Last Sunday, a preacher asked the congregation to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” in church. I find such a practice idolatrous. My allegiance to my country is not a part of my Christian obligation. As a Christian, my ultimate allegiance belongs to God alone. My allegiance to my country is part of my obligation as a citizen or resident of my country. My allegiance to my country is primarily motivated by my willingness to contractually participate in social cooperation for the establishment of peace, security, social stability, and justice for all members of the citizenry. A country is temporarily and contingently established for the organization and management of the contractual participations of the citizenry in social cooperation. Of course, I am willing to die for my country, when the values (such as peace, security, social stability, and justice) that are essential for the social cooperation of the citizenry are unjustifiably threatened. But that’s not a Christian obligation. That’s my contingent obligation as a part of the citizenry. It is idolatrous to treat one’s allegiance to one’s country as an expression of one’s allegiance to God. One can pledge allegiance to one’s country without necessarily pledging allegiance to God. One can pledge allegiance to God without necessarily pledging allegiance to one’s country.
Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, let me briefly reflect about love. What is the nature of God’s love for humanity? What is the nature of that love that has God as its object or the kind of love (directed to God) that the Bible demands from humans? God’s love and the love that is demanded from us are both intense and radical. God’s love for humanity is both intense and radical. Based on the theological narrative that developed through the spiritual insights of the early followers of Jesus (like Peter, John, and Paul), Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity. What does it mean? According to their theological narrative, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. God sent his only begotten Son to serve as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The religious frameworks of the ancient world, of course, shaped the formation of this narrative. In the ancient world, human actions that offend the deities require sacrifices that sufficiently appease the offended...
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