On Pledging Allegiance
working hard for the laissez-faire
I am proud to be an American. Initially, I rediscovered my patriotism as an act of cultural defiance. There’s something about that millennial sneer, that smug attitude that says, “I am a real femme du monde, because I know that Americans are shallow and fat.” In the summer of 2008, some friends, my wife, and I traveled around Europe. Upon embarking on that trip, I held that same smug too cool for America attitude. When I returned home, it started to fade away. I met American girls pretending to be Canadians in a hostel near Monaco and an East German man on the Eurail insisting that “America is the best country in the world.”
When I returned to the states, I got a job in the nonprofit sector and stayed working in that world in Toledo, Ohio for the next 11 years. Over the next decade, Anti-American hipster sentiment was so obviously shallow and obnoxious, that it caused me to become patriotic. As I worked among them, the administrative class’s persistent self congratulatory attitudes, made me a born-again conservative. It wasn’t until the world went nuts in 2020, that I became the norm-core Republican dad that I am today. Which leaves me wondering this: How can I be an intellectually honest Christian and still espouse love for my country? How can I be a faithful citizen of heaven and a reputable citizen of the USA?
As a Christian and an American, I know that my highest allegiance is to God, yet I also hold a deep gratitude for my country. The foundation of my pride in being an American rests on a simple factor: this nation permits me to worship God freely and criticize the government openly. (In fact, the best thing that can be said about democracy is that it can withstand criticism. All of the most resilient people I know can as well.)
I would like to think that if I were born in most other countries, I would not have the same affections for my national heritage. (That’s probably not the case.) Almost every other nation suppresses religious expression, and many rulers punish dissent. Yet, America’s founding principles have provided enough of a scaffolding to keep safe its various worshippers, offering the unique ability to serve God first while participating in the governance of the nation.
(For fear of leading anyone to erroneous theological conclusions, I think it is worth mentioning that God seems to use suffering, persecution, and imprisonment to refine and grow His Church. That being said, I am grateful for living in a society that permits, free religious expression. Still, I see that suffering yields great results, but I’m perfectly happy making that observation from as great a distance as possible.)
Scripture makes it clear that our ultimate citizenship is not of this world. Rather, “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are called to honor God above all other lesser things including our earthly systems. Yet, scripture also instructs us to respect and engage with civil authority.
“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” This statement acknowledges the role of civil governance but ultimately reminds believers that their highest allegiance belongs to God. In a way, Christ’s statement is as much an affirmation of Social Contract Theory as it is a nod to The Divine Right of Kings.
I’d argue that America’s founding aligns with these biblical principles. The First Amendment guarantees that no government can coerce religious worship. Faith is a matter of conscience, and in a free society, individuals are able to follow God’s calling without interference. Likewise, the right to speak freely, even in opposition to the government, is a fundamental check on tyranny. When they were ordered to stop preaching the gospel, the apostles exemplified this in Acts 5:29, declaring, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” The ability to challenge earthly authority when it contradicts divine truth wasn’t a permission granted from the Magna Carta or any other state-enumerated right. It is a biblical duty: a mandate from God that precedes our own documented history.
Though I reserve the right to dissent at any time, I respect America’s culture of freedom because it allows for a life of peace and worship, aligning with Paul’s exhortation in 1 Timothy 2:1-2: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” It is no small thing that in America, that we can live peaceful and quiet lives, gathering in worship, praying openly, and serving others without fear of government reprisal.
While Christians hold dual citizenship, in heaven and on earth, our earthly citizenship comes with responsibilities. Dr. Larry Arnn, in his introduction to the course American Citizenship and Its Decline, describes citizenship as “the duty that you owe to your country.” Citizenship is not just a legal status; it is a call to active participation in the health and future of the nation. I live as a proud citizen with exceptional rights, so in order to ensure my children enjoy the same rights, I voluntarily undertake duties and responsibilities now.
In the course, (which I highly recommend) Dr. Arnn highlights the decline of citizenship and the rise of bureaucracy as a danger to American freedom. He notes that in the past, Americans saw government officials not as rulers but as servants of the people. Alexis de Tocqueville observed in Democracy in America that when Americans saw a public problem, they did not simply wait for the government to act. Instead, they formed committees, took initiative, and addressed issues directly. This spirit of self-governance mirrors the biblical principle of stewardship, taking responsibility for what God has entrusted to us.
Recently, I was wildly impressed by that same American-spirit on display after Hurricane Helene. The mountain folk of Western NC started assembling to deliver provisions, “cut” roads, build timber bridges, and take care of their fellow Appalachians. I recall seeing this 70ish year old woman, cross a newly formed stream to deliver food to her neighbor. I stopped and asked her if she needed a hand across the creek, and she laughed at me and said, “Honey, I’ve been doing this every day. They’re stuck in there.” I just replied, “Well, thank you.” None of the folks living on 194 headed up to Elk Knob from Boone waited for FEMA to spring into action. They lived out Tocqueville’s observation.
I feel Dr. Arnn’s observations about his SE Michigan town reflect my own about W North Carolina. “I just love this town, and we get on well here. There’s a big spirit around (the idea) that we ought to fix our problems ourselves—that’s a responsibility and authority coming to everybody in the town, and that’s good for the town. If citizenship dies, what follows is not unity. What follows is a form of chaos and division because it starts mattering a lot who’s on top—who gets to regulate whom." As bureaucracies expand and centralized power grows, fewer people feel responsible for their country’s direction. If citizenship is abandoned, what replaces it is not unity, but division. When people no longer participate in self-government, the question becomes, who is in control?
The American experiment grants exceptional right: the freedom to worship, and the freedom to hold leaders accountable. As Proverbs 31:8-9 instructs, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” For most of the world, speaking out against government injustices leads to imprisonment or worse. In America, we’re (theoretically) encouraged. This is a freedom worth cherishing and defending, even when our particular candidate or party is the one in power. Just because the petty tyrants all assembled under the Biden administration to force you to cover your face with ineffective masks; shut down schools and churches; to arrest people for praying near Abortion clinics; mandate experimental injections; forbid your freedom to assemble; and the list goes on… that doesn’t mean we should return tyranny in-kind. No, we must remain vigilant to the reality that tyranny is bipartisan.
Living dutifully as a citizen requires holding our leaders accountable, and preserving the structures that allow us to live under “a government of the people, by the people, for the people.” If the government is “by the people” that implies that we are not mere inheritors of Rights, but that we have a Duty to proper self-governance, self-mastery, and self-defense. Dr. Arnn draws a parallel between America’s military strength and its foundation in personal responsibility. He notes that while America has been victorious in major wars, it is not a martial society like ancient Rome. Instead, American soldiers have fought as free people defending a free nation. When individuals are invested in their country, they are willing to defend it. This mirrors the biblical call in Nehemiah 4:14, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
The ability to live freely, worship openly, and hold leaders accountable is not happenstance. It is indeed a historical anomaly. It is the result of a system designed to protect individual liberty. As Dr. Arnn states, “If you leave people free and give them a stake in things, you will get wonders unfolding, even if often it’s messy.” Our system of governance is indeed messy, but it reflects God’s character: God does not force righteousness upon people; He calls them to choose it.
Being a good citizen means cherishing these freedoms, actively participating in governance, and ensuring that America remains a place where faith can be practiced without fear, if people withdraw from the responsibilities of governance, then tyranny and division will rise in its place.
In the end, our highest allegiance is to God. But while we sojourn in this land, we are called to be stewards of the freedom we have been given, “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” America is not perfect, but it is a nation where we can still worship freely and challenge leaders when necessary. That is why, despite its flaws, I’m still profoundly (and perhaps naively) grateful to be an American.
I'm a preacher's kid, an atheist, and an anarchist, and I couldn't appreciate this piece more. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
Plus, we invented blue jeans. Which the whole world admits are cool.