Comments for Jim Other sermons.                 

I’ve been reflecting on patriotism and Christianity. What do we mean by the word "patriotism?" Samuel Johnson famously said, "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." I always think of Sen. Joe McCarthy when I hear that quotation. The cynic George Bernard Shaw said, "You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race." Edith Cavell was a nurse killed by the Germans in World War I for helping British soldiers escape from Belgium. On the eve of her execution, she said, "Standing, as I do, in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone." It occurs to me that Christians ought to discern the difference between true patriotism, which is a virtue, and nationalism, which is a false god. The poet Richard Aldington put it bluntly when he wrote, "Patriotism is a lively sense of collective responsibility. Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on his own dunghill." Recent presidential taunts to our enemies (I am referring to Mr. Bush’s "Bring ‘em on!") strike me as falling into the latter category. When David was proclaimed king it was in recognition that, in fact, he had personally led Israel into battle. The authority of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt depended on their willingness and ability to lead the army forward from their own chariot, not behind massive barriers of security as do our modern leaders.

Patriotism is a virtue that builds community, encourages personal sacrifice, and always draws attention to the higher values that a nation espouses. And patriotism is a process. The recent Supreme Court decisions regarding the right of privacy for gays and lesbians, and affirmative action in higher education – though not perfect, and long overdue – indicate, to me at least, that America continues a process of growing into our greatest vision and ideals. And that is worth celebrating. I don’t mind waving the American flag about that at all. Nationalism, on the other hand, narrows our vision, focuses on fear, and attempts to stifle true patriotism. Amid the fervor of nationalism, true patriotism will be unpopular.

Perhaps you saw the July 4^th editorial in The Washington Post. I would like to quote from it.

"When our national success demonstrated that freedom is an attainable goal, we made it the ultimate goal of all people everywhere," Robert H. Jackson said in a speech delivered 62 years ago today – at a time when this country was on the brink of another war. Mr. Jackson, then attorney general and soon to become a justice of the Supreme Court, added: "The Declaration of Independence speaks strong doctrine in plain words. It is the world’s master indictment of oppression."

He moved on then to an aspect of American liberty that is as important today as it has been in every one of America’s wars, up to and including the present one, in which thousands have died at the hands of terrorists and many thousands more are serving their country through stifling 120-degree days in a dangerous and sometimes hostile place. We think it’s worth quoting at a little more length…from Mr. Jackson’s speech:

"(T)here is at home and abroad an anti-democratic influence, even more cynical and sinister and dangerous than Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin combined. I refer to those who think democracy is a fair-weather ideal – to guide us in soft times – but that when the going is tough we cannot save it without losing it….Let us not forget the example of our forefathers. They, too, heard the argument that time of external danger was no time to advance freedoms. But their answer was to give liberty a new birth not only in the midst of a war but in the very darkest hours of that war, because they knew that what wins struggles are the last ounces of endurance and the reserves of power that come to the common run of men on fire for a cause….We must keep our freedoms, keep them in face of foreign dangers even more tenaciously and jealously than in calmer times…because it is our liberty that lifts our cause above material ends and anchors our efforts in timeless things."

I find Justice Jackson’s words, uttered 62 years ago, wise, inspiring, and very patriotic. And I expect that today, in some of the very same precincts where he served, they would be very unpopular, perhaps even seen as unpatriotic.

Pointing to unfulfilled ideals and to higher callings always risks becoming unpopular or worse. It goes without saying that the prophets of ancient Israel were, by definition, unpopular. The Mall downtown that was the scene of such a lively and stirring Fourth of July celebration that many of us watched, either in person or on television, has also been the scene of many protest gatherings as well. Some popular, some unpopular, but all a part of the patriotic process of America reaching to fulfill its highest ideals. True patriotism will always affirm the high vision, but never shirk from facing the current short-comings. Among the most important patriotic and prophetic speeches delivered there was the Rev. Martin Luther King’s address from the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. His simple message was that the American dream is right and good, and we must work harder than ever to make that dream a reality for all our people. He said:

I say to you today, my friends, …even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed – we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

His words did not reflect a narrow nationalism or a racial exclusivism, but a profound and inclusive understanding of patriotism. And one we would do well to remember in these days. Amen.
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