God, Government, Liberty of Conscience, and the American Experiment
What does it mean to be a Christian patriot in the United States?
Is Christian patriotism about the flag?
Is it about political parties?
Is it about electing Christian politicians?
Is it about making America a Christian nation?
Or is Christian patriotism something much deeper?
Today, we will explore a theme that reaches from the Bible to the founding of the United States— to the constitutional principles of religious liberty.
Here is the central idea:
A Christian patriot loves his country by defending the principles of liberty that allow every person to answer directly to God according to conscience.
That means something very important.
Christian patriotism is not the same thing as using government to impose Christianity.
In fact, genuine Christian patriotism may require Christians to defend the religious liberty of people whose beliefs they profoundly disagree with.
Why?
Because Christianity teaches that there is a realm of life that belongs exclusively to God.
And government has a legitimate—but limited—sphere of authority.
The question is:
Where is the boundary?
What belongs to God?
What belongs to Caesar?
And what happens when Caesar tries to take what belongs to God?
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT ESTABLISHES THE FIRST DUTY
Let’s begin with Jesus.
In Mark 12, Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest.
Jesus answered:
“The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’”
Mark 12:29–30.
Notice something extraordinary.
Jesus identifies the first and greatest human obligation:
Our duty is to God.
Not to government.
Not to the state.
Not to political leaders.
Not to a political party.
Our first allegiance is to the Creator.
And that immediately raises a question about government.
If my first duty belongs to God, can government take possession of that duty?
Can government tell me what I must believe?
Can government tell me whom I must worship?
Can government determine how I must worship?
Can government require me to violate my conscience?
The biblical answer is no.
Because my relationship with God belongs to God.
JESUS AND CAESAR
Jesus made this distinction remarkably clear.
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus with a question about taxation.
Jesus asked for a Roman coin.
Then He said:
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21.
Think about those words.
Jesus recognized that Caesar has legitimate claims.
But He also recognized that there are things that belong to God that do not belong to Caesar.
That is the biblical foundation for limited government.
There is a sphere belonging to Caesar.
There is a sphere belonging to God.
And the Christian must never confuse the two.
Government has legitimate authority.
But government is not God.
The state is not God.
The president is not God.
Congress is not God.
The Supreme Court is not God.
And the majority is not God.
There is something above government.
The Creator.
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
The Declaration of Independence begins with precisely this idea.
It speaks of:
“the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.”
It declares that human beings are:
“endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”
That word is critical:
Creator.
The Declaration did not say that government creates our rights.
It said our rights come from our Creator.
And then it says governments are instituted to secure those rights.
This is remarkably consistent with the biblical understanding of human beings.
Acts 17:24–25 says:
“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth…”
God is the Creator.
He is Lord over humanity.
Government is therefore not the ultimate source of human dignity.
God is.
And if rights come from God, government does not have unlimited authority to take them away.
THE POWER OF GOVERNMENT IS LIMITED
The Declaration then makes the revolutionary statement:
Governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
But follow the logic.
If government’s legitimate powers come from the people, what powers can the people delegate?
Only powers that legitimately belong within the civil sphere.
I can authorize government to protect my property.
I can authorize government to maintain courts.
I can authorize government to punish murder.
I can authorize government to protect public order.
But can I delegate my relationship with God?
Can I give Congress my conscience?
Can I authorize a legislature to worship God for me?
Can I transfer my duty to my Creator to another human being?
No.
And that is precisely where A. T. Jones’ argument becomes so powerful.
A.T. Jones asked the question:
“What Is Patriotism in the United States?”
Jones reasoned from the Declaration’s statement that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed.
If government receives its authority from the people, then people can delegate only authority that they themselves possess.
But religious duty is different.
My duty to God is not something I received from government.
It is something I received from God.
Therefore I cannot delegate it.
And if I cannot delegate it, government cannot legitimately receive it.
This is the critical distinction:
Civil authority can govern civil conduct.
It cannot govern the conscience.
That principle is not hostile to Christianity.
It is rooted in Christianity.
THE BIBLE’S TEACHING ABOUT CIVIL GOVERNMENT
But someone might ask:
Doesn’t the Bible command Christians to obey government?
Absolutely.
Romans 13 is very clear.
Paul writes:
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.”
Romans 13:1.
And:
“For there is no authority except from God.”
Romans 13:1.
Government has legitimate authority.
Paul continues:
“For he is God’s minister to you for good.”
Romans 13:4.
Government therefore has an important God-given role.
It is supposed to restrain evil.
Protect society.
Maintain justice.
Punish wrongdoing.
Preserve civil order.
Peter makes a similar point:
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.”
1 Peter 2:13.
And why?
“For the Lord’s sake.”
But there is an important biblical qualification.
Government authority is not unlimited.
WHEN GOVERNMENT CROSSES THE LINE
The apostles were ordered by civil authorities to stop preaching about Jesus.
What did they do?
They answered:
“We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29.
There is the boundary.
Government has authority.
But God has greater authority.
When government commands something that violates God’s explicit command, the Christian must obey God.
This principle appears throughout Scripture.
Daniel was ordered not to pray.
He prayed anyway.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were commanded to worship the image.
They refused.
The Hebrew midwives were commanded to kill Hebrew male infants.
They refused.
The apostles were commanded to stop preaching Christ.
They refused.
The biblical pattern is consistent:
Respect legitimate civil authority—but never give government the place that belongs to God.
DANIEL AND THE ISSUE OF WORSHIP
Consider Daniel 6.
The king issued a decree that effectively regulated prayer.
Daniel knew the decree.
He understood the consequences.
And yet Daniel went to his room, opened his windows toward Jerusalem, and prayed as he had done before.
Why?
Because prayer belonged to God.
The king could control certain civil matters.
But he could not legitimately claim Daniel’s conscience.
This is the same principle that emerges in the American understanding of religious liberty.
Government may govern the citizen’s civil behavior.
But it cannot legitimately become lord of the conscience.
THE THREE HEBREWS AND WORSHIP
Daniel 3 provides another example.
Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone to bow before the image.
The three Hebrews refused.
Notice something important.
They did not lead a rebellion against the Babylonian government.
They did not deny that Nebuchadnezzar possessed civil authority.
They simply refused to worship the image.
Their message was essentially:
You may control our bodies, but you cannot control our worship.
That is the essence of liberty of conscience.
And notice what God did not do.
God did not ask them to force Babylon to worship Yahweh.
They simply remained faithful themselves.
That is a powerful biblical model for Christian patriotism.
THE BATTLE OVER WORSHIP IS NOT NEW
The Bible repeatedly identifies worship as an issue of conscience.
The first commandment says:
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus 20:3.
The second commandment says:
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image.”
Exodus 20:4.
The fourth commandment begins:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Exodus 20:8.
And Revelation brings the issue of worship into the final conflict.
Revelation 14:7 says:
“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth.”
Notice the language.
Worship Him who made heaven and earth.
Why?
Because God is the Creator.
And because the Creator alone possesses ultimate authority over worship.
REVELATION AND THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
Revelation 14 also describes the great final choice facing humanity.
The three angels’ messages contrast true worship with false worship.
And Revelation 14:12 says:
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
The final conflict therefore involves allegiance.
It involves worship.
It involves obedience.
And it involves conscience.
This is why religious liberty is so important from a biblical perspective.
God wants genuine worship.
But genuine worship cannot be produced by governmental coercion.
You can compel outward behavior.
You cannot compel love.
You can force someone to bend the knee.
You cannot force the heart to worship.
GOD DOES NOT FORCE THE CONSCIENCE
Think about the character of God.
God could force every human being to obey Him.
But He doesn’t.
Joshua 24:15 says:
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”
Choose.
Jesus said:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24.
The invitation is voluntary.
Revelation 22:17 says:
“Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
God invites.
God persuades.
God convicts.
God calls.
But God does not need the coercive power of government to manufacture genuine faith.
PAUL AND CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
Paul writes in Galatians 5:1:
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.”
Christianity is fundamentally about freedom from sin and allegiance to Christ.
Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 3:17:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
The gospel transforms the heart.
Government can regulate behavior.
Only God can transform the heart.
That distinction should prevent Christians from asking government to accomplish what belongs to the Holy Spirit.
JUNE 12, 1776 — VIRGINIA
Now let’s move from Scripture to American history.
On June 12, 1776, Virginia adopted its Declaration of Rights.
Section 16 addressed religion.
It declared that religion and the duty owed to the Creator are matters of conscience—not matters to be dictated by government coercion.
The language is extraordinary because it recognizes that religious duty belongs directly to the individual and the Creator.
Think about the sequence.
The American Revolution is taking place.
Virginia is declaring human rights.
And one of those rights is religious liberty.
Then, less than a month later, the Declaration of Independence declares that human rights come from the Creator.
These principles belong together.
JEFFERSON’S ARGUMENT
Thomas Jefferson’s 1779 Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom argued that the human mind was created free.
Jefferson rejected governmental coercion in matters of religious belief.
Eventually, his principle became Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom in 1785.
Again, notice the underlying philosophy.
The government does not create religious truth.
It does not create conscience.
It does not create our duty to God.
Government’s role is to protect the freedom in which human beings can exercise conscience.
THE BATTLE OVER THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION
Now comes the fascinating controversy involving Patrick Henry and James Madison.
A bill was proposed to provide public financial support for teachers of the Christian religion.
The proposal came in the 1784–1785 period.
It was a Christian proposal.
Its supporters believed Christianity was beneficial to society.
But Madison opposed it.
Why?
Because the issue was not whether Christianity was good.
The issue was whether government should have authority over religion.
Madison wrote his famous:
Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments.
His argument was that religion is a duty owed to the Creator.
Therefore, government should not take jurisdiction over that relationship.
Madison understood something remarkably important:
Government support can become government control.
And when government controls religion, religion itself is endangered.
WHY CHRISTIANITY DOES NOT NEED GOVERNMENT COERCION
Madison’s argument has a biblical parallel.
Jesus never instructed His disciples to establish a government that would force people to follow Him.
Instead, Jesus said:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”
Matthew 28:19.
Make disciples.
Preach.
Teach.
Baptize.
But notice the method.
Not coercion.
Not legislation.
Not imprisonment.
Not political force.
The gospel advances through persuasion and the transforming work of God.
Paul says:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God.”
2 Corinthians 10:4.
The Christian’s weapons are spiritual.
That means the Christian should be very cautious about attempting to accomplish spiritual objectives through civil coercion.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
George Washington also understood the importance of religious liberty.
In 1789 he wrote to the Baptists of Virginia that if he had believed the Constitution might endanger religious rights, he would not have signed it.
He affirmed liberty of conscience and warned against spiritual tyranny.
He also wrote to the Society of Friends that the government should protect people and their consciences from oppression.
Washington’s understanding is significant.
He did not believe religious liberty meant that religion was unimportant.
Quite the opposite.
Religion was important enough that government must not be allowed to control it.
ROMANS 13 DOES NOT GIVE GOVERNMENT UNLIMITED AUTHORITY
This is an important point.
Sometimes Christians quote Romans 13 as though it means:
“Whatever government commands, Christians must obey.”
But that cannot be the biblical meaning.
The same Bible that tells us to respect government tells us:
“We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29.
The same Bible that tells us to honor rulers gives us Daniel refusing a governmental decree.
The same Bible that tells us to submit to authority gives us the three Hebrews refusing an order to worship an image.
Therefore Romans 13 must be understood within the larger biblical framework.
Government has authority.
But God has ultimate authority.
Civil government has a legitimate sphere.
But it does not possess unlimited authority.
WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR?
So let’s return to Jesus’ words:
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
What belongs to Caesar?
Taxes.
Civil order.
Justice.
Protection from violence.
The administration of civil law.
What belongs to God?
Worship.
Conscience.
Faith.
Ultimate allegiance.
The first commandment.
Our duty to our Creator.
And here is the great danger:
When Caesar claims what belongs to God, government has crossed the boundary of its legitimate authority.
THE CONSTITUTION AND BILL OF RIGHTS
The Constitution reflects this limitation.
Article VI states:
“No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
Then comes the First Amendment:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Notice the two sides.
Government cannot establish religion.
And government cannot prohibit its free exercise.
That is not anti-Christian.
It protects Christianity from governmental control.
And it protects everyone else as well.
WHY CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM MUST DEFEND EVERYONE’S RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Suppose I am a Christian.
I believe Christianity is true.
I believe another person’s religion is false.
Do I defend his right to practice his religion?
Yes.
Why?
Because I am not defending his theology.
I am defending his conscience.
And I am defending the principle that protects my own conscience.
This is one of the great paradoxes of religious liberty:
You sometimes have to defend the rights of people whose beliefs you believe are profoundly wrong.
But that is precisely what makes liberty liberty.
If I defend freedom only for people who agree with me, I am not defending liberty.
I am defending privilege.
THE GREAT CONTROVERSY
This is where Ellen G. White’s The Great Controversy becomes especially relevant.
The larger biblical conflict is ultimately about allegiance and worship.
The conflict began in heaven with Lucifer’s rebellion against God.
Isaiah 14 and Revelation 12 describe the rebellion.
The issue is ultimately:
Who deserves allegiance?
Who has the right to rule?
Who deserves worship?
And throughout human history, the enemy has attempted to combine religious authority with civil power.
That combination creates the ability to enforce religious conformity.
This is why the American experiment in religious liberty is so significant in the Adventist understanding.
The separation of civil and religious authority provides a barrier against religious coercion.
And that barrier protects conscience.
THE FINAL CONFLICT AND WORSHIP
The Adventist understanding of prophecy makes the issue even more urgent.
Revelation 13 describes a system that seeks universal religious allegiance.
Revelation 14 gives God’s final appeal:
“Fear God and give glory to Him.”
And then:
“Worship Him who made heaven and earth.”
The final conflict is therefore not merely about politics.
It is about worship.
It is about obedience.
It is about conscience.
It is about whether human beings will obey God because they choose to—or because civil authority compels them.
And that is why religious liberty matters so profoundly to the Adventist message.
CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM IS NOT CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
Now we need to make a very important distinction.
Christian patriotism says:
“I love my country and want to preserve its constitutional liberties.”
Christian nationalism, in its more coercive form, can become:
“I want government to use its power to establish or enforce my religious convictions.”
Those are fundamentally different.
Christian patriotism says:
“I will defend your right to worship according to conscience.”
Coercive religious nationalism says:
“I want the government to make the nation conform to my understanding of Christianity.”
But who decides which Christianity?
Who decides which denomination?
Who decides which doctrine?
Who decides which day of worship?
Who decides which religious practices are acceptable?
Once government possesses that authority, the conscience is no longer free.
THE SABBATH AND THE TEST OF PRINCIPLE
This is particularly important for Sabbath-keeping Christians and Seventh Day Adventists.
Seventh Day Adventists believe that the seventh-day Sabbath is a biblical command.
But Adventists should never want the government to force people to keep the Sabbath.
Why?
Because that would contradict the very principle we are defending.
God desires obedience that comes from conviction.
Not coercion.
The Sabbath is a test of allegiance to God.
But if government forces Sabbath observance, it ceases to be an expression of conscience.
It becomes a civil requirement.
And therefore Adventists have a particularly strong reason to defend religious liberty.
We need freedom not merely for ourselves.
We need freedom because God’s law belongs in the conscience, not in the coercive machinery of the state.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
The second commandment says:
“You shall not make for yourself a carved or graven image.”
Why does God prohibit idolatry?
Because worship belongs to God.
And that means worship cannot legitimately be transferred to human authority.
The state may demand loyalty to the Constitution.
It may require obedience to legitimate laws.
But it cannot demand worship.
The state cannot become God.
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT AND CONSCIENCE
The fourth commandment says:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
The command is addressed to the individual.
It begins:
Remember.
It is a command to conscience.
And this illustrates the larger principle.
God’s law is not merely a list of governmental regulations.
It is God’s claim upon the heart.
Jesus said:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:15.
Love comes first.
Obedience follows.
Government can force behavior.
Only love produces genuine obedience.
CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM AND THE TWO KINGDOMS
Jesus said:
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
John 18:36.
That does not mean Christians should withdraw from society.
Christians should be some of the best citizens.
We should vote.
Serve.
Pay taxes.
Obey just laws.
Help our neighbors.
Protect the vulnerable.
Seek justice.
But our ultimate kingdom is not America.
It is God’s kingdom.
Our ultimate allegiance is not to a political party.
It is to Christ.
Our ultimate identity is not political.
It is Christian.
WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN PATRIOT ACTUALLY DO?
A Christian patriot:
Loves his country.
But does not worship his country.
Respects government.
But does not worship government.
Honors political leaders.
But does not treat them as saviors.
Defends the Constitution.
But does not treat the Constitution as Scripture.
Votes.
But recognizes that elections cannot bring the kingdom of God.
Participates in politics selectively and wisely, supporting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, religious liberty and liberty of conscience.
But does not confuse politics with the gospel.
Defends religious liberty.
Even when the person exercising that liberty disagrees with him.
THE BIBLICAL TEST OF GOVERNMENT
The prophet Micah gives us a beautiful summary of God’s expectations:
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8.
That gives Christians a framework for citizenship.
Do justice.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly with God.
And remember:
“with your God.”
Your relationship with God is personal.
No government can walk with God for you.
No church can walk with God for you.
No political party can walk with God for you.
THE GREAT TEST OF CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM
Here is perhaps the greatest test:
Will I defend liberty based of the tenets of Scripture when it benefits someone with whom I disagree?
Will I defend the Baptist?
The Catholic?
The Jew?
The Muslim?
The atheist?
The Seventh-day Adventist?
The person who disagrees with me politically?
If I defend only the rights of people who agree with me, I don’t really understand liberty.
But if I defend their freedom because I believe conscience belongs to God, then I have understood something fundamental.
WHY RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTS CIVIL LIBERTY
And now we come to the central proposition.
Only in the maintenance of religious liberty can there be any firm assurance of civil liberty.
Why?
Because religious liberty establishes a boundary around government power.
It says:
There are things government does not own.
Government does not own your conscience.
Government does not own your faith.
Government does not own your worship.
Government does not own your relationship with God.
And once government claims the power to control conscience, what prevents it from claiming greater authority over everything else?
Today it may regulate worship.
Tomorrow speech.
Then thought.
Then association.
Then political dissent.
The principle is the same:
Who owns the conscience?
THE BIBLE’S ANSWER
The Bible answers:
God.
Jesus says:
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
Mark 12:30.
Jesus says:
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21.
Paul says:
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.”
Romans 13:1.
But when government commands what God forbids, the apostles say:
“We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29.
Joshua says:
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”
Joshua 24:15.
Paul says:
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.”
Galatians 5:1.
And Revelation calls humanity to:
“Worship Him who made heaven and earth.”
Revelation 14:7.
Put those passages together and we have a powerful biblical philosophy:
Respect government.
Obey legitimate civil authority.
Do justice.
Love mercy.
Serve your country.
But worship God alone.
THE CHRISTIAN PATRIOT’S DECLARATION
So perhaps a Christian patriot could make this declaration:
I love America.
But I do not worship America.
I respect government.
But I do not worship government.
I honor the Constitution.
But I recognize that God is above the Constitution.
I participate in democracy.
But I know that democracy cannot save humanity.
I will defend civil liberty.
But I recognize that civil liberty cannot survive without liberty of conscience.
I will defend my own religious freedom.
But I will also defend yours.
I will defend the freedom of the person who disagrees with me.
Because I believe that the conscience belongs to God.
And I will never ask government to do for Christianity what only Christ can do.
THE FINAL QUESTION
So what is Christian patriotism in the United States?
It is not making America into the kingdom of God.
America is not the kingdom of God.
It is not asking government to convert people.
Government cannot convert people.
It is not asking politicians to become our saviors.
Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Christian patriotism is something much more principled.
It is loving our country by defending the liberty that allows every person to answer to God directly.
It is protecting the Constitution.
It is protecting freedom of conscience.
It is defending free exercise of religion.
It is maintaining the separation of civil and religious authority.
It is refusing to surrender the conscience to government.
And it is recognizing that the first commandment belongs to God.
CONCLUSION
GOD’S KINGDOM AND AMERICA’S LIBERTY
Let’s return one last time to the words of Jesus:
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
That is the first duty.
Then Jesus tells us:
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
That is the distinction.
Romans 13 tells us to respect legitimate government founded on Biblical principles of religious liberty and freedom of choice.
Acts 5:29 reminds us that God has the higher claim.
Galatians 5:1 calls us to stand in liberty.
Revelation 14 calls us to worship the Creator.
And the American founding tradition attempted to construct a government that recognized this distinction.
The Declaration said our rights come from the Creator.
Virginia declared that religion is a duty owed to the Creator.
Madison defended conscience against governmental religious assessment.
Jefferson championed religious freedom.
Washington warned against spiritual tyranny.
The Constitution prohibited religious tests.
The First Amendment prohibited governmental establishment of religion while protecting its free exercise.
A. T. Jones connected these principles directly to the meaning of American patriotism.
And Ellen White’s The Great Controversy placed them within the larger biblical conflict over worship, conscience, and the relationship between religious and civil power.
So here is the principle I want to leave with you:
Christian patriotism does not mean using America to advance Christianity.
Christian patriotism means preserving the freedom in America that allows Christianity—and every other faith—to be freely chosen rather than governmentally imposed.
Because genuine faith must come from the heart.
And the heart belongs to God.
The Christian patriot therefore says:
I will love God first.
I will love my neighbor.
I will serve my country.
I will obey legitimate civil authority.
I will resist tyranny.
I will defend liberty.
And I will defend the freedom of another person’s conscience—even when I profoundly disagree with that person’s beliefs—
because I believe that conscience belongs to God.
And perhaps that is the deepest meaning of Christian patriotism.
Not:
“America must become my church.”
But:
“America must remain free enough for every person to answer to God directly. The absence of coercion.”
That is why religious liberty matters.
That is why the First Amendment matters.
That is why the Constitution matters.
And that is why this principle deserves to be defended:
ONLY IN THE MAINTENANCE OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CAN THERE BE ANY FIRM ASSURANCE OF CIVIL LIBERTY.
And ultimately, the Christian patriot’s highest allegiance is not to a flag.
It is to the One represented by the words:
“Worship Him, the Creator of the universe, who made heaven and earth.”
