PATRIOTISM: CHRISTIAN LOVE? THANKFULNESS TO GOD? IDOLATRY TO CAESAR? SOME OF EACH?

 

At Kingdom Come Festival, June 17, Howard County Vietnam Veterans Healing Fields, Greentown, IN

Is it appropriate for a Christian event to start with a pledge to the American flag?

This was the question raised by a commenter to a post on the Kingdom Come Festival's FB page, which I read a day or two before going to this year's Festival. 

The point was echoed from a blog shared by the Libertarian Christian Institute, "Should Christians Cite The Pledge of Allegiance?" by Laurence Vance. Vance points out how we lead the world in many dubious categories including incarcaration, illegal and legal drug use, and rapes. (At least in abortions we're in second place to Russia.) He concludes that this reality makes it a lie for Christians to say the pledge.

Of course, there are those who say that a Christian should be patriotic. Allow me to add wrinkles to that theory. Should a Christian in Nazi Germany or in Communist China or in Islamic Iran be patriotic to their countries as we are encouraged to be here? For those here, should we be equally supportive to both former President Trump and current President Biden? Could it be that we're inconsistent on what patriotism looks like based on our biases?

Statism is a real problem. I recommend these two books on the subject (I'm including links to my reviews on those books): Caesar and the Church: A Biblical Study of Government and Church by Anthony Forsyth and the Libertarian Christian Institute's Faith Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Answers to Tough Questions. I've seen church services where all the songs sung were patriotic, and special music consisting of a singing (or playing) of the themes for the different branches of the military, and heard a Memorial Day sermon which attempted to justify our American Holiday from Scripture. Could Statism be leavening our church services?

However, are these examples of statism? Is there a positive reason for Christians to say the pledge in a church service or have an American flag on the platform? 

I started this blog with a question about the Kingdom Come Festival's starting with a pledge. But how was that question answered? The person representing the festival, among other things, pointed out that it was being held at the Howard County Vietnam Veterans Grounds. In other words, the Festival organizers wanted to honor their hosts. Could our patriotism be out of love for those around us who love our country? Furthermore, may it reflect a heart of Thanksgiving for us being in a nation where we have freedom to call out our country when it sins? Some Patriotism may have a statist mindset, but not all; quite possibly, not most.

Also, it is true that every nation fits into one of two categories: 1) An enemy of the faith and the Gospel and 2) A potential enemy of the faith and the Gospel. Ours included. We may think the other side of the aisle is antagonistic to Christianity, but is our side of the aisle completely in line? Do we tolerate either racism or abortion? Are both oppression of the poor and the LGBTQ+ lifestyle correctly seen as condemned by God? We need to remember we're Christians first, and our allegiance is to Christ, not our nation; that our kinsmen are not the unbeliever in our nation but the believers in all nations.

Yet God commanded us to honor all men and to honor the King (1 Pet. 2:17). The Bible states that to resist the authority God appointed is to resist His ordinances and to bring judgment on us. When we are questioning whether a Christian should say the pledge in church or have a flag on the platform, is it because we rightly see Christ as our sovereign, or is it a rebellious heart that does not want to submit to others? One is good, the other no where close.

Let me close by reminding us we need to be loving to those around us. That love may be in saying the pledge with the rest of the congregation with a thankful heart, and it may be in listening to those who have problems with our nation.

Okay, one final paragraph. I'm grateful to be here, and show it by praying for those God appointed over me, regardless of party. And wishing you all a Happy Independence Day.

DO WE HAVE OUR WELCOME MATS OUT? - A STUDY ON ROMANS 14 PART 4 OF 11

 

Statue of Meriwether Lewis meeting William Clark, Falls of Ohio State Park, Clarksville, IN

Are we receptive to others like we should be?

I consider Romans 14 to be the key manifesto on Christian Liberty, but we need to remember why we have liberty as a believer. Is it about us? Or about others? 

You may remember my list of translations of Romans 14:1. The Jubilee Bible 2000 renders this as "Bear with one who is sick in the faith...", but the others I listed start with words like "Receive," Accept," and "Welcome."

As we start in this study, it is important to realize that we're talking about the Church. Of course, a smart aleck (like myself) would ask if I meant the local church or the universal church. And of course, I'd answer that question, "Yes."

Naturally, the focus is on the local church. Paul is writing to the Church in Rome. If they have a fellow believer from another city visit, then they are included. Keep in mind, though, that the first nine of Paul's letters listed were written specifically to churches, not to individuals in the church. Some were to be shared, like he asked the Colossians to do with Laodicea, but the focus is more centralized.

It is obvious that we're living in a different context. There were no denominations in Paul's days. There were the beginnings of movements like the Ebionites (some of which were Judaizers) and the Gnostics (not unlike today's New Age movement), but the sects were those who departed from the faith. The Reformers and several of our denominations nowadays are the opposite: they start a new movement because they are in an environment of error and seek to return to the safe harbors of Scripture. Also, the only reason a 1st century believer would stop attending one local fellowship and start attending another was solely because of a physical move: worship styles or children ministries or celebrity preachers weren't an issue back then.

Let's go back to the context. In the seven verses preceding Romans 14, we see an emphasis on loving one another and walking in the light. The former one is a theme throughout the New Testament, with Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John (plus the author of Hebrews, should you think it's not Paul) directly saying we're to love one another and James and Jude implying that command.

I may have said this before (maybe even previously in this study), but Christians tend to unite with those they should be divided from and divided from those they should be united with. How do we know? Are they fellow believers? Do they believe Jesus is the Christ/Messiah, God come in the flesh, Savior of the World, who died for our sins and rose again bodily the third day? Do they believe that salvation is a gift of God, not wages we earn by good behavior, and that it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? Are they seeking to please Him and not themselves in how they live, and are they displaying the fruits of the Spirit? If so, they're probably a fellow believer and you are to welcome them.

 

 

 

THE COMING KINGDOM OF LOVE - FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2021

 

Nativity Scene we received from a friend; "Frame" by Sandra T. Monte

Once again, I'll mention that I connect Advent with the revolutionary concept in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In the previous three weeks, I've looked at the advent of hope, peace, and joy, and how radical those aspects are. This week, I'll be looking at an Advent of Love.

I'm going to date myself (and may date the readers of this blog) by mentioning Jackie DeShannon's 1965 hit "What The World Needs Now Is Love" (written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. Of course, I doubt many people would disagree, including those whose parents and maybe even grandparents weren't around when the song came out. But what do you mean by "love"? 

Maybe someone at this point has picked up their Bible and turned to 1 Corinthians 13, which gives a description of love. For those haven't done so, let me share verses 4-7: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no eveil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (NKJV)

Jesus said "By this the world will know you're My disciples, in that you love one another." He gave characteristics of what being a disciple looked like, but how many have the description, "By THIS, they world will know you're My disciples?" Just this one. I've actually heard a couple of people in more exclusive churches disagree with this. Why? Because there are people outside their little group that would qualify as Jesus' Disciples. God forbid that should happen!

We also need to remember God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Note - don't try to reverse the word order or you're idolizing love. Also, don't make the mistake of separating love from God's attributes. When God calls us to be holy and when He gives the wicked what they deserve, He is doing that as a loving God. 

Too often, we want to have enemies to hate. We subconsciously realize that loving one another is a tough task, so we try to make "one another" as small a group as we can to make it manageable. But I consider love to be desiring others to turn to righteousness, to look for the good to encourage (anybody can find the bad to discourage, sometimes when it only appears to be bad). Love is sharing the gospel, not wanting anybody to go to hell but knowing everybody deserves it.