The Letter of Diognetus and so-called Christian nationalism

Chapter Five of the 2nd century Letter of Diognetus to a ‘disciple’ has some strong words of correction for those who are advocates of ‘Christian nationalism’ particularly in its American form.  First, I will provide the full text of the relevant discussion, and then provide some commentary.

“For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. 2 Corinthians 10:3 They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Philippians 3:20 They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. 2 Corinthians 6:9 They are poor, yet make many rich; 2 Corinthians 6:10 they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; 2 Corinthians 4:12 they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.”

What is especially noteworthy about early Christians of the sec0nd century who were thoroughly grounded in the teaching of Jesus and Paul and Peter is that they understood that Christianity was not based at all on a specific sort of nationalism, much less much later American nationalism.  To the contrary, the kingdom of God was already in numerous parts of the world in the second century, and of course today it is a multi-national reality.  It is neither American nor Russian nor Israeli nor European nor African etc. nor is it based in any sort of national compact, covenant, or philosophy.  Indeed, the kingdom of God showed up when there were NO DEMOCRACIES ON THE EARTH.

And as Paul stresses in Philippians, a Christian’s ‘politeuma’ or central government is in heaven with the Lord Jesus being the ruler of it all, indeed of all the nations.  The NIV of Phil. 3.20-21 puts it this way: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”   Keep in mind that the person who is saying this is also a Roman citizen– namely Paul.  And he is perfectly clear Christian citizenship in heaven with one’s name written in the Lamb’s book of life, transcends and ultimate supracedes any merely earthly citizenships, however valuable they are in the present.

Conservative Christians of whatever stripe needs to stop aligning themselves with particular all too human political movements that are frankly not grounded well in the NT teachings, be they the sexually immoral aspects of progressive religion on the left end of the spectrum, or the racist and xenophobic aspects of the conservative religion on the right end of the spectrum.   In both cases, the result is a bad witness which misleads people about the real nature of Christianity and the real agendas of the Lord Jesus Christ.   The Kingdom of God is indeed in this world, but it is not ‘of this world’  whatever national brand one might favor.

Two more things:  Charlie Kirk was simply wrong that we can use Deuteronomy to support particular approaches to American government.  Deuteronomy was a law for Jews, not Christians to follow, involving a covenant, the Mosaic one, that the book of Hebrews is clear enough is not to be imposed on Christians, and which Paul in Gal. 4 makes clear was an temporary arrangement until Christ came and inaugurated the new covenant, having fulfilled the promises and prophecies of the old covenant.  Secondly, while Kirk was right that the term ekklesia does not mean church, having originally been used to refer to the democratic assembly in Athens long before Christ, when Paul uses the phrase ‘ekklesia tou theou‘ he makes perfectly clear he is talking about an entity created by God in Christ, involving people who are in Christ, not some nationalistic utopia. Those who are in Christ throughout the world, are the ‘assembly of God’.   Any attempt to portray a particular modern nation as ‘the city set on a hill’ much less the kingdom of God on earth, is a form of idolatry.