The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor
© 2022, Dr. Tamilio
I
The Fourth of July brings many fond memories to mind for me. I recall my childhood: the Independence Day Parade my community held, complete with hot dogs and ice cream at one of our local parks afterward. All-day we would have water balloon fights as our dads squirted us with the hose. After eating our fill of barbeque food, corn-on-the-cob, and watermelon (and let’s not forget those popsicles and freeze-pops), we’d light sparklers as we prepared for the fireworks that night. The world was young and alive — and we were proud to be Americans. Old Glory flew high and majestic. We placed our hands over our hearts and stood tall when we recited the Pledge of Allegiance in our classrooms or heard the Star-Spangled Banner being sung before a baseball game. We were citizens of the greatest country in the world, the UNITED States of America.
That’s not the spirit that exists today. In many respects, we are the DIVIDED States of America. We define ourselves and others based on our political leanings. Are you a Democrat or a Republican? Liberal or Conservative? Do you want to Build Back Better or Make American Great Again? In our post-Christian culture, people have not stopped worshipping — they’ve just stopped worshipping God. Instead, they worship political leaders, following them with unquestioning allegiance.
With Roe v. Wade being overturned a little over a week ago, people are more vocal about their politics than usual. We no longer define ourselves as Americans, united in a common goal of liberty, freedom, and justice for all. And it isn’t just about abortion. Gas prices are through the roof. Grocery store shelves are emptier. Although the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be on the downswing, vaccinations and booster shots are still on the forefront of our minds. When you add the War in Ukraine, gun control, the environment, racism, and immigration to the equation, we are even more alienated from our fellow Americans than I can remember.
This is not the America of my youth. It is, however, the America that I deeply miss.
Remember the spirit that was in the air immediately after the 9/11 attacks? We cared for one another. We stood in line to donate blood. We gave money and supplies to help the workers at Ground Zero. We prayed for the lives lost, and we saluted the men and women who served on our fire and police departments — we did not talk about defunding them. A feeling of pride swelled the chest. Today, that feeling has been replaced by a rigid partisan ideology.
The church needs to reclaim that patriotism and a united sense of community more than ever as we challenge our culture to return to her roots and the sacred blessings that guided our forbearers.
II
That freedom is connected to our faith. As Paul told the Galatians, “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” That almost sounds like a strange play on words: we were set free to be free? It is anything but that.
Paul is contrasting the Law the Jews followed to the rule of Christ. Paul saw the Law (which is codified in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament) he saw the Law as too legalistic, too firm, and too restrictive. Christians have been set free from the law, according to Paul, however, he is quick to caution them: that freedom is not a license to do whatever we please. Freedom can be abused, especially when the goal is to indulge the desires of the flesh.
Paul would have been familiar with the different schools of Hedonism that existed in and around ancient Greece around the time of Socrates (roughly the 4th century BC). We do not have the time to unpack the diverse views that Hedonists espouse, but the central idea is that the meaning of life lies in fulfilling physical pleasures. It isn’t that physical pleasures are bad, but they can be if:
- one makes the higher pleasures, such as the pleasures of the intellect, subservient to physical pleasures, and —
- one focuses solely on the desires of the flesh.
Paul warned about the second: focusing on the desires of the flesh. Paul writes, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want.”
Being free does not mean that you can do whatever you want. As Christians, and as Americans, we have a moral and spiritual obligation to one another, and to ourselves. We are to live in the Spirit of Christ, which brings true freedom: the freedom that leads to eternal life; the freedom that expresses itself in the joy of having a personal relationship with Jesus; the freedom of knowing that there are pleasures higher than fulfilling fleeting, physical wishes.
This is true about being an American as well. It isn’t all about you and what you want. It is about us. One might think otherwise if you watch how people in this country speak: it is about their rights, their freedom, and their desires.
Maybe the sense of pride we have as Americans is not much different than the pride we should have as Christians. But being a Christian is not about lording it over others anymore than being an American is. Let’s get back to that: the meaning of being an American and being patriotic.
III
I am not saying that our country is perfect. I am not saying that we are without fault. I do not embrace the Nationalist doctrine that claims that whatever our country does is right. A lot of blood stains the pages of our American history books. The treatment of native Americans, slavery, the subjugation of women, and an unbalanced economic system that enables most of our nation’s wealth to be in the pockets of just a few people when we have children and veterans who are homeless are just a few of the values we have failed to live up to. We are by no means perfect.
But name me a country that is…
Furthermore, it’s not about being perfect. It is about apologizing for one’s sins, making amends, allowing oneself to be forgiven, and then moving forward. There are too many people in our nation that feel as if America is incorruptibly evil and needs to either cease to exist or embrace a different system of governance. There are some (on the right and left) who want to see our nation devolve into a state in which our freedoms are curtailed to reflect an ideological agenda.
I do not want to see that day.
Yes, there are some terrible chapters in our story. There are many policies today that do not reflect the intentions of our forebears when they founded this nation.
But again, we should seek forgiveness and reconciliation and, as Jesus said to the women caught in adultery, we need to go forth and sin no more. As TV script writer Aaron Sorkin wrote for his show the Newsroom, there was a time when America lived up to its promises.
We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn’t belittle it; it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed — by great men, men who were revered.
Being an American is not about pounding one’s chest. It is about celebrating that freedom, for sure, but it is also about allowing that freedom to flourish for all people. Was this not the dream of people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who wanted America to live up to its promises for all of its citizens?
That’s my dream. That’s the America I believe in. It is the one I pledged allegiance to in my elementary school classrooms. It is the one I cherish by honoring the men and women who fought for such freedom. It is the one that goes way beyond political parties, candidates, and whatever national issues the media tells us we should focus on.
This is our nation’s holiday. May it remind us that it is our holy day, as is each and every morning when we wake up in the land of the free and the home of the brave. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America. Amen.