Christian Patriotism

Abstract

"If you are dreadfully anxious to be fashionable in. thought, as well as in dress, you will know that it is not the "in" thing to be patriotic. The contemporary man is an international man, which often means in practice that he finds something to love in every country except the land of his birth. The truth is that patriotism is one of the most confused and misused concepts of our time. It is not to be equated with mindless flag waving or with the bigotry that declares "my country-right or wrong." The definition of a patriot that appeals to me is that of "one who exerts himself to promote the well-being of his country." A Biblical proverb spells out for us what the highest well-being of a country is: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34)"