Attitudes suggesting that the US has a divine right to global supremacy are pervasive. During the 2012 presidential election cycle, Republican nominee Mitt Romney often referred to the United States as “the greatest hope in the world.” This view of American politics and patriotism cloaked in theology is what I call Patriot-olatry. It is a worshiping of one’s country and a particular political agenda as if it were the biblically ordained way to worship the one true God.
The news media is the megaphone of modern politics.
Faithful Christians cannot allow their thinking on how to live their faith in the current culture to be primarily shaped and formed by talking heads, whether they are “fair and balanced” or they “lean forward.” The news media is the megaphone of modern politics. As such, Christians must be cautious when watching. The old adage, “follow the money” is appropriate. The owners and stakeholders in the various news media companies have a corporate obligation to improve the financial bottom line. These conglomerates must turn a profit—which often runs at odds with the pursuit of publishing journalistic truth. The reporting on most cable news stations typically serves only to confirm prejudices and to inflame passions among those already on board. This generates greater viewership which increases ad revenue which enriches the media company. “Patriotism” for them means dollars.
Patriotolatry is dangerous because it flies under the radar for so many American Christians. After all, it can feel dangerously like faithfulness. But when the church begins to wed itself to one particular nation-state, then it begins to prioritize and emphasize its nationality or patriotism as greater than God’s holiness and his global plan for the spread of the gospel.
I am deeply thankful that I have the privilege of living in the United States. I believe that the principles upon which it was founded are rooted in a biblical understanding of human dignity and justice. As such, opportunity has been afforded those who live here that would not have happened in other countries. But as Christians we cannot look at the global scope of the Gospel and think for a moment that the United States is biblically more important than any other nation, tribe, or people. If the apostle Paul could write, “there is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28) then we certainly cannot now say that America has any special claim on God’s Kingdom. Imagine what an Iranian Christian would think if he were to enter most evangelical churches in America. He would be forced to denounce his Iranian-ness while they affirm their American-ness.
The Gospel must be bigger than our patriotism.
This article originally appeared here.
