As a youth I probably learned the Pledge of Allegiance before I could tie my shoes. Patriotism to the country of my birth was of high importance in my home, as well as at the church I grew up attending. It wasn’t uncommon to have special services on national (patriotic) holidays, where as much (if not more?) emphasis was placed on our nationality as on our faith. A few years back I came across an audio recording of me reciting a political poem, and my family singing “I’m just a flag waving American” as special music ……at church.
Patriotic fervor continued at the Christian high school I attended, and at the university where I earned my 4 year degree. For the most part, such fervor went unquestioned. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-to-late 20’s when I first started to ask myself if such devotion to a nation, whether it be blind devotion or even guarded devotion, was healthy for someone who desired to follow Jesus.
As I’ve written about before, in my late 20’s I spent a lot of time studying the gospels, and the teachings of Jesus. In these studies, I started to find that many of the beliefs I had been taught growing up were at odds with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. I was encouraged as I collected “Desert Storm” trading cards that flexed the United State’s muscles over our enemy. Jesus said that we were to seek first His kingdom. America first was a mantra I heard often. I read in the New Testament that members of God’s kingdom came from every race, nation and language. People in my circles mourned the fact that their sons and daughters married someone who wasn’t an American, and became passionate that anyone that came to their country should speak their language (even though the United States has never had an official language). American Exceptionalism was the norm, and any thoughts to the contrary were perceived as being un-American.
It was in my late 20’s I first became acquainted with teachings from an Anabaptist perspective. Anabaptist thought and teachings, commonly displayed among Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and others, hold to a two-kingdom theology. There are the kingdoms of this world, and there is the kingdom of God. The kingdoms of this world are not necessarily good or bad. They can be either. But the kingdoms of this world are not where our loyalties lie. As Jesus said, we are to “seek first the kingdom of God.” My loyalty is to belong to Jesus’ kingdom, which is not defined by borders, nationalities, race, language, or other descriptors that often define the kingdoms of this world. The kingdom of God is what is summed up in the New Testament term church. This term church doesn’t necessarily mean the local building or local 501-c-3 non-profit organization. It means the collective group of people who have devoted their loyalties to Jesus, his message, and his kingdom—regardless of their nation of origin, race, socio-economic status, language spoken, etc.
As a member of a kingdom with members from all nations, races, languages, etc., I belong to a kingdom that the Bible says is without end. All earthly kingdoms will end. To hold patriotic fervor for my nation, when my nation has done, and still does, unspeakable acts towards people of other nations—some of whom belong to the Kingdom of God, is unimaginable in my opinion.
As someone who no longer can pledge allegiance to the United States, this does not mean I am against the U.S.A. I simply believe that I am a sojourner in a land that is not my own. The children of Israel lived this out when they were taken into captivity. Many of those taken into captivity exchanged their allegiances for Israel and gave their allegiance to Babylon—hence why so few returned to Israel when allowed to. But while they were living in Babylon, against their will, God sent a message to them through the prophet Jeremiah.
This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said: 4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:1-7)
The United States isn’t the kingdom that I owe my allegiance to. But, since this is the land God has placed me in, I am free to build a house, settle down, plant a garden, marry, etc. I should even wish the nation well, and pray and work for the “peace and prosperity” where God has placed me. Why? “Because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Allegiance to an earthly nation is different than loyalty in marriage. The Apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth that they were not to be “bound together with unbelievers.” As a follower of Jesus, when it came to finding a marriage partner I looked for someone who was also a follower of Jesus. Here is a larger chunk of what Paul said:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)
The United States of America, or any other nation, will never be a Christian nation. It will do what is in their best interest, and that is understandable from a human perspective. Individual Americans may seek to be godly, but a nation will never be. As a follower of Jesus, I am not to seek my own best interest, but I am to look for the best interest of others as well. The nations of this world rage, plot and scheme and in doing so they are in opposition to God (Psalm 2). So, while I can pledge my love to my wife, and not have that be in violation of my beliefs, I cannot pledge my allegiances to any nation without doing so.
For those that do not believe pledging one’s allegiance to a nation is problematic for followers of Jesus, do you equally accept a Christian pledging their allegiance to the U.S. as you would a Chinese Christian pledging their allegiance to the China or an Iranian Christian pledging their allegiance to Iran? If you believe one is acceptable, and another is not, how do you decide which allegiances are acceptable, and which are not?
As World War 2 was about to begin, one pastor felt the tension of a world on the verge of war. Martin had served in WW1, but after the war ended he became a pastor like his father before him. But, Martin felt compelled, based on Romans 13, to leave his pastorate to join his sons in fighting to defend his nation. Using his Christian faith, and the allegiance he believe he owed his nation, Martin Niemoller left his church to fight for Adolph Hitler and the Nazi army (Sprinkle, Preston. Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence. David C Cook, 2013).
While I realize other followers of Jesus will disagree with my stance on pledging my allegiance to the earthly nation I live in, ultimately I would rather have others disagree with me than to go against my conscience. Ultimately, I will have to answer to God, and not my fellow Christians.
At the end of the day, the words of Switchfoot say it best: “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians.” (Switchfoot. “Politicians.” Nothing is Sound. Columbia. 2005.)
