As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary this July, we find ourselves inundated with grand celebrations, parades, and highly publicized spectacles. For many in progressive communities of faith, this milestone can stir complicated feelings. We are often told that patriotism means blind allegiance, uncritical praise, or aligning ourselves with whatever political philosophy currently holds power.
But as followers of a gospel rooted in justice, love, and truth-telling, we know there is a deeper, more enduring way to love our country.
True patriotism does not require us to ignore our history; rather, it demands that we face it. To love a nation is to hold it to its highest ideals. James Baldwin beautifully captured this sentiment when he wrote, “I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
Our faith calls us to a form of prophetic patriotism. We can celebrate the profound promises of the Declaration of Independence—liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness—while simultaneously lamenting the ways our nation has failed, and continues to fail, to extend those promises to all people. Acknowledging the deep wounds of systemic racism, indigenous displacement, economic inequality, and environmental degradation is not un-American. It is the very definition of civic responsibility.
This Semiquincentennial, let us refuse to let our patriotism be questioned just because it is paired with a thirst for justice. We celebrate not by waving flags at partisan rallies, but by recommitting ourselves to building a more perfect union. We honor our country by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, protecting the marginalized, and continuing the sacred, unfinished work of democracy.
Shalom, Paul