I pledge Allegiance to...??

The other day I was teaching at a school during the pledge of allegiance and suddenly I felt wrong. As I began to recite the pledge like I have done hundreds of times in my life, the words began to stick out to me and I realized that I could not continue to say it.

For many of my fellow Americans and evangelical brothers and sisters this may seem crazy and unpatriotic--but let me explain.

The opening lines of the pledge read I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands...

This opening portion is in essence saying that I will devote my life and give everything I have for the cause of my country and its political system....BUT as a Christian I have made the choice to devote my life and give everything I have for the Kingdom of God...and as Jesus said clearly, "You cannot serve two masters, either you will hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24, paraphrased)

I think that is one of the problems in the American church....we have pledged our allegiance to America's ideas rather than God's. That's why so many Christians are willing to support an unnecessary war in the middle east but struggle to give a few dollars to a homeless guy on the street. 

...and as for our republic...there is no doubt that I love democracy. I think democracy is one of the most beautiful and powerful forces on Earth. However, we cannot pledge ourselves to the voice of the people. Let us not forget: It was the voice of the people that put Jesus on the cross; it was the voice of the people that allowed slavery to continue so long in this country; it was the voice of the people that allowed an entire Native American population to be wiped out and dominated.

I believe the people should have a voice....but I certainly cannot give everything I have to such a thing.

The next part of the pledge reads as follows: one nation under God, indivisible...

In this part of the pledge I am insinuating that my country is in submission to God and represents God's will on Earth. This is not the case at all. How can I say that my nation is "under God" when we so easily kill our own people through abortion and the death penalty? How can I say my nation is "under God" when there are more missionaries sent to our country than any other? No...we do not live in a nation under God. My nation is very far from the heart of God....so I cannot make this declaration.

The pledge then ends with the phrase with liberty and justice for all

Again....this is a false statement. America does not defend justice for all. America is connected to an economic system which allows the few to prosper and the majority to struggle and suffer. America is a nation that has allowed other countries to be stripped of their resources and left in poverty while we sit in our wealth. The socioeconomic gap in our nation is one of the largest in the western world. 

We are a nation that is far from the ideals of liberty and justice for all.

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The early Christian church lived in an empire where they had to give offerings to pagan gods or be killed. They lived in a world where they had to declare that Caesar is Lord and bow before his image....and they were martyred for their refusal to do so. To me, I see the pledge of allegiance as America's way of saying "Caesar is Lord...bow to the empire"--BUT I cannot bow....the people around me may criticize, ridicule, and be angry with me...but I my allegiance is to the one, true and risen Lord...not America.
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SO then what do I pledge my allegiance to? I pledge allegiance to a God that embraces humanity in all its forms. I pledge allegiance to the fact that no matter how strong evil is, love and compassion are always stronger. I pledge allegiance to a God that brings life in the midst of death and who calls me to live for nothing more or less than to love recklessly.

Because of the that, I cannot pledge my allegiance to America....no matter how much I love my country. 

...but that is just the humble conviction of an everyday radical. :-)