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Healthy Patriotism

Posted by John Sommerville on

America has a remarkable national heritage. With great wisdom, our founders established a political system that many have sought to replicate. The vision these early leaders laid out truly altered the course of history. 
 
But it wasn’t perfect. For example, for purposes of Congressional apportionment, the Constitution counted blacks as three-fifths of a person, an injustice that was not corrected until the fourteenth amendment passed in 1868. As uncomfortable as this is to recall, it is a part of our history, and, unfortunately, leaves a legacy that continues to this day.
 
In his book, “The Four Loves,” C.S. Lewis distinguishes between healthy and unhealthy patriotism. Love of country, he said, a love for the place in which we’ve been raised, is a natural human emotion. It’s good, he said, to remember the best in our ancestors because it inspires us to live up to the standards set for us by the noble men and women who have preceded us. 
 
But patriotism, he said, blind patriotism in particular, has a dark side. The actual history of every country, Lewis said, “is full of shabby and even shameful doings.” As Americans we have our share of awkward, uncomfortable and even terrible events in our history. 
 
This means that patriotism, as proper as it is, cannot be an ultimate thing. That, Lewis said, would make it a god when our loyalty must be to God alone. As Paul reminds us (Philippians 3:20), “our citizenship is in heaven.” So the best way to be a healthy patriot is to compare our love of country against other, greater loves, including, Lewis said, our love of goodness, truth and, above all, love for God.  
 
Our history is littered with stories of those who have served their country with honor. But we also have our share of “shameful doings.” Loyalty to country must not be blind, for we are a people with both high aspirations and deep flaws. 
 
Lewis, however, did not intend to send anyone on a guilt trip, but to inspire us toward higher and more noble purposes. We love our country. but we need to look candidly at the sins of the past and seek to remedy our shortcomings. To work tirelessly for what the Constitution called, “a more perfect union.” To protect everyone from evil, promote justice for all, provide for the needs of the most vulnerable, and work for the common good of everyone, not just a privileged few. 
 
So let’s practice healthy patriotism. Unhealthy patriotism makes it easier for people to act wickedly; but healthy patriotism makes it harder. This weekend, celebrate what is good about this land. Be true to the noble values that have shaped us. But also be a part of setting right what has gone wrong.

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