A Warning Against Nationalism

A recently written open letter warning us about the new nationalism that seems to be accepted in many in the Church was penned by a collection of people (click here for the open letter). The letter could be divided into two parts. The first part provides a context for the 2nd part. The second part provides a list of what is and what is not to be accepted about nationalism or Christian nationalism that seems to be emerging with the Presidency of Trump.

The first part of the open letter needs work. One reason for that is that it tries to distinguish patriotism from nationalism even though they are sometimes used as synonyms and the definitions of both terms depends on the points one is trying to make. Sometimes the two terms are defined in ways as to distinguish them to make patriotism seem desirable and nationalism to be repugnant. That is what is done in the first part of this open letter. Patriotism is presented as something to pursue while nationalism is presented in a way that discourages one from embracing it. And how we should reject nationalism as is defined in the open letter is what the 2nd part of the open letter is about.

We should note that, as defined in the open letter, nationalism is described as an instance of tribalism while patriotism is not. What is meant by tribalism in this blog? Here, tribalism is defined as when loyalty to a group trumps one's commitment to principles and morals. When that occurs, then right and wrong is determined by who does what to whom. And unlike patriotism, that is how nationalism is partially described in the open letter.

The second part of the open letter is well worth reading especially if we see nationalism as an instance of tribalism. For in the first statement of the second part of the open letter, nationalism is to be rejected because it leads us to decide whether or not we will value people as God's Word says we should value them. The other option is to value them according to some national and ethnic  identification. And if we are following God's Word, how can we show preference to a person based on their national or ethnic identity when all are made in God's image?

The second statement warns us against dividing the Church up according to national and/or ethnic identities. For not only does dividing the Church up into different ethnic groups totally wrong, we can corrupt the Church when we too strongly associate some instance of nationalism with the Church and the Gospel.

The third statement warns us against the varying forms of xenophobia that nationalism can naturally produce. After all, when loyalty to a national or ethnic group becomes great enough, suspicions about those from other groups logically emerge. Thus, all forms of xenophobia, such as white nationalism, are rejected by those who signed this open letter.

The fourth statement rejects  treating the immigrant or alien or whatever with anything less than open arms and less than an open heart. Neglecting the immigrant is seen as being as wrong as persecuting the immigrant.

The final statement rejects the notion of the Church having despair over losing power and/or prestige in America. We Christians should be happy enough to note that the Church is the Church regardless of its status and prestige, or lack thereof, in society.

The basic jist of the open letter is described in this article, however, this open letter is still a worthwhile read for all who have tired of having to argue against some form of nationalism or ethnic Christianity.