Pluralism, Politics, and Patriotism

Within the arsenals of our 21st century culture wars are some potent verbal weapons. One of them is the word “patriotism.” In the heat of political campaigns or town-hall meetings, it is a common thing to label one’s opponents as “unpatriotic.” Most invoke this concept rather thoughtlessly without consideration for its historic meaning. It is quite possible to be found in the cross-hairs of those who would homogenize us into one narrow philosophical view of the idea.

Often we are asked to seamlessly connect “God and Country” as though this nation has ever been thoroughly Christian. It has not; nor was it intended to be. Our nation’s founders crafted our civic life in a religiously, politically, and culturally plural way, because they themselves were religiously, politically, and culturally plural. Against that backdrop it is possible to be Islamic and at the same time thoroughly and authentically American. Adherents of Judaism can be true patriots, as can Christians or Buddhists or those who have not yet settled into a single path.

The tendency to equate Christian faith and American “exceptionalism” is a relatively new phenomenon. There are many things that make us distinctively American. One of those better known distinctions is that we have historically preferred to keep our civil and religious matters separate. Would this not make the urge to link them seem unpatriotic? One might think so.

As a Christian I look for ways to follow the example of Christ. As an American I look for ways to live out American ideals. At times they intersect. For example, Jesus’ blessing upon the peacemakers does not preclude the right of dissent. When I read about the purveyors of the Boston Tea Party, it evokes memories of a radical dissenter who stormed into the courts of the temple, yelling, throwing things, and knocking over tables. Those who acted in protest against the Stamp Act were in essence peacemakers themselves, because they exercised their rights of expression and dissent–rights which live in us to this very day.

Pluralism is by nature patriotic, and I am grateful to have been blessed by the Creator to have been born in a land that honors those principles of freedom, principles that have that have made room at the table for every one of us to join regardless of who we are, where we’ve been, or where we might be going.

Healthy, Honest, Helpful

Perhaps if you are old enough you might remember an episode of the old television program, “I Love Lucy,” one in which Ricky made a bet with Lucy that she could not tell the absolute truth for a specific–though brief–period of time. The idea was great fodder for the script writers, and there were some hilarious but predictable mishaps as Lucy found herself forced to give her real opinion about everything from the ridiculous hat one of her friends was wearing to the ill behavior of another friend’s child. When finally rebuffed for her excessive candor, Lucy countered that she had never felt better.

There are some real benefits to telling the truth. Of course, there are times when decorum and good taste might prevent us from sharing everything we think. Who besides a comedy writer would suggest that one’s every thought should be expressed in unrestrained speech? On the flip side, honest and forthright communication might not only be the healthy thing to do; as it turns out, it is also biblical.

Paul the Apostle was often reminiscent of his Jewish heritage when he encouraged believers of the early Mediterranean churches to “speak truth” with their neighbors. Jesus himself taught his earliest followers that if someone offended them, they should go and speak to that person one on one. Healthy patterns of communication are as vital to the mission and work of the gospel as they are to the success of any marriage, or for that matter to the working of our systems of justice or international diplomacy.

It seems simple enough, but it isn’t always. Rather than confronting someone face to face, it seems just a little bit easier to talk to someone else about it first. It’s kind of like a fresh jelly donut sitting next to a Brussels sprout. The donut is much sweeter, the aroma more tempting, and the gratification more instantaneous. It’s just easier! There is sweetness in an affirmation when someone nods agreement with what we have said.

A wise soul once defined gossip as the imparting of information, whether true or false, to someone who is neither part of the problem nor part of the solution to the problem. I don’t suppose that any one of us has ever understood the power of our own words; power to build or to destroy. And I don’t suppose that anyone has ever learned this lesson in any way but the hard way.

Paul’s vision for the church was one of a healthy body working together like a symphony of muscles, joints and ligaments. Healthy speech is the strengthening exercise of that body, and the beauty of it is that the more we do it, the easier it gets!