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.
--Harold S. Martin
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, and a teacher in the Brethren Bible
Institute.