Class 6 (Mar 17): Nationalism (Part 1)

Nationalism as a lived worldview in competition with Christianity, should not be taken as a condemnation of patriotism. However, we want to say just as forcefully that a patriotism that loses perspective and offers our highest loyalty to a specific state is an evil and destructive thing. In essence, nationalism is the imbalanced and distorted form of something that is good—patriotism.

Here's are the class resources:

• Click here to download the class notes.
• Click here to download The Ten Seasoning Principles bookmark.

Please post your questions, comments, and suggestions as we progress through this journey together on engaging today's cultural narratives. You can also reach us at:

• John Sittema, johns@uptownchurch.org
• Joseph Tan, joseph@uptownchurch.org

Lesson summary:

1. Find ways to talk about the underlying story behind our loyalties - who and what defines the "We?"
2. Remember our missional agenda. We must live transparently as people of the new world that God is advancing by his Spirit! 
3. Do you think God’s plan for history will be severely hampered if the USA ceases to exist as a nation in 25 years? Consider the trans-national reach of the Gospel.

Food for thought:

No nation is the manifestation of absolute goodness. Thus, granting ultimate loyalty to a country indicates that we have lost sight of what is absolutely good and have elevated the nation, a created, transitory and partial good, to a place that should be reserved for God alone.

– Hidden Worldviews, p78.

Resources recommended:

• Hidden Worldviews: Eight Cultural Stories That Shape Our Lives, by Steve Wilkens and Mark L. Sanford. Consider purchasing a copy (but it is not required).
• Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

The Transformation Model (The inside-out approach to engaging worldviews)