As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, we Christians turn our minds and hearts toward biblical passages about honoring the rulers God has ordained for us (Romans 13:4 – “he is God’s servant for your good”) and praying for the well-being of the land in which we live (Jeremiah 29:7 – “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare”). And on patriotic occasions we are often reminded of Psalm 33:12 – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Of course, no nation today can claim that the way Israel could in the Old Testament, but is there not an abiding dimension of blessing for us today when our culture (or at least the Christian “remnant” in our culture) honors the Lord?
With the challenge of the unacceptable excesses of “Christian Nationalism” (which almost all evangelical denominations have categorically rejected), we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water (so-to-speak) by being reluctant to enthusiastically celebrate a patriotic spirit at this historic semi sesquicentennial (250th), a once in a lifetime event. In contrast to the radical liberal “wokeists” who scream that America is a terrible nation, we should be in the front line of those who point to the biblical principles that were openly embraced by our founding fathers and the impressive list of things with which God, in His providence, has blessed us. We do so proudly, not because of what we have done, but proud of what our God has done!