I’ve been enjoying Wayne Grudem’s Politics – According to the Bible because I’m a generally unengaged and inactive political citizen in need of much reform. He discusses patriotism and how Christians should act in light of celebrating their nation–something I’ve wrestled with. Can I celebrate America while wanting to make disciples of all nations?
I love America. I think it’s one of the greatest nations on the planet. We enjoy many freedoms, our enterprising nature has done boatloads of good for the world, we created the iPhone and we have the amazing convenience of Amazon Prime–and that’s just off the top of my head.
So, America is pretty great. But should we bleed red, white and blue? Should we enjoy firework displays and suffer through God Bless the USA for the 100th time with smiles plastered to our faces? Should I simply go on without a celebration or should I get a bald eagle wrapped in Old Glory tattooed across my back?
Thanks to the Bible and Grudem’s persuasion, patriotism gets a big thumbs up from me.
Here are a few cases (mostly paraphrased from Grudem and interjected with my own thoughts and rationale) for rejoicing in the nation God has given us.
God created nations.
Nations weren’t a creation of man, but of God.
In Acts 17:26, the Bible says,
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place
God created nations and their borders and boundaries and he knows when certain nations will merge or divide or cease to exist altogether.
On top of that, God has ordained that all nations will be blessed in Genesis 22:18, “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
This is first promised to Abraham, but ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the nation uniter and redeemer. God created nations, and one day all people from all nations will worship him (but more on that shortly).
Patriotism displays gratitude.
I’m incredibly grateful for all that we have as Americans. Patriotism, in general, enables us to thank God for the country he has sovereignly placed us in.
But what about when countries do unjust things? What about countries who have committed genocide and other atrocities? Grudem has a suggestion–instead of being anti-patriotic, we should highlight the good our country has done and yet not neglect mentioning the wrong.
Rather than sharing in gratitude for the benefits provided by the country and pride in the good things it has done, those opposed to patriotism will repeatedly emphasize any negative aspect of the country’s actions, no matter how ancient or how minor compared with the whole of its history.
So, a simple formula for those living in countries with a history of wrongdoing (or even current issues where you may think your country is missing the boat) is, “I love my nation and I’m proud of [fill in the blank], but I am deeply saddened / grieved / disappointed by the evils we’ve allowed / encouraged / sanctioned through [fill in the blank].”
I understand that could be considered a gross oversimplification with respect to the complexities of nations and their good and evil divide, but it’s a start.
A separation of power in the form of nations is a good thing.
Grudem says of nations:
[T]hey divide and disperse government power throughout the earth. In this way they prevent the rule of any one worldwide dictator, which would be more horrible than any single evil government, both because it would affect everyone on earth and because there would be no other nation that could challenge it.
As the adage goes, “Power corrupts. Absolutely power corrupts absolutely.” World power being split among nations is in the best interest of humanity, functioning as a world system of checks and balances.
I’m a fan of democracy because I knows the sinfulness of the human heart–when one leader is fully in charge, only God knows the evils possible. Spreading power among elected officials enables citizens to check corrupt government officers. Shared governance is the best option in a fallen world.
Nations hold individuals accountable.
Power being split among nations is good because it (hopefully) reduces corrupt officials and potential world-dominating dictatorships, but it also holds citizens more accountable.
When power is centralized and hierarchical, (in other words, if there were no local or state governments in the case of America, or only one world government with little local influence or leadership) we tend to rebel because of a lack of voice, feeling misunderstood, and limited personal accountability.
Democratic nations, specifically, enable communities to emphasize and enforce what they value, and humans are much more likely to be accountable to communities they feel connected and bound, rather than far away government that citizens feel disconnected from.
Nations, because of their localization, adapt to cultures and values, enabling different cultures to emphasize what is most important and give citizens a stake in their governance. And humans acting in a godly ways (even if they aren’t followers of Jesus), is far better than humans acting in fully ungodly ways.
Good, just nations should be celebrated.
We should encourage countries that govern in a way that brings God glory, enables human flourishing, and provides citizens the freedom to enjoy what God has given us.
America, in the midst of its shortcomings, is one of those countries. While things are changing (some would say for better, others for worse), the US stands as one of the greatest examples of a successful shared government in the history of the world. It’s the longest standing democracy, we’re looked to (again, for better or worse) as the World Police, and we value justice. Those are things worth celebrating.
Nations will never melt away.
Revelation 7:9–10 says,
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
People from every nation that has ever been and will ever be will one day worship before the throne of God in the New Jerusalem.
Nations were created by God and will forever remain through its citizens who worship the God of the universe. The diversity of the nations and the people God created who worship him brings him more glory than a single nation worshipping him, because it puts on display his value as a God who deserves to be worshipped by people from every tribe, people and langauge. He transcends all cultures, borders, and ethnicities as an ultimately praise-worthy God.
Wrapping Up
In general, as Grudem notes, patriotism is good because it displays:
gratitude for the benefits it gives,
shared pride in its achievements,
a sense of security,
a sense of obligation to serve and protect it (and hopefully to change any evil leadership),
and a sense of obligation to follow and transmit shared values and ideals that represent the best of the country’s history
So, whether you’re celebrating the 4th of July or the whooping it up in a different country that you call home on your independence day, rest easy in knowing that patriotism is a sign of gratitude to the God who created and reigns over all nations.