A Semiquincentennial Celebration

I love my country. It’s been difficult for me to say that sometimes because of the sins I’ve seen America’s leaders commit throughout my life. But it’s true: the USA is a great nation.

Being an American is, objectively, a massive blessing. Statistically speaking, we are some of the richest and most privileged people in the world. Most of the world uses our currency and language in some way; I’ve traveled to places where learning English as a second language is a bona fide golden ticket to a life above the poverty line.

Our Constitution lays out a structure for a republic in which every citizen has a political voice through elected officials. And the Declaration of Independence states that everyone has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that can’t be taken from them.

I’m grateful above all for the rights to free speech, to worship how I choose, and to gather with whomever I choose. As a pastor hoping to be ordained soon, it’s a blessing to know that I can’t be punished for attending church and preaching the Gospel. Persecuted, maybe. But not legally punished (and the issues and nuances of 2020 are beyond the scope of this blog post).

Two movies have helped me form my thoughts on America recently: National Treasure and the Hamilton play recording. National Treasure and its sequel celebrate learning, truth-seeking, and how knowledge of history can help us today. Hamilton celebrates and critiques the drive of each person, despite their flaws, to build a life and legacy. Both movies remind us of the hard work and good leadership that launched this nation.

These movies also acknowledge that our nation isn’t perfect.

America has had a thousand problems over the years. We are a nation with many warts, ones that we infamously like to ignore or cover up with thick bandages even as we slowly work to heal them: slavery, civil rights issues, the dehumanization and persecution of minority peoples, exploitative industrialism, misogyny, religious nationalism that routinely turns a blind eye towards suffering and hypocrisy, and many more.

However, I’m also grateful that many people in this nation are actively combatting these problems. I hope I can be one of them in some way.

We have much to learn and repent of as a nation. But we can heal and grow. Looking at the broader scope of history, we are still a young nation undergoing growing pains.

And as much as I can see our issues, I also celebrate the good this nation and the people within it have done. We have fought for freedom and abundant life for the rest of the world, helped the less fortunate throughout history, created positive global trade relationships, and provided a safe refuge for people fleeing poverty and destruction.

I don’t celebrate many politicians and their often-questionable policies. Rather, I celebrate the original idea of the United States. It’s one that somehow lives on despite our multitude of issues and often toxic culture. It’s one that limps on, tattered and frayed but still flying, as the National Anthem attests. An idea that won’t die.

We are a people who stand for freedom.

We believe—or ought to believe—every person of every background has intrinsic value and should be able to freely make their own decisions. Christians acknowledge that this ideal proceeds from the fact that every human being is made in the Image of God and has free will. We are often not good choosers, as we humans are prone to self-destruction and hurting others. But we have a choice nonetheless and ways to protect that choice.

People debate over what the Founding Fathers believed regarding faith. What I know for certain is that while they achieved greatness in history, they were still merely men (and probably a good deal of unnamed and undercelebrated women). They were guided by high ideals, many of which reflect the Gospel.

But they were still human beings like us.

Many of the Founding Fathers were ostensibly Christian. Many did their best to be righteous, God-fearing men. However, many of them were also adulterers, violent-tempered glory-seekers, slave owners, and categorically flawed geniuses. They were visionaries and men of action, but they were not gods.

We would do well to remember that because they were imperfect, they created a system of governance that, while excellent, is also imperfect. This doesn’t mean our system needs to be replaced, because it’s unlikely we could replace it with something better (it could be a lot worse). But it does mean we have to continue building towards the future while remembering and learning from the past.

I celebrate America not as a Christian Nationalist or as a member of a political party (I’m neither—God and the world are much bigger than a single country or party). I celebrate America for the fact that it’s been a good home.

I celebrate America as a person who loves freedom and equality, ideas this country espouses that are also much bigger than the United States.

I celebrate America as someone who, as a citizen, has significant power to make a positive change in the world.

Happy 250th birthday, USA! May your founding ideals and positive global impact outlive and outshine your many flaws and failures. And may you continue to grow into something even better!