Self-Consumptive Patriotism and American Global Leadership

Perhaps questioning calling attention to a common type of patriotism ... which I dub "Self-Consumptive" ... can be a cause for concern. Typically, there are two voices in this topic, which scream the loudest, drowning out all other voices. Voice one is from the fringe-left ... and at times from the moderate-left ... denouncing all forms of patriotism. Voice two is from the fringe right which only allows gushing sentiment over our country and way of life.

While it is certainly understandable that these two voices exist (they are reactionary to the perceived dangers of each other), it is unfortunate. Patriotism certainly does not need to be deported, as C.S. Lewis once quipped that we deride patriotism and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. On the other hand we blindly give absolute allegiance to anyone to our peril.

The point I have been attempting to make over the past couple of posts is that the version of patriotism ... that I find as appetizing as vomit ... is an unthinking, blind, and often reactionary patriotism of self-consumption. This type of patriotism is love because someone or something gives me something ... or makes me feel a certain way.

While any love will exact a certain amount of good feelings in anyone from time to time, unfortunately in our day, love is almost solely defined by what someone does for me or how someone makes me feel.

What happens, then, when those feelings run dry ... or out all together?

True love from my standpoint, while certainly containing good and positive feeling caused by someone or something else, is more properly defined by what I do and and give to someone or something else.

In short love is primarily a verb ... not primarily a feeling.

The Rand Corporation has produced very welcome findings that we Americans are still heavy-weight competitors on the global scene in Science and Technology.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG674/
Scroll down the page to download the Online PDF of their document.

What will be the results of raising generations of Americans to be primarily self-consumptive? Only time will tell. My prediction is that self-consumption can in no way aid our efforts in producing global leadership in various important areas ... such as science and technology.

And certainly self-consumption will not grow dynamic churches, whose Lord calls us to die to self. Self-sacrifice for God and neighbor is ironically the older, supposedly outdated form of patriotism that calls one to self-sacrifice for God and country, as taught by the Boy Scouts.

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.

What Does "Free" in the Framers' "Freedom" Mean?

Approaching the country's birthday this Friday (which is actually today, the 2nd), we will hear many heart moving, wrenching, palpitating songs and messages about the founding principle of our country ... freedom.

But what exactly does the "free" in the Framers' "freedom" mean? We live in a free country, so I can do whatever the ____ I want ... right? The American flag being flown on loan advertisements means that I can be free to purchase whatever I _____-well please ... right? America is that place my school guidance counselor told me that I can be whatever I want to be ... despite the fact I'm a senior with an 8th grade reading level and an inability to spell my own name ... right? Freedom is that sponsorship from the government to do with my sex whatever I want ... because it's my body and I have freedom of choice (so long as I vote for them) ... right? After all they told me that "the man" is the point man for society holding me back ... so they're going to take care of me and ensure that I have the same life results as those unfortunate people who have to work all their lives. Didn't they get the memo that Uncle Sam would take care of them too?

Allow me to take the liberty to correct such "interesting" and all-too-common but highly inaccurate myths about the Framers' concept of freedom. Yes, it is true that according to Jefferson, the D of I's author, that we are "endowed with certain inalienable rights ...." Inalienable rights are those given by God that cannot be given nor taken away by man.

If you were to take the time to read the Declaration of Independence ... which means of course that some measure of effort is required ... you might come across the phrase "the laws of nature and nature's God." The hands that rock the cradle of the Framers' "freedom" are nature's laws and nature's God. In other words any concept of freedom that is inconsistent with common human reason and God's divine revelation as found in the Bible is not among the "self-evident truths" of the Declaration and the Framers. In other words still further, it is not I who defines my own life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but the God who is the God of both nature and of the Bible. And what did Jesus say were the two most important laws of God?

1. Love God
2. Love neighbor

Freedom is less about being free to do whatever the ____ I want to ... and more about being able to do the most good for my neighbor and society with the least intrusion from the government. Therefore the inalienable rights of the Declaration are not so much about individualistic and privatized rights as about the free opportunity to practice individual responsibility towards God and neighbor without having to worry about a tyrannical government that thinks it is above nature's laws and nature's God.

For further reading on the Declaration of Independence, check out the Heritage Foundation:

• http://www.heritage.org/research/features/almanac/pdf/declarationintro.pdf
• http://www.heritage.org/research/features/almanac/pdf/declaration.pdf