Blame America First?

Conservatives love to talk about those who "blame America first." The real problem is with those who believe that America is inerrant.

I was reading Charlotte Hays, the conservative blogger at beliefnet (www.beliefnet.com), who was blasting people who criticize the U.S. for being stingy with foreign aid. Just a bunch of blame-America-firsters! Her column reminded me of the critics of the 1960s anti-war movement -- America: Love it or leave it.

For Christians, such attitudes are worse than ridiculous -- they are flat out idololatry. Sound extreme? Consider that idolatry involves giving one's highest regard to something that is not God. Then consider how conservatives tend to view America in the world. When have you ever heard them criticize our military actions? Our foreign policy? Our take on the U.N.? We may debate within our borders, but as far as the world is concerned, we're inerrant. When we intervene abroad, we are never invaders. No -- we're agents of God's will on earth.

But wait. Isn't God alone perfect? As almost anyone's theology holds, America is a nation of sinners, as is any nation. Is it reasonable to think that a nation of sinners acts perfectly in the world? Of course not. Conservatives, however, act as though our collective national will (at least when Republicans are voting on it) is synonymous with the will of God. And here is where idololatry comes in: When we equate our national will with the divine will, we confuse the United States of America with God.

Actually, my Vietnam example is apt. Because America can be trusted to act sinlessly, out of sinless motives, in things like war, war protestors are not just against America. They're against God!

This sort of idolatry is not new. Ever since John Winthrop spoke to his fellow colonists about a "city on a hill," American society has sustained a belief that we are a New Israel, a people chosen by God for a special purpose. This distinctive view of America, however, is not Biblical or Christian. It's an ideology that has been used to justify our own selfish purposes -- from the slaughter of the Indians to the recent invasion of Iraq.

People who cripe about "blaming America first" have it wrong. We on the left blame America sometimes -- when we think our nation has gone astray and needs repentance. The options are not just "love it or leave it." If we love our country, we treat it as we would a friend -- when we see it go astray, we act to steer it back on course. That means protesting, crititicizing, complaining. Sometimes, that means blaming America. It may even mean being unpatriotic. What it certainly means, however, is being Christian.

The problem lies not with those who "blame America first," but with those who "blame America never." By making America inerrant in world affairs, they confuse the flag with the cross, and thus violate the first commandment: You shall have no Gods before Me.

(Note: Those of you who have read Stanley Hauerwas will know that this draws on him. Consider this a shout-out - or maybe just a citation)