2.1 Voting as kingdom citizens -- unconditional loyalty

A few days ago I started a new series on the question, "What Would Jesus Vote?" (WWJV). The first post asked if Jesus even would vote: 

1. Would Jesus Even Vote?

I thought he would in our world, although it wasn't an option in the first century. 

We now begin to answer the question. The first answer is that Jesus would vote as a kingdom citizen.

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Unconditional Loyalty
1. I've given words as a minister at several burials for individuals who were once soldiers. To honor them, a team of veterans came to give a gun salute, and a flag was presented to the family. These were very meaningful ceremonies, and the flags the families keep are precious.

From time to time, I have gotten an uneasy feeling when the "Christian" part of the ceremony felt like a formality, and the American part seemed to be the truly important part to those present. That is to say, there have been times when it felt like the "religious fervor" for the American part was far stronger than the fervor for prayer to God or the reading of the Scripture. The feeling was something like, "Hurry up, preacher, so we can get to the good stuff." 

The feeling is a little like when the person who has died was a Freemason. Pastors are instructed to make sure that the Freemason ceremony is distinct from the Christian part of the burial. Those ceremonies can also take on a kind of religious flavor that, at least at times, feels like it is in competition with Christian Scripture and prayer. 

Some things are so deeply ingrained in our minds that it's hard to explain them -- or show that they're not quite right. There is absolutely nothing wrong with patriotism. July 4th is a wonderful day of celebration for us as Americans. Veteran's Day and Memorial Day appropriately remember those who have fought and sacrificed to preserve our freedoms.

These events can also take on a kind of religious-level fervor. It is very common in America for these holidays and devotions to find their way into our churches. We have a flag on the platform next to where the word of God is preached. These days become religious holidays on Sundays alongside Christmas and Easter. It can be hard to see why some of these dynamics are a little odd -- especially to individuals who worship with us from other countries.

2. It has taken me a long time to figure out how to express why these practices seem a little off. I think I am finally finding some words by using what I'm calling a "fervor scale." It is how we feel toward something special. First, there is respect (1). I'm calling this the lowest level of fervor. You respect a policeman. You might respect a teacher or a pastor.

Then there is devotion (2). You might be devoted to someone or something. Some people are very devoted to exercise. Others are devoted to various causes. Someone might be devoted to being a vegan.

Some people are devoted enough that we might speak of reverence (3). Some Roman Catholics revere their priests. I would say that much American devotion to the flag and to soldiers is certainly at the level of reverence. Soldiers killed in action can take on the flavor of Christian martyrs in terms of how much we revere them. Roman Catholics would argue that they do not worship the Virgin Mary. They would say they venerate her.

You can see what the highest level of devotion is. It is worship (4). According to Scripture, there is only one thing that Christians can worship, and that is God. "You will have no other gods before me" (Exod. 20:3) is the first of the Ten Commandments. It is really another form of the greatest commandment: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, life, and strength" (Deut. 6:5). Jesus says that this love of God -- along with love of others -- sums up all of God's law (Matt. 22:36-40). 

Textbox: "You will love the LORD your God will all your heart and will all your life and with all your mind." Matt. 22:37

This is worship. We are also talking about holiness here. The more we set something aside as special, the more holy it is to us. God is ultimate holiness because he is the most special and "set apart" thing in all existence. He is in a category by himself.

The problem is that some may feel more devotion to things American than to the things of God. Even feeling the same devotion to God and country suggests either that our devotion to God is too little or our devotion to country is too much. There really is no debate about which must have our supreme allegiance. God says, "I am Yahweh. That is my name. I give my glory to no other" (Isa. 42:8). 

Textbox: If we have the same feeling about our country that we have about God, then either our devotion to God is too little or our devotion to country is too great.

In the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, as the elderly aunt begins to pray for the Christmas meal, she blurs into the Pledge of Allegiance. [1] It's funny because it is something that we could see happen. And the reason it could happen is because the feeling many Americans have toward their country is virtually religious, similar to the feeling someone might have in prayer. It fits.

But it is also inappropriate. In the case of Aunt Bethany, we might suggest that her devotion to God is too little. Is it possible that, in some cases, our devotion to country approaches the level of a devotion that should be reserved for God alone? [2]

If our devotion to anything other than God gets to the level of what our devotion to God should be, that is an idol. This is the sin above all sins -- to worship something instead of or alongside God.  

3. There is a sentence in a recent book that really clicked with me on this topic. Here it is: "Loyalty to the Kingdom must be unconditional, while loyalty to the country must be conditional." [3] This should be an obvious statement because to do otherwise puts country on the level of God, which is blasphemy. However, I have found that it doesn't feel obvious to everyone. In fact, this statement might almost seem offensive to some. This is a serious problem from a biblical and Christian standpoint.

There's a lot of talk about Christian nationalism these days. It has proven very hard to express what is being warned about here or why it is wrong. These things go so deep into our psyche that it can be incredibly difficult to see what's going on inside ourselves on a deep level. Here's how I might describe it. Christian nationalism is when the fervor for our country reaches a level where it is on par with our loyalty to God. In effect, we begin to worship our country. [4]

I recently processed this concept with someone. First, I suggested that virtually everyone feels free to disagree with the American government. Indeed, those who would most likely fall in the category of Christian nationalism are some of the most likely to strongly disagree with the current government. For example, many strongly opposed mandates for churches not to meet during the COVID pandemic. Some of the strongest language today against the government -- some of the strongest since the Civil War -- comes from individuals who might be categorized as Christian nationalists.

So how does that work? Those whose devotion to the United States falls somewhere near or in the worship category are most vehemently opposed to the United States? 

It's because their devotion is not to the real US. The real US consists of the real people who are its citizens, including individuals who immigrated here and became citizens. The real US is the real US government and the real people who are in office. It is the real Constitution and the real laws of the land as they stand.

The real America is far from perfect. The real America needs a lot of work. It is a beautiful dream but a work in progress. Pretty much everyone agrees with this.

Here is the big AHA moment. The America that some worship is not the real America. It is an ideal of America. It is their ideal of America. It is an America that some want to make by force -- which of course is not something the real America allows for at all. It is a vision for what they want to make America become based on their ideal of what it used to be at some point. (By the way, most American historians think this is a skewed picture of what it used to be.)

4. In the conversation I had, the respondent suggested that it is not the concrete America that should get our unconditional loyalty -- any more than any church denomination should. Rather, he argued, it is the ideal of America that is worthy of our unconditional loyalty alongside our unconditional loyalty to God. This response threw me for a bit of a loop because, again, it seems obvious to me that God must be on a level by himself. "My glory I give to no other" (Isa. 42:8).

But here's why that is idolatry and, ultimately, blasphemy. Even an ideal version of the US Constitution involves a President, a Congress, a Supreme Court, and a people who are human. This side of eternity, humans will always be susceptible to sin. In fact, any form of government this side of eternity involves fallen humans who are susceptible to sin and temptation.

What this means is that no matter how ideal a version of the United States you can imagine, it will always involve sinful humanity or at least humanity that is susceptible to temptation and sin. That means that even the most ideal form of America cannot have our unconditional loyalty. Any government run by humans will eventually involve sin. I shouldn't even have to make this argument, but it kiboshes any pretense that a human government of any sort could merit our unconditional loyalty. 

In fact, to say so is really a trick of the Devil to substitute something for God and his kingdom.

A related reason why even an ideal America could not be on the level of the kingdom of God is the fact that what actually makes the American system of government so good is that it involves thorough checks and balances against sinful humanity. The President does not have absolute power. The Congress does not have absolute power. The Supreme Court does not have absolute power. It was designed in full recognition of the human thirst for power and tendency to get into conflict over it. Given the uncertainty of men, it works better, I think, than any other system of government.  

Western representational democracies (call them republics, if you want) are thus quite possibly the best possible form of human government. They are so because they take into account humanity's nature as selfish and bound to try to seize power to itself no matter the effect on others. In other words, it is the best because humanity is sinful. 

But this comes nowhere near to being as good as the kingdom of God, where the monarch -- God -- is not only all knowing but all good. The kingdom is already inaugurated with Christ's resurrection, but it will not fully be here until Christ returns. This side of eternity, humanity will never be perfect citizens of the kingdom of God... but they will be when the kingdom fully arrives. That means that the kingdom of God truly will be a perfect kingdom in a way that no earthly kingdom can ever be.

No earthly kingdom can come close. Actually, it would be a joke even to suggest such a thing except that it is blasphemy, idolatry, and thus quite serious. Let us dismiss without any further thought that our loyalty to any earthly kingdom -- including some ideal United States -- can be unconditional. Our unconditional loyalty must be reserved alone for God and his kingdom. 

[1] I take this illustration from Miranda Cruz's new book, Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters (InterVarsity, 2024), 11-12.

[2] Let me be very serious for a moment. There was a philosopher in the early twentieth century (Wittgenstein) who argued that talk about God wasn't really about some Being out there. Rather, he argued it was just a type of language game that we play in certain religious settings. I don't agree with him. I think God actually exists out there and not merely in games we play with ourselves and others.

BUT, I wonder if he is right about many Christians. Could there be many people who call themselves Christians who really aren't in conversation with the real God? Their prayers are really talking to themselves. When they pray in church, they are really talking to those around them. Their devotion is really a game they don't even know they're playing. They enjoy the music. It gives them a buzz. It makes them feel good. They enjoy fellowship with the other people as they play the church game. They say God and the Bible, but they really mean the values and identity of their tribe. They read the Bible like a mirror for what they already believe.

If the worship of the real God isn't real for many Christians, then it would be no wonder if they feel the same or greater fervor for other things.

[3] Cruz, Faithful Politics, 12.

[4] Some people roll their eyes when you begin to make comparisons with Nazi Germany. But those who effectively worship America would be in that same fourth category as those who came to worship Germany, even though the fever is not as intense or empowered at this time. In the case of Germany, they did not worship the real Germany, but an idea of Germany that they then forced on Germany with a religious fervor. Christian faith in Germany also got intertwined with German nationalism with such a force that cautionary voices like Bonhoeffer's and others seemed like nothing next to it. 

This is called "syncretism," the blending of faith with cultural forces that are actually contrary to faith. While nation worship is very serious in the sight of God, in the past it has been mild and innocuous enough. However, since human nature has not changed, we should never say never. Hannah Arendt pointed out in the aftermath of WW2 that the main actors in Germany's evil were just ordinary people. She called it the "banality of evil," in Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (Viking, 1963).