This is the seventh week in a nine-week class entitled “The Killer-Isms: A Christian Look at Lethal Philosophies.” This session looks at nationalism, an out-of-control sense of patriotism that elevates pride in one’s nation beyond all good sense.
From Pastor Phil:
Nationalism: A Working Definition
Before you say anything, let me say it: nationalism isn’t a philosophy. It’s a political ideology, which means that it doesn’t really fit the focus of this book, but it’s such an important issue in the church that I felt like it needed to be covered.
Nationalism is an intense pride or allegiance to ones nation. It places ones focus on the success and/or supremacy of ones own nation over foreign nations. This supremacy is generally comprised of three strands: economy, military, and morality. Nationalism leads one to exalt the nation above all else, and in the case of religion, the faith can be subverted to the politics or the two can become merged in an unholy hybrid.
Similar (and Confusing) Philosophies
Many nationalists deny their label and instead claim to be “patriots,” but patriotism is far less extreme, far less violent. Patriotism may be the fertile soil in which nationalism takes root, but once the harvest is in, it’s clear to see that a nationalist is a patriot in the extreme. A patriot might have a deep, abiding respect for his or her nation, but a nationalist is a zealot. A patriot, however, is more likely to emphasize the high ideals of the nation—in the case of the US—liberty, democracy, freedom of speech, etc. A nationalist, however, differs in that he or she is likely to ignore instances in which those high ideals might have been violated. It’s not that the nationalist is incapable of seeing when and where his or her nation has gone wrong. More likely, it’s that a nationalist is fixated on the nation as the ideal in and of itself.