American Christians' first allegiance should be to God and then to country

John Hampton,

Reporter

In light of the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, many people have posted the flag of the United States again, Christians among them. But here it becomes a question of how patriotic can a Christian be without being “too patriotic”?

As children, we are taught to recognize such phrases as “God bless America,” “one nation under God” and “in God we trust” as showing the religious basis on which our country rests. Our founding fathers chose those words to appear on our money and in our documents. They certainly believed that a Christian’s duty to God did not interfere with his or her duty to their nation. A vast Christian majority still runs America today.

Our first allegiance is to our God, but another allegiance is to our country. Men have died and will continue to die for our right to worship God. Post Sept. 11, 2001, many ministers have given sermons on how we as a Christian body must rise up to support an injured land. I say that these men and women are correct.

Thousands of Christians serve right now in the branches of the armed forces in every role possible. Chapel is a weekly routine for the soldiers. Whether they choose to worship in an organized service or not, time is given every Sunday to the armed forces for worship.

I believe that our faith and our right to worship is one of the most important things we have as Americans. If anything is worth fighting for, it’s this, and this is certainly a worthy rallying point for Americans and Christians alike.

Patriotism is not confined to joining the armed forces, however. Civilian Christians have become increasingly patriotic also. Flag purchases have dramatically increased, including the symbol’s presence on Milligan’s campus. Many cars now fly an American flag in or on them.

Romans 13:1 states that we as Christians should submit to the authorities because God himself has put them in power. As a nation founded by believers, I feel we are, therefore, called to support our leaders in their fight against our enemies.

As for me, my father has flown a flag in our yard since before I was born, just as his did his father and so on for generations. Many of my Christian relatives have fought and died for their nation and if need be I will too. God has blessed America and may God bless us in the future.

Living in a fallen world, Christians should protect the innocent and seek justice

Beth Pearson,

Guest Columnist

War. It’s not a pretty word, and as a Christian, I struggle with my feelings about it. I would like to live in a world where we didn’t have to worry about war or terrorism, but after Sept. 11, 2001, there are issues we all have to deal with. Should we support our government’s war on terrorism or should we oppose it to avoid further loss of life? Christians across America are hotly debating the question.

The pacifists say that if we value the sanctity of human life, we should “forgive” and “oppose retaliation against our enemies.” Well, that sounds good, but how can we forgive those terrorists? We’re still alive. We weren’t the ones killed in New York, Washington or Pennsylvania. They were the victims, not us, and their blood cries out for justice. We don’t retaliate for our own sake; we retaliate for theirs.

You see, if we truly value human life, then we cannot allow murderers to go unpunished. If we don’t hold terrorists accountable for their actions, then we cheapen the value of the innocent lives lost to genocide. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away. Many more of the innocent will die unless we stop the instigators.

I have an acquaintance named Craig. Last year Craig joined the Marines, and this past week he was shipped off to guard the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. I’m not excited that he’s in Afghanistan, but I admire him and the thousands of other servicemen and women, police officers and rescue workers who are willing to risk their lives to protect our country’s citizens and freedoms. In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I’m grateful to the people who have done that for me.

In Romans 13:4, Paul says that governmental authorities are ordained by God to execute justice with “the sword” upon those who do evil. In verse 7 he tells us to honor our nation’s authorities. We need to be supporting and praying for our country’s leaders as they bear these burdens, not criticizing them. God has authorized them to make war when justified, and I’m pretty sure that Sept. 11 was reason enough.