In almost 50 years of living, I had never known the feeling I experienced while sitting in the middle of thousands of other people, something I had done many times before. It wasn’t my country, but still, how could this be? Before every game I had ever attended while growing up, we had stood and honored the flag that represented our country. By the time our national anthem started, basically everyone in attendance was standing at attention with their hands over their hearts and their hats removed. Many sang along. Not here, though. I wasn’t even a citizen of their country, yet somehow I felt badly about remaining seated while their anthem played. Hardly a soul was paying attention. No reverence. No pride. In fact, the fans almost seemed annoyed that the game was being delayed by the insertion of an anthem in the middle of a flood of pop rock.
The national pastor with me explained that there was no real sense of patriotism in his country. Its founding story was interesting history but nothing of which to be proud. It wasn’t that they refused to participate in the pre-game recognition or that they had grown tired of the tradition. There was no tradition to get tired of. They never really had known patriotism the way we Americans understand it.
We must admit patriotism is fading in America, as well, as evidenced by the most recent NFL football season. Many citizens have decided they don’t feel good about honoring their country anymore because it no longer properly represents them. A case in point is the actions of many NFL players who kneel or otherwise show disrespect for the flag during the performance of the national anthem. It becomes a most obvious and valid question to ask how bad America really is when many of these protesting NFL players survived a childhood of poverty, broken homes, and the like yet are able to be among the top 10 percent of wage earners in this nation.
We independent Baptists have always been a patriotic bunch, but we must be careful how we criticize those who refuse to honor the flag that represents our historically great nation. The reasons may be different, but our country is rapidly ceasing to represent us, as well. This is nowhere near the same version of America I was born into, much less the version our founding fathers handed down to their children. Could we be next in line to refuse to salute a flag that represents a country passing laws that mock the very God Who birthed it?
It is my opinion that such a time will come. It could well happen in my lifetime, but there is little question that it will be a challenge for the coming generation. I confess that I don’t have solid answers for how to handle it. However, when faced with uncertainty in my life, I’ve always benefited from going back to what I do know and then standing on the truths that I know to be bedrock. Maybe these can be helpful as you also struggle with these challenges.
Nations are biblical.
From Genesis to Revelation, God recognizes nations. They are not optional. People were known and generally dealt with based, in part, on their nationality. God promised to make Abraham a nation. He chose the institution of a nation to officially represent His name on the earth, as well as through which to send His promised Messiah. He went to great lengths using prophets and kings in order to guide and even to correct His nation. We are a people who value the church, but before there was ever a church, He chose a nation. God seemed always to see people as part of a nation, so I personally assume that He sees me the same way, leading me not to take my nationality too lightly.
We must obey God even when it conflicts with man’s law.
This seems self-evident, but Peter made it clear whose order came first (Acts 5:29). If there is conflict, God must have our highest allegiance. All of us love having nice church facilities, but if the loss of tax-exempt status means no more church buildings, our allegiance to God comes before buildings. Once our government demands that we act against the dictates of our God, we or our children may be called upon to open up the next volume of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. America is losing its stomach for anything that dares sound absolute. Thus, those who stand passionately on the Word of God will be scorned as unashamedly absolute. That will not long be tolerated in this rapidly shifting quicksand called political correctness.
America is still the freest nation from which to carry out missions.
While we may be losing some of our freedom to evangelize our own nation, we still have considerable liberty to earn money and send surrendered Christians to other nations as missionaries. That is a priceless liberty that doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy at the moment. Whatever evil ends up woven into the fabric of American culture, we can count on some measure of protection and favor from our God as long as we carry out the Great Commission He left to His church. It is a shame to think that some would spend more passion complaining about our country than they spend on the opportunities that still exist in reaching other nations.
The darker the night, the brighter the light.
As America loses the shine of God’s blessing it once enjoyed as a nation, its Christian citizens have an opportunity to make up the difference by shining more brightly. We should not look at ourselves as simply having greater knowledge because we have the Bible. Our lives must illustrate superior solutions (Matthew 5:16). Our acceptance of God’s Word makes us salt and light. The way we live our lives, however, determines the effectiveness of the salt and the brightness of the light. Gospel inoculation will become a thing of the past, and the Good News will appear fresh and new again, especially when given by those whose lives evidence the power of the Gospel.
A test of discipleship will come.
The “playbook” mega churches will not be the only ones suffering once being a Christian in America comes at a cost. Many independent Baptist churches will be surprised at how few will remain once real sacrifice is demanded of their members. Too many follow a model of consumerism, obtaining participation and cooperation from members by arranging everything around their tastes and convenience. A church that can only obtain an adequate song service by offering specific styles is often a church that has difficulty getting more than 50 percent of its members back on Sunday or Wednesday night (the problem is not the style as much as it is the justification for the style). Plenty of independent Baptist churches drop standards simply because they are “not in the book” in order to build participation. The cost of these concessions will not likely be felt until we discover too late that we created a model for discipleship that was actually powered by consumerism. Eliminating as many demands as possible sets our churches up for failure that won’t be revealed until our country makes it difficult to name the name of Christ.
I do not know how patriotism will play out in the coming years, but these are some of the truths I’m counting on as I guide Bible Baptist Church through the dangerous waters ahead. I love my country, and I believe I always will. It is still worth fighting for, whether in the middle of a platoon or behind a pulpit. I still count myself among those who get a little teary-eyed when I stand with thousands of other Americans and place my hand over my heart out of respect for the land I love because it is also the land that God has so richly blessed. God bless America.