In the comments section of the review I wrote yesterday for Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica, Jesus is Lord, Caesar is Not: Evaluating Empire in New Testament Studies one commenter asked whether modern Christians should (A) pledge allegiance to the government under which they live or (B) do their best to be law abiding without going as far as pledging allegiance. This is an interesting question. Does pledging allegiance to the United States (or another nation) constitute something equivalent to being loyal to “God and Mammon,” something Jesus said is not possible, or (as I see it) can it be more akin to the words of the Prophet Jeremiah (29:7) who told exiles to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” where they’d be taken, even commanding them to “pray for it?”
Personally, I suggested in response that a Christian pledging allegiance doesn’t have to mean absolute loyalty beyond one’s moral and religious convictions. Instead, I think it is possible to pledge allegiance meaning something like “I will do nothing to harm those neighbors with whom I share a government, an immediate economy, a overarching culture, land, and other possessions. I will do my best to live for the benefit of the city, state, and nation in which I live as long as this doesn’t contradict my allegiance to the Kingdom of God.” This allegiance can be multifaceted. One may oppose war or bad economic practices that lead our nation to harm other nations out of allegiance to one’s own nation. In other words, I don’t want to United States to invade Iran or bomb North Korea because I think it is bad for our people to have to be committed to those acts when there are other options. I may oppose my nation’s exploitive economic policies not out of disloyalty, but because I think our people will be grieved by their own evil over time and that if we harm others it will fracture potentially fruitful relationships with them in the future.
In other words, pledging allegiance doesn’t mean mindless subservience.
How would you respond to the question of whether or not pledging allegiance is compatible with Christianity’s confession that “‘Jesus is Lord’ to the glory of God the Father”?
This is largely, but not entirely, American thing … America being born out rebellion.
Other nations may make you pledge allegiance during citizenship ceremonies (and the like) but if one has never changed citizenship, there is no pledge of allegiance necessarily, merely the unspoken expectation that citizens will not work against the interest of their state. So this comment is from one not directly effected by the pledge of allegiance.
I find it curious that the American Pledge was written by Francis Bellamy, a man who believed in the socialist idea of wealth redistribution (by the state), and the development of utopian socialist societies. He was also a preacher (who was forced to stop preaching because of his socialism).
So the question is “What is the true purpose of a ‘pledge of allegiance’? If it is to tell Christian’s to respect earthly authority, we already have that, and with greater authority [1 Peter 2:13][Rom 13:1] – so it is unnecessary. If it’s audience is citizens (no necessarily Christians), by virtue of a government’s right to rule embedded in its constitution and body of jurisprudence, this is still unnecessary. On the other hand, if its purpose is something more nefarious, – it is only unnecessary, but possibly anti-Christ (meaning against Christ).
Brian, I am an Army Officer (not a Chaplain). Obviously, I’ve said the pledge, but have also sworn the enlisted oath and officer oath for the US Army.
From my vantage point, I will say that the pledge is a very light effort at creating the overall sense of community, and in no way should be considered a “serving of two masters”.
The oaths that I have taken or the Army, however…that is a different story. I live every day with duties that I must perform based upon the taking of those oaths. People rely (heavily) on my ability to faithfully discharge the duties of my office. Lives are literally at stake.
At times, balancing my faith with my service to this country is a challenge, but I have prioritized my life thusly:
God. Family. Mission. Soldier. Service. Self.
I find that when God comes first, He makes everything else fall into place. I have been in the Army 10 years now. 4 deployments. Commanded 2 units. I believe I have been faithful to God all these years, and he has never once let me down.
He has seen me through a lot, and I know so long as I continue to put Him first–he will never fail me.
Chance
In addition to being uncomfortable with the Pledge because of the whole “serving two masters thing,” I personally feel that the Pledge of Allegiance constitutes an oath, which Jesus warns against in Matthew 5. The Quaker and Anabaptist tradition have a long history of refusing to swear oaths, whether of allegiance to a nation or to tell the truth in court. “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.” So while I don’t say the Pledge, I do affirm my identity as an American (though that is getting more and more difficult to do these days).
Chance, its curious you put family before mission …
Hi Brian, I don’t know if you follow Tim Gombis or not, but he and others like Michael Gorman have influenced me in making these kinds of decisions, mainly by pointing out the implications of our practices and how they affect the mission. Tim has quoted Gorman’s work on Revelation at his blog recently, as well as participated in lectures in which he has said McKnight’s and Modica’s new book tracks with closely. You may be thinking you can limit your own allegience in your own mind, but this has to do more with what that flag stands for, and how others are interpreting what you are doing, and all this in a historical context at the moment. I am finding there is no chain of allegience in the Bible as espoused by a responder above. Everything is spoken in relationship to the new thing done in Christ that now exists and how it is to relate to those authorities that happen to exist. Jesus is already demonstrating that one might have to give up one’s own family to follow him. And the “self” simply has to die.
All you have to do is read how the church has understood Paul in Romans 13 to get an idea that it has no idea why he puts those words where he does. The idea of “dual citizenship” or dual allegiences” is not what is happening there. These new studies are the best yet, and those like Gombis are at least helping us understand that.
I liken the ekklesia as an embassy of the kingdom of God, representing that kingdom to a world’s kingdom by its embassadors. No embassy sets out to deliberately destabilize the nation in which it sits; rather it shows it the respect due it (as the host has the power to snuff you out); but if that embassy represents what is coming in an inviting manner, it is the nation that will detect whether it wants that representation amongst its own people. Depending on how threatened they feel towards that embassy will determine whether the relationship will be peaceful or not. As Kavin Rowe points out in World Upside Down, the Roman representatives simply didn’t have the understanding of what was happening to render decisions about this new thing, of whether it would adversely affect their domain at that moment. Later it would. However, Judaism did recognize the implications to its own identity at the time Paul is preaching. Others found out when their economic model was affected – and they reacted.
From that vantage point, I don’t see “good citizenship” in Paul’s call as the reason to subject oneself to the authority. That authority has its purposes in God at the moment where the kingdom of God has not yet displaced it, by the consummation. It is our responsibility to discern just where our citizenship to the kingdom of God, given what it reflects, will be compromised by how much we participate in the life of the nation in which we reside.
America in particular to the Christian story is founded on a bunch of confusion that combines myths of its “Christian” founding, and an axiom that I find best expressed in a militia flag: “Don’t Tread on Me,” an expression as far opposite a Crucified Messiah and his followers as there ever can be. I know all nations really do this, but America seems right now to be the best expression of it. Christians have to understand their times and situation to really be effective witnesses to their Lord.
Let me be clear: I do not hate America. It is a worldly nation after all, doing what all worldly nations do – protect its significance and security. What I hate is how much I have to convince my fellow Christian brethren just how damaging to the mission their confusion about their place and call is. I live the implications every day in discussions about the kingdom of God with those who can’t see Christ through all that confusion.
I have very ambivalent thinking going on right now. Just some thoughts.
Rahab betrayed her people and if we assume Divine inspiration is valid, it was a Divinely good act because of the dichotomy between the Midianites and the Jews in that era.
Nero and some other Romans persecuted the Body of Christ as do some governments in our era. Why would I pledge or demonstrate any allegiance to them? Just a question.
So, I come to the USA. Why is the USA different? Are we infallible? Nope. Can we become as evil as Stalin’s Russia? Yes. Do we do wrong stuff as a nation? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Could this nation persecute the church someday? Yes .
I am just thinking out loud, but, right now I tend to think I should obey the laws, pray for the leaders and avoid maligning the leaders UNTIL such time as I discern some laws are at odds with God’s intent for me.
Pledging or demonstrating allegiance or loyalty to me is above and beyond this.
Would I do anything to harm citizens here? No, not unless I am faced with a Rahab experience, at which point my nationality would mean <0 to me.
Andrew, I put family before mission because I have seen the effect of putting mission ahead of everything else–and that is strained marriages, adultery, and divorce (mostly in that order).
When I lead Soldiers, God is first in my life–they know this. But they also know that their families and mine are second, and they have a lot of peace knowing that I give such a strong effort to their families. Making their home-life peaceful translates directly to a more focused and effective Soldier.
Believe me: if their home-life is squared away, mission prep goes far more smoothly, and actually takes significantly less effort. That said, this does not mean that I slack of on my own mission prep. Again, lives are on the line. Still, if my home life is squared away, it’s a lot easier for me to think about the mission, and give it the proper time, analysis, and planning it deserves.
From the enlisted perspective (Marine Sgt), I wholeheartedly agree with Chance about family and God before mission.
Regarding the topic, I have become significantly less ‘patriotic’ after havign served in the military in Iraq. I don’t like what went on over there. Nevertheless, my national allegiance (something which ranks far lower than other allegiances) is obviously with America as opposed to any other countries. I am not sure I like the practice of having young kids pledge allegiance to their government. I don’t like the practice, it won’t be an integral part of my kids’ education.
John M, I love the US Marine corps. I served along both the US Army (mostly helicopter pilots though FACAs and TACPs too) and the US Marines in Afghanistan. There are few forces in the world, that do what US marines do – American should be proud of the tireless work their armed forces do at the behest of your government, often in difficult circumstances and without complaint.
I celebrated the Marine Corps’ 234th birthday at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province, and I believe I was the only non-American in camp. It was an honour. The US Marine Corps presented me with a coin for my unwavering commitment to them in support of their mission. This, I highly value.
(TACPs were US Air Force, I think)
The theological problems start when you’re ordered to kill people and do things and the outcomes may be good for the USA and evil. That has happened before and will again all the while we’ve done intrinsic good stuff as well.
The current persecution of the church in most the “Arab spring” states( as well as Iraq) along with a small black African localized holocaust in Libya(unreported by US media) and uber chaos involving sectarian revenge should not have been caused by believing Christians.
Yet, what choice do we have if we are currently serving? Was an AF pilot to get jailed for refusing to join a campaign? We just cannot know when orders are received that serve the selfish interests of a state as opposed to self defense causes and usually there is a mix. Of course our pr campaign will always state we’re “fighting for freedom”.
I share John M’s view now and have a Christian young man who works with me who is currently suffering from serving in Iraq. Suffering spiritually. Afghanistan, that one is more black and white and that’s rare.
Oh, if you could only learn how NOT black and white Afghanistan is! : )
No one said Afghanistan was black or white. Please do not presume …
‘Afghanistan, that one is more black and white and that’s rare.’
^The comment directly above mine, which was apparently posted by ‘no one.’ I don’t think I’m being all that presumptuous.
Apologies then. I missed that.
Not really, though it can be argued that pledging allegiance to a flag is a dubious activity on several grounds. It’s one of the reasons why I stopped saying the Pledge at the age of 13 or so. You are not worshipping the flag, and for the Pledge to be called idolatry, it would have to call for worship. Moreover, the flag represents the nation. What you are saying is that you pledge your allegiance to the nation of which the flag is the potent symbol. Americans have long fetishized the flag for a variety of patriotic reasons, partly because we felt the need, given our short history and lack of long-standing and vital institutions, such as a monarchy, to come up with other things to revere and respect, and the flag has been one of them. Most religious Americans see no conflict between serving God and serving the nation. (Good grief, look at the Old Testament on that subject!). In fact, they feel that intense patriotism and deep respect for the flag are part and parcel of the conservative agenda they espouse. However, I don’t like the Pledge, not because I don’t love my country — I do — but because I question its premises. If you love your country but it’s doing wrong, you may not be able to maintain your allegiance and it may be that you cannot, morally and ethically speaking. We certainly didn’t want Germans to maintain allegiance to THEIR country during World War II. We wanted them to do the decent and moral thing and help the Allies defeat Germany.