Jonathan Hoover: Theological Patriotism
Written by Jonathan Hoover
Over the last few years I have become increasingly patriotic, but I have struggled with how Christians should publicly display their patriotism given the divisive nature of our culture. For many years I wanted to separate my patriotism from my Christian faith as if they were two completely different belief systems. In one sense that is obviously true, but I will argue here that American patriotism is tied to Christian theology. American Christians simply cannot completely separate their faith in God from their love of America. Why? This cannot be done because the founding of this great country has theological foundations. As hard as one might like to try these days, you simply cannot fully separate patriotism and theology. The existence of America depends on its theological foundation, and if you cut America free from its theology then you lose the country. The two go hand in hand, and your understanding of theology should lead you to become a proud American patriot, for without Christian theology America would not exist. To be very clear: Christian theology does not depend upon America. Christianity always has and always will stand on its own. God does not need America, but America does depend on Christian theology. As I said, the theological roots of America should lead you to become a proud American.
This creates a problem though for many Christians because if you love God and country you will often get labeled as a “Christian Nationalist” by woke progressives who are more inclined to see America as Babylon instead of a bastion of freedom. That kind of comparison is nonsense, but if the woke can apply the “Christian Nationalist” label and associate it with something akin to a theocratic racist dictator, then they win the language game, and you become scared to publicly pronounce your love for God and America. Woke progressives shame people into silence so they can divide the country and remove its theological framework. You have probably seen this word game play out in the media and possibly in your own life as well.
So, how is a Christian supposed to have a robust theology of patriotism for which they are unashamed and unapologetic?
A strong sense of patriotism begins with the Christian doctrine of the imago Dei. The imago Dei simply means “image of God.” In the book of Genesis in the Bible, you will find that God created all living things “according to their kind.” He created the fish in the sea “according to their kind.” God made the birds of the air “according to their kind.” He did the same with the living creatures on the earth and all other animals. They were all created “according to their kind,” meaning there are obvious variations of animals within their own kind.
By Genesis 1:26, there is a clear distinction between the animal world and the first man God created, Adam. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God (imago Dei) he created him; male and female he created them.” Do you see how man is made different than everything else? Human beings are created in the image of God. Entire books have been written on the meaning of the imago Dei, but let’s suffice it to say that to be created in the image of God sets you apart from the rest of creation. Further, it means that every single human being has dignity, worth, and value because humans are made in the likeness of God. As one theology textbook puts it, “The image of God is the special status that all human beings have as those made to reflect our Creator’s character and commissioned to carry out his purposes in the world.”
A Christian understanding of the imago Dei leads to at least two different conclusions. First, it leads us to understand that human beings have a particular freedom in this world, and that freedom should reflect the goodness of God in all areas of life. Yet, at the same time, we understand that Adam and Eve sinned, and that sin had disastrous consequences here in this life and on the image of God that we carry as people. The founders of America knew these two things well, and it would help form the basis upon which America could become a properly ordered society.
I would contend that the doctrine of the imago Dei is at least one pillar in the founding of America. It is no secret that most of the Founding Fathers of America were Christians (or at least deists who held a Christian worldview). John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.” What are “those rights which heaven gave?” They are at least no less than the rights inherent in the doctrine of the imago Dei in which God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, to subdue the earth, and to have dominion over creation. Those “rights which heaven gave” derive themselves from the fact that we are all created in the image of God. The founders of America understood this, and so they determined they would form a system of government that would encourage human flourishing and account for human sinfulness. As John Adams said, “If Men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and the next place, oblige it to control itself.” John Hancock, John Adams, and all the other Founding Fathers knew they had to form a government that properly understood the imago Dei, and this is undeniably clear in the Declaration of Independence.
On July 4th, 1776 the following words were penned in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The founders were not seeking to initiate a theocracy, but it is abundantly clear that their goal was to create a nation based upon a Christian understanding of the imago Dei that would lead to human flourishing, freedom, and justice. This understanding of freedom is why the founders believed in rational self-government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and limited government. America is based on these principles because these unalienable rights are given to us by God and not by the government. This is where so many in our culture have gone wrong. The woke progressives and the political left appear to believe that rights are created by the government. Nothing could be further from the truth. The government does not give you your human rights. The government of America is designed to protect the rights given to you by God as someone created in His image. Rights precede government. This is why I said earlier that if you cut America free from its theology, then you lose what makes America special. America is inextricably tied to Christian theology. You may not like this truth, but that does not change the truth of our founding. In fact, because you live in America, you are free to believe whatever you would like to believe, live where you want to live, and basically do whatever you want to do so long as you don’t harm someone else in the process. You can thank God for that freedom, for you will find it nowhere else in the world like you will find it here.
You might be wondering, “How then could America have Christian theology as its foundation and still have participated in chattel slavery?” This is a great and complex question because chattel slavery is clearly sinful and a dark stain upon American history. Without overcomplicating the matter or making this longer than is necessary, I believe it is important to understand that men are flawed to the point that they were somehow able to justify in their own minds something as heinous and sinful as slavery. Ironically though, it was also their understanding of the imago Dei that allowed them to overcome slavery and fight a war to end its practice. Even Frederick Douglas called the Constitution a “glorious liberty document.” Dr. Tony Evans, one of the greatest African American preachers of our day, has said that understanding the imago Dei is the key to overcoming racism and oppression. Slavery existed all over the world, but it was specifically the Christian worldview that brought it to an end as we know it. There’s a reason why slavery isn’t mentioned in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. It’s because the founders knew it was wrong, and they did not want our founding documents to provide any safe haven for the existence of slavery to continue.
Christians have always been in the trenches fighting for human rights because the Christian understanding of the imago Dei is that which leads to freedom and flourishing for all people. Like it was with slavery, it is also the Christian worldview that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Abortion was never a right guaranteed by the Constitution, and the slightest bit of intellectual honesty should be able to admit as much. Abortion was a made-up right that led to 50 years of aborting 60+ million babies in the womb. Each one of those tiny human beings bears the imago Dei, and to destroy that life is an assault on the goodness of God and an affront to his creation.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this, Christian theology must lead to a healthy patriotism that is grateful for a nation that has time and time again done the right thing because it has the right foundation based on the imago Dei.
How are Christians to faithfully live out their patriotism? They should do it without apology, without shame, and without ever backing down from defending the greatest country that has ever existed.
My oldest son is now 15 years old, and he pays attention to much of what is going on in our country. I am fortunate enough to have many conversations with him about this very subject, and he is growing to love America as well. I tell him time and again, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you America is the awful nation they think it is. They are fools and blinded by their disdain of Christian virtue.”
I understand the complexities and nuances of arguing that your theology should lead you to love America. I am well aware that we may disagree on the politics of our day, but I am also quite aware that this country is in dire need of Christian virtue, morality, and an understanding that a society cannot flourish when it turns its back on what made it great at its founding. You may not be a Christian (and that’s your right), but you cannot deny that a Christian worldview based on the doctrine of the imago Dei is that which holds America up as bastion of freedom and a bright light in a very dark and grim world.
I’ll end this by quoting Lee Greenwood and simply say:
That I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free,
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me,
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA!
