Rev. Wright Mar 19, 2008, 7:29 AM
Yet it is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.
--Virginia Woolf
To me, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s discourse doesn’t sound any more damning of America than that of Pastor John Hagge, who’s been quoted as saying Hurricane Katrina was God’s judgment on New Orleans and the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon. Hagge recently endorced Sen. John McCain for president.
But I think the concern about the Rev. Wright and about previous comments made by Michelle Obama raise a deeper issue: Should a Christian be patriotic, or is his or her ultimate allegiance in heaven?
A number of thinking people have weighed in on the issue over the centuries. Packrat that I am, I’ve collected their quotes. Here are a few:
Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, who believed 16th Century invasions of Europe by Islamic Turks were God’s vengeance against church heresies, said, “I’d rather be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian.”
At a time when America was divided, Abraham Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my great concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis after speaking out against them, said, “Politics are not the task of a Christian.”
In a 1908 speech defending Teddy Roosevelt’s decision to remove “In God We Trust” from American coins, Mark Twain said, “Well, I didn’t see that the statement ought to remain there. It wasn’t true. But I think it would better read, ‘Within certain judicious limitations we trust in God,’ and if there isn’t enough room on the coin for this, why enlarge the coin.”
In his essay, “Meditations On the Third Commandment,” Christian writer C. S. Lewis said, “The demon inherent in every party is at all times ready enough to disguise himself as the Holy Ghost; the formation of a Christian Party means handing over to him the most efficient makeup we can find.”
Go back and reread those Sunday school Bible stories and learn from them. They’re not about the dangers of excessive chocolate, as “Veggie Tales” implies, but the dangers of excessive patriotism. In America, as in Babylon, unquestioning patriotism is a symptom of a lack of faith in God.
Yet it is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.
--Virginia Woolf
To me, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s discourse doesn’t sound any more damning of America than that of Pastor John Hagge, who’s been quoted as saying Hurricane Katrina was God’s judgment on New Orleans and the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon. Hagge recently endorced Sen. John McCain for president.
But I think the concern about the Rev. Wright and about previous comments made by Michelle Obama raise a deeper issue: Should a Christian be patriotic, or is his or her ultimate allegiance in heaven?
A number of thinking people have weighed in on the issue over the centuries. Packrat that I am, I’ve collected their quotes. Here are a few:
Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, who believed 16th Century invasions of Europe by Islamic Turks were God’s vengeance against church heresies, said, “I’d rather be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian.”
At a time when America was divided, Abraham Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my great concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis after speaking out against them, said, “Politics are not the task of a Christian.”
In a 1908 speech defending Teddy Roosevelt’s decision to remove “In God We Trust” from American coins, Mark Twain said, “Well, I didn’t see that the statement ought to remain there. It wasn’t true. But I think it would better read, ‘Within certain judicious limitations we trust in God,’ and if there isn’t enough room on the coin for this, why enlarge the coin.”
In his essay, “Meditations On the Third Commandment,” Christian writer C. S. Lewis said, “The demon inherent in every party is at all times ready enough to disguise himself as the Holy Ghost; the formation of a Christian Party means handing over to him the most efficient makeup we can find.”
Go back and reread those Sunday school Bible stories and learn from them. They’re not about the dangers of excessive chocolate, as “Veggie Tales” implies, but the dangers of excessive patriotism. In America, as in Babylon, unquestioning patriotism is a symptom of a lack of faith in God.
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