be a patriot. They are the ones who want to change our constitution and do not support our nation’s history, foundations and values. They want to change America as we have known it.

So, why is Christianity now being attacked in America? Why are Christians suddenly facing persecution for their religious beliefs? And does one have to be a Christian to be an American patriot?

The reason Christianity is now being attacked stems from a misunderstanding of what our Constitution actually says about religion. Many secularists claim that there should be a separation between church and state, and that on that basis our government cannot have any Christian values or principles. However, this is not what our Constitution says. It simply says that the state cannot establish a religion for all citizens nor prevent the practice of any religion. All Americans are free to practice their religion, whether in government or in any other part of our society. Christians do have and must have a voice in our government and culture. We are free to share our values and thoughts and to pursue policies that encompass them. The secularists want to deny Christians that voice so that their values and policies prevail.

The reason Christians are suddenly facing persecution is because the progressive values of the secularists are based on individual preferences and not on any moral standards of behavior. Having no standards, such as the Bible, allows people to do what pleases them regardless of the impact on others. The Book of Judges from the Bible shows us exactly what happens when people think that way. According to Judges 21:25, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Without a standard for moral behavior a society will descend into chaos and destroy itself. Consequently, I believe that secularists do not want to have a standard of behavior, because that may not allow them to do what they choose to do. They do not want to be held accountable to God or anyone else. So they seek to have the Bible and Christian influence removed from our culture entirely.

Finally, being a patriot does not mean that someone has to be a Christian in America. A person can love our nation, support its military, have a strong work ethic, and enjoy its freedoms without being a Christian. I believe most Americans would agree. But there are some religions, such as Islam, that are not consistent with our laws and culture, and Americans would be wise to be wary of them.

The Bible does not speak a great deal about nations and patriotism. Rather it speaks of God’s love for us, our rebellion from Him, His mercy upon us, and His grace through Jesus Christ. It is all about us as individuals and how He wants us to have faith in Jesus and live our lives according to His Word. He wants us to live lives that are holy and obedient to Him, and to serve others in His name. But God did speak to the nation of Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14 when He said that “if my people, who are called by my name, will humbles themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Let us humble ourselves so that God can bless America and heal our land! Amen!