christian cosmopolitanism, part III -two kinds of patriotism
on the eve of the fourth of july, it seems fitting to add another installment to this series of reflection on christian cosmopolitanism.
as the last two posts suggest, my real contrast for cosmopolitanism has not been localism or traditionalism, but patriotism. i have been suggesting the need for a christian cosmopolitanism as an alternative to christian patriotism. but is there anything that can be said in favor of patriotism? or can christian cosmopolitanism and christian patriotism somehow co-exist?
it seems to me that any acceptable account of patriotism must deal with the following problem: one ought always to support the course of action that is just and good. thus, if one's country does what is just and good, then one should support one's country. if, however, one's country does what is unjust or bad, then one should not support one's country. either way, one's ultimate support is for what is just and good, and one's support for one's country is only 'incidental' or derivative of this basic commitment. therefore, when it comes to one's support for one's country,if one's commitments are already in the right place, then there is nothing left for patriotism to do.
one way of getting around this problem and retaining a space for patriotism is to adopt a form of patriotism which advocates loyalty or commitment to one's country and its course of action regardless of what one's country does. such patriotism sees loyalty to country as more basic than support for the just and good course of action -this is the attitude of those who say we must support america no matter what, or support america simply because it is our country and regardless of what it does. this form of patriotism, i think, is quite clearly unacceptable for christians. our most basic loyalty is not to our country but to god and to the gospel, and thus if our country does what is unjust or bad, we cannot support it in this action.
at the same time, however, we can think of patriotism not as unconditional support for one's country, but rather as a matter of special responsibility, and perhaps also special affection, for one's country. on this view, patriotism is not a matter of undying loyalty to one's country, but of special concern and focused attention on one's country. the basic idea is that each of us has certain spheres of influence, and hence spheres of responsibility. for example, i am able to impact things in america in a way that i am not able to impact things in france, because i live in america and not france, i can vote in america but not in france, i speak english but not french, etc. thus, i am responsible for what goes on in america more than i am for what goes on in france. and thus it is right for me to be concerned about america in a way that i am not concerned about france.
along the same lines, it seems proper to have a special affection and fondness for one's own country -such affection seems to correspond naturally to concern, and it is the fitting acknowledgment of the fact that being a citizen of a particular place is a part of who one is.
while i don't have an account of 'christian patriotism' to offer, i think that a form of christian patriotism could be developed. i suggest that any acceptable form of christian patriotism would be along the lines of this second notion of patriotism rather than the first -one that centers on the notions of influence and responsibility rather than unquestioned loyalty. such an account might even compatible with christian cosmopolitanism, if one's focus on one's own country did not preclude (or occlude) one's concern for other countries and cultures, including the desire both to benefit and to learn from countries and places other than one's own.
any acceptable form of christian patriotism will be especially aware of the dangers of idolatry. one of the great ironies of christian patriotism in america is that in the name of giving thanks to god, patriotism itself becomes a form of idolatry. i remember driving across the country in the days after september 11, 2001 and seeing people hanging patriotic banners from bridge overpasses on the interstate. many of these were religious in nature, the most common of course being 'god bless america.' one banner which especially struck me read: 'america forever.' while those who made this banner may have been very well-intentioned, i think that the message says something that we who are christians cannot endorse. first, we know that america will not last forever -the kingdoms of this world will all pass away. second, and more importantly, we should not want america to last forever! america, like all of this world, is full of sin and corruption, and as christians we look for a new heaven and a new earth which will be perfect in a way that america could never compare.
of course it is possible for a cosmopolitanism as well as patriotism to be idolatrous, with the idol of country being replaced by the idol of the world. thus, just as any proper christian patriotism would not make an idol of country, so it is one of the chief distinctives of a christian cosmopolitanism that it does not make an idol of the world.
as the last two posts suggest, my real contrast for cosmopolitanism has not been localism or traditionalism, but patriotism. i have been suggesting the need for a christian cosmopolitanism as an alternative to christian patriotism. but is there anything that can be said in favor of patriotism? or can christian cosmopolitanism and christian patriotism somehow co-exist?
it seems to me that any acceptable account of patriotism must deal with the following problem: one ought always to support the course of action that is just and good. thus, if one's country does what is just and good, then one should support one's country. if, however, one's country does what is unjust or bad, then one should not support one's country. either way, one's ultimate support is for what is just and good, and one's support for one's country is only 'incidental' or derivative of this basic commitment. therefore, when it comes to one's support for one's country,if one's commitments are already in the right place, then there is nothing left for patriotism to do.
one way of getting around this problem and retaining a space for patriotism is to adopt a form of patriotism which advocates loyalty or commitment to one's country and its course of action regardless of what one's country does. such patriotism sees loyalty to country as more basic than support for the just and good course of action -this is the attitude of those who say we must support america no matter what, or support america simply because it is our country and regardless of what it does. this form of patriotism, i think, is quite clearly unacceptable for christians. our most basic loyalty is not to our country but to god and to the gospel, and thus if our country does what is unjust or bad, we cannot support it in this action.
at the same time, however, we can think of patriotism not as unconditional support for one's country, but rather as a matter of special responsibility, and perhaps also special affection, for one's country. on this view, patriotism is not a matter of undying loyalty to one's country, but of special concern and focused attention on one's country. the basic idea is that each of us has certain spheres of influence, and hence spheres of responsibility. for example, i am able to impact things in america in a way that i am not able to impact things in france, because i live in america and not france, i can vote in america but not in france, i speak english but not french, etc. thus, i am responsible for what goes on in america more than i am for what goes on in france. and thus it is right for me to be concerned about america in a way that i am not concerned about france.
along the same lines, it seems proper to have a special affection and fondness for one's own country -such affection seems to correspond naturally to concern, and it is the fitting acknowledgment of the fact that being a citizen of a particular place is a part of who one is.
while i don't have an account of 'christian patriotism' to offer, i think that a form of christian patriotism could be developed. i suggest that any acceptable form of christian patriotism would be along the lines of this second notion of patriotism rather than the first -one that centers on the notions of influence and responsibility rather than unquestioned loyalty. such an account might even compatible with christian cosmopolitanism, if one's focus on one's own country did not preclude (or occlude) one's concern for other countries and cultures, including the desire both to benefit and to learn from countries and places other than one's own.
any acceptable form of christian patriotism will be especially aware of the dangers of idolatry. one of the great ironies of christian patriotism in america is that in the name of giving thanks to god, patriotism itself becomes a form of idolatry. i remember driving across the country in the days after september 11, 2001 and seeing people hanging patriotic banners from bridge overpasses on the interstate. many of these were religious in nature, the most common of course being 'god bless america.' one banner which especially struck me read: 'america forever.' while those who made this banner may have been very well-intentioned, i think that the message says something that we who are christians cannot endorse. first, we know that america will not last forever -the kingdoms of this world will all pass away. second, and more importantly, we should not want america to last forever! america, like all of this world, is full of sin and corruption, and as christians we look for a new heaven and a new earth which will be perfect in a way that america could never compare.
of course it is possible for a cosmopolitanism as well as patriotism to be idolatrous, with the idol of country being replaced by the idol of the world. thus, just as any proper christian patriotism would not make an idol of country, so it is one of the chief distinctives of a christian cosmopolitanism that it does not make an idol of the world.
posted by micah at 2:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home