Too Much Patriotism?

I love being an American. I love all of the things that I can enjoy by being in this country. There are so many wonderful cities with lots of culture. There are many beautiful places for Americans to enjoy, whether it be the many white beaches or the lush Smokey Mountains of Tennessee (plug in for my Hubby's family!). Even though our history is short, there are countless stories of great people in this country doing amazing things for this country. Most of all, I love the USA for the opportunity to be free. So many others in this world do not have that blessing, suffering from totalitarian dictatorships where they cannot vote, are oppressed for their race, and cannot worship freely. This is truly a blessing that I never want to take for granted.

I believe in being a great citizen. Romans 13 shows us Christians how to act in the society that we live in. Because we live in a democratic republic, we can vote for people to help change our countries future. In a sense, the people are the authority in the United States. Because of this, Christians should vote. While we know that the culture can never be changed by votes, we do know that we should stand for what is right. I am passionate about the end to abortion because it defames the Creator, not to mention it harms society. James 1:27 calls us to seek to help the widow and the orphan. A Christian's theology should permeate in to how he or she reacts to the world.

I also believe that we should be proud of those men and women who sacrifice so much to give us the freedom that we have in this country. If we didn't have them, our country would look different, possibly like other freedom-restricting countries in the world. We should seek to look out for their good, praising them for their sacrifice. The ultimate way of showing love is to sacrifice your life for those you love. Many of them have paid that ultimate sacrifice. We should never take advantage of these men and women or the freedom that they so willingly fight and die for.

This weekend, we Americans celebrate Independence Day. It is a wonderful time to reflect on what happened over 200 years ago, and to celebrate our freedom with our families and friends. As I have said, I love being an American. But the United States is not my first priority. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. When my country becomes my focus rather than my Savior, I have made my country an idol. Sadly, I think this is a problem that many Christians have today.

I do feel like their is too much patriotism displayed by some believers. The fourth of July is on a Sunday this year. I am afraid that far too many churches will change their whole services around to speak about the United States. I do believe churches should have some acknowledgment of this holiday, but too many will make church all about the United States. The passion in our churches on Sunday will be for our country rather than our Savior.

A few months ago, Dr. David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, wrote a book called "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream". In this book, Platt calls Christians to give up our American way of Christianity and focus on reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been blessed with so much, and that has affected how we see what true Christianity is all about. We should seek to see the nations come to saving faith in Christ, giving God all the glory in His work.

I believe that this lack of passion can be seen in the way that many American Christians see their country. They are so happy being Americans that they forget that Christianity is not an American religion. Believers in Muslim countries are being persecuted every day because they do not see Muhammad as a true prophet. There is a huge underground church in China made up of people who see Jesus as their King, not the state. People from every tribe, nation, and tongue will worship Jesus as Lord.

We Americans become so consumed with ourselves that we don't see the needs of the world. Do we care about the racial/religious cleansing going on in the Sudan? Do we mourn knowing that there are millions of young girls around the world being sold into the sex industry, never knowing what being a little girl is like? Do we care about the women in many societies who are not seen as equals but as inferiors, even slaves? Do we seek to help out the millions of children who are orphaned and are living in poverty and have no clean water? Most importantly, do we seek to bring the gospel to the billions - yes, billions!- of people in the world that are not worshipers of Jesus Christ, many of them not even knowing His name?

I have been convicted of wanting to be comfortable all of the time. I have struggled with being a Christian and living in American society. I am continually reminded that Christianity is a global faith, and I have much to learn from other believers around the world. While it is good to have passion, I should be passionate about people coming to know Christ. I should be passionate about those in need, in America and throughout the world, and seeking to find ways to show the love of Jesus to the oppressed and the hungry.

This Independence Day, I will be proud to be an American. I will celebrate my heritage in this country. I will be grateful for those who have and are continuing to sacrifice for this country. I will be celebrating these things, but there are much greater things to celebrate. This Independence Day, as every day, I will be grateful for the parents that the Lord has given me, pointing me to Jesus when others do not even know His name. I will be grateful to worship in a wonderful church who knows what the gospel is and seeks to live it out. I will be grateful for a loving husband who treats me with respect. Most importantly, I will be thanking my Father for sending His Son to die for me, and for the Holy Spirit interceding on my half before the Father. I will be thankful for the freedom from sin that Christ has given me. I will be thankful that one day, I get to worship my Savior in a world without the sin that entangles me. I will be free from sorrow and tears, only being joyful in the presence of my Savior. There is much to be thankful for on this Independence Day.