Conversation in Faith

I remember the day I stopped saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I was helping out in the kindergarten class of one of my kids. Once the bell rang, they all stood up and led by the teacher started saying the pledge. “I pledge allegiance to the flag…” That phrase stopped my mid sentence. Could I, as a Christian, pledge allegiance to a flag? A piece of cloth? It seemed uncomfortably close to idolatry. Golden calf? Flag on a pole?

If you look up the definition of allegiance, most sources use the language of loyalty, or obligation to a nation, a sovereign, person, group or to a cause.

My kids are well out of kindergarten and I am still thinking about allegiance.

We can have a variety of allegiances. To our nation. If you are a person of faith to God. To family. To a sports team. To your school. Not all these allegiances are of equal importance.

In these days when Christian Nationalism is gaining influence and power, it is important for Christians to think about our allegiances. Not to choose either faith or nation but to correctly distinguish between them and thoughtfully order our allegiances.

Christianity in its many forms existed long before the United States did. And Christians live in many different nations. Clearly it is entirely possible to be a Christian without being a US citizen.

The reverse is also true. One can be a US citizen and not be a Christian. For Christian nationalists, to be a good American requires one to be a Christian. For Christian nationalists, good Christians citizens in the US hold particular political and theological beliefs. Christian Nationalism conflates our allegiance to our nation and to a particular type of Christianity in ways that are not Biblical and are not historical. This isn’t the place for all that today.¹

The reality is, to say “Jesus is Lord” is to place Jesus above all other allegiances. This doesn’t mean we don’t love our country. But for Christians, following Jesus and what he taught- compassion, humility, care, love, justice….comes first. We should be careful to not confuse or conflate faith and patriotism.

Now that the Fourth of July holiday, with its parades and speeches and family gatherings, is over it is a good time to think about allegiances. It is particularly important now, because the midterm elections are coming up in just a few months. We can anticipate there will be more and more attempts to conflate faith and patriotism. What they are. What priority each has. How entangled they might be. How we keep them in proper relationship with each other. ² It is important for us to think carefully about our allegiances. I hope you take the time to reflect on what your allegiances are.

1. There is much that has been written about Christian nationalism. If you know me, you know that I have some strong opinions. You can search this blog for “Christian Nationalism”. I also suggest you check out Christians Against Christian Nationalism. The Grand Rapids Area Christians Against Christian Nationalism have a linktree with many resources we have found helpful. ↩︎
2. If you would like to think some more about allegiances, I recommend the book Divided Allegiance: What Happens when the Church Forgets Who It Serves. ↩︎