A Fourth of July Meditation for Christians

A Fourth of July Meditation by Michael Wear, a former White House staffer who worked under President Obama.

Wear wrote this piece a few years back on the Qideas blog, you can read his full post here.

Americans are not God’s new chosen people; those who love Jesus are.

But we can still be patriotic. Christians are not required to believe our nation has a special relationship with God in order to feel pride in the country in which God has placed them. We should look to Jeremiah for an idea of a Christian’s patriotism.

In Jeremiah 29, we’re told God’s people found themselves exiled in a strange land among people who despised them. However, God did not call them to violently overthrow the government. God didn’t even call them to condemn the Babylonians for their pagan ways. Instead, God, through Jeremiah, told the exiles to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce … seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

A Christian patriotism is not grounded in a nation’s righteousness, but in a God-ordained commitment to love our neighbor and seek the welfare of the nation to which He has carried us. To paraphrase Chesterton, we are not to love America because it is great, but because through our love it might be greater. Patriotism does not require acquiescence in the face of injustice. True patriotism requires our loving pursuit of an ever-expanding domain of justice in our nation. The tension for the Christian is not in their devotion to the United States; God has called us to that! The tension of Christian patriotism is in insuring our patriotism stays true by seeking the peace and prosperity of our nation when various pressures and perspectives seek to misdirect that pursuit.

So, today, put on that awful red, white and blue outfit that embarrasses your kids. Grab a hot dog, watch the fireworks, wave the flag. Thank God for the many blessings we have received as a nation, and pray He would help us understand how to seek the peace and prosperity of this land we love. Praise Him who is restoring all things.

Happy Fourth of July.