Patriotism, Pacifism, and Promise
By Paul Edward Kim
People who know of my intense patriotism (see below), my keen interest in politics (I am the law student who would rather watch the Fox News Channel than The Practice), and my conservative views (I am an unabashed fan of Rush Limbaugh), have asked me about my thoughts on Sept. 11 and the war against terrorism. This is my humble stab at a coherent and Biblical response.
1. You can be a citizen of heaven and a patriot
I went to see U2 in New York several weeks ago. The concert was very moving. There were chants of "USA! USA! USA!" American flags waved, some were tossed on stage. Even Bono's jacket was lined with stars and stripes. At one point during the performance, the names of the Sept. 11 victims started scrolling on the large screens, on the walls, on the ceiling. It was overwhelming.
U2's two-hour set reflects a patriotism that I share. No one feels more blessed to be an American than I do. No one wants more than anything for Christians in America to embrace and take ownership of it (Romans 8:16-17). No one is more flabbergasted at the wisdom, foresight, and courage of our Founding Fathers.
My love for America, however, is sobered by the understanding that my true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and that my faith does not rest in man-made institutions, but in Christ, who alone is unshakable and unsurpassed (Ephesians 1:20-22). My patriotism is balanced with knowing that there is nothing-no military might, sustained economic growth, or technological advance-outside the will of our Lord that can save us.
We can be patriotic and yet realize that there is more, much more. C.S. Lewis said that war and tragedy wake us from our mistaken belief that life on earth is manageable: "If we had foolish hopes about human culture, they are now shattered [in this time of war]. If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon."
Our citizenship in heaven entails not only this understanding, but serving and praying for America. The latter is how I defend my patriotism without compromising my faith. In the present circumstances of fear and uncertainty, Christians must not think that we can point nonbelievers to God simply by providing information. Now more than ever, we need to take ownership of this country (Galatians 4:7), live here not as passive consumers, but actively serve the nation and its cities (Mark 10:43-45). We need to repent of our own and our country's sins (Nehemiah 1:6) as well as intercede for the needs of America (Jeremiah 29:4-7) and for our civic leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-8). We must see cities as places of prime ministry opportunity, rather than places to avoid for personal safety and security. We need to pray that America becomes less a center of individualistic achievement and more of a community of service. As Dr. Tim Keller hopes, "[T]hrough this [tragedy,] Americans could become on the one hand humbler and more sensitive to the injustice and pain in the world and yet more committed to and (rightly) proud of our nation than ever before."
2. You can love your enemy and pray for justice
We can be angry at what happened on Sept. 11, as God is also angry at the destruction of human lives, but we should not demand justice unmingled with mercy. Otherwise, we are closer to asking for vengeance. Indeed, if God dealt with us only according to justice, we would deservedly perish; but we have our very life because of justice and mercy (Romans 3:25-26).
We are challenged to feed our enemy and give him a drink (Romans 12:14-20), so we magnify God's mercy and show that because of His supremacy in our lives, we do not need feelings of hatred or personal vengeance to be satisfied. This duty to love our enemies, however, is not compromised by the truth that God is the one who governs the world and delegates some of his authority to civil states.
In this sense, praying for justice and loving our enemies can coincide. Dr. John Piper explains: "Some of God's divine rights as God are given to governments for the purposes of restraining evil and maintaining social order under just laws. This is what Paul means when he writes, 'There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God…[This authority is] a minister of God to you for good…it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on one who practices evil.' (Romans 13:1-4)."
Dr. Piper says that God does not prescribe that government, which "does not bear the sword for nothing" and always "turns the other cheek," but that human justice holds sway among governments, and between citizens and civil authority. In this way, legitimate states have the God-given right to restrain life-threatening aggression and lawlessness and bring criminals to justice. This notion makes me question the growing pleas of pacifism in the current war against terrorism.
No one can honestly believe that the groups that attacked America will, if let alone, not strike again. Not to fight is to let the attackers murder again. Thus pacifism, while inherently appealing on the surface, is on the side of letting the terrorists harm massive innocent civilians in the future. This is why the current war is neither retribution nor revenge. It is using measured force to ensure lasting peace. It is glorifying God's justice by supporting justice to be done on earth. It is bearing the sword to restrain the future flood of sin.
3. You can feel secure and not know why things happen
When the Reverend Jerry Falwell said that the events of Sept. 11 were caused by the moral degradation of American society and its penchant for abortions, I cringed. Instead of preaching hope-that goodness will come out of the terrorist attacks (Romans 8:28) - Falwell was talking the party line: "bad events are punishment from God because of the country's sins; the country's sins include, for example, abortion and banning school prayer; the solution therefore is to pass laws proscribing abortion and putting prayer back in schools."
In this sense, rather than point to a Person, Falwell and friends pushed a political agenda. No Christian doubts that abortion is abhorrent, but over-simplifying Sept. 11 into a reason to support policy initiatives wrongfully reduces a relationship with a Savior into a political interest competing for votes. In a rush to fill people's persistent need to make sense out of what happened, rather than invoking the basic Gospel dynamics of strength-through-weakness and resurrection-from-death, the judgment-from-God pitch was used.
It is dangerous to interpret Sept. 11 as God's judgment on America. While we need to repent for our nation's sins and ask God for revival and healing (2 Chronicles 7:14), this wrath-of-God interpretation is on the one hand too presumptuous and on the other hand too superficial. We do not know all the reasons why God would permit such a great outbreak of sin, when it was in His sovereign power to stop it. But some things are not for us to know. We need to be reminded that "[t]he secret things belong to the LORD our God" (Deuteronomy 29:29) and that His judgments are "unsearchable," His ways "unfathomable." (Romans 11:33-34).
Do not analyze the workings of God on surface appearances. Dr. Keller preached that "we can't infer from prosperity that God is pleased with us, nor can we know from terrible tragedy and disaster that He is displeased with us. In Romans 1:18, Paul hints that the worst punishment may be to get the happy life you want." Indeed, no one suffered more on this earth than Christ, who was without sin!
When Jesus Himself heard of a terrible tragedy that befell some Galileans, he responded: "Do you suppose that the Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this [tragedy]? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:2-4).
We do not know why certain things happen. But we do know that God governs all events, including Sept. 11. We know that He "works all things after the counsel of his will." (Ephesians 1:11). We know that from the most joyous to the most painful, God controls all things for his wise and just and good purposes (Isaiah 46:10). We know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 9:38-39). We know that good will come from Sept. 11 (Romans 8:28). This is what we know. And from what we know we have security. We have comfort. We have hope.
