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Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:17 ESV)

How are we supposed to honor our country? Does it look like love,  or is it historical respect, familial respect, or forced respect? Is saying the Pledge of Allegiance the same as bowing to Nebuchadnezzar's golen idol? 

John Stonestreet writes about what an ordered and biblical love for our country looks like. You can access the written (or audio) version by clicking --> here <--

Here are a couple quotes:

C.S. Lewis explained in The Four Loves, that an excessive love of one’s country leads to idolatry, It “becomes a demon when it becomes a god.” On the other hand, the deficiency can lead to what Lewis called “debunking,” or a mockery of love of country that tears down one’s home and heritage in the name of patriotism itself. 

Stonestreet argues for an "informed patriotism," understanding American freedoms and justice as worthy of love. It is not blind love, nor is it forced upon us. It is something that we get to by reading God's Word and educating ourselves about this country - both its failures and its successes. It is a beautiful country with a good Constitution and great potential. 

The Christian position is beautifully balanced. On one hand, we don’t deify our country. We don’t wrap the flag around the cross. Our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, and that’s where our ultimate allegiance is. But the only place for expressing that allegiance is in the concrete loyalties God calls us to here on earth—including loyalty to country. We can’t love mankind in the abstract; we can only really love people in the particular, concrete relationships God has placed us in—our family, our church, our community . . . and our nation. So brush up on your civics, dust off your U.S. history books, and celebrate this July Fourth by thanking God that He has not only called us into His kingdom but that He’s also allowed us to live in—and yes, love—this land of liberty. - Chuck Colson