Christian Nationalism
A Homily for July 4th, Independence Day
Aristotle accurately observed that “man, by his very nature, is a political animal.” However, nowadays, when we hear “political animal,” we often associate it with the image of an extreme partisan who passionately argues and fights over fiscal, social, and moral laws as they relate to their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. However, Aristotle is contemplating first principles. He believes that every person is a political being because people’s lives are conducted within a community (the Greek polis). Human beings naturally organize their lives within the polis as it aligns with our communal nature, as ordained by the Trinitarian God. Human life is lived in the community, and man is created for the polis. People exist, operate, and obtain meaning and purpose within the life course of organized city-states. This is what Aristotle intends when describing humans as political animals or creatures.
If human nature is political (in the Aristotelian sense), God envisioned and gave us our political life. He made us to be political, living within the polis. The first polis, if you will, is the family. Throughout history, we see the emergence of the clan, the tribe, people, and nations. When you examine the story of human organization in the Old Testament and history, you’ll find it organic and natural. The modern concept of citizenship can be traced back to ancient Greece, specifically within the polis, which were small, self-governing communities that made up the state. “Citizens” were individuals within the polis who had legal rights to participate in the state’s civic affairs within the boundaries of the governing laws. The imprint of the Greek polis upon the framing of our constitution and civic life is plain to see and well documented. And like the Greeks of long ago, we, too, have inalienable rights as citizens, with the moral obligation to defend, preserve, and fulfill our many liberties and privileges. Therefore, you and I, as a citizen of this nation, are political animals of a certain stripe; we are Americans.
And yet, if you have professed faith in Jesus Christ through the regenerating sacrament of Holy Baptism and have been marked with the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, then you, my friends, have dual citizenship. Your heavenly citizenship does not cancel out your earthly citizenship, And this Independence Day offers a fine opportunity to remember our dual citizenship and, more importantly, not neglect, conflate, or confuse the two. We must always distinguish our new creation in Christ from the old man we left in the baptismal waters. Our primary identity must never be displaced or exchanged with the second. We are Christians first and Americans Second. This is not to argue that our civic identity is unimportant because it’s secondary. As Christians, we live and operate in the realm of secondary identities, which, by the way, are vitally important and come with grave responsibilities. Parent is a second identity category; one is a Christian Parent. As I said, secondary doesn’t correspond with unimportant; do you consider raising Christian children to be God-honoring and virtuous citizens of this country unimportant? Of course not! Yet, Jesus wants to ensure that we don’t get our identities mixed up: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Primary things must remain primary, and secondary things can never become primary.
In this modern American political climate, going to church on July 4th feels odd. Suspicions are raised. A look of confusion, coupled with a snicker, accompanies the preposterous idea -- that Christians would assemble in the church and give thanks to God for country, liberty, and freedom to exercise citizenship. Yet, the founders and first Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church had far less separation, tension, and existential angst regarding what people call Christian Nationalism. But what critics of this so-called threat to our country are trying to argue against isn’t classical Christian Nationalism, but National-Christianism. I’m interested in Christian Nationalism, not National Christianism, meaning one word is supposed to modify the other, not the other way around. Our love of the nation and civic participation at the local, state, and national levels must always be Christian. As Christians, the bar of our participation in political life is set much higher because we are called to carry out the civic law according to the greater law of loving God and our neighbor. As citizens of heaven, we are to exercise our God-given liberty on earth with charity.
In our day, the American idea is suffering greatly. It’s not as clearly discerned as it once may have been; it’s obfuscated far too much by unhealthy partisanship, secular orthodoxy, apathy, and anger. Societal and civic diseases are corroding and chipping away at the Divine idea for our national life as it is expressed through our political activities and social institutions. We need to remember the most important ingredient, the one thing that binds any union, let alone a nation, which is the virtue of charity. Within our national life, brother is sadly the enemy. And how will we live up to the Divine ideal if brother is against brother and sister against sister? Will our differences and oppositions finally break the bond we share as citizens? Do our faith and the word of God allow for such finality of separation? Surely not. Christian Nationalism, in the sense that I mean, honors the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of civic and political life and doing all things in love. And it’s most Christian when we love our enemies whose political, ideological, ethical, and moral crusades neither align with our societal interests nor, more importantly, the faith we hold as revealed in Holy Scripture.
Our Lord tells us this evening, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you so that you may be the children of your Father in heaven.” However, let me be clear that “loving your enemies” does not mean neglecting your civic responsibility to uphold, defend, and preserve every good, true, and beautiful thing we enjoy in this country.” Far too many Christians have confused love with resigning to be nice, to be civil, to disengage from political life, but political life is societal life, and societal life is the natural, God-given polis in which we, our children, and grandchildren will live out the days of their lives. As members of the polis, we are given the duty and responsibility of stewarding our national life for the better! Marriage, family, real friendships, honest industry, civic organizations... every good thing will vanish if not protected and fought for in love. Beloved, as Christian citizens of the United States, let us declare this a day of independence and dependence upon our Lord. Without God’s grace, we will not maintain these good gifts nor the liberties won for us but will squander them through carelessness, apathy, love of vice, selfish ambition, and discord. Remember, humility and gratitude are the mark of citizenship in heaven and on earth. And Christian love compels both. Amen+
