Patriotism: An Anabaptist Perspective
Editorial
May/June, 2003
Volume 38, Number 3
Not everybody will agree with the thesis of the major article in the BRF Witness this month. Church and state issues have led to controversies down through the years. The Anabaptists held an apolitical view of the state–that is, they believed in having no involvement with, or interest in, politics. They considered the ethic of the New Testament binding on the Christian in its obvious interpretation. They refused to accept any type of dualistic approach which would suggest two kinds of morality.
The Anabaptists believed in full discipleship to Christ by every believer. They stressed a total life of love, and as a necessary corollary, nonresistance was part of the obedience to Christ. The “world” (the contemporary social order) was outside of the true Christian church, and was to be shunned. The Pietist leader, Gottfried Arnold taught essentially the same thing. See page 23, Dale Stoffer, Background and Development of Brethren Doctrines, 1989.
As a result of the basic concepts named above, the Anabaptists and Pietists followed the theory that no Christian could hold political office. Military service was contrary to teachings of the New Testament, and thus was sinful. In other words, there was to be a total separation between Christians and the state. Yet, in spite of these ideals, they accepted the state as a necessity for a sinful world. Disobedience to civil laws was only permitted when the demands of the state violated a clear biblical command. Otherwise, the Anabaptists and Pietists taught full submission and active obedience to the state.
Early Brethren accepted and sought to live by the principles advanced by the Anabaptists and the Pietists. The primary conclusion was that faithful Christians cannot participate in any function of human government, or act on behalf of any state or society-which involves them in those things which God has forbidden His followers. This means specifically that Christians cannot participate in any function which is directly connected with the retributive action of the state. As recently as 1912, the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference restated its belief that the Brethren should not “allow themselves to become entangled in politics” and neither “should they vote or accept an office of any kind.” An exception was stated for those who felt they could fulfill an important mission “in the world.” In still more recent times, even the once liberal scholar, Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), concluded that all politics are inconsistent with the nonresistant position. He says, “I for one will accord him [the nonresistant believer] my genuine I respect and admiration if he leave the world of politics alone entirely, and seek simply to live by the love commandment.” 1
Patriotism speaks of “love and devotion to one’s own country.” Patriotism includes admiration for its customs, pride in its history, and devotion to its welfare. The word “patriot” derives from a Greek word which means “fatherland”–thus refers to those who love, support and defend their country.
Most people agree that patriotism calls for serving in the military service of the country in which one was born, when called upon to do so. Some think that patriotism includes actively supporting all government policies and actions. Others believe that a true patriot will speak out if convinced that the country is following an unjust or unwise course of action.
The article in the current issue of the BRF Witness views patriotism from the Anabaptist and Pietist perspective. Demands for public demonstration of loyalty to nations are especially pronounced during times of war. The conflict between the United States and Iraq is at its peak as this issue goes to print. As nonresistant Christians who believe that it is wrong for believers to participate in war, we think that it is appropriate to review and reflect seriously about the biblical convictions of the early Brethren.
1 From Reinhold Niebuhr, “A Communication: The Will of God and the Van Zeeland Report,” The Christian Century, LV (December 14, 1938).
Patriotism: An Anabaptist Perspective
By Frank L. Reed
The United States of America is the greatest nation in the world. It is likely the greatest nation that will ever be in the world. The United States of America has provided more freedom and more opportunity for more people–than any nation ever has. Untold millions of people of all races and religions have found refuge at these “golden shores.” America has fulfilled the dreams of millions of individuals. In America, as nowhere else, opportunity, prosperity, and happiness have been offered and have been realized.
America has shared its wealth with the world. Every year billions of hard earned United States dollars are given to the needy nations. Every year millions of bushels of American grain are given to hungry peoples of the world. Israel receives nearly two billion American dollars per year. Egypt receives more than one billion. Many more countries are also beneficiaries of American largess. Even the United Nations receives a large share of its budget from the USA. The former USSR would have starved without the heavily subsidized grain shipments from the United States of America.
America has not only shared its currency and food but also its wealth of knowledge and expertise. Many countries of the world send their brightest and best minds to American universities for education and training. America sends many teams of experts to foreign countries for assistance in agriculture, medicine, and many other areas. American scientists have developed treatment and cures for a multitude of diseases. The whole world benefits from these medications. American engineers have built the biggest and best aircraft used all over the world.
As we have noted, America is the greatest nation in the world. But we must not forget that America is a nation in the world. America is not a Christian nation. It never was and it never will be. This is not to say that America was not founded on some biblical principles. It was established on some Bible truths. And certainly William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” was an attempt to use biblical principles to order relationships between peoples. But America is a nation in the world and it behaves like a nation in the world. The United States Constitution does not contain the words “Christian” or “Jesus” or “Bible.” Many of the founding fathers were deists. The power of the United States government rests in the 11 consent of the governed,” not in the Word of God.
How can America justify having displaced and destroyed the native peoples when this continent was “discovered”? How can America defend her own revolution against England with massive loss of life and property just to save some taxes? Is taxation without representation really a reason to shed blood? Canada received its independence without a war. They generally don’t tell you that in American history classes. What about the reparations against Germany after World War I? Were they really necessary? Those reparations were the real cause of World War 11. Germany was so oppressed that her people fell for the lines and lies of a nationalistic socialistic dictator—and the rest, as they say, is history. On the subject of World War 11, why did the allies bomb the defenseless German City of Dresden, Germany after Germany was essentially defeated? And why did America spend eleven years and 55,000 American lives in Vietnam? Nobody still seems to know.
America is a nation in the world and it behaves like a nation in the world. It uses the worldly policy which says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” And so it arms and feeds one country to control another, only to find a few years later that the tables are turned and America faces its own guns. America sets up and puts down leaders in smaller countries just to protect American interests in the world. American businesses exploit peoples in the poor nations so they can profit from sales of products at home. Does this sound like genuine Christianity? It is not, as all of us well know.
Do all these facts mean that we should be anti-American? The answer is “No, not at all.” What it does mean is that we, as Bible practicing Anabaptist believers, need to recognize that America is a nation of the world and act accordingly. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome (and others), each in turn, ruled the world. Where are they now? Empires rise and empires fall. There is only one Kingdom that stands forever.
Christian allegiance can only be to that one kingdom–the Kingdom of God. The second chapter of Daniel illustrates the kingdoms of the world and the final one kingdom that will rule the world in righteousness-the Kingdom of God. True disciples of Christ respect the flags of all nations but give allegiance to the flag of no nation. Our allegiance is to a kingdom that will never fall (Daniel 2:44).
As Christian believers, we are not first and finally citizens of the USA. We are citizens of Heaven. It is best not to speak of America as ,.our” country. It is not our country. It is the country in which we happen to have been born. None of us had a choice about where we should be born. What if you had been born in Pakistan or North Korea or Cuba? Would you be patriotic there? Probably not. Then why should you be patriotic here in the USA?
During World War 11, Lutherans fought for Germany and Lutherans fought for America. They killed each other. Why? For patriotism and for the glory of God. Does that make sense to you? They were, each in turn, patriotic for their own country. Mennonites fought in the German army and Mennonites fought in the American army. Does that make sense to you? Do you think that such conduct can be the will of God? Fifty percent of the Mennonite boys who were drafted entered the United States military. Ninety percent of the Church of the Brethren young men chose military service in World War II (page 474, Durnbaugh, Fruit of the Vine).
Those who are sincere Anabaptist believers should not speak of national events by saying that “our country did this or that.” Japan did not attack the Mennonite Church at Pearl Harbor, and Germany was not at war with the Brethren. Thus “we” (Anabaptists) were not attacked by the Japanese, and we were not at war with Germans. We are citizens of a different country and we are not at war with anyone except the powers of darkness. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Many of us believe that we should not fly the flag of this or of any country. A flag is the representation of the political interests of a political area. We should not pledge our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Instead, we should stand respectfully for the recognition of any flag (or any dignitary) of any country, because God has established human government. Our lives and allegiance belong only to God and His kingdom, and not to any earthly realm.
Many of us believe that we should not vote in political elections. In a republican democracy a vote is not a simple choice. A vote consists of a citizen’s placing authority in a representative to act for the citizen. So, if we vote, we are selecting a representative to act for us as individuals. When that representative makes choices and decisions, we are then obligated to support them. This could include going to war. If they declare war, that blood could well be on our hands. Those citizens who participate in the process of selecting civil officials (governors and presidents)–are then obligated to support the decisions of the officers when they are in office.
We are also concerned about the influence of evangelicalism upon the Anabaptist community. Modern evangelicalism supports many good projects, but what they do is challenged by their lack of making Jesus Lord in all areas of life. We are not saying that evangelicals do not have anything good to offer, but we are saying that when they support military action, that does not exemplify the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Another concern in the Anabaptist community is the influence of pacifism. Modern pacifism is an unrealistic idealism that attempts to force Christian ideals upon the civil government and upon an unregenerate society. The commands of Jesus and the Bible cannot be generalized to include directives to the state. It is not wrong to bring the claims of God upon the lives of individuals, but to expect a worldly nation to follow the Son of God is unrealistic. The Sermon on the Mount is the outline for behaviors and attitudes in the Kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of the world.
All of this has been discussed recently in the Evangelical press. With names like James Dobson and D. James Kennedy on one side, and names like Jerry Falwell and Cal Thomas on the other–a very warm debate has been raging. Dobson and Kennedy are pressing for more evangelical participation in all levels of government. Falwell, once a political activist, in his book, Strength for the Journey (1987), details his return to his first call-preaching the Bible. In Falwell’s words, “The local church is the front line in the war that God is waging with the Enemy. The real action does not take place in the Supreme Court chambers or the marble halls of Congress or even in the Oval Office.” Cal Thomas wrote his own book titled Blinded by Might. His famous line is that “the Kingdom of God will not arrive on Air Force One.”
Dobson, in particular, has taken issue with the approach of Falwell and Thomas. The issue resulted in a publicized debate between Cal Thomas and a representative of Dobson’s Family in Focus. So, even in evangelicalism this issue is far from resolved. What is a Biblical perspective on this situation?
When Abraham and Lot lived in the environs of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was Lot who sat in the gate. “Sitting in the gate” is thought to have been a position of political significance. Abraham, on the other hand, lived away from the city life. When the time came for the judgment of God to fall, who was it that had power relative to the disposition of the city? Was it the politically active Lot or the spiritually active Abraham? All of us know the answer. The prayers of Abraham were all that stood between the people of Sodom and the judgment of the Almighty God.
What is patriotism as understood from an Anabaptist world view? It was Elder John Kline who said, My highest conception of patriotism is found in the man who loves the Lord his God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. Out of these affections spring the subordinate love for one’s country- love truly virtuous for one’s companion and children, relatives and friends; and in its most comprehensive sense takes in the whole human family. Were this love universal, the word “patriotism” and its specific sense, meaning such a love for one’s country as makes its possessors ready and willing to take up arms in its defense, might be appropriately expunged from every national vocabulary (Page 311, The Brethren Encyclopedia).
Even Abraham Lincoln lent his support to our nonresistant lifestyle. He said that Brethren and Mennonite people should not be required to participate in the military. His reason was that ‘These people do not believe in war. People who do not believe in war make poor soldiers. Besides, the attitude of these people has always been against slavery. If all our people had held the same views about slavery as these people hold, there would be no war” (page 129, Rufus Bowman, The Church of the Brethren and War).
What if “good men do nothing”? Good men (or women) never “do nothing.” Elder John Kline prayed and preached and wrote letters. Abraham lived an exemplary life and prayed. No one can do more than that.
We are responsible to live as citizens of the world, and not of any one country. The Kingdom of God has no geographic boundaries. How then can members of the Church defend geographic boundaries with military power? Believers in all political areas are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and are all members of the Body of Christ.
What does the Bible say about our citizenship? Philippians 3:20 clearly tells us that our citizenship is in Heaven. Hebrews 13:14 says that God’s people are looking for a country because they have no continuing city here. The Bible further says that we are ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is a person representing a foreign country. An ambassador does not participate in the politics of the country of residence. He or she represents the home country.
What is a biblical perspective on the question of good citizenship? Our responsibility can be easily summed up with three words. We should pray, pay, and obey. We are exhorted in the Bible to pray for those who have the authority over us, knowing that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). We are also to pay our taxes. Most of us do not like to pay taxes but it is a biblical command. Jesus said, “Render to Caesar that which bears his inscription and image.” The Bible clearly says that we are to pay taxes (Romans 13:6-7). We are also to obey. We are to be “subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1). This command is mitigated, of course, by Acts 5:29 which instructs us to “obey God rather than men.” So we obey unless the commands of God conflict with the commands of the government, in which case we obey the commands of God. The classic illustration of this is military service. Our money is printed with the image of Caesar so we render money to Caesar. Human beings, on the other hand, are made in the image of God so we are not at liberty to place our bodies at Caesar’s disposal. Our bodies belong only to God.
Does our worldly citizenship in the United States mean anything? Yes, it does. Our citizenship in the USA makes us responsible. We can make a living in a very short time. What do we do with the balance of our time and money? Believers all over the globe need the assistance that we can easily provide just by lowering our standard of living a little bit. We have much and we need to share. We do not demand rights but we can use privileges to be responsible in heavenly stewardship by wisely distributing what God has given us.
Does our citizenship in the Heavenly Kingdom mean anything? It should be important to us. We should be so busy being the church that we have little time to involve ourselves in the politics, sports, fashions, etc. of this world. Our song should drown the siren song of the world’s music. We should be so committed to God that we scarcely notice the events of politics or worldly affairs. Our discipleship should be continually increasing the kingdom of God. Our churches should be places reverberating with the worship of the King. Our affection for God’s Word should be the controlling factor in our lives.
If America falls it will not be the result of too small an army or too little patriotism. It will be the result of godlessness–the movie and entertainment industry gone to wasteland; the sins of abortion and homosexuality accepted as normal; professional sports mania gone wild; business corruption becoming more commonplace; infidelity to family and marriage vows more and more accepted as the norm. The Christian community is becoming as worldly as the world. The Bible says (Psalms 33:16-17) that “no king is saved by the multitude of an army.” Proverbs 14:34 says that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.” Bible reading and prayer were neglected at home a long time before they were taken out of schools. If America falls it will not be too little patriotism. It will be the result of godlessness.
We must remember who we are, and that Christians have what this nation and the world need, and they need what we have. We should be the best citizens this country (or any country) have. We should be the examples of all that is right and godly. Our lives should give evidence that we are not looking at that which is temporal but at that which is eternal. We should keep in mind John Kline’s concept of patriotism. We need to continue in Abraham’s practice of prayer and intercession for all who are in authority.
The New Testament makes it clear that believers are to think of themselves as aliens and ambassadors. Paul says that we are looked upon as “the offscouring and filth of this world” (1 Corinthians 4:13) as we live here. That is because we are citizens of a different country. Hebrews 11:13-16 says that God’s people desire a better country. Let us live so that the desire for a better country is obvious to all who know us. Our lives should evidence that we are from a different country.
We are blessed to live in a country with many freedoms. We are blessed to be able to share our blessings with believers all over the world. But we are more blessed to be members of the kingdom of God and to anticipate living with Him in that kingdom forever.
Frank Reed is a member of the White Oak congregation of the Church of the Brethren in the Atlantic Northeast District.