Guest guest Posted September 28, 2001 Report Share Posted September 28, 2001 Devotion for Tuesday, September 25, 2001 written by Rev. Piazza Last week at our staff meeting the church staff struggled with the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Clearly the first is a virtue, but the later a sin. It seems to me that the difference between patriotism and nationalism is similar to the difference between faith and fundamentalist. The fundamentalist believes that God is on their side, while people of faith believe in a God who is on everyone's side. As Christians Jesus taught us that God is particularly biased toward the poor, the hurting, and the marginalized. Judaism and Islam both have similar strains. As people of faith we would be arrogant not to be grateful for all the gifts our nation has given us. What we must struggle against is sliding into nationalism where we believe that: * American's are God's favorite people, * That other cultures/nations/faiths are defective and inferior to ours. * That we can act independently without considering the consequences of our action on the rest of the world. This is not the time to rehearse the short-comings of our country, but neither is it the time to act as if we have none. Now is the time to support our country, but our support must not blind us to larger values. As a Christian my first allegiance is to God and my first obligation is to uphold the principles of Christ. I do not think that precludes patriotism, but it must shape my patriotism. Nationalism shapes our faith to fit whatever might benefit us. It is the kind of thing that leads politicians to declare that God is on our side and imply that God is against them. The truth is that God is on the side of justice, peace, and compassion. So long as we remain on God's side we cannot lose. Resisting this overwhelming wave of nationalism which is sweeping our country is difficult. Early Christians were executed, not because they were bad citizens, but because they refused to put their loyalty to Caesar above their devotion to God. The cultural religion which blends God and country as if they are synonymous harm both faith and country. Make no mistake, we owe a debt of gratitude and devotion to this country, but we owe our souls to God. We dare not get those two things confused. Believing we are God's chosen and God will fight with us is exactly what lead to this tragedy. Believing God is greater than hate or fear or division is all that will ultimately bring us healing. O God, each day I feel the pressure around me to conform to values that do not conform to Jesus. Give me the courage to choose Jesus, only then will I be a good citizen, human, and Christian. Amen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2001 Report Share Posted September 28, 2001 Devotion for Tuesday, September 25, 2001 written by Rev. Piazza Last week at our staff meeting the church staff struggled with the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Clearly the first is a virtue, but the later a sin. It seems to me that the difference between patriotism and nationalism is similar to the difference between faith and fundamentalist. The fundamentalist believes that God is on their side, while people of faith believe in a God who is on everyone's side. As Christians Jesus taught us that God is particularly biased toward the poor, the hurting, and the marginalized. Judaism and Islam both have similar strains. As people of faith we would be arrogant not to be grateful for all the gifts our nation has given us. What we must struggle against is sliding into nationalism where we believe that: * American's are God's favorite people, * That other cultures/nations/faiths are defective and inferior to ours. * That we can act independently without considering the consequences of our action on the rest of the world. This is not the time to rehearse the short-comings of our country, but neither is it the time to act as if we have none. Now is the time to support our country, but our support must not blind us to larger values. As a Christian my first allegiance is to God and my first obligation is to uphold the principles of Christ. I do not think that precludes patriotism, but it must shape my patriotism. Nationalism shapes our faith to fit whatever might benefit us. It is the kind of thing that leads politicians to declare that God is on our side and imply that God is against them. The truth is that God is on the side of justice, peace, and compassion. So long as we remain on God's side we cannot lose. Resisting this overwhelming wave of nationalism which is sweeping our country is difficult. Early Christians were executed, not because they were bad citizens, but because they refused to put their loyalty to Caesar above their devotion to God. The cultural religion which blends God and country as if they are synonymous harm both faith and country. Make no mistake, we owe a debt of gratitude and devotion to this country, but we owe our souls to God. We dare not get those two things confused. Believing we are God's chosen and God will fight with us is exactly what lead to this tragedy. Believing God is greater than hate or fear or division is all that will ultimately bring us healing. O God, each day I feel the pressure around me to conform to values that do not conform to Jesus. Give me the courage to choose Jesus, only then will I be a good citizen, human, and Christian. Amen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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