Patriotism or Idolatry?
We have a natural affinity for those who are closest to us: our spouse, our children, our church, our school, community, country, etc. We are attached to them emotionally and otherwise precisely because they are ours . All this is well and good. It is as it should be. God created us to live in just these kinds of covenantal relationships. We should love them and feel a sense of loyalty to them and even take pride in them. But such love, loyalty, and pride have their limits. They must not exceed our love and loyalty to God. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:37). If this is so—that not even the love we have for the members of our immediate family (as great as that love is and should be) may take precedence over our commitment to the Lord—how much more is it true of every other relationship, including our love of country? Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been proud...