One of the most entertaining parts of the World Cup this summer is watching how visitors to the United States react to various aspects of our country. Whether it is the Australian guy who could not stop praising the goodness of Texas Roadhouse or the Europeans who cannot fathom the bigness of a Costco, people are stunned by America’s greatness.
But are restaurants and grocery stores what make America great? As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday this month, it seems worthwhile to pause and reflect on what makes our country truly great. There are many things people visiting for the World Cup may not notice or acknowledge that make our nation truly great. And they are worth thanking God for. Here are four of them:
First, America’s beginnings are great. It only takes a cursory reading of the history of the American War for Independence (start with David McCullough’s book 1776) to see that America’s defeat of the British was truly remarkable, dare I say miraculous. One historian summarizes the situation this way: “American troops – badly housed, badly clothed, and badly equipped – were at war with the world’s greatest commercial and military power.” For example, General George Washington’s troops only had enough gunpowder for nine shots each when the fighting began in 1775 – hardly enough to defeat the greatest army in the world at the time. Yet defeat them they did.
Second, America’s system of government is great. The Founding Fathers of America should be lauded for their willingness to attempt a government that would be, as Abraham Lincoln would later say, “of the people, by the people, for the people.” They risked their lives to create a country that would be governed unlike the one many of them descended from – Great Britain. America would not be led by a monarch or king. Perhaps the greatest thing George Washington ever did was step down as President after two terms in order to demonstrate that the presidency was a temporary office, not a lifetime position. The genius of the “American experiment” in government is that it is a blend between a federal constitutional republic and a representative democracy. America is a democracy and a republic. We are led by people who represent us, as opposed to a hereditary monarch, and we have the privilege, indeed responsibility, to elect representatives who will govern on our behalf. Another aspect of the genius of our government is that power is spread over three branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The Founders understood the tendency of power to corrupt, so they wisely spread the government’s authority between the President, the Congress, and the Judiciary. This system of checks and balances, when functioning properly, makes our nation’s government truly great.
Third, America’s free market economy is great. Having an economy driven from the “bottom-up,” rather than the “top-down,” created the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. The Market (don’t think “Stock Market,” think rather what exists as the result of buyers and sellers doing business with each other) is a good thing created by God for us to serve one another by providing various goods and services. From the beginning, Americans did not want the government running the Market (eg. the Boston Tea Party). Of course, because of the sinfulness of human nature, there should be some measure of regulation to ensure that the Market is functioning fairly. But a “free market” driven by the basic human desire to create and provide, to buy and sell, is a good thing and reflects creational realities. This is why America’s economy is head and shoulders above all others, and why the growing movement toward socialism in our country is a step in the wrong direction. When the people rather than the government run the Market, prosperity is the result.
Fourth, America is great because we have the freedom of religion. Enshrined in the Bill of Rights (in the First Amendment to be exact), is the protection of the right to religious beliefs and practices. By law, the American government cannot create or favor a specific religion. People from all faiths are equally free to believe what they believe and practice their faith. You could argue that the freedom of religion is why America was founded in the first place. The English settlers on the Mayflower who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 were fleeing religious persecution in their own country and seeking religious freedom in the “new world.” Then later, thanks to Baptists like Roger Williams (founder of Rhode Island), religious freedom became a fundamental principle of our shared life together in the “American Experiment.” God did not give the government authority to bind our conscience concerning matters of faith or doctrine. That authority belongs to God’s Word alone. Therefore, the First Amendment is right to not allow the government to enforce religious standards on anyone. This freedom of religion guaranteed by our government makes America incredibly unique among the nations of the world, and therefore truly great.
There is so much to love about America. Yes, Chick-fil-a is amazing. But the freedom of religion, the free market, our representative democracy, and our unprecedented beginnings are what make this nation truly great. Are we a perfect nation? Far from it. There will always be work to be done to make America better than it currently is. But, in opposition to the cynical culture we live in, it is good for believers to stop and thank God for the good things we have in America.
Patriotism, or love for one’s country, is good and right. As Christians, we can love the land we call home (even if we were not born here) without believing that America is God’s special land. We do not have to become “Christian nationalists” in order to truly love our country. As one writer says, “We can and should reject nationalism without rejecting America.”
And, of course, we can love our country while also loving our God. And He must always be the center of our loves and hopes and aspirations. His kingdom is the only one that never ends and the only one where there will be perfect peace and justice and joy. For the reasons I have given above, it is good to be an American. But it is much better to be a Christian.
Let me conclude with Abraham Lincoln’s closing words in his Gettysburg Address in 1863, after the battle there killed over 7,000 Americans. To honor the dead, Lincoln said, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Happy 250th Independence Day,
Pastor John