We have entered the time of year referred to in the Christian calendar as the Advent Season. This season focuses on two important moments in history. First, it recalls the period of time when the Jewish community was long awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Having experienced slavery, oppression, and captivity throughout their history, their hope for a deliverer became more intense.
The prophetic writings in the Hebrew Scriptures gave them a sense of optimism that history as they knew and experienced it was coming to a close.
The other important moment is that of the Christian community preparing for the return of Jesus who had already lived on the earth for a period of over thirty years. Jesus had promised His disciples that He would return to earth. He never specified any particular moment for this to occur. He even went as far as saying that He Himself did not know the day or the hour of His return. But Christians since the first century have been preparing for His return.
In the spirit of the Advent Season, I draw your attention to an important question. The question applies to Christians in general, spread throughout the world, and more specifically to Christians living in America, a country which many Christians naively believe was founded on Christian principles, and values.
This question is important, because for us as Christians, we expect the coming of He who is not only God's chosen Messiah, but also the coming ruler of the entire world, and it generates questions of ultimate allegiance and fidelity.
The question is should Christians participate in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the USA, or for that matter of any other nation? The Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. In 1954, the words "under God" were added to the Pledge. Ironically enough, Bellamy was an ordained Baptist minister. I am not sure if he was able to foresee the manner in which American patriotism would be equated with the Christian Gospel. In fact, I'm not even sure that this was his intention when he wrote the Pledge.
This writer (yours truly) respectfully submits that to pledge allegiance to the flag of any nation is a form of idolatry. There mere fact that the allegiance is given to an inanimate object such as a rag with different colors (stars and stripes) takes away the focus of what should be our true allegiance. I know that some people will submit or argue that the Pledge of Allegiance is a "sign of respect" for the nation. However, I and I'm sure other Christian believers, are persuaded that the best way to show respect for the country is by abiding by their laws to the extent that the laws do not conflict with our beliefs and practices as a Christian community. In other words, we abide by the laws as long as they do not require us to do something which is contrary to a higher law, i.e. the law of God.
The other problem with the issue of the Pledge of Allegiance (at least from a USA standpoint) is that it is linked with blind patriotism, which leads those who practice the Pledge to believe that God is on the side of America and against everyone else who does not believe the way we do. It is almost like saying that God is American and identifies with the ethos and the values of the American nation. This amounts to what one scholar referred to as "civil religion."
What, or who, then, should we Christians in America be pledging their allegiance to? This writer strongly believes that our allegiance should be exclusively to Jesus the Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. We are reminded in the Scriptures time after time, that God will not share His glory with any one. Since we believe that Jesus is God incarnated, we are called to pledge our allegiance to Him and not to share that allegiance with any one or anything else. All other commitments that we make on earth with fellow-humans is secondary and subordinate to the allegiance of our Lord
and Savior.
As we continue in the spirit of the Advent Season, let us remember that it is our Lord whom we are waiting for, and not any human system or government that requires our allegiance or fidelity. In the final book of the Bible we are reminded that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.
Our allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth supersedes all other earthly allegiances. God has given Him a name which is above every other name, so that at the Name of Jesus the Christ, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God.
To God in Christ be the glory, now and forever. Amen!
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen!
Feel free to comment. Your contributions are welcome.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
I agree with much of what you have written but have come to a different conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI say the pledge of allegiance. Moreover, I feel an obligation to work toward making the United States the best country it can be because of the many things it has given me and my family, and the sacrifices made by so many to build this country. And I can't ignore the deaths and injuries suffered by those who have fought to protect the country.
My allegiance isn't blind; it's not my country right or wrong. I see its faults; I know that it's not as democratic as it should be, that it doesn't provide the same equality of opportunity to all, and that we don't all share the same level of freedom.
To make the United States the best country it can be for the generations to come, we can't simply obey its laws; rather, we must do the hard work to overcome its faults and protect it from its enemies.
Gary Dudley
Hello Gary: Thank you for your response. Your feedback was very insightful and also very valuable. You gave us lot to think about. My own position, from a theological standpoint, is that to pledge allegiance to an inanimate multi-colored piece of cloth, regardless of what nation it represents, amounts to idolatry. Pledging allegiance to our nation is an entirely different subject. We can demonstrate allegiance not by a mechanical or robotic recitation of a pledge, but rather by the way we treat each other, i.e. with justice, love, and respect. Your insights on the faults of our country (every country has its faults) are so helpful. Thank you for this. Regardless of what country we live in, we should strive to make it the best country it can be. I certainly appreciate your participation in this discourse. You have a lot to offer to the dialogue. I look forward to continue hearing from you.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace,
Juan Ayala-Carmona