“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden…In the same way, let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” –Matthew 5:14, 16
“’My kingdom is not of this world,’ said Jesus. ‘If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’” –John 18:36
“These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.” –Hebrews 11:13
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” –1 Peter 2:9
Recently, video surfaced from a political rally held at a San Antonio church. Attendees participated in the obscenity-masking cheer, “Let’s go, Brandon!” as some on stage joined them. (“Let’s go, Brandon” is a by-phrase for “F— Joe Biden,” the switch arising from a NASCAR race when the latter was misheard by the announcers. The former is a wink-wink in its place to avoid saying the f-word.)
Among the numerous listed speakers in the Charisma Magazine sponsored tour was the Qanon conspiracist, General Michael Flynn. During his talk, Flynn said:
There’s something shaking. The ground underneath us is shaking…There is a time, and you have to believe this, that God Almighty is like involved in this country. This is it. This is it. This is the last place on earth. This is the shining city on a hill…The ‘city on the hill’ was mentioned in Matthew. It was mentioned in Matthew. [Flynn mentions Winthrop and Reagan’s use of the term.] And they’re talking about the United States of America…’Cause when Matthew mentioned it in the Bible, he wasn’t talking about the physical ground he was on; he was talking about something in the distance.
Flynn’s remarks are a Q-baptized version of Christian Nationalism. Biblically, it is wall-to-wall nonsense.
Conflated kingdoms
Perhaps there is no place on earth where Christians conflate the dual citizenship of heaven and earth like the United States of America. Flynn’s rambling about the place of America in God’s plan is not atypical in many US churches. From myths that insist invoking a creator in founding documents implies a unique relationship with the God of the Bible to imagining “eagle’s wings” in biblical prophecy refers to the American national emblem, there is no lack of imagination or wrenched hermeneutics on the subject. As a result, criticism of America or American governmental policies is seen as a lack of gratitude for the blessings of God. “Sin” in Christian Nationalism can be equally a breaking of God’s law or betrayal of the Founding Fathers.
This belief in a unique relationship between America and God helps perpetuate something more than patriotism: the belief that to love country is to love God and to love God is to love country. It is to syncretize policy goals with the gospel, heedless of the warning that when the Church and politics get in bed together the Church gets the STD or the warning of scripture itself that nothing can be mixed with the gospel of Jesus. It is when God Bless the USA evokes the same level of emotion as Amazing Grace, if not more. It is to pay more heed to the symbols of the American Civil Religion—its hymns, its holidays, its banners, its priorities—than to the redemptive truth of Christ crucified, buried, raised, and now seated at the right hand of the Father. It is to elevate “constitutional liberties” over sharing our clothes and food, going the extra mile, or laying down one’s life.
The priority of God’s kingdom
Christian Nationalism persists despite significant biblical evidence that to be a Christian on earth is to be a member of a nation that transcends place and time. It is a nation that rejects power, oppression, the lust of the flesh, eyes, or pride of life as policy, either explicit or implicit. The “holy nation” of God’s own creation is of a different order than the nations of humankind. It equates to Jesus’ kingdom spanning every earthly nation, tribe, tongue, and people. The ethics of this kingdom-nation are set by its King, not by human monarchs striving to gain wealth, keep power, or establish historical remembrance. The power of this Kingdom is the power of the gospel of Christ.
As Christian dual-citizens we are called to pray for the King and all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:2), and to, as much as it depends on us, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18), and obey governmental authorities (Romans 13:1). A Christian’s ultimate allegiance, however, is to no Queen, Kaiser, or constitution. Christians constitute a nation of their own, one that is historical and global, one that transcends political boundaries in every way and at all times. The idea of Christians from neighboring countries killing each other to advance the political aims of a Caesar, Herod, or prince would have seemed strange to the Apostles and early church. Indeed, they were already forewarned in John 18:46 about taking up arms against Caesar in the name of Jesus. (See Nonviolence in the Ancient Church and Christian Obedience for one overview. Worth noting is that an early Christian holding political office would have been viewed with suspicion.)
What then?
I’m not a pacifist. I do not think that Bible teaches it is wrong, for instance to defend one’s self, family, friends, or a stranger in the face of violence. I do not think a man must stand by watching his wife being brutalized, his only weapon a Chick tract. I do not think the nations of the world should have stood by in the face of the Holocaust making no attempt to stop the genocidal Third Reich. I do think Germany would have been better served if all their churches had been confessing churches and all self-proclaimed Christians had refused to serve in Hitler’s military or went AWOL when Hitler’s purposes became clear. There are more options than “I was just following orders” and “Kill’em all and let God sort’em out.”
I believe Christians can serve in their country’s service branches. I also believe Christians who do serve should give diligence to understand exactly what kind of commitment to Caesar they are making; serving in a president’s army is not the same as serving in God’s, nor the breastplate of righteousness made of Kevlar. What if a Christian servicemember is asked to deploy in an unjust war: to whom is their allegiance? What if a Christian soldier in any country is asked to commit a war crime: to whom is their allegiance? Will he or she follow God or yield to bloodlust? A Christian may, in all good conscience and with biblical support, refuse to serve in any of this world’s militaries, but a Christian may not violate the word of God or the ethics of his kingdom, pleading an earthly “chain of command.” Defending Caesar’s kingdom priorities at the expense of God’s kingdom principles is not merely seeding the world into the church, it is the fully mature tree providing shade to Pilate as Jesus bleeds.
fides quaerens intellectum
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