Faithful Citizens

In May of last year, a 13-star American flag used during James Buchanan’s campaign for president in 1856 set an auction record when it sold to a Pennsylvania antique business for $275,000. It’s not uncommon for historical U.S. flags to sell for more than $20,000, particularly if they have fewer stars than the current version and are from the era before 1912 when the federal government standardized the design.

When it comes to putting a value on old Old Glories, it’s actually better if the flags show age and usage, which makes flags an anomaly in the world of collectibles, where for most things, “mint condition” increases value. When it comes to flags, early vintage, faded colors and obvious wear and tear push the cost up.

All of this may be of some interest this week with Independence Day, which celebrates our flag and the republic for which it stands. So on this Sunday right before July 4, we have good reason to think about the things Independence Day represents and how they interact with our faith.

While we can gratefully acknowledge that many ideals of the Christian heritage formed the foundations of our country, there’s always a danger in equating Christianity and our republic. They are not the same thing. And when we mush them together, some bad things can be done for political or national reasons under the name of God, which, in fact, God would not condone, let alone bless.

But it is right and proper that here in church, we should be thankful that we live in our republic, and we should pray for those Christians who face persecution under other kinds of government.

Let’s also remember that our republic has done a great service for Christians. Our civil liberties, the Bill of Rights, the freedom of minorities, our right to dissent and even the separation of church and state, all contribute to an environment where it is safe to be a Christian.

So well does our republic serve us in our faith, as well as in most parts of our lives, that we generally take it for granted. But today, let’s think about the principles of our representative democracy that have Christian equivalents.

The first is that representative democracy, like Christianity, puts values on individuals. Abraham Lincoln called our system “a government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Our government operates on the idea that an individual (who has sometimes been called “the smallest minority”) should have an influential voice in how they are governed and who governs them. Thomas Jefferson wrote that, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.”

Today’s lesson from Deuteronomy speaks of God as one who values persons. God “executes justice for the orphan and the widow … and loves the stranger.” And Jesus, speaking about the Sabbath rules, said, “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of the people” (Mark 2:27, CEV).

A second parallel is that both Christianity and representative democracies recognize a loyalty higher than that to the state. As people who are governed by laws and required to pay taxes, we might think that a republic tolerates no other loyalty but, in fact, it does. Our founders built in a system of checks and balances so that no part of the government should become too powerful. Under our Constitution, we are not voiceless slaves of our government, and while our system does not operate flawlessly, there is built-in tolerance for choices made by individual conscience, protected by our Bill of Rights and by the courts. Our government allows opposition parties. It protects free speech, even when such speech is critical of our government and its officials.

The New Testament advises followers of Jesus to be good citizens, but it reminds us that we are citizens of a higher world as well. Our citizenship in God’s kingdom tells us that when something our government is doing is wrong, then that higher allegiance is our authority to speak up and act.

A third parallel is that both our democracy and Christianity, when practiced rightly, care not only about the liberty of individuals, but also about their equality. Equality as an ideal was stated boldly in our Declaration of Independence – “All men are created equal” – but it took three amendments to the Constitution (13, 15 and 19), as well as the Civil Rights Act, to extend that to all. In America today, equality still sometimes falls through the proverbial cracks, but the ideal is there in our system of government, and that is a big difference between a democracy and a dictatorship.

This egalitarian impulse is echoed in our faith. Consider the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus, which reminds us that Jesus did not consider the rich of more worth than the poor. When Peter explained Christianity to the Gentiles gathered at the house of Cornelius, one of the things he said was that “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34).

Here’s a final parallel: For Christianity and democracy to work, they both need responsible citizens. The point should be obvious. But consider what happens to a republic when its citizens won’t run for public office, won’t vote, won’t work for the common good, duck paying taxes and mistreat others. Now consider what happens when Christians won’t volunteer at church, won’t give to the church, won’t practice their faith, and won’t love their neighbors.

Both our country and our faith need sincere practitioners. Nationally, we need a citizenry committed to making the ideals of liberty the practices of life in America. In order for the church to be faithful to its mission, followers of Jesus must be committed to making the ideals of the kingdom of God the practices of daily life.

This is not an either-or situation. Christians everywhere are citizens of two countries, one on earth and one in eternity. The sovereign realm of God is not yet fully come, but it’s already in effect. Our two citizenships can neither be fully united nor fully separated. We cannot withdraw from the world and pretend we are somehow dwelling only in the commonwealth of God now; nor can we simply embrace the world and assume earthly governments fulfill God’s will. Those are extremes, and they are unbiblical.

Some years ago, a pastor in Nepal was imprisoned for preaching the gospel in that predominantly Hindu nation. It was not a happy situation for him, but here’s what he said about the Christians there: “Even though we are persecuted, we who are Christians pride ourselves on being the best citizens our king has. We try to be faithful to the fullest extent we can. We love our country – but we love God more.”

The kingdom of God and a democratic republic are not the same thing and should not be confused with each other.

But good governments impose a necessary structure on life and help to restrain evil practices. And our form of government, while far from perfect, provides a framework for a good life and the free practice of our faith.

There have been efforts every so often to remove the phrase “under God” from our Pledge of Allegiance. Many of us are glad those words are there. But when we say “one nation under God,” we should do so humbly, never implying that America is God’s chosen country over all others. All people everywhere are invited to be in God’s kingdom, but some governmental structures lend themselves to the free exercise of faith better than others.

Let us thank God for the republic in which we live and the flag for which it stands, and the freedom it makes possible. And let us strive to be good citizens of this country, knowing that as we work for the common good of all, we are being good citizens of God’s kingdom as well.