FAITH: Politics, Christianity and patriotism

Our nation’s semiquintessential (250) year anniversary is just around the corner, and these are some thoughts worth reflecting on before Independence Day. 

Politics, Christianity, and patriotism are three words that can stir up a room pretty quickly. Depending on who is speaking, they can inspire hope, create defensiveness, or shut down a conversation before it ever really begins. 

But maybe that is exactly why we need to talk about them with more humility, not less. 

Politics, at its best, is about how we live together. Christianity, at its best, is about loving God and loving our neighbor. Patriotism, at its best, is about gratitude for the place we call home and a willingness to help it become better. None of those things are bad. In fact, when held with humility, they can call us toward service, responsibility, and the common good. 

The trouble begins when we confuse them. 

Our faith should shape our values, but it should not become a campaign slogan. Our patriotism should deepen our love of neighbor, but it should not become permission to ignore the stranger, the poor, or the people who vote differently than we do. Our politics should help us organize public life, but it should never become our ultimate identity. 

Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” That is not a call to separate faith from public life entirely. It is a reminder not to give Caesar what belongs to God. Our deepest loyalty is not to a party, a platform, or even a nation. Our deepest loyalty is to the God who calls us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. 

That humility matters. Pew Research Center reports that 62% of American adults still identify as Christian, though the country is more religiously diverse than it once was. At the same time, Pew found that 17% of Americans now say the federal government should declare Christianity the official religion of the United States. PRRI reports that roughly one-third of Americans qualify as Christian nationalism adherents or sympathizers. Those numbers should not make us panic, but they should make us pause. 

Because Christianity has never needed government power to be faithful. The early church had no political majority, no official status, and no cultural dominance. What it

had was shared bread, radical generosity, care for widows and orphans, and a Savior who washed feet. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “The church is the church only when it exists for others.” That is a powerful test for any Christian politics. Does it exist for others? Does it protect the vulnerable? Does it tell the truth? Does it make room at the table? Does it sound like Jesus, or just like our favorite cable news channel with Bible verses attached? 

Patriotism needs a similar test. I believe we can love America without pretending America has always gotten it right. In fact, honest love tells the truth. A parent who loves their child does not ignore destructive behavior. A citizen who loves their country does not ignore injustice. Dr. King reminded us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That is not anti-American. That is deeply faithful and deeply patriotic. 

Gallup recently found that American pride has fallen to historic lows, with only 58% of adults saying they are extremely or very proud to be American. I do not think the answer to that decline is louder flag-waving or harsher arguments. I think the answer is rebuilding trust — neighbor to neighbor, congregation to congregation, community to community. 

Frederick Buechner described vocation as the place where our “deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Maybe that is where politics, Christianity, and patriotism can meet too. Not in domination. Not in fear. Not in baptizing our opinions as God’s opinions. But in asking: What does love require of us here? 

For some, it may mean voting. For others, serving. For others, listening before speaking. For all of us, it means remembering that people are not enemies to defeat, but neighbors to understand. 

I do not want a faith that is too small to speak to public life. But I also do not want a politics so large that it swallows my faith whole. 

The intersection is possible. It may even be necessary. But it must be marked by humility, truth, mercy, and love. Otherwise, we are not building the kingdom of God. We are just building another echo chamber and putting a steeple on top.

Adam Johnson is a strategy consultant and ordained minister with two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership nationwide, currently the CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Jackson TN. He holds advanced degrees in nonprofit organization from the University of Memphis. Adam lives in Jackson with his wife, Kayla, and their daughter Josephine.