Comments on: Is it Christian to love your country?

By: David

David — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 01:16:22 +0000

Just as we love the sinner, not the sin we can love our country and not the dark side of our history. https://tacticalchristianity.org/is-love-of-country-biblical/
“In recent years, conservatives have been accused of being intolerant, discriminating, and prejudiced by declaring that America is the greatest country ever while looking down on everyone else. Some might feel this way, but I believe the overwhelming majority of patriots who love Christ love all people and respect their culture, history, and traditions. There is nothing wrong with having a deep sense of appreciation for everything good in a nation as long as it does not include the attitudes of arrogance associated with supremacy or hostility against those from other cultures. The “God and Country” ideology is still very dear to most Americans and should be, as the red stripes of our flag represent valor and the precious blood of those who paid for our independence.” “Remembering the Cost of Our Independence” by Dr. William Holland July 16, 2024

By: Gary Liederbach

Gary Liederbach — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 13:47:04 +0000

I am a United Methodist Elder. The first church I pastored was small country church and the majority of them were senior citizens. When I walked I the church I noticed they had pictures of members and family members of the church who were veterans hanging on the wall along the back and side of the church. They had hung them there one year for a Memorial Day service and ever took them down. In the front of the church behind the prayer rail and altar to the right of the cross that hung in the center of the front wall, stood a large American flag on a pole in a brass stand. I was appointed tot the church in June and I was only there a few weeks when I led my first service during the July 4th. I can still remember the opening hymn for that service that Sunday was “Amazing Grace.” A powerful hymn and a popular hymn, and the congregation sat in their pews as they sung it, most from memory, looking around at their neighbors and the woman leading the singing. Because it was the July Fourth Sunday, the next hymn they sang was “God Bless America.” Ad as soon as the sweet lady behind the piano began playing the melody of the song, the whole atmosphere in the church changed to, I hate to say it, one of deep reverence and importance. The whole congregation left their pew seats and stood up. They placed their hands over their hearts, stopped glancing at their neighbors, their eyes focused forward on the American Flag up front, and they sang louder and with more passion to this song than they did to the great hymn of the faith before it. And I remember thinking to myself, if somehow it was possible for someone to walk into that church who knew nothing about Christianity or the USA; maybe someone from outer space who had no idea what the cross or the American flag meant. And they simply observed the church service and the congregation and its worship; Who or what would they perceive as the reason the church was gathered and the main focus their worship was directed towards? It would not be the cross and what ever it stood for, but the American Flag and what it stood for.

Or if a person from another country attended that church with the veteran’s pictures on the wall and flag up front, how comfortable would they be in that service?

This troubled me. Now being a pastor and only at that church a few weeks, I knew that If I pointed this out to them, was critical of it, and ordered the removal of the American Flag from up front and the taking down of the pictures of the veterans from the walls, it would be suicidal to my ministry there. So Prayed, Loved the congregations, and waited until I had enough ethos and a relationship with them to make a point. When Christmas came, the ladies of the church set up a large and beautiful nativity scene in the front of the church near the altar. One Sunday morning before the service, I took a small American flag, and I stood it up in the nativity seen behind the manger that baby Jesus was laying in surrounded by Mary and Joseph. As the ladies who set up the nativity scene and the congregations came in that morning, they saw the nativity scene and the flag stuck in it and they complained to me and said, “Why did you put that American flag there? Jesus was not American. The flag does not belong there.” I said, ”Exactly!” And motioned with my head to the flag at the front of the church.

By: Eddie Richardson

Eddie Richardson — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 22:40:05 +0000

Thanks Mike for these words and the reminder of my true citizenship.

By: MarkO

MarkO — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 19:06:16 +0000

Thanks Mike. I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Philippians which challenged and convicted me recently (Chapter 3, NIV): “[follow] my example, … as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. … Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.”
Thanks again.

By: Bob Roberts

Bob Roberts — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:50:06 +0000

Mike you have freed me! I don’t love Australia either! There I’ve said it! Just kiddin’ ya mate

By: Greg Memberto

Greg Memberto — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 16:02:51 +0000

Love is overused, agreed. The Biblical Love is much different than I love chocolate covered raisins or I love the Dodgers. I can honestly say I love my country. Not because it’s better than New Zealand or Syria. I love the country I was born in because the way it was set up, by, though they were not Christian men, they understood the principals that made up the Christian values. I love the country because, up until a number of years ago, we were able to set aside differences and work through political questions for the good of the country. I do not love my country because it is PERFECT. I do not love my country because it has DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT and TREATED ALL OF ITS CITIZENS FAIRLY. I do love the fact that I am able to worship God, or not, in the way I choose. I love my country because I am able to attend a fellowship of believers as often as I choose without fear of harm or persecution. I do fear that with some more progressive minded thinking, that freedom is in jeopardy. But for now, intake. And most of all, I love Jesus Christ and how He lived His life as an example to me and what He did on the Cross and how His Father in Heaven resurrected Him on the third day so I can have all the freedom of knowing I am part of His family, which ever country I love being in.

By: Marty Schoenleber Jr.

Marty Schoenleber Jr. — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 14:07:08 +0000

Good piece Michael. Thanks for it.

By: Richard Lawton

Richard Lawton — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 12:22:14 +0000

Well said. Thank you.

By: Frederick

Frederick — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 08:56:45 +0000

Nice.
I have traveled few countries, and as a young adult took great pride of my country and region where I lived.
However, as I travelled, i noticed other cultures had, what we didn’t.
Born in the richer parts of Western Europe, I had always assumed that other countries were poorer, thus must suck to live there.
My idea was so warped to believe that USA was like heaven, not knowing that a lot of places in USA are more looking like third world countries, than the spectacular Hollywood I thought it to be!

As I became a Christian, I started to see the pride of my country, and the errors in our culture. What’s more, the Lord allowed an annoying pest to sweep the land, in the form of ..foreigners…
These foreigners were illiterate on the Belgian customs and traditions, and didn’t love the culture at all.
A great divide happened, and more and more did I feel like an alien in my own country. I could not identify with the racistic, too lawful citizen of my country. I hated my country. It was not at all like the Christian values I’ve learned!

And I moved to a poorer place on Earth, where the laws are more generous, and there still is more freedom to do what you want to do.
Where I live now, is not perfect, but closer to the ideal, of heaven on Earth, than where I come from.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 05:11:56 +0000

Couldn’t agree more. Well said.