In a bizarre rant, left-wing commentator Chris Hayes compared Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. strikes against Iran, to the savage attack by suicide bombers who flew airplanes into buildings on 9/11. He was joined by Democratic congresswoman from Detroit, Rashida Tlaib, who used the word “they” to describe the country where she serves as an elected official and accused the United States of genocide in a disputed story about the tragic death of civilians. This kind of rhetoric is found across the political spectrum. Former Gen. Douglas Macgregor falsely claimed, on former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s show, that Iran is winning the current war because every U.S. base in the Middle East was destroyed.
Questions about and opposition to the war in Iran are understandable. Though I support President Trump’s actions, I recognize good people have differing views on foreign policy. But there is a difference between opposing policies and actively rooting against your own country. Consider former Republican George Conway, who once supported action in Iran but now declares the United States to be a terrorist state—ironically while running for Congress … in the United States. Or consider the increasingly deranged rantings of conservative podcaster Candace Owens, who has accused her own country of orchestrating every bad thing from Pearl Harbor to the MLK assassination to 9/11. Or consider the ladies on The View, who find moral equivalence between the terrorist regime of Iran and the United States government.
These sentiments are all coming as America approaches our 250th anniversary. Yet patriotism is at its lowest point in decades. Cynicism has become currency, fuel for increasing one’s online stature as an influencer. Already an axiom of orthodoxy on the far left, it’s becoming chic among portions of the right, particularly the cadre of rising podcasters and influencers. It often begins with rank anti-Semitism and moves quickly into anti-Americanism.
Faithful Christians should resist this impulse. If we are to “seek the welfare” of our country (Jeremiah 29:7), how can we do that while harboring hatred for her people and for her ideals? Furthermore, to resist patriotism is to express ingratitude for the freedoms we enjoy and the people who paid the ultimate price to secure them. God has sovereignly placed us here as American Christians (Acts 17).
Click Here to Read More (Originally Published at World Magazine )
Daniel is the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including The Dignity Revolution, Agents of Grace, and his forthcoming book, In Defense of Christian Patriotism. Dan is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
