I hope your Independence Day is a great one!
I have found myself in an interesting position. I read some on Twitter and FaceBook and other places wishing others a Happy July 4th and continuing the oft repeated desire that God Bless America. I join with them in that expression. On the other hand there is a large number of those who have come to a notion that by loving one’s country and expressing a desire for God’s blessing, we are somehow dishonoring God. See the blog post and discussion HERE for an example.
Yes, there is always danger of idolizing our country, our flag, and even ourselves as Americans. Nothing should ever take preeminence in our hearts except love for and faith in Christ. In that sense we are part of a universal community of believers that have trust in a Sovereign One above all communities and nations. His kingdom existed long before the United States of America came along. There is a rich heritage of faith history that has nothing to do with Americanized Christianity. I get that.
Yet I have many great opportunities in this land of the free. My family has an American heritage. I am not ashamed to be an American. I do still get teary eyed when hearing the Star Spangled Banner. I do not think it dishonors God when we ask him to bless America … whether by repeating that phrase or on a bumper sticker or singing it when we gather together on a Sunday.
I do not like everything about my country. And my expression today should not leave the idea that there are no problems. Our country needs God now as much as it ever has. From our amoral white house to a congress and house that exist to be re-elected, to governors who cannot maintain fidelity to their wives, we do have problems. Still, I’m glad I’m an American. I’m amazed at the bravery of our armed forces. I may be naive, but I do think that what we are doing in other lands can help them to have a better way of life. I see the spirit of concern and care for those who cannot help themselves growing in our churches.
Loving God and His Kingdom is primary in our lives. But for those of us who live in America, we have something special for which to give thanks. Perhaps I’ll think differently in the future. But for now, I’ll not be joining the cynical crowd who abhors the mention of our great country. I’m not afraid to thank God for the gift of living in this time and in this place. I won’t shrink back from asking Him to give us even greater opportunities to share the gospel in freedom.
When we gather tomorrow at our church, I won’t be embarrassed if someone requests God’s help with our young nation.
Thanks for reading!
:) love it!
Hmmm… I’m certainly not in the cynical crowd who “abhors the mention of our great country.” But I do think that “patriotic” expressions are inappropriate in our assemblies, unless we are talking about our heavenly citizenship and the loyalty we owe to that nation.
Please do pray for God’s blessing on this country, and on every country around the world.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
How can I believe that the same Congress that “exists to be re-elected” is acting altruistically in its foreign policy decisions?
How can I believe that the amoral white house would recognize a blessing when they see it? What if this amoral white house IS a blessing from God to shock the church out of its comfortable partnership with American culture?
The Roman government and culture brought the Pax Romana to places all around the Mediterranean. They brought peace, prosperity, travel, and opportunities for growth. Yet I just struggle to imagine the earliest church celebrating the Roman way of life, the Roman way of creating and preserving peace.
The Constantinian shift is tremendously important to the history of the church precisely because the earliest church did not sing the Roman national anthem in their worship assemblies; they didn’t sing “The Battle Hymn of the Empire[sic]” celebrating military victory won by slaughtering men and women made in the image of God; they didn’t bring a Legion’s flag and insignia into their gatherings.
I do not hate the USA. But Paul didn’t hate Rome — at least not after meeting his Lord on the Damascus road. But he and Peter definitely seem to keep patriotism (Zealotry?) at arm’s length.
I pray for peace; I pray that our leaders will submit their lives to Christ and make decisions like He would; I do not believe a Christian nation can or ever has existed, though, so I don’t pray that we will “win the USA for Jesus” or that the US will “turn back” to God.
Ask the Native Americans if we were a Christian nation.
Ask the British soldiers if our Founding Fathers lived by the Sermon on the Mount.
Ask the citizens of Hiromshima and Nagasaki and Dresden if we’re a Christian nation.
I don’t believe God views the USA one whit differently than he views any other nation on earth. Why, then, should I?
I served in the US Army. I still get misty at the Star-Spangled Banner, and several of my dear friends are either currently serving or have children in the military. I honor their vocation and their sacrifice. I do not believe that military service is necessarily sinful, even for a Christian. I think Paul warns Tmothy against such dangerous entanglements, but he doesn’t label such entanglements sin. Its just much, much more challenging to maintain Christian witness and faith with a rifle in your hand.
So please don’t take this long comment as disdainful of your love of country. I love America, too, but it is now a love tempered by fear and respect for her deadly temptations and dangerous fits of temper.
In HIS love,
nick
Great post Brother! A very good reminder for us as we “pledge allegiance to Christ” daily in our lives.
The simple inability to say ‘God Bless America’ and just be genuine in the hope and desire for such to take place is interesting to me.
I’m appreciating Hermann’s simple approval. And he is not from this country.
thank you
Thanks for the Pingback, John D!
I expect to hear a prayer like the one you hope is said tomorrow, asking for God’s help for our young country. And, like you, I won’t be embarrassed. I love that we can petition God in that way.
But I will cringe (visibly) if the song service, sermon and Lord’s Supper comments are tinged red-white-and-blue. As thankful as I am for the sacrifice of the men and women who founded and fought for this land, I’m devoted first and foremost to the one who died just for me. He alone gets my praise and worship on Sunday.
And when I say ‘just for me’ I mean that in the sense of all of us as individuals, whether we live in a land where we can worship freely and in public or whether we must hole up in dark rooms.
The issue with saying “god bless america” is that why are we singling out the country we live in for blessing?
Why not God Bless the World? For a Kingdom that I believe you would agree transcends artificial boundaries set up by men seeking power to control the masses (often times, if not nearly always unjustly) why would we single out a nation for blessing when the whole world seeks God’s blessing and needs His Kingdom?
There are many things to laud about the United States, but as Tony Campolo says, “the US may be the best Babylon in the world… but its still Babylon.” When we were baptized, we clothed ourselves in Christ, and no longer are there distinctions between us, Jew nor Greek, Male nor Female, American or Iraqi. We have become part of a new Kingdom… citizens of the Kingdom of the most high God. And the old ways of identifying ourselves are no more. Just as you must leave your dead to bury your dead, and must hate your mother and father, to become a member of the Kingdom, we must forsake allegiances of the kingdoms of this world.
Being a citizen of the Kingdom of God entails some difficult things. And we’ve been conditioned to believe that being an American is somehow better in God’s eyes than being from other lands. But the truth of the matter is that God’s Kingdom exists to show the fallen world what God’s economy, God’s politics, and God’s rule looks like. What he intended for humanity from the beginning.
I’ll tell you, a book that completely changed my thinking on all this (and pushed me to read more about it) was Lee Camp’s Mere Discipleship.
Good post John, I’m thankful to be and American, and I’m especially thankful to call God my Father.
I must say my mind has been challenged by some of the comments and I will have to spend some time contemplating them.
I think it is perfectly fine to feel patriotic and to ask God to continue blessing America. We live in a sinful world, we are all sinners, have been since Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, and always will be until Christ comes again. If we stay in the Word daily, make God our first priority above all things, and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we won’t get confused over what is important, what’s right and what’s not.
I certainly agree, we have something special for which to give thanks!
How are you feeling these days. I heard a little better. Love watching you do ministry through the net.