When Does Patriotism Become Idolatry?

When Does Your Patriotism Become Idolatry? [Excerpts]

Americans [today celebrate] our nation’s Day of Independence. Many of us packed suitcases, stood in lines at airports, and traveled hundreds of miles so we could share this time with friends and family. We crowded onto beaches, grilled enough burgers and hotdogs to feed a small army, and lit the sky with fireworks long into the evening. I’ve always been proud to call myself an American, and the 4^th of July is a great time to reflect on the principles our country stands for. Like many Christians, the freedoms guaranteed in our constitution have had a radical effect on my walk with Christ.

But when does patriotism turn into idolatry? That’s a question [a writer] began pondering in a recent article...when [he] noticed an American flag draped over Christ’s cross in a series of stained-glass windows. It troubled him to realize that so many Christians are comfortable with political symbols taking an equal standing in the house of God. He writes,

“What makes patriotism an idol in the Church, and not just bad theology or bad storytelling, is that the political ideology it brings with it can push out the need for Jesus and leave no space for the Gospel. Sure, there are some hints of Jesus still lingering around, but when “Americanized Christianity” takes over and the Gospel gets refined in the fires of patriotism, the story of the empire ultimately wins out and becomes a new story of faith...”

“We may continue to profess allegiance to Jesus, but our lives tell a much different story, one in which the Gospel has become supplanted by American political ideology such that theology seems strangely like a political agenda. When this happens, debates begin to rage about caring for the poor, the sick and the immigrant, debates which would be incomprehensible in any other era of the Church. When patriotism becomes an idol, the poor can become our enemies, the alien among us can become someone to be feared and the outcast can become someone we actively seek to marginalize. When patriotism becomes an idol, the ‘other’ whom we despise is the least of these.”

The Bible is clear that man cannot serve two masters (Matthew:6:24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
See All...), and as Christians, our first loyalty should be to the Kingdom of God rather than any kingdom of men. But in many ways the argument goes deeper than that. Christians must remember that we are bound by something much deeper than simple nationality, we are bound by the blood of Christ, shed for our sins. It is a bond that transcends the borders of countries, that transcends culture or race, that transcends even time itself.

(Duncan, "When Does Your Patriotism Become Idolatry?," Crosswalk online, 7/7/15).

["For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians:3:20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
See All...).]