How to be a Patriotic Christian

Today Americans celebrate the 235th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. It's a time for citizens to express our patriotism, our love for our country and its people.

Recognizing that many of my blog's readers live in different nations around the globe (some of which are hostile to the Christian faith), I have been thinking about how the Bible gives us some guidance in expressing our love for our countries and their people.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Pray. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4). If we have a fair, decent, competent, and honest government, we are more likely to be able to live peaceful and quiet lives. We will be able to spread the good news of Christ with fewer obstacles in our way. Perhaps more people, even leaders within our governments, will be able to hear God's message more clearly. Perhaps they will respond favorably and join with us in following Jesus.

2. Submit. "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities..." (Titus 3:1). "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God...for he is God's servant for your good" (Romans 13:1, 4). Generally, when we follow the rules, we help our societies to function better. Anarchy and rebellious attitudes can bring societies to ruin. Our neighbors could suffer harm when we are rebellious against authority.

3. Go Beyond the Legal Requirements in Order to Do Good to Others. "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people" (Titus 3:1-2). A person can treat people horribly and not violate a single law in my country. The law tends to set minimal standards of behavior in a society. A Christian can stand out in a community by going beyond the requirements of the law, by being "ready for every good work," by refusing to slander others (especially the government's leaders), by avoiding quarrels (especially concerning relatively unimportant political preferences), and by being gentle and courteous toward everyone.

Whether a Christian lives in the USA, Russia, China, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil, or anywhere else on the planet, he can love his country and its people by adhering to these principles.

Sincerity as Evidence for the Christian Faith

A few nights ago, I was reading a portion of the Gospel of Luke to my son Christopher before bedtime. In that portion of the Scriptures, Jesus was healing men and women of various illnesses and afflictions.

At a break in the reading, my son asked, "How do you know that's true?" Puzzled, I responded, "What do you mean?"

Christopher said, "Those miracles. How do you know they happened? It sounds like someone's lying to us."

At that moment, I realized that our son was taking a huge step in his development. He was not believing something merely because his parents believed it. He was questioning it.

My wife Janet and I assured him that it was proper to question us and the Bible. He needed to know that he was not alone in his doubts; he needed to know that it was a part of spiritual growth to raise questions. After all, those kinds of miracles do not happen every day in our lives. We have seen some remarkable answers to prayers for healing, but we have not seen anything like someone walking on water or someone being raised from the dead. In fact, even the apostle Thomas did not accept the resurrection of Jesus until he saw the Lord for himself.

We explained to Christopher that we have not seen the miracles recorded in the Bible firsthand, but eyewitnesses to those miracles preserved a record of them for us.

A few nights later, we returned to the subject. I let my son know that those eyewitnesses spread the word about Jesus and his miracles to everyone they encountered for the rest of their lives. Even though they faced severe persecution and death for telling people about the resurrection of Christ, they never stopped spreading the good news that Jesus had died for their sins and had risen from the dead in order to save them.

If the apostles had not honestly believed what they were saying and what they were writing in the Scriptures, they could have changed their story very easily in the face of death. But they remained committed to their account of Christ's message.

Sincerity does not necessarily prove one's testimony to be true. However, when a man remains committed to his eyewitness testimony in the face of death, it's a strong indication that he truly believes his message. Something happened in his life that he cannot deny.

And that's one good reason to take seriously the message of the apostles and other early Christians who wrote the New Testament. We know that they were not lying.

"And they have conquered (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death" (Revelation 12:11).

(The picture above portrays the crucifixion of the apostle Peter)

Tony Dungy on Character

I especially liked this section from Coach Dungy's The Mentor Leader (pages 69-71):

"Coach (Cal) Stoll was the first person I can recall who made the connection between the quality of our character and our success on the football field. He was talking about success in life as well, but what was new to me was the emphasis on character and success in the short-term, on the field. Once I learned that lesson, making the connection to success in life was easy...

"Much of what we hear today about football players and good character has more to do with their not embarrassing themselves or their school or team than it does anything else...

"Coach Stoll made the point that how we did things affected our results. He further believed that the kind of people we had on our team would affect our ability to get the results we wanted, and that the people we were around would have an impact on us. To follow his thinking, then, the kind of people we spent time with affected our character, and our character affected our performance on the field.

"I had never looked at it that way before. I never thought that my personal life, or that of my teammates, would have any impact on whether we won or lost games. In my mind, winning games was simply a matter of talent and teamwork. So whenever I played pickup basketball on the playground, where the rule was win or sit out--and of course I wanted to win and keep playing--I didn't give any thought to character, just to who could help me win. Or so I thought.

"After hearing Coach Stoll, however, I began to think about the decisions I had made over the years and the types of guys I always picked. It hit me that I hadn't necessarily picked the most talented players to be on my team. Some of those guys never passed or didn't play defense. Rather, the guys I picked were the ones who had a burning desire to win and who would do the kinds of things--such as rebounding, defending, or passing to the open man--that would put their team in a position to win. If it meant they didn't score at all in the game, fine. If it meant they scored every point, that was fine too. I realized that, without even thinking about it, I gravitated toward the guys who had character. I began to see that the people I wanted to associate with were people of character both on and off the court or field.

"Coach Stoll made it clear that the guys who went to class, who treated other people with respect, and who were responsible in the little things on and off the field were ultimately the ones who gave us a better chance to win...

"Ultimately, Coach Stoll showed us that players who weren't reliable off the field would eventually demonstrate those same shortcomings in the heat of battle. If they weren't responsible in other settings, we wouldn't be able to count on them at crunch time. And he was right...

"Surprisingly for some, research conducted by the Leadership Research Institute had shown that in times of crisis, people gravitate toward the person of highest character, not necessarily the person who is 'in charge' or even the person they believe to be the most competent. Rather, people will tend to build a relationship with and follow the person they view as the most trustworthy, who cares the most, and who is willing to always do the right thing.

"In a crisis, people crave character. But there's no reason to wait for a crisis. You can continue to cultivate your character along the way, and it will contribute to your team's performance long before a crisis ever comes. Character is the glue that bonds solid and meaningful relationships."

Whenever I think about good character, I think of honesty. While it's a key ingredient of character, it's not the only element. Tony Dungy has correctly pointed out some of the relational elements of good character (such as caring about others and being reliable).

Coach Dungy's books are available at all major bookstores and amazon.com. I always buy one when it's published. You can find a link to his blog on my blog roll at the right side of my blog. You will find some wise advice and encouragement posted frequently.

Encouragement Through Hardship

"Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly" (Philippians 1:14).

I find Christianity to be most attractive when I see faithful Christians enduring hardship with God-honoring attitudes and actions.

When I read about a man who went to jail and ministered to fellow inmates rather than agree to stop offering pregnant women positive alternatives to abortion, I was encouraged.

When I heard about a cancer patient who thanked God for his cancer because he was able to share the gospel uninterrupted with his doctors and nurses, I was encouraged.

When I heard about a manager who lost his job for refusing to falsify records and spent the rest of his life in a low-paying job because loyalty to Christ was more important than money and status, I was encouraged.

Those men never compromised their faith. They accepted disgrace, criticism, and disruptions to their lives because they saw the glory of God as far more important than their physical or social discomfort. In doing so, they encouraged fellow believers and attracted the attention of unbelievers.

Uncommon

Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy is concerned about men in our society who have lost their way, who have never learned what it means to be men. Working with young men in prison, Coach Dungy knows that men need biblically-based guidance and encouragement.

In his new book, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance, Tony Dungy offers much needed guidance and encouragement. In short and easy-to-read chapters, Coach Dungy promotes values like honesty, humility, courage, respect for authority, sexual integrity, and faith in Christ. In other chapters, he offers wise advice on how to treat a woman, how to be a good father, friendship, education, alcohol and drugs, careers, and following your dreams.

In a section focusing on our influence in the lives of others, Mr. Dungy wrote,

"You have multiple platforms from which to impact the world...Growing up, I was mesmerized by the talk that went on inside my local barbershop. I usually went in on Fridays before my games, and in addition to listening to the other guys talk in the shop, I always enjoyed talking to my barber, Mr. Hampton. Mr. Hampton would always wish me well in that night's game and talk with me about school and girls and whatever else was going on in my life. He may not have called it a platform, but he certainly recognized the impact he could have on the men, especially the young men who came in thinking they were just getting a haircut. We always left with so much more.

"...Remember--you stand where no one else stands. Sometimes it's behind a barber's chair. Sometimes it's on the field. Sometimes it's across the dinner table. You may never know the impact you're having on someone who's looking up to you because of your character, your life's work, your family life, or maybe just because of your friendship. People respect you, believe in you, and trust you. In those cases, and others that will come, you have a platform of importance in the lives of those you touch--for their good. Use it wisely and in an uncommon way" (pp. 187, 190).

Uncommon is an excellent book for men. It would serve well as a book for guys to study at a men's group in church.

People Are Looking for Answers

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

I am constantly honored to have people in my life asking me questions about God, Christ, faith, hope, sin, and related topics. I have become convinced that people are looking for solid answers to their questions. They have grown dissatisfied with questions, uncertainty, and insecurity in their lives. More than ever, they are willing to consider God and his word.

These are some of the questions I have been asked this week (along with my answers):

1. If God created everything, where did God come from?

For anything to exist, something has had to have always existed. Something needs to be eternal. Nothing produces nothing. If at some point in the past nothing existed, we could not exist now, because something cannot come from nothing. So the question becomes, "What has always existed?" We could say that the material universe has always existed. However, physicists and astronomers point to a beginning of our universe. They also expect an end to it. If they are correct (and I believe they are correct in recognizing that there was a beginning), the material universe cannot be eternal. So, the only other option would be: something beyond the material universe must have been responsible for creation. It would need to be outside the laws of physics, because it would need to be eternal itself. God is a spirit who is beyond the laws of physics. He is eternal and the source of the physical universe.

2. My Muslim daughter asked her spiritual leader why God answers my prayers since I am a Christian, and he answers her prayers as a Muslim. He told her that God answers the prayers of everyone, but that only Muslims will go to heaven. How do I respond?

Jesus Christ is unique. He said that no one could go to his Father (God) unless they followed him as the Way. He is the only begotten Son of God. He is the only one who has lived a sinless life. He is the only one qualified to be a sacrifice on behalf of sinners in order to satisfy the penalty for sin. He was proven to be acceptable in his sacrifice when he was resurrected.

The issue is not whether Muslims are superior to Christians. The issue is whether Jesus Christ is uniquely qualified to be our Savior. If he is (and I believe he is), then he is the one worthy of following.

3. My Muslim son-in-law is always lying to my daughter. He is dishonest with her all the time, but he calls himself a good Muslim. How can he do that?

I don't know. I do not know the rules of Islam concerning lying. I don't know what they consider to be "good." (My answer was completely inadequate, but honest.)

4a. What church are you a member of, Terry?

The Church of Christ

4b. I didn't know you were a member of Barack Obama's church.

I'm not. He's a member of the United Church of Christ. It's a liberal denomination. The Churches of Christ are conservative. (I wish I had given a more complete answer. I should have said that the United Church of Christ is a theologically liberal denomination while the Churches of Christ are theologically conservative, because I probably left the impression that I was talking about the churches' political stances.)

A Time for Mercy

I felt uncomfortable listening to callers and commentators on National Public Radio yesterday morning. The day before, the entire world learned that vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's unmarried 17-year old daughter, Bristol, was carrying a child due to be born in about 4 months.

Bristol had sinned. She had violated God's standards of sexual morality.

Critics were quick to condemn her and her mother, but for some reason the baby's father was ignored.

However, Bristol had admitted to her sin. She had resisted any temptation to cover it up by aborting her child. She was planning to marry the father of her child. She was not lying about her sin. She was not promoting her sin as something others should do.

I could not join in the chorus of condemnation. I could not remove the account of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 from my mind. I could hear Jesus' words in my mind, "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." I could hear him tell Bristol, "Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

An honest and responsible young woman who has failed morally does not need the condemnation of the world. If she were dishonest and irresponsible about her failure, she would need to be confronted for her own good, but that was not the case. She has admitted her failure and has been seeking to make the best of a difficult situation in dealing with the consequences.

Bristol Palin and girls like her around the world need mercy. Those without supportive families need others to help them through their difficult times. They need forgiveness and guidance. Some will need a home in which to stay. Some will need families who will adopt their children. They will need encouragement in continuing to pursue honesty before God and responsibility toward others.

I don't want to be among the people eager to throw stones at such girls. I would rather show mercy and help them.