How to Be a Patriotic Christian by Richard J. Mouw

Author:Richard J. Mouw [Mouw, Richard J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: America;American patriotism;United States;USA;Christian nationalism;patriot;citizen;national identity;religious freedom;founding father;citizen of heaven;civic engagement;love your neighbor;love your country;national pride;serve your country;politics;idolatry;Christian patriotism;military;Christian veteran;society;common good
ISBN: 9781514004029
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2022-04-01T08:45:34+00:00

PATRIOTIC PRAYING

Our understanding of the proper nature and limits of government is important for how we pray for those who govern us. Patriotic praying is also one of our obligations as Christian citizens. We have seen several biblical instances where we are commanded to pray to the Lord on behalf of those who exercise authority over us.

To be patriotic Christians, then, is to love our government in the right way, and this means being sure to pray for it. It is significant to remember, though, that while we are told to pray for “all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2), the mandate to do so is linked, as we have seen, to our nurturing a prayerful concern for the well-being of the broader human community. A worthy government is one that cares for the well-being of all its citizens. This is an instance of what we have shown to be a general biblical theme: submitting to those in power cannot be divorced from our solidarity with all the human beings whom those authorities are called to serve. We saw this in Jeremiah’s counsel to the ancient Jewish exiles. The prophet clearly intended that they pray for the Babylonian authorities; that was an implicit in his more general command to the exiles that they were to “pray to the LORD” on behalf of “the city to which I have carried you into exile,” in fulfillment of their obligation to seek the shalom of this place where the Lord has led them (Jeremiah 29:7). The apostle Peter makes the same point when he tells us that what we owe to the governing authorities is the same “proper respect” that we—and they—owe to all our fellow citizens (1 Peter 2:17).

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