Are you anti-American or simply trans-national?

One of the things that I’ve been accused of on a few occasions is being anti-american. This, of course, is absurd. Am I anti-self? I’m an american myself, for goodness sake, and I have no inclination to renounce my citizenship or turn in my passport. I didn’t see Apostle Paul do that with his Roman citizenship so why would I?

With that said, I will answer my web-haters (specifically those who have said things like “If you don’t like the US-of-A, then leave!”) by saying that I’m a trans-national Kingdom of God citizen. This is not some sort of afterlife idea that gets taged onto a metaphorical passport stamped “heaven-bound,” but a real and tangible thing. It recognizes that God’s nation is composed of residents of every land on the Earth. My allegiance is primarily to the Kingdom of God.

I am not, in any way, anti-American. In fact, I’m not anti-anyone. I believe that the way of Jesus compels us to be “for” everyone. I’m for Iraqis, Egyptians, Canadians (barely :-)), Mexicans, Peruvians, and every other people group on the planet. I’m also “for” Americans. This doesn’t mean that I’m for the ways in which the church often partners with the sword-bearing government, but I’m “for” the people of this nation. I long, more than anything, that all Americans would redefine their allegiance around the reign of God — the God of enemy love, justice, and salvation. This God, namely Jesus, is my King, President, and Lord.

Here’s a video of Greg Boyd giving his reflections on this concept:

How would you describe your national citizenship in relationship to your allegiance to God’s Kingdom?