Pastor, author, and theologian Gregory Boyd wrote an article that was posted online by the Q group. It was titled, The Birth of Two Kingdoms; A Fourth of July Reflection. You can find it here. Below is a question asked by Gregory Boyd in his article concerning the American holiday.
How can a holiday that celebrates one group of mostly professing Christians violently overthrowing another group of mostly professing Christians be venerated by people who are called to love their enemies and to be peacemakers, even if they happen to find themselves on the side that won?
He presents an interesting perspective. How do people of love (Matthew 5:43), peace (Matthew 5:9), and reconciliation (2Corinthians 5:11-21) who belong to a kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36) celebrate or venerate such divisive action [for the Church]? Sure, many American values are worthwhile, that isn't being debated, but how can Christians celebrate a time when Christians fought and killed fellow Christians (and in the name of earthly kingdoms of which they do not belong)? Isn't that problematic in some respects?
The Mennonite Central Committee once wrote up a Modest Proposal for Peace. The proposal simply stated, "Let the Christians of the world not kill each other." Many read this and think that is not a good enough proposal since Christians should not kill anyone, to which the committee states "It is a modest proposal." In the same spirit of the peace proposal one could make a veneration proposal that stated, "Let the Christians of the world not venerate violent and divisive acts against fellow Christians." Would this be a worthwhile proposal for Christians?
I hope you don't hear me attempting to say that America's independence is inherently bad or anything anti-American because that is not at all my goal or perspective. Rather, I'm simply posing the question of "how do Christians venerate an event in which Christians fought against fellow Christians?"
How do you answer Boyd's question? Is it problematic for Christians to celebrate or venerate this sort of thing? Why or why not?
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