Thursday, November 15, 2001

Bible Verses Related to Citizenship

These are the verses that go with the Christianity and Patriotism essay that I posted.

Genesis 12:2 "I will make you into a great nation...." -- spoken to an individual about his progeny, not to a nation about its might.

Psalm 33:12-22 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those who hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

1 Peter 2:13-17 "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

Exodus 19:5 "of all nations you will be my treasured"

Psalm 96:3 "Declare his glory among the nations,

Jeremiah 29:5-7 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

Matthew 22:17-22 "'Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is is right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, 'You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.' They brought him a denarius, and he asked them,'Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?' 'Caesar's,' they replied. Then he said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's' When they heard this they were amazed. So they left him and went away."

Romans 13:1-7 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for their is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect, if honor, then honor."

Ezra 7:26 "Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment." (see Pro. 24:21) [look up Daniel and nebechadnezzer asking him to bow down before him -- this was a note to myself, but, heck, i'll leave it in.]

Ecclesiastes 8:2 "Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God."

Matthew 17:27 "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, ...

Philippians 3:20 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,..."

Ephesians 2:19 "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,..."

Hebrews 13:14 "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come."

John 15:19 "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 18:36-37 "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'"

2 Corinthians 10:3 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does."

2 Corinthians 10:7 "You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he."

1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

1 Timothy 2:1 "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Christianity and Patriotism

This is a repost of a repost. This article was originally published on my meg.dunn.net site (which has long since expired). It was then republished in the Christian Community group here on Multiply. I started that group back in September 2004, but I've decided to remove myself from there and focus on my DandelionWine site instead. So I'm reposting several reposts that I had put there over to here.

I originally posted this in November 2001 so no promises on the links.

Christianity and Patriotism *

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, and to the nation for which it stands...."

Many of us learned those words in first grade about the same time we learned the words to, "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith. His name is my name too." We didn't give a lot of thought to what we were saying. In fact, I have seen comics in which kids say the pledge with all the wrong words... and its funny because we know we probably did the same as children. We had no true sense of what we were saying. We just tried to get the sounds and syllables right.

There's no "Confirmation" point for our national allegiance (except, perhaps, in times of war). We don't generally have our allegiance questioned or tested. Its often just expected (a dormant dragon waiting to be roused by some catastrophe or Olympic sporting event). And because our allegiance is rarely questioned, we often don't weigh our own thoughts and attitudes, or actions, in regards to our allegiance. Are we devoted to our country? Do we feel obligated to it? How deeply do we align ourselves with our nationality (a confusing term in America where most of us consider ourselves something not American in terms of nationality -- "Kiss me. I'm Irish.").

allegiance n. Devotion; loyalty; as, allegiance to science.

Just as a child who is raised in the church, still needs to come to a point where they actually decide for themselves whether they will fully embrace the God of their parents (hence, Confirmation, or in some denominations, Baptism), so the children of America should, if they desire to be people of integrity, question their own relationship to their nation. This is especially true of Christians who reside in America (and I'm sure true of Christians in any country... but obviously I'm harping on Americans because I am one... besides, isn't it an American trait to be completely self-centered and ignorant? Woops, that's a bunny trail, now isn't it?)

The question, when boiled down to its core, is, "Can a Christian, a follower of Christ, in good conscience, pledge their allegiance to the nation in which they have their citizenship?"

allegiance n. The tie or obligation, implied or expressed, which a subject owes to his sovereign or government; the duty of fidelity to one's king, government, or state.

Obviously, the first place to look would be the Bible. Does the Bible direct us to pledge our allegiance to our country? Does it say anything about it at all? Does it tell us to flee to the hills and forego all bonds to country?

"No," "Yes," and "No," are the conclusions that I have come to for the above questions. The Bible includes several directives in terms of citizenship, national duty, and how our attitude should be toward our government. (I have compiled a list of verses that I believe are relevant to this topic.)

Citizenship

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,..." (Philippians 3:20) Despite the fact that in terms of voting, ... and ... we are considered to be citizens of this country, our true and enduring citizenship is in heaven. As Paul says to the Ephesians (2:19), "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,..."

I think that for many of us, its hard to envision what this looks like. Its easy to say that I'm a citizen of heaven, but what does that really mean in terms of how I approach life? I can understand it best when I consider a foreigner living in the United States.

Let's say, for the benefit of having a more concrete example, that we're considering the make-believe person, Isobel, who is a citizen of Spain, though she lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Isobel enjoys the benefits of living in America -- the huge shopping mall;, the ability to go site seeing miles away without having to take a passport along; the freedom to practice her own religion; even the right to bad mouth the United States, the President, the Congress, etc. At the same time, she must suffer the down sides of living in America as well -- the consumer minded populous; the American-centric, even prejudiced, attitude of many Americans; the comparative lack of hospitality; the dimwitted sitcoms on television, etc.

Isobel may enjoy living in America. But, as a citizen of Spain, she maintains obligations to Spain that could require her return and that will actually affect her concerns and decisions. Not only will she tend to behave culturally as a Spaniard (though she may adopt some Americanisms), she will also maintain and concern for the welfare of her country. If Spain were bombed or suffering a severe economic downturn, she would suffer anxiety and feel compassion for those in her homeland. On the other hand, if America were bombed or suffering a severe economic downturn, she would most likely be affected, but not as deeply or emotionally as if it were her own country.

I believe that what I am trying to get at is not only would Isobel have legal obligations to Spain (she may be called home if there is a war and she is drafted (do they draft women in Spain?) or she is still subject to their laws of espionage), but more than likely, her maintained citizenship in Spain indicates an emotional bond with that country that she maintains even though she is geographically no longer in that country.

citizen n. 1. A person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation. 2. A resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there.

At the same time, Isobel is still subject to the laws of the United States. Just because she is a citizen of a different country does not mean that she can murder her coworkers without being subject to the related laws. She cannot fail to pay taxes, she cannot drive 100 mph in a 45 mph zone and she cannot legally sell crack to drug users. So, even though she is legally and probably emotionally connected to Spain, she also must behave within certain parameters during her stay in the United States.

Though citizens of heaven, Christians still live on this earth and receive both the positives and negatives in living here. We are also required to obey the laws and obligations of citizenship in heaven and residency on earth. The laws of heaven are the Ten Commandments and the other laws listed in the Pentateuch. But as the Jews helpfully modeled for us in the rest of the Old Testament, the laws are impossible to keep fully. So Jesus (the King of heaven -- John 18:36-37) fulfilled those legal obligations for us, although the fruits of our citizenship should still be visible for others to see. (Woa! What do I mean by that? Well, though we won't be imprisoned for disobeying the law, since Jesus has "washed our sins away," we're still expected to behave as upstanding citizens of the country, heaven. Its not our "upstanding actions" that give us the right to be citizens of heaven, its Jesus' actions that have provided that right. But that doesn't change the fact that once we're citizens, we can be reputable citizens or we can be shabby citizens. In other words, our faith will be shown in works and not vice versa.)

I'll dig deeper into our earthly obligations later.

I also believe that the Bible calls us to an emotional connection with our heavenly citizenship (which is why I included it as a part of the Isobel example, though I've known foreigners who certainly seem to be more emotionally tied to America than their home country). Passages such as Hebrews 13:14, John 16:33, 1 John 2:15-17, as well as others, lead me to believe that we are not only legally citizens of God's Kingdom, but that we are called to long for that kingdom as well. It is easy to get so blinded by the day to day living on earth that we forget about our true homeland. And yet, it is remembering our true identity that helps us to live as citizens of heaven, with all the difficult decisions that may require and the positive fruit that it should produce.

National Duty

I think our national duty is fairly clear. Just as Isobel still had to obey the laws of America, so we still have to obey the laws of America (Matthew 22:17-22 - give unto Caesar what is Caesar's - as well as Romans 13:1-7 and others) as well as the laws appropriate to whatever state we live in, whatever country we live in, perhaps even whatever subgroup we live in. (A subgroup could be something like involvement in an online discussion group. One of the rules is not to spam the members. This might not be a national law, nor a local law, but its still a rule that should be followed if you want to be an upstanding member of that group.)

There are still hazy areas to this civic obedience, of course. If the US goes to war, should we, as Christians, go and kill others in order to be obedient? Or should we look to the laws of heaven which might lead us to conclude that it would be better to run off to Canada than to take the life of another person? I definitely know people that would fall pretty soundly on either side of this argument, and yet I believe that those on both sides are Christians.

Certainly God's law supersedes national laws. And yet, I believe that these laws disagree so rarely, that I certainly don't want to make a huge issue of it. I do think, however, that whatever side we might choose to follow in these gray areas, we should be sure to think through our decisions (and its ramifications) carefully.

The Christians' Attitude Toward Government

As followers of Christ, we're called to more than just physical obedience to the laws of whatever nation we might find ourself living in. We're actually called to have an attitude of submission as well. 1 Peter 2:13-17 sums it up fairly succinctly:

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

We don't fear the king, even an evil tyrant (as many of the Christians lived under in the early church). In fact, as far as we can, we should submit to their authority. But we submit not out of fear of the ruler, but out of fear of God. (Fear of God is an entirely different topic and I'm not about to try to cover my thoughts on that here.) And no matter what type of person the king is, we're told to honor him. It doesn't say, "and honor those king's who are honorable."

Not only do we give rulers the honor that they're due, but we should be praying for them. We should be seeking "the peace and prosperity" of the country/city/group to which we have been "exiled." (see Jeremiah 29:5-7) Whether we like where we live or not, whether we like the people we're surrounded by our not, whether we like our rulers or not, we still need to seek their best. In fact, seeking the best for our country and our leaders will actually end up benefiting us. (Jeremiah again) We should be praying for our national, local, and group leaders as directed in 1 Timothy 2:1, "that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

"I pledge allegiance to the Giants..."

Patriotism

So all of this brings me back to, "Can a follower of Christ, in good conscience, recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States?" Well, if the allegiance mentioned in the pledge is the same allegiance that I can hold for a sports team or a chocolate bar (mmmm, Chocolove!) then sure, why not? But, if allegiance means a tie or obligation that I hold to my King, Jesus Christ, then I don't think so. I can and will submit to my country. But "allegiance" seems to hold more to it than just submission. There's a relationship involved - subject to king. And if I am to remain faithful to that relationship, then I cannot hold the same type of relationship with any other person or thing.

Attributing Patriotism to God

Are we "one nation, under God?" Well, of course. Every nation is under God. Are we somehow God's nation? Or is God more on our side than any other nation's side? I severely doubt that.

Perhaps its fine to support ones country. In fact, according to Jeremiah 29, we should be supporting whichever country in which we find ourselves. However, does that mean that a country can be Christian or non-Christian? God's or not God's?

Every country is God's, whether the people within it call themselves Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist.


* disclaimer: I use the term "American" to refer to those living in the United States of America, and likewise have chosen to use "America" to refer to those same United States (since it often sounds poetically more correct than saying "the USA" or "these United States" or any other phrase that has come to refer to this country that essentially has no name but is rather referred to by its organizational status.


German Patriotism in the Church
(in the 30's and 40's)

(an addendum added April 2003)

The following is a selection from Eberhard Bethge's biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from chapter seven which was entitled, "Berlin: 1933."

A forest of swastika flags surrounded the alter of Magdeburg Cathedral. The cathedral dean Ernst Martin interpreted the scene from the pulpit with words similar to those used by many other church leaders:

It has simply become the symbol of German hope. Whoever reviles this symbol is reviling our Germany.... The swastika flags round the alter radiate hope--hope that the day is at last about to dawn.

In the first sermon Bonhoeffer preached in the Trinity Church in Berlin after Hitler's seizure of power, he announced:

The church has only one alter, the alter of the Almighty... before which all creatures must kneel.... Whoever seeks something other than this must keep away; he cannot join us in the house of God.... The church has only one pulpit, and from that pulpit, faith in God will be preached, and no other faith, and no other will than the will of God, however well-intentioned.

The Christian's obviously had no idea of what was coming. But as Bonhoeffer points out, whether well-intentioned or no, the church follows God, not state. Following state means dividing (or completely transferring) loyalties. Our allegiance should be to God. We should give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but to God goes our allegiance and loyalties. The church in Germany certainly struggled with this. Or rather, some of those churches didn't struggle enough. The German Christian's (a party within the church... church offices were elected) slogan was, "Build the new Church of Christ in the new State of Adolf Hitler." We can look back upon that and shudder, but how many Christians might feel completely comfortable saying something similar today (either of George W. Bush or of the Republican party).

Matthew 6:24 says that "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other...." Choose carefully who shall be your master.

Saturday, September 15, 2001

Christianity and the Food We Eat

This is a repost of a repost. This article was originally published on my meg.dunn.net site (which has long since expired). It was then republished in the Christian Community group here on Multiply. I started that group back in September 2004, but I've decided to remove myself from there and focus on my DandelionWine site instead. So I'm reposting several reposts that I had put there over to here.

(No promises on the links. I haven't checked them to see which still work. I originally posted this in September 2001).


Christianity and the Food We Eat

What does Christianity have to do with food? Well, everything and nothing. Christians don't have diet restrictions in the same way that Jews, Muslims or Hindus do. And eating or not eating a certain food (even communion) neither makes you a Christian nor bars you from being a Christian. But for a Christian, a follower of Christ, the choices that are made in terms of what and how much to eat can possibility have quite a lot to do with having integrity.

If I pray for the poor coffee pickers in Mexico and yet continue to buy coffee that was grown with the use of pesticides (which is killing those same coffee pickers) how compassionate am I really? And if I pray for the poor of Calcutta, but choose to buy the rug from India that was woven by a child laborer just because it is cheaper, am I really showing the integrity that befits one who bears God's name?

We no longer live in a local economy where the guy who made my shoes is the same guy who lives across the street. In a global economy you can buy a product that is several steps (and probably several countries) away from the person who actually made it. I not only can not talk to the maker of the shoe and see how he or she is doing, I'd be lucky to be able to track the person down at all.

In a global economy, we have to look beyond which product might be best for us and determine what unconscious choices are we making with our purchase? Am I choosing to buy a product that has or will adversely affect others because of its creation, transportation, or sale? Perhaps I choose to by the organic tomatoes from Italy. I have chosen well to buy organic produce, but how much gasoline was used just to cart those tomatoes from Italy to my local grocer? If I choose to buy at the large chain store because their items are cheaper, and I putting my neighbor's mom and pop shop out of business? (And would those items have cost about the same once I figured in how much gas I had to use just to get to the chain store?)

And in determining the cost of items that involve transportation, I might also want to consider the other hidden costs such as the amount of taxes I will have to pay to upgrade the roads because of their use (as opposed to the wear and tear the road would receive if people mostly bicycled on it or took the bus). Or the increase in medical costs or 911 costs or police department costs because of accidents on the road that either wouldn't happen if traffic was reduced or that wouldn't be so deadly. (If two bikes collide, it can be ugly. But if two cars collide, the accident is more likely to be deadly. And if two pedestrians collide? !! If only our neighborhoods were walkable!)

Calling yourself a Christian means that you have to consider your choices. Granted, we can't always make the best choice. I may not have the money that eating organically requires these days. But at least I could be shopping locally and cutting down on the amount my food has to travel before reaching my mouth. (Local farmers markets are often cheaper than the grocery stores.)

If I call myself a Christian, I should, at the very least, make myself aware of the consequences of the decisions I make. Organizations like the Christian Coalition like to point out that Christians should weigh their decisions in choosing presidents, congress people, etc. but how often do we advocate using that same amount of brain power to make everyday choices that in the end could effect our planet (rather, God's planet) far more?

In fact, why aren't Christians leading the way in helping people make wise consumer choices? Why aren't we the chief advocates in protecting the environment (it is, after all, God's creation)? Why aren't we bringing poor working conditions to light? Why are we sitting around folding tables in the church all purpose room eating highly processed, pesticide laden food when we could be eating locally grown, organic (fresher and safer) foods and be accomplishing just as much "fellowship" and making globally sensitive choices at the same time (and healthier choices as well!)?

There are some Christian organizations that are trying to do exactly that. And there are even more nonChristian organizations that would happily accept any Christians who wanted to join their ranks. Look them up. Get involved. Think before you choose.

Christian Organizations

Evangelicals for Social Action "Evangelicals working together to challenge and equip the church to be agents of God's redemption "

The Other Side a magazine that "has long explored the gospel from 'the other side' of power and privilege."

Web of Creation "Transforming Faith-Based Communities for a Sustainable World"

US Catholic Conference Environmental Justice Program "a variety of resources for you to use in your parish, diocese, school, etc., to foster care and respect for God's creation"

Target Earth buys endangered lands, protect endangered species, shares the love of Jesus, feeds the hungry, and reforests ravaged terrain

Earth Ministry engages individuals and congregations in knowing God more fully through deepening relationships with all of God's creation

Other Organizations Worth Mentioning

The Sierra Club "Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources. "

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life "Protecting creation from generation to generation"

Earthday Network The official Earthday site

The National Geographic Society is the world¹s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization

Envirolink Network includes information about government policy as it relates to the environmnet, how you can get involved, and suggested products to use.

Know of an organization that I should include on one of these lists? Email me.


Shop locally, shop organic: find your local food co-op and become a member


Other Great Resources

Composting Information Throwing food scraps and other biodegradable materials into the trash is poor stewardship. Find out about composting through this site (what it is, how to do it, what to do with the compoast you make, etc.)

Seventh Generation Their home page is listed below. This link will take you to their resources page which includes several books to read as well as support groups for those with chemical sensitivities and more.


Places to Shop Online
(offering alternative options)

Seventh Generation Their goal is to provide high quality, environmentally conscious products that are safer for your home, your neighborhood and the earth's environment. They also have information on why the products you may be using now are bad not only for the environment but for your own health as well. Also, check out their resources page for some fantastic links to information on environmental health, Hormone Disruptors, Safe/Non-Toxic Products, Green Building, Technical References for Toxic Chemicals, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Indoor Air Quality, and Recycling

Gaiam They've bought up a bunch of the other companies that I used to shop from. I don't like Gaiam's overall look or feel (nor their prices... everything seemed to get more expensive) but if you can't find it anywhere else, look here.

Recycled Plastics Marketing Close the loop by buying recycled products.

EcoMall At the EcoMall we have made a commitment to the environment and the preservation of the Earth's natural resources. We offer the tools to help begin living a more environmentally-aware lifestyle.