There’s an incredible article by Tomas Perez at the Burnside Writer’s Collective this month: The Tension of Dual Citizenship. Ordinarily, I would just excerpt an article, but this one is so good I’m going to post the entire thing. All of the emphasis in bold is mine.
At first glance, it seems like a question of allegiance; am I loyal to my
country or not? The assumption here is unquestioning support of all of our
country’s policies and practices both foreign and domestic. The war in Iraq, a
tax structure that favors unbridled corporate expansion at the expense of small
business, while poor families live without adequate healthcare and children go
without food; if I’m going to be a good citizen, I have to either embrace or
tolerate (read, “look-the-other-way”) these and many other current realities.
My more conservative brothers and sisters seem to want to wrap the
Church in an American flag and declare the U.S. a Christian Nation whose only
problem is simply remembering our spiritual heritage and returning to those
roots; like a Prodigal nation-state coming home. Such a scenario, incidentally
(or maybe intentionally) would restore the Church to a position of cultural and
political power.
I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
I’m not sure it’s that simple.
I’m not sure it’s Biblical.
On the other side
of the aisle (in the Church and in Congress), my more liberal brothers and
sisters want to separate the spiritual from the political. They want to throw
out the bathwater of violence, hatred, racism and suffering inflicted on society
in the name of Religion. And with it, all that is good; the transformational,
healing power of love, grace, forgiveness and peace that the “Baby” Jesus
brought into the world.
I’m not sure that’s a good thing either.
I’m not sure it’s that simple.
I’m not sure it’s Biblical.
Honest, thinking, American followers of Jesus find themselves in a
difficult situation these days. We have dual citizenship. We enjoy the huge
privilege of living in a wonderful country that has, for a long time, enjoyed
God’s blessing. But that citizenship is secondary. We are citizens of the
Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was not being poetic or engaging in meaningless
hyperbole when He spoke of a Kingdom. And he wasn’t talking about a distant
place we go to when we die; He spoke of a Kingdom that was “near,” and “among
you.” What makes all this difficult is that sometimes the values and purposes of
these two kingdoms collide.
Like right now.
One kingdom supports
wanton, corporate greed. The other calls its citizens to generosity and
sacrifice. One Kingdom would seek to extract every last ounce of resources from
our planet. The other calls for stewardship and sustainability. One kingdom
fights relentlessly for the protection of the unborn (a noble and just fight)
while giving tacit support to a foreign policy of unilateral military
intervention to confront perceived threats to our national security…a policy
that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The other
kingdom demands to know why we’re so vocal about fighting the war on terror in
Iraq and Afghanistan, but so quiet about the genocide in the Sudan and Congo. Is
the terror facing the Darfuri people any less important than the terror we faced
on 9/11?
What’s a Dual Citizen to do?
Please forgive me if it
seems like I’m being too simplistic. I realize my argument so far seems to
create an “either/or” dichotomy. I know its not that simple. I’m just trying to
make the point that we need to think critically and act strategically as
followers of Jesus.
The election season is upon us, and with it comes a
chance to act. So let’s act like good citizens. This is not a “get-out-and-vote”
brochure. Its a call to exercise our responsibility to be wise and active
participants in a political and social process that, while flawed, is still the
best “flawed” system ever devised.
Personally, I’m trying to do five
things I believe show proper respect for the freedom I’ve been given both as an
American Citizen and as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
I’m trying
to be as well-informed as I can about the issues that impact our world. Notice I
didn’t say the issues that “affect me.” Kingdom citizens accept the fact that
its not all about us; we understand that we have a greater responsibility than
just lowering taxes and restoring prayer in the public schools. So…I read,
listen, think, and discuss issues with those who support and those who oppose my
ideas.
I’m trying to be Biblically rooted. I re-read the Old Testament
prophets (highly political, by the way!) and I’m re-re-reading the Gospels; all
in an attempt to better understand from a Scriptural perspective what God’s
agenda is.
I’m trying to order my thinking and my actions around a clear
sense of Christian (though maybe not American) mission. In this context,
answering the question, “what would Jesus do?’ is probably the best thing a
Follower could do. When applied to the host of important issues these days, the
answers will probably be difficult, but then Jesus warned us about this.
I’m trying to be constructively engaged. Active, nonviolent protests and
boycotts can be good things, but coming up with alternatives to injustice and
bad policies is better. So I vote, but I also volunteer my time and energy in
initiatives and activities that serve the public good.
And I pray for a
spirit of humility. Let’s face it, this is all heady stuff we’re talking about
here. Wielding power is a risky business; whether its political or religious,
power is like nuclear energy. It has enormous potential for good or evil
depending on the motive of those controlling it. As much as I admire and respect
Washington, Jefferson, King, Dobson and many others, I’ve never found a more
compelling example than that of Jesus…who…
“…though he was God…did not
demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing, he took the
humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he
obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.”
