Maybe Christians Shouldn’t Celebrate the 4th of July

American Christians should ask themselves, given the undeniable anti-Roman bent in Jesus’s mission (they didn’t execute him because of “The Jews,” despite what early Christian eisegeses written for diaspora Jews and Gentile God-worshipers would have you believe), who is the Roman Empire of today?  Clearly it is the United States of America.

We are the most powerful political and military entity the world has ever know, as was Rome at the time.

Our cultural influence extends much further than our officially-controlled territory, as Rome’s did.

We are extremely cosmopolitan, which is generally a good thing; however our history of racism and discrimination has led to the creation of a “favored” class of straight, white men (exactly like the ancient Romans).

We prefer setting up friendly, native governments to do our bidding in remote parts of the world (as opposed to direct occupation), just like Rome did with its client states (of which Judea/Palestine was one).

We are all too quick to resort to violence to solve problems.  We still have a death penalty (something which would downright horrify Jesus, who was executed by the State), and the lives of non-Americans matter considerably less to our military and government (and even our populace) than do those of American citizens.

Our society is marked by extreme class stratification; income and wealth inequality have reached near-unsustainable levels in the United States, just as they had in the Roman Empire.

Now I hope it’s obvious that I’m not suggesting all Christians join a revolutionary leftist political party with the aim of overthrowing the United States government and replacing it with a more socialistic one (although, if anyone knows of any, please email me and let me know, for…research.  Definitely just for research).

What I am saying is that Christians should be extremely thoughtful of what they are endorsing when they celebrate the Fourth of July.  We are called to be loyal first and foremost to the Kingdom of God, and it is quite clear that the values of the Kingdom of God, which can be summed up as “radical egalitarianism,” are in many cases diametrically opposed to American ideals such as individualism and imperialism.

If we want this country to be a “Christian nation” that we can celebrate and be proud of without turning our backs on the Kingdom, perhaps we should start by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and welcoming the stranger.  For as long as there remain hungry, naked, homeless, imprisoned, disenfranchised, and unwelcome people in our communities, we are not loving our neighbors.

If you strive earnestly to follow Jesus, you may find that nationalism and patriotism must be cleared away to make room for the Kingdom of God.