It's that time of year again when patriotic fervor spikes and I try to hide (not really) the fact that my passport reads "British" on the front cover! This Saturday there will be lots of bombs "bursting in air" as fireworks light up the sky in celebration of a war that took place some 200 years ago. It's a great celebration and people will have a lot of fun.
As a pastor I've been charged with thinking through events like these with a theological lens.To that end we have to remember, as Augustine taught us, that all nations of the earth no matter how great are still part of Babylon, that is they are kingdoms of this world. The kingdom of God is different and stands apart, over and at times against every kingdom of this world. That is why Scripture tells us that we are to think of ourselves as strangers, aliens in this world.
You see every kingdom also has its own religion, America is no different. As Greg Boyd notes concerning the "religion of American democracy."
"Like all religions, this religion has its own distinctive, theologized, revisionist history (for instance, the 'manifest destiny' doctrine whereby God destined Europeans to conquer the land). It has its own distinctive message of salvation (political freedom), its own 'set apart' people group (America and its allies), its own creed ('we hold these truths to be self-evident'), its own distinctive enemies (all who resist freedom and are against America), its own distinctive symbol (the flag), and its own distinctive god (the national deity we are 'under,' who favors our causes and helps us win our battles).
As Christians we need to be careful not to buy into this religion. Yes, we can and should celebrate all that is good and right in the nation but we must never lose the prophetic edge that allows us to stand up and speak of those things that are wrong.
