Christian nationalism
Jess and I returned yesterday from a few days away and – like we all do – needed to pop out to the supermarket to get some food in – after the obligatory end of holiday takeaway last night of course! We had forgotten about the spread of Union Flags being hung on lampposts and St George’s crosses being painted on mini roundabouts.
During our 777 Prayer week a couple of you mentioned it in your prayers for our parish, saying it made you feel uneasy. I agree, and I’ve read a couple of things recently that I’ve found helpful which I thought I would share with you today.
First is a letter from Bishop Michael where he says this:
The flag of Saint George and the Union Jack both feature a cross, which for Christians is a powerful reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who taught us that we should consider everyone our neighbour, even those who are not like us.
I agree with Bishop Michael and think it’s a great reminder of the Christian background of our nation, and what the cross truly stands for. I think there is nothing wrong with expressing pride in your nation; in fact I suspect the UK would be in a better position if more people were proud to British in a positive sense – as opposed to making other people feel worse or unwelcome or anxious.
An article by Peter Lynas from the Evangelical Alliance delves into this in more detail, going beyond the question of flying the flag. He looks at the national picture of Danny Kruger MP speaking out so well against the Assisted Suicide bill earlier this year, Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, and some of the things happening in the USA that are influencing people and events in the UK.
He distinguishes between four kinds of Christian nationalism. The one I would love to encourage us to focus on and work towards at Christ Church is the first, which he describes as:
The core commitment is to Christian faith itself. Patriotism flows from this, shaped by a belief that loyalty to the nation should reflect loyalty to God’s justice and truth. Nationalism is not primary but flows from Christian faith. [We] may love [our] country deeply, but [we] interpret that love through the lens of discipleship, service and neighbour-love.
He calls the church to be prophetic: not to retreat into safe spaces but to be good news people in a bad news world. He calls us to hear the pain of those who feel ignored by people in power, to defend the uniqueness of Christ and the Christian faith, to recognise the Christian foundation of our country, to welcome the refugee and at the same time have honest conversations about the impact of migration.
For ultimately what unites us as Christians is not a flag but the Lamb of God, whom we see in Revelation 7 being worshipped by ‘a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ (Revelation 7.9-10, NIV). Amen.
Revd Ben Green – Vicar