In 1979, when I was twelve or thirteen, Liberty College (now Liberty University) students arrived in our hometown. They held “I Love America Rallies” at state capitals and local, fundamentalist churches. Under the leadership of Jerry Falwell, the objective was to stoke the fires of patriotism. Around the same time, Falwell also founded the Moral Majority, an organization meant to mobilize fundamentalist churches to become more politically active. Reagan and the Republicans were able to capitalize on the religious vote, and with the abortion issue as their rallying cry, a vote for the Republican candidate became a vote for righteousness. In looking back at my life through the lens of my religious upbringing, I can almost draw an arrow on the timeline of my life, marking the arrival of the Liberty College patriotic ensemble as the catalyst that created political influencers out of fundamentalist Christians in my community and beyond.
With this not-so-subtle shift in focus, the church doors opened wide for soldiers like Tim Lee, a Marine who became a double amputee while fighting in Vietnam, to preach a brand of Christianity that weaved a tight pattern of American patriotism and “spiritual salvation”. Could one truly be a patriot if they were not also a Christian? And, could one truly be a Christian if they were not a patriot? Was it possible to unravel the two? Had we not been taught Christian Nationalism and Manifest Destiny in our Christian School curriculum as well?
I waved my flag and declared allegiance to God and Country, along with other church members, for most of my life. It made me feel righteous and part of a broader, important community of believers who had a mission to uphold the principles that defined our country. However, with the deconstruction of my religion (as I have written about in previous issues on Substack), I have become very uncomfortable with the way I was raised with this mix of patriotism and religion. An American flag proudly displayed in a church sanctuary now feels like idolatry to me. Honoring military veterans within the church walls makes me feel awkward. It scares me, this combination of religion and politics in which so many church members declare righteousness while forcing “God’s Will” upon others. I wonder where the line becomes blurred between patriotism and Christian Nationalism?
Matthew 22:36-40
New International Version
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”