Allan Sutherland
has been the regional director of ACSI in Johannesburg, South Africa, since July 2001. He taught and administrated in state schools for 16 years, and then he founded and commenced two Christian schools, the second being one of the largest Christian schools in South Africa.
As a foreign visitor to the United States in June 2002, I was greatly impressed with the public display of patriotism—from the display of national emblems in and around homes to the respectful standing at attention in honor of the flag as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. How very different from the images portrayed of spectators at an international soccer match when national anthems are played! A majority of this youthful, predominantly male audience are far from respectful toward one of the highest national symbols of their motherland. And it is also very different in the country where I live.
First World nations speak of patriotism, or being a loyalist. Third World countries use the word nationalism. A vast difference exists in the understanding of these terms. First World countries display a pride, a loyalty, an allegiance, and generally a respect toward their national emblems. Third World nationalism is more radical, introspective, egotistic—maybe even including intimidation of one party or faction by another.
How, then, shall we teach our children? If the students in Christian schools can fully grasp and personalize the truth of having a cause to die for, perhaps we as Christian leaders will begin to see the results of real discipleship. Without a doubt, the most noble cause to die for is following Jesus Christ. Have we grasped the message of our Savior, Jesus Christ, when He emphasized in John 15:13 that “greater love has no man than…”? Than what, we must ask. The answer in the context of patriotism and nationalism would be to lay down our lives for our country. The answer from a biblical worldview would be to lay down our lives for our friends. For Christians, this difference poses the first point of conflict regarding loyalties. We add to the severity of this conflict if we believe that if people have not prepared for eternity, they will profit nothing—even from building nations or receiving international acclaim.
Why should we espouse patriotism? Isn’t patriotism an example of humanism and the promotion of worldliness? Why has the American nation removed God from its core and supplanted Him with a pseudo-form of religion called patriotic fervor? Even present-day Israel no longer honors the redeeming God of its history, having replaced Him with a new religion called nationalism. Likewise, we need to be cautious about the new patriotism in America brought about by tragedies and the evil intentions of God-haters. This patriotism could transform into a new nationalistic pride. Beware! Pride goes before a fall! Romans 12:1–2 admonishes us as believers not to be conformed to this world, including its thinking patterns, philosophies, and popular ideologies and those of educational policy makers. Instead, we are to be transformed by renewing our minds so that our thoughts are in accord with God’s perspective of history and destiny. If we as teachers prioritize human qualities reflected in the heroes and role models of our heritage, are we not unwittingly promoting humanism? We must carefully guard against becoming so smart and sophisticated in the classroom, so caught up in wonderful new technologies and ready-made lessons, that we sacrifice biblical virtues, values, and character.
In many Third World nations, followers of Jesus are facing great challenges, even to the point of martyrdom, because of their uncompromising commitment to Him. One of the grossest spiritual offenses is to deny our Leader and Commander when we face hardship or persecution. For example, in the past we have seen patriotic fervor change into Marxist and Socialist allegiance. If that great political sellout comes to nations such as the United States or Europe, will the depth and the truth of what we have taught our children inspire them to remain loyal and committed to Jesus even to the point of laying down their lives?
So is there a place for patriotism as a theme in the classroom? For the answer, we can study the life of Jesus. Was He patriotic? I believe He was. He taught about the kingdom of heaven with vivid descriptions! He didn’t mince words with the oh-so-fastidious political opposition members or even with the religious factions such as the Pharisees. Jesus taught what patriotism is not! He recognized that His citizenship in the country of His birth was temporary, yet He taught obedience to the authorities (Matthew 22:15–22). He provided an example in a crowd-control situation: He could have caused civic unrest during His unfair arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, but instead He submitted to severe bias and provocation for the following 24 hours at the hands of unrighteous patriots.
How do we, then, convey positive patriotic values in the classroom? The Bible contains many examples, an especially inspiring one being the Heroes Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. From this chapter alone, an anointed classroom teacher could generate many valuable lessons about biblical values. Students could also learn about patriotism from studying role models like Nehemiah. What a national hero! The long list of other resources that are available includes Ruth Haycock’s Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects, published by ACSI in 1993 and available at Purposeful Design. At the same time, however, the foundational guideline needs to remain focused on the person and character of Jesus Christ alone. Our goal should always be to conform to His image (Romans 8:29). In South Africa for example, we must keep this focus as we teach the national curriculum, which has to be implemented even in private schools. It requires us to teach students about “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” which exposed and aired many deep hurts and injustices originating from many sources and factions, in an attempt at reconciliation and restitution. This is but one attempt to create a positive environment for nation-building, or patriotism. We could surely identify similar parallels in other nations.
Is imparting patriotic values important in the classroom? Yes, it has a place, but only if its fundamental focus is Jesus Christ. True patriotism or nationalism is characterized by 1 Peter 2:9–10: “But [we] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
Patriotism: A God-Given Theme for the Classroom? 6.2