How to be a Patriotic Christian

How to be a Patriotic ChristianThe topic of Christian nationalism takes us into deep questions of how we understand and live out our allegiances to both our country and the kingdom of God, how we ought to relate to our neighbors, and how we should pursue justice and flourishing within our nation. It's also a topic rife with confusion and uncertainty. But what is Christian nationalism, and how is it different from a robust patriotism? On our podcast we explore these questions with scholars and authors Richard Mouw and Paul D. Miller who help us distinguish between living out one's faith in the public square and instrumentalizing faith for political ends:"Because I think America is in fact, so great, it means it is so tempting to idolize America because it's just one of the greatest things. Anything we idolize becomes destructive, and it can be destructive individually of our spiritual lives. But when you idolize a nation, that nation can be unbelievably destructive." - Paul D. MillerThis podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2023. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Richard Mouw and Paul D. MillerWe hope that this conversation has been helpful in articulating what it means to be a patriotic Christian, and in offering better language and frameworks for wrestling with questions of how to live out our faith in the public square.Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, by Richard MouwPluralisms and Horizons, by Richard MouwPraying at Burger King, by Richard MouwHow to Be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor, by Richard MouwThe Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism, by Paul D. MillerThis America: The Case for the Nation, by Jill LeporeAristotlePlatoRev. Martin Luther King Jr.AugustineC.S. LewisRichard John NeuhausSimone WeilJohn CalvinSt. Thérèse of LisieuxGeorge OrwellCurt ThompsonFrederick DouglassRelated Trinity Forum Readings:City of God, by AugustineThe Children of Light and The Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr Wrestling with God, by Simone WeilLetter from Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr'sDemocracy in America, by Alexis de TocquevilleRelated Conversations:A New Year With The Word with Malcolm GuiteMusic, Creativity & Justice with Ruth Naomi FloydPursuing Humility with Richard Foster and Brenda QuinnReading as a Spiritual Practice with Jessica Hooten WilsonWalking as a Spiritual Practice with Mark BuchananMaking as a Spiritual Practice with Makoto FujimuraConnecting Spiritual Formation & Public Life with Michael WearThe Kingdom, the Power & The Glory with Tim AlbertaA Life Worth Living with Miroslav VolfTowards a Better Christian PoliticsChristian Pluralism: Living Faithfully in a World of DifferenceWhat Really Matters with Charlie Peacock and Andi AshworthScripture and the Public SquareTo listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum SocietySpecial thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.