Idolatry of the Kings
When Our Love Can Go Too Far
It is often claimed that the root of sin is pride. That may be the root for some, but it is more complete to say that the root of sin is idolatry. The first three “words” or utterances in the Decalogue deal with the fact that idolatry is the foundational sin.
"Then God spoke all these words:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:1–7 NRSV)
When we place something above, or on par, with God we recognize explicit idolatry, but what about the things we venerate and hold on high yet think they are not idols? These are the true idols that lead us astray, mostly because we have blind spots toward them, or with something like bibliolatry, we believe it to be correct to venerate the creation based upon a faulty understanding. As Zack Hunt mentions in his excellent book Godbreathed, “So how can letting the Bible lead your life be idolatry? Therein lies the problem. Behind a question like that is a subtle but problematic assumption that the Bible and God are interchangeable, that they are one and the same; to say one is to say both. But the Bible, as divinely inspired as it might be, is not God. It’s a book. Or rather a collection of books. But it is not the Word, the Logos of God, the Word made flesh. The Bible is very clear that honor belongs to Jesus (John 1:1–4).” (Hunt)
As shocking as the idea of bibliolatry is to many Christians, there is an idolatry that is more insidious within expressions of Christianity in the United States. This is the idolization of country and politics. The month of July is often where we experience and witness this idolatry front and center. American Christians can find themselves in uncomfortable positions as they critique manifestations of idolatry. Those critiques may be met with counter false allegations of hating country or being overly concerned. Maybe faith and the trappings of governmental and cultural power became conflated. The very idea that to be American is to be Christian or vice versa is the first step toward idolatry.
If you have read this far, I ask that you stick with me through the next part. I can hear many of you crossing your arms and preparing to tell me I am being extreme or worrying about something which does not exist. Yet, I will argue that for many American Christians, the most damaging and seductive sin is idolatry of country. That is because for those of us that live in the U.S, it can be an amazing country. America, though born in revolution, has been an experiment in a secular government that rejected the claim of the 18th centuries and earlier European powers that God granted the human sovereigns power and the subjects of those powers were bound in obedience to embrace the understanding that humanity had certain rights and privileges granted directly with no mediating sovereign. In a not-so-subtle move, the language from the Declaration of Independence of God granting those rights shifted to the people in the Constitution. That is the beauty of our system. It enshrined the right of people to determine the government they wanted to live within.
This experiment has not always been perfect, and that is where our honesty needs to live. Immediately, the language of equality was obscured by the treatment of chattel slaves as property. The country has failed at many more ideals with the treatment of human beings. As for me, I love where I live, but that love must embrace the fact that where I live can fail at being good. This is often where we see the first step toward idolatry, seeing the past as entirely good or refusing to acknowledge the bad. When we cannot look at and engage the bad, we can overwhelm the good with falsehoods. It is best to love country as we do family and recognize that flaws exist with the perfections.
The second step is exceptionalism. This idea goes beyond a refusal to see the bad, which allows a blind devotion to creep in. In this step, we may be unable to veer from a dangerous course of violence or hatred of others. This is the step that so often gets obscured by conflations with faith. As Joerg Reiger states in Jesus Vs, Caesar: “The infamous bumper sticker describes the situation: ‘God said it, I believe it, that settles it.’ As we have seen so far, however, empires have a tendency to define the truth of Christianity in ways that have little to do with Jesus because they endorse various forms of top-down power that stand in contrast to the kind of power Jesus embodies and represents. As a result, for the past two thousand years, when empires were in charge, the winning logic of Caesar had christological effects: Jesus was made to look just like him. Not surprisingly, many who embrace the sensibility featured in the aforementioned bumper sticker frequently confuse God and Caesar.” (Rieger)
While there are many more ideas which can cause an unhealthy devotion to country, there are actions that can create confusion and are idolatrous in their very nature. It is the critique of these actions that brings out a lot of vehement language and accusations that the critic “hates our country,” “doesn’t appreciate the sacrifices,” or “doesn’t believe in God.” Those are the accusations of people who could not separate respect, love, pride, and a healthy view from idolatrous views. This critique is the most difficult because it touches on deep emotional attachment and often deeply held beliefs in the connection between country and faith.
I recently waded into a conversation on a Facebook post from one of our denominational leaders. The gist of the original post was that there is a way to honor country and not be syncretic in practice or attitude. The post described participation in the liturgy of nation (national anthem and other elements) within a time of worship and said that a “good example for my country’s churches to follow.” The pushback to that is the churches in the United States, which are the churches in “my country” and that of the leader, often go too far in these displays. The times of worship when we as a people are gathered to praise God, build one another up, and go deeper into discipleship of Jesus should not be confused with times to venerate country and take part in the liturgies of that country or nation. That participation is what leads to idolatry and a dangerous conflation of what is best for the nation rather than the desires of God.
Following this past Sunday, which was the second of July, 2023, I was pointed to a church within our denomination who staged a patriotic service. I will describe the elements I witnessed and explain why those are idolatry.
The service opened, and then the colors were presented. Two uniformed military personnel (maybe veterans) walked the U.S. and Christian flags to the front of the worship space and placed them on the main platform. The congregation was asked to stand during this time and remain standing for the rest of the national liturgy. Next, the “Star-Spangled Banner” was sung and then the congregation was asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag and the Pledge to the Christian flag. The service had many other patriotic elements, but this beginning is the most idolatrous because:
The presentation of colors by military personnel in a worship space during worship shows a veneration of those symbols that is not compatible with the Kingdom of God thinking of the Church.
The singing of a national anthem is directed at veneration of that nation and the flag as its symbol. Within the time of worship, this is a point of both confusion and improperly timed veneration.
Pledges to things other than the triune God (triune God encompasses all the Trinity) show a split allegiance when engaged in during worship.
I realize many are going to strongly disagree with me and say that I am being unfair, that I hate my country, and that I should leave or shut up. But the fact is I love my country. I am moved emotionally when signing or hearing our songs of patriotism. The core ideals of the country are good and, when followed, show the wisdom of our form of government even when it is not perfect. But my good emotion is always informed by the reality that the U.S. has not always acted in goodness, nor does it always act in goodness, and I must remember that. It is also important for Christians to remember that our allegiance is to God and when we engage in practices which confuse that during worship; we move toward idolatry of nation.
We can be good Christians and also care and have pride in our countries, but that pride must not extend to the worship space in actions which split our allegiance from Christ to Christ and country. There is a healthy level and activity of participating in country and in the liturgies of country, but the time of worship of God is not healthy. That path leads to idolatry.
May we be people who can love the place we are as God does such that we work toward transformation
Hunt, Zack. Godbreathed (p. 23). MennoMedia. Kindle Edition.
Rieger, Joerg. Jesus vs. Caesar (p. 96). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
Hallelujah! I avoid church on all national holidays weekends precisely because I find many services veer into idolatry. An hour a week is short shrift enough without further diluting the very reason for worship! I wish flags were banished from places of worship for the same reason.