Politics and the Heresy of Nationalism

July 4th's downtown parade allowed Deb and me to experience our first Juneau "locals only" event, save for the square dancers from Spokane that came by cruise ship to participate. It was fun and instructive to see who lives here, who greets each other, and who applauds every entry in the parade, corny or otherwise. We're certainly not yet long-timers, but we're feeling more and more like locals.

I was taken by the overt expressions of nationalism. As with any Independence Day parade we saw lots of flags, lots of red white and blue, lots of trucks and some farm equipment. Alaska has been a parcel of America for fewer years than I've been alive. For Alaskans statehood may not have been so much about connection as it was about recognition and validation, (not to mention avoiding the scourge of taxation without representation.) But here there is a twist, perhaps shared only be Hawai'i (and Caribbean nations who find themselves partial-Americans not necessarily by choice.) Alaskans consider themselves Alaskans first, and U.S. citizens second. Even when traveling south the term "getting out" is often replaced with "I'm going down to the States."

People here quickly associate Christianity with political beliefs, and political beliefs (like religion) are polarizing. But it is in "nationalism" where the polarities get confused. It is too easy to fall into siding with Cleon Skousen's The Naked Capitalist when he wrote that the American experiment was the culmination of God's long-term plan for humanity. Whatever party in control of the Executive branch proclaims their elected leader to be a messianic figure to deliver hope and change and lead America to the promised land, while the out of office party takes an apocalyptic view of the President as villain on whom to blame the betrayal of the Founding Fathers and their Constitution. The polemics of nationalism, and anyone claiming America's destiny as "the New Israel" have made my job here just that much more challenging. Nationalism as individual and civic pride is fine and great. Nationalism as doctrine is heresy, as history repeatedly proves.

We Bible-believing, Jesus-adoring, Holy Spirit directed citizens are marginalized here in Juneau, sometimes because of our political leanings, and more often because of what people assume to be our political leanings. We are often accused of lumping our nationalism in with our citizenship in the Kingdom of God. And sometimes our critics are absolutely right. Claiming my own status as a "voting independent" doesn't seem to help.

It remains a challenge for any church-planter, me included to boldly proclaim the polarizing truth of the gospel while distancing the gospel message from a political polemic. I'm not un-American. The Olympics are coming up, and I know who to pull for, even in team handball. It's just that I don't think my earthly citizenship is the biggest deal of deals.