Saturday, July 21, 2012

I LOVE MY COUNTRY PASSIONATELY

I love my country passionately; that is why I want to see it do right.  There is a valid place for a sensible patriotism.  But from a Christian point of view, true patriotism acknowledges God's sovereignty over the nations, and holds a healthy respect for God's judgment on the pretensions of any power that seeks to impose its will on others.  There is a place for a sense of destiny as a nation.  But it can be authentically embraced and pursued only if we separate ourselves from the legacy of the combat myth and "enter a long twilight struggle against what is evil in ourselves."*  There is a divine vocation for the United States (and every nation) to perform in human affairs.  But it can perform that task, paradoxically, only by abandoning its messianic zeal and accepting a more limited role within the family of nations.

(Engaging the Powers - Walter Wink, p. 31)
* Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil - Robert Jewett
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4 comments:

  1. Russ ManleyJuly 21, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    While I agree in general with the thoughts in these two quotes from Wink - and there is indeed a very sad, very disturbing confusion on the political right of Christianity with Americanism - once again to borrow the words of the right reverend gentleman from South Carolina, what exactly and precisely does the coded phrase "messianic zeal" mean here?

    I abhor slippery thinking on both sides of the spectrum as much as any other misdemeanor.

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    Replies
    1. June ButlerJuly 21, 2012 at 6:09 PM

      Russ, it seems fairly obvious to me from our interventions all over the globe that the mindset of the leadership (to one extent or another) and a good portion of the followship in the country is that it's up to the US to save the world.

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    2. LindyJuly 21, 2012 at 8:31 PM

      Is this in responses to the readings this morning (for you) about the authorities?

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  2. June ButlerJuly 21, 2012 at 8:47 PM

    Lindy, since I had no words when I first heard about the shootings in Colorado, I let Walter Wink speak for me. This post is the third of three. The others are here and here. Our refusal to accept sensible gun laws is only a symptom of the wider culture of "redemptive violence" which pervades our country. The US is not alone, but we have the most powerful armory.

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