What should we teach Christian kids about patriotism? My thoughts on this were stirred when we were dinner guests at an acquaintance’s home years ago.
“This is the best country in the world!” our host declared. He explained how he’d emigrated from his war-torn country in Europe after World War II and settled in his current home. In his new country he’d found freedom, economic opportunity, and caring people. He and his family had been able to carve out a wonderful life here.
I smiled, nodded my head, and kept my mouth shut. Because “here” for him was Canada. We were visiting from the States. The truth is, people across the world love their country, and many feel theirs is the best country of all.
Perhaps no people feel—or at least express—that more than Americans. I grew up in the United States with a deep love for my country. As a parent, I wanted to teach my kids about patriotism. But as a follower of Christ, I wanted to make sure I was teaching it from a biblical standpoint.
Is patriotism biblical? Is is okay to proclaim your country the best in the world? Should we even teach Christian kids patriotism?
Here are some biblical guidelines for teaching our children about patriotism:
It’s Okay to Be Patriotic—But Avoid Nationalism.
Patriotism is love of country, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Jesus’ love for his nation and people was exhibited when he lamented and later wept over Jerusalem. (Luke 13:34; Luke 19:41-44)
At the same time, the New Testament teaches us it’s wrong to place ourselves above others. (Philippians 2:3) This is what nationalism does. It proclaims one nation to be superior to all others and promotes love of country at the expense of other nations.
Nationalism asserts that people in other countries are of less value and less “civilized” than people in my country—that my country has it all together, and, thus, we have nothing to learn anything from other “inferior” nations. Such beliefs, unchecked, can lead to the rise of nations like Nazi Germany.
Nationalism in the New Testament
In the New Testament it was nationalistic pride that caused the Hebraic Jews to neglect the widows of the Hellenistic Jews. (Acts 6)
The Apostle Paul also challenged “nationalism” when he proclaimed that God had expanded the scope of the Gospel to include the Gentiles, as well as the Jews. Gentiles were seen as inferior by the Jews. Paul had to convince them that in God’s eyes “there is neither Greek nor Jew . . . for all are one in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 3:28)
We Should Respect and Obey Our Government Unless . . .
The Apostle Paul tells us that “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”(Romans 13)
The exception is when the government calls us to do something against God’s command. For example, in the book of Acts the apostles were asked by authorities why they disobeyed an order to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. Their answer: “We must obey God rather than man.” (5:29)
As our culture becomes increasingly secularized, Christians will find their faith challenged more often. We must prepare our children to stand up for what they believe in, despite the cost.
Our Country Has an Amazing History . . . But We’re Not Perfect.
As a history teacher there are two things I lament: people who deny the hand of God and the foundational role of Christianity in our nation’s history and those who deny the past sins of our country.
The Dark Side
There is a pernicious type of patriotism that looks at our history through rose-colored glasses. Our ancestors were all heroes who performed great deeds, all of which God approved, as He has blessed our country like no other. But this denies the Scriptural assertion that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). The truth is, people can make the choice to sin and, in every country’s history—including my own—people have done some pretty awful things.
As C.S. Lewis said in his book The Four Loves, “The actual history of every country is full of shabby and even shameful doings.” Yes, even my beloved country was responsible for centuries of slavery, the Trail of Tears, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the lynching of over 4,000 innocent African Americans.
It ‘s wrong to teach our children blind patriotism that closes its eyes to the truth.
The Bright Side
On the other hand, we should avoid the practice of secular historians who deny the hand of God on our country and the many wonderful blessings God has gifted us with—in the case of the United States: a representative republic, the Constitution with its balance of power and Bill of Rights, for example. Not to mention the influence of Christianity on, for example, the abolition of slavery, the women’s rights movement, child labor laws, prison reform, labor reform, the rise of higher education, and the rise of modern science (before the secularist takeover).
There are plenty of heroes in our nation’s history that we can tell our children about. There are also wonderful stories of God’s hand in history that we can share with our kids.
The good news is that God is in the business of forgiveness and redemption—for individuals and countries. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
God Loves Other Countries, Too.
We’ve talked about patriotism that goes too far. This is what we should teach Christian kids about patriotism: it’s fine to love our country, but we must remember that “God so loved the WORLD.” (John 3:16) He created and loves every person and every nation. He longs for ALL of humanity to turn to Him.
Furthermore, He wants us to share His heart for the nations. As Christians we’re called to “Go . . . and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a)
When we assert that our country is better than every other, we veer from our assigned task. We turn people, who see us as arrogant, away from the Gospel. They see our patriotism and our sense of superiority, not our love for God and them. By contrast, when we humbly express God’s love for the nations, we become carriers of His grace and redemption to the world.
We Can Love Our Country, But We’re Citizens Elsewhere.
You may be a citizen of your country on paper, but the Bible tells us differently. In fact, Christians are aliens (as in foreigners) awaiting passage to their true homeland. According to Paul, we are citizens of Heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
The Bible also states we are ambassadors. (2 Corinthians 5:20) An ambassador is a diplomat stationed in a foreign country. He or she represents their government and carries out that government’s mission in the assigned country. In the same way, we as Christians are called to represent our Heavenly Father’s mission here on earth.
John tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” (I John 2:15a) If we’re not careful, our love for our earthly country can cause us to forget God’s mission for us here on earth. When we place patriotism above that mission, it becomes idolatry.
We Should Pray for and Thank God for Our Country.
As Christians we’re called to pray for our government leaders. Paul admonishes us “that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority.” (I Timothy 2:1-2a) This includes leaders we disagree with.
How do we know this? Because Paul wrote this during the time of the Roman Empire when government leaders were not only ungodly, but hostile toward Christianity.
Note that this passage also includes thanksgiving. There’s a lot to be thankful for in my country, including our freedom, its multi-faceted beauty, and the many wonderful people. These are all blessings from God that deserve our gratitude.
We Should Get Involved.
An important lesson we need to teach Christian kids about patriotism is the importance of getting involved.
I’m blessed to live in a country that allows freedom of speech and assembly. It invites its citizens to have a say in the political process. Have there been injustices? Yes there have been and still are. But we have a Constitution with a Bill of Rights and a Judeo-Christian foundation which allows us to recognize and protest those injustices. That is not true in many countries, where there is no recourse to wrongdoing. This allows me to fulfill the biblical injunction to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8)
In Isaiah we hear God’s heart when He tells Judah, “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”(1:17)
We should encourage our children to get involved. Our country needs godly lawmakers, government workers, policymakers, election workers, lawyers, judges, juries, school board members, town councils, protectors (armed services, police), etc.
As mentioned earlier, many good things have happened in our country because Christians stood up against injustice and for godly morality.
To all my readers, from the United States or elsewhere, I hope the truths above help you teach your children how best to love their country.
If you’re an American celebrating July 4th, have a wonderful, patriotic day with your family!
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