Due to recent events, let’s look at some ways that Christianity, politics, patriotism, and nationalism have mingled in unhealthy ways throughout my life. Not that all of these by themselves are unhealthy, but they can be symptomatic of a larger problem:

1.) As a kid, whenever I went to a kids’ event, midweek service, VBS, etc…we always pledged allegiance to the “Christian Flag” (a discussion for another time), the Bible, and, in the same breath…the American flag. This paints them all of equal importance in a child's mind.

2.) When planning worship services, I have always made the decision that we will not do “fluff” songs. They will be theologically good and rich. That doesn’t mean they can’t be simple, but they will ALWAYS convey good theology and be worshipful to God...

The same people mad at any modern song would attack me both privately and publicly because “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and “My Country ’Tis of Thee” were all songs I would not use in a worship service.

3.) Flags in the sanctuary…Not that we have to be against this, but there's not really a reason for them. Anyway, in one church, we removed the flags. We got lambasted in a business meeting for their removal because they were a “necessary part of our service.”

Oh, a side note: this was several months later. Nobody noticed these "necessary" items were gone. They only noticed because someone found them in another room of the church.

4.) Look at some anecdotal evidence that I’ve heard from pastors (not just me). We tend to, in my demographic, see that people are being discipled by their politicians and their preferred news source…

not their church, God, or the bible. They are much more likely to parrot a pundit’s talking point than something Jesus would have said. They are also much more likely to imitate the attitude and behavior of these sources than a Christlike attitude.

5.) Just listen to the politicians try to get the “church vote.” They’ll promise Christians power, freedom, and any number of other things that Jesus NEVER told us we would have. And Christians fall for it...and the politicians have seen enough evidence to KNOW that.

6.) Lifeway Research showed years ago that 90% of Protestant churches did something special for July 4th. Again, in itself, not necessarily a bad thing, but what does it convey that Independence Day is almost expected to be a “church holiday?”

7.) The "global church." The only time in my younger life I ever heard discussion on the "global church" was in the context of missions. This tends to imply that any people group outside of the US is unreached and we, the center of of Christianity, must help them.

Missions are AWESOME, and our missionaries are heroes. Unreached groups need to be reached and we need to talk about that. Don't hear what I'm not saying.

But the discussion about the global church HAS to go BEYOND the conversation of unreached groups.

Again, it’s not that all these things are “bad,” per se. However, it is obvious to anyone watching that Americans seem to believe we are God’s chosen people. The global church is real, and it’s significantly more diverse, exciting, and relevant than the “American church.”