A Red, White, and Blue Cross?

Patriotism can be a glue, holding a people together. Patriotism can be a virtue, propelling people to self-sacrifice for their neighbors and posterity. Patriotism for believers can be a way to worship God for his marvelous provisions for their peace and safety. Patriotism, for believers, may also simply be their prosperity, thrown into Aaron's fire ... out of which pops a calf, wearing red, white, and blue.

Sunday, I believe, such a calf popped. To be fair such a calf may have unwittingly popped, but popped it did on a bulletin, which appeared in a number of churches celebration of July 4th by Cathedral Press (http://www.cathedralpress.com/every_08.html). What, pray tell, is the central message of this picture?

Before I tell you the two messages that I take away from this picture, allow me to draw your attention to certain aspects. The word that immediately draws your attention is "FREEDOM." Below that is this family, complete with a dog, posing in front of the American flag. Fireworks are blazing in the background.

Let's stop here. What seems to be the message so far? To me it seems to be a typical message about the preciousness of our American freedom and its gloriousness.

Question: How many of our families, today, look like that? I would say not enough. Yet, even those of us who come from broken families carry with us ideas of "freedom." Freedom in pop culture means the ability to do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. Like it or not, this is the interpretation of the word freedom that immigrates into this picture. And I'm taught from day 1 of living in this country that freedom (however it's defined) is mine by right.

Now allow me to direct your attention to the obscure words under the picture, "...IS OURS IN CHRIST." I mentioned above that there are two messages I take away from this picture ... as a whole.

1. I, personally, can have the American dream (however that's defined) ... if I become a Christian.
2. In order to preserve my American dream, I need to get everybody to go to church on a regular basis.

Now there is actually a third message that explodes on the scene, once these two messages are understood:

• My American dream is the most important facet of Christianity and achieving my American dream is what God cares most about.

These messages are inherently selfish and borderline ... if not blatant ... idolatry. This is the American culture and way of life dictating to me what Christianity is all about. How might this picture look to believers, living in oppressive regimes overseas? Might it communicate to them that reward of choosing Christ as Lord is the American Dream? Might it then suggest that they are not as good a quality of Christians as those of us living in the States, because they are suffering under repressive regimes? Might it suggest that we Americans think we are somehow better Christians than those living under repressive regimes ... because we have the favor of God on us they do not?

Whatever the messages those people living in repressive regimes might take away from this picture, a statement by a Kenyan pastor to the largely American student body of Asbury Theological Seminary a couple of years ago is quite telling. He told them he believed it was harder to be a Christian in America, than in Kenya or any other number of African states. His point was that prosperity can dull one's sense of duty and need for self-sacrifice for others and need for real, living, breathing faith in everyday life ... which is the lifeblood of Biblical Christianity.

When the lines between patriotism and Biblical Worship of Jesus, our Lord, are blurred, our American culture often times dictates the terms of our Christianity. Given the secular-progressive value system of contemporary American culture, such a blurred distinction renders both flag and cross tarnished.

Is all of this what was intended by the bulletin picture creator? Let's hope not. Let's hope the creator meant that true freedom (which is freedom from sin and freedom for Christian ministry in the world) is found only in Christ ... but that message is stolen by the mingling of the flag, the fireworks, and the word "FREEDOM."

Consider portions of verses from our national hymn, "America, the Beautiful," published in 1895 and revised a couple of times since. Each of the four verses extols the natural beauty of our great country. She arrests our attention in each verse, "America! America!" to certain character traits she believes are necessary for our country:

• From Verse 1: God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
• From Verse 2: God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.
• From Verse 3: May God thy gold refine till all success be nobleness and every gain divine!

When was the last time self-control was extolled as an American virtue? At one time it was ... or at least a genuine prayer of the American people who were largely Christian. But that time is long passed. We must take great care to ensure the freedom of Bible-Jesus-Christianity from our American secular-progressive culture ... lest we find the sun setting on the American Church.