Patriotism and the Church

These words were penned by CS Lewis in 1942 in his work The Screwtape Letters, a fictional account of how the underworld works to subvert the Church and the Christian witness in our world through patriotism and a partisan spirit:

“If your patient can be induced to become a conscientious objector he will find himself one of a small, vocal, organized, and unpopular society, and the effects of this, on one so new to Christianity, will almost certainly be good. But only almost certainly…. Your best plan would be to attempt a sudden, confused, emotional crisis from which he might emerge as an uneasy convert to patriotism….
Let him begin by treating Patriotism as a part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the ’cause’, in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent argument it can produce in favor of the… war-effort… Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours–and the more ‘religious’ (on those terms) the more securely ours.”

Your affectionate uncle,
SCREWTAPE

Lewis was writing in England at the height of World War II as a groundswell of patriotism began infecting the church in England. These words, written over 70 years ago, are more timely than ever for the church in America, especially in regards to the partisan spirit that has overwhelmed our national discourse. In many corners of our USAmerican society the Church has become not only a mouthpiece for a particular political party, but has become the coveted “base” to which politicians look to secure their nomination and re-election bids. This marriage between the Church and a political party has neutered our prophetic witness, rendering the values and principles of the Kingdom of God silent in our society. This is perhaps the greatest tragedy.

Before his death at the end of World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer posed this question for us to ponder:
“Do we believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, or do we believe in the eternal mission of France [America]? One can’t be a Christian and a nationalist at the same time.”

May we, the Church, come to believe that the Sermon on the Mount is greater than the US Constitution.