Reflecting on Fidelity Month
The celebration of “Fidelity Month” is a relatively recent phenomenon, having only gained popularity a few years ago through the work of Princeton professor, Robert George. The purpose of this celebration is to focus on “the importance of fidelity to God, spouses and families, and our country and communities.” The month, which takes place in June, has been intentionally positioned to combat the hubris of so-called “Pride Month” that has gained popularity in the West.
Now that June is over, I think it is important to take some time and reflect on “Fidelity Month” and some brief lessons we can learn from it. As Christians, I think the celebration of Fidelity Month should inspire two things in us: A periodic reminder of our fidelity to God and a lamentation that such a month has become a seemingly necessary political statement.
Christians have long taken time out of the year to celebrate various things. The celebration of Advent is over a month long (not to be confused with the single Christmas Day) not to mention the seasons of Easter and Pentecost. Of course, we see this pattern marked in the Old Testament too, with all of its various feast days. As such, it is a properly Christian thing to be intentional with our celebration.
Further, as Christians, we ought to lament the continued celebration of so-called “Pride Month.” Not only is pride a specific and harmful sin, but the connotations of Pride Month all stem from a worldview that is distinctly anti-Christian. While some Christians may (foolishly) choose to celebrate pride, they do so in contrast to the historic Christian tradition. Thus, Christians ought to think of Pride Month as something like an “anti-Holy Day.”
Going Forward
Having said all of this, I think the work of people like Prof. George is highly commendable. As we seek to “take every though captive for Christ,” one of the best things we can do is replace a pagan holiday like Pride Month with a celebration of the one true and living God.
At the same time, we should also remember that, in some sense, every month is Fidelity month. We owe all of our allegiance to Christ, every moment of every day. Just like we celebrate the Resurrection all year (not just at Easter), we should also strive to be intentional with our stating of fidelity to Christ all year.
At the end of the day, I think movements like the practicing of Fidelity Month are good ones. Christ is Lord and we ought to be willing to proclaim his great name to all the people. Hopefully, if enough Christians can get on board, we’ll be wishing each other a “happy Fidelity Month” very soon.
Tyler Bauer is the content editor for the Land Center Journal. He holds MA degrees in Apologetics and Philosophy and is currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy of Religion at Southwestern. In his spare time, you can find Tyler writing about classical education, worldview, and philosophy at tylerwbauer.com or co-hosting the God and Other Small Stuff Podcast.
Sometimes, his wife will laugh at his jokes.
Additional Resources
Fidelity, not Pride, this June. (Breakpoint)
