Signs (on I-65)

My family and I just finished a trip (whether it was a "jaunt" in the words of my wife because we were traveling North/South; or "cross-country" which I argued for since we covered parts of five states, even if it wasn't East/West) that took us along Interstate 65.



The past few years have seen us travel more by air than by car, and while this journey was not without its challenges, it was also a nice change of pace, and one that gave time for reflection.

Within a mile or two along I-65 in Alabama, we encountered three signs that got me thinking a bit about American Christianity, not just because that is what I study and the Mainline was all about, but also because we were traveling during the July 4th/Independence Day holiday weekend.  The first sign was a patriotic one, proclaiming "America: Love it or Leave it!"

Just down the road, on the same property was this one (which I actually found a picture of online, so my thanks to whomever took it):

Considering that we were in the midst of the Bible Belt, and if one small town we drove through once we got off of I-65 was any indication a very (Southern) Baptist portion of said belt (I counted four different Baptist congregations as we drove through maybe a 6 or 7 block stretch of this little community), I was hardly surprised (theological soundness being open to debate) to see such a religious message either -- though I'm not sure I've ever seen the "red devil" with the Grim Reaper scythe before, but it certainly fits the message.

Now, those two signs alone were enough to get me thinking.  After all, there has been some discussion of late as to what degree American Christians (with special focus on evangelical Protestants) can/are/should/should not be patriotic towards the United States (see here and here for examples).  Having grown up in an area of the country where there are churches with strong pacifistic beliefs, such debates are nothing new to me.  But some of the discussion is not of "blind patriotism" but rather over if it is even right for a Christian to be patriotic at all.  Some evangelical Protestants have, it seems, soured on politics (or now believe that the federal government is an agent of secularism) -- where a few years ago they were embracing politics and approving various aspects of U.S. foreign policy.  But before we see this only in terms of the Religious Right, I'd caution us to also remember that some denominations that today are heralding the federal government today, a few years ago were actively opposed to White House.  While I'd like to see more research done on this, at first glance, it would seem that what we have here is not so much a serious theological or doctrinal debate, but rather the degree to which politics is reflected via denomination pronouncements.  Of course, anyone reading The Mainline will also soon come to understand my take that those pronouncements don't always fit well with everyone in the pews -- one way or another. 

But that wasn't the end of the "signs on I-65"!  Just down the interstate from these two signs is another one, letting visitors know about the Confederate Memorial Park.  The park was the former home of the Alabama Confederate Home, and contains a museum, research facility, and cemeteries on the home's grounds.  Having just celebrated the 4th of July and America's Declaration of Independence (not to mention having just passed the aforementioned "sign number one"), the sign for the Confederate Park was somewhat of a jarring reminder of the Civil War.  A war that was foreshadowed by the division of America's great evangelical Protestant (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian) denominations over the issue of slavery, and which saw American Christians in both armies killing one another.  All the while, assured that God was on their side. Perhaps nowhere was this summed up better than in President Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural, when he noted that "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other." While there have been some good (and not so good) books written on faith during the Civil War, I think this area is still open for more good and fruitful research.

In the end, Christians -- by virtue of their faith -- are citizens of God's Kingdom.  And with that citizenship, comes certain rights and responsibilities.  But wherever they are physically located, they are also citizens of a particular nation.  While Christianity is a global or international faith (whichever you prefer), indeed it is maybe the best example of a trans-national institution/organization, it is also a very local faith.  The churches that sprang up in the New Testament writings were in particular places (reflecting those particular areas), but they were also all part of a larger political structure:  The Roman Empire.  The New Testament era of the Church's history was bound together not just by its common faith, but also by it being a part of the Roman World (and all that came with it, both in the good/bad and short/long term).  How the Church has interacted with the State (as I've argued before) is a huge field of study -- and not just for the history of American Christianity.  But we must also remember that citizenship in the State also comes with its own set of rights and responsibilities.  In the end, Christians are bound by the words of Christ in Mark 12:17 when it comes to the dual nature of an individual's citizenship.  Sometimes, perhaps, Christians will be called upon to support their nation, and other times they will be called upon to call upon their nation's leaders to change course.  Both can be expressions of patriotism, but neither form of patriotism should be a substitute for faith itself.