On the What does it mean to “die for your country?” thread, David H. left this thought-provoking comment:
The problem for me is that I can’t find where Christ allows national interests to be part of the equation on the value of any human life. If Christ is my King, if his kingdom is my ultimate citizenship, then I must have different allegiances and values…
My problem is with the leaders blindly pursuing “American interests” regardless of the cost to others. Has their effort made the world a better or safer place? How many wars need to be fought before they learn that violence, whether pre-emptive or reactionary (if the difference can even be told anymore), only results in more violence?
David raises an important question. Is national interest an acceptable moral bottom line, for the United States or for any nation?
06-07-2007 |
33 Comments »al·le·giance
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 2006
Over the last few years, I have been struggling with the question “Should a follower of Jesus pledge allegiance to a nation-state?” Growing up in a conservative American household, I never questioned that it was the duty of every patriotic citizen to say the pledge. Hundreds of times in school, at sporting events, and even in church, I proudly placed my hand over my heart and promised my loyalty to “the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.”
But as I have begun to understand more clearly the radical anti-imperial message of Jesus and as I have learned more about the life and convictions of the Early Church, I have grown increasingly uneasy with this pledge.
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05-22-2007 |
24 Comments »