I Pledge Allegiance To The…
Opening Reflection – Allegiance and Formation
We stood to honor veterans, and I clapped. Then the congregation turned toward the large American flag in the corner of the sanctuary, placed their hands over their hearts, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. I remained standing, but I did not raise my hand or recite the pledge. I couldn’t. It was not anger, resentment, or protest—I am genuinely grateful for the nation I live in. But in that moment, inside a worship service declaring Christ as Lord, I could not pledge allegiance to a flag while pledging my whole life to King Jesus (Phil. 2:9–11). My allegiance has only one rightful object.
The moment surprised me. It functioned almost as a personal experience of what my tradition calls entire sanctification—the grace-enabled surrender of the whole self to God. Standing there, awkward and alone, I realized that Jesus truly had all of me.
The next morning, I was called into the senior pastor’s office. He accused me of “not loving America” and “protesting” during worship. Though I tried to explain that pledging allegiance during Christian liturgy felt dissonant, my reasoning was not received. His language quickly became binary: “You’re either in or out—either for us or against us.” Within weeks, I was effectively sidelined, and eventually I resigned.
The Discipleship Crisis Beneath the Story
Seminary and ministry experience helped me name what I had encountered: political allegiance was being treated as spiritual orthodoxy. My time working at the Oregon State Capitol had convinced me that Christians can contribute to the common good through public life (Jer. 29:7; Prov. 31:8–9). But I had also seen how quickly the church can be seduced by political power. In multiple settings since, I have watched political ideology outrun discipleship and deform sincere Christians. The danger is not political engagement—the danger is political ownership.
Christian Nationalism – Identity, Fear, and the Lust for Power
The rise of Christian nationalism in the West is not new—it echoes a recurring temptation from Constantine to the present: to seize the kingdoms of this world by means other than the cross (Matt. 4:8–10). Its modern form often emerges from fear—fear of cultural marginalization, loss of influence, or perceived exile in a post-Christian society.
Russell Moore, reflecting on the Moral Majority and evangelical entanglement, warns that many became “willing to win at all costs,” until “the gospel was lost in a fog of outrage, nationalism, and political identity.” He concludes soberly, “we learned to value influence more than integrity” (Losing Our Religion). Moore’s concern is not public faith, but a tribal religion that must rule in order to survive.
David DeSilva, writing on Revelation, shows that John unmasks empire as a rival liturgy that “demands not just participation, but devotion,” functioning as a counterfeit kingdom that competes for ultimate loyalty. Revelation warns the church not to be “co-opted by the beasts who promise security while demanding allegiance.” In this sense, Revelation is political discipleship literature—training believers in how not to be owned by empire (Rev. 13; Rev. 18).
When the church forgets this, it confuses national destiny with kingdom mission. Once winning becomes the goal, witness becomes negotiable. We baptize outrage, conspiracy, cruelty, and fear—so long as it keeps our side in power. But Jesus never said, “By this they will know you are my disciples, that you conquered your opponents.” He said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Progressive Captivity – A Mirror on the Other Side
Yet ideological captivity is not only a right-wing problem. Progressive Christians—especially those who have deconstructed out of church structures—face their own temptations. Outside the church, what anchors a person to the throne of the Lamb when political identity becomes the new liturgy?
Bird and Wright remind us that the powers and principalities (Eph. 6:12) operate on every side of the political spectrum, seeking to name the world for us and demand allegiance. Secular ideologies on the left can mirror the same impulses—utopianism, moral self-righteousness, and identity-based belonging. When Jesus becomes a symbol rather than Lord, we lose the very source of transformation (Col. 1:15–20). As Moore notes elsewhere, the Christian task is “not to baptize the culture wars, but to bear witness to a different kingdom.”
Pastoral Leadership in an Age of Media Discipleship
I once assumed that if I simply preached Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), the church would naturally connect the dots and resist political idolatry. Some have. Yet I have also seen how the political imagination of many believers is shaped far more by cable news, social algorithms, and party platforms than by Scripture, the sacraments, or the Sermon on the Mount.
Today I am convinced that preaching alone is not enough. We must create spaces of courageous, communal discernment—where believers can confess idols, practice civil disagreement, and learn to resist the liturgies of our age. Dr. Clark’s framework for fearless, structured dialogue may be one such model.
Closing Theological Conviction – Allegiance to the Lamb
In Revelation 5, John hears of “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5), but when he turns, he sees “a Lamb, standing as though slain” (Rev. 5:6). This is the shock and center of Christian political theology: the Lamb reigns, not the lion we expected. Our King conquers not through domination, but through cruciform love.
Ray Boltz once wrote:
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb,
To the Lamb of God who bore my pain…
This remains my hope and prayer—for myself, my congregation, and the church in our polarized age: that our allegiance be uncluttered, our witness uncoopted, our politics cruciform, and our hope rooted in the Lamb who was slain.
About the Author
Ryan Thorson
Follower of Jesus. Husband. Father. Pastor. Coach. I am passionate about helping people discover the gift of Sabbath and slow down spirituality in the context of our busy world.9 responses to “I Pledge Allegiance To The…”
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Gosh mate, what a brilliant blog. Thats for sharing so openly about your life experiences. I found your opening story deeply moving, but I also wondered whether what you experienced was actually Christian nationalism at all? Let me explain. The senior pastor’s binary “you’re either for us or against us” posture, combined with a near-liturgical pledge to a flag inside a worship service, seems less like nationalism (a love of one’s nation expressed through faith) and more akin to Christian Nazism, a form of political religion that demands uncritical conformity and fuses state symbols with sacred worship.
Do you think the term Christian nationalism risks softening what might, in some cases, actually be a more severe theological distortion, one that replaces Christ’s cross with a cultural or political idol? And if so, how might our vocabulary more accurately name and confront this form of idolatry without dismissing the legitimate love believers may have for their nation?
Ryan and Glyn,
Is Christian Nazism simply another term for Christian nationalism? Is it not simply rewording or rebranding?
I have been saddened as I have seen many patriotic practices creep into our Christian liturgies and services. It is so easy to creep from being patriotic to idolizing our nation. I think at the heart of the matter is who is the gospel for? If the gospel is for me, my family, our nation and our world then great, but Christian nationalism often stops at our nation and forgets that the kingdom is a global enterprise.
Ryan, years ago I also stopped saying the pledge of allegiance in churches, but I have not lost a job over it. It is never easy to take a stand.
Hey guys,
thanks for your responses and insights. I’m not sure about the difference between nationalism and nazism and how the terms intermix. I think that this pastor was succumbing to the temptation of power and influence the fusing faith and politics together can promise. When that was threatened by one of his younger staff, his reaction was anger and punishment. I’ve long forgiven him for this failure of leadership, but been forever wary of how the desire for influence and meaning outside of our vocation as pastors can warp our leadership so quickly.
Ryan, thanks for sharing so openly about your experience. I am truly sorry you had to go through this, yet I can sense if was a defining moment in your life that has shaped you to lead people to Jesus.
I love this, “Today I am convinced that preaching alone is not enough. We must create spaces of courageous, communal discernment—where believers can confess idols, practice civil disagreement, and learn to resist the liturgies of our age.”
This seems like a bold and humble disciplemaking community.
How do we train leaders to facilitate these spaces without defaulting to control or avoidance?
Hey Graham. I like the 3ps training that Jason mentioned. I’m looking into it.
Ryan,
Thanks – I have struggled myself over the years with patriotism – pledge, national anthem, etc. I appreciate the sacrifice of the veterans and will respectfully stand when it is appropriate.
If I can piggyback on Graham’s question. Do you have people in mind that you feel you might be successful in getting them to “confess idols, practice civil disagreement, and learn to resist the liturgies of our age” and have them lead the rest of the congregation in this practice?
Not expecting any names, it’s more of a have you thought about this type question.
Thanks Jeff. Yeah I think there are people in our churches who are navigating this well. They are people that are humble, can think critically, can share their opinion honestly but do it in a way that respects a differing one. They guard their tongue closely and put love of the other above being right.
Thank you for your post, Ryan.
How can Christian leaders re-center public theology on Christ rather than cultural fear?
Hi Ryan, your decision not to pledge to the flag reminds me of when Jesus says we can’t serve both God and money. In the same way, I wonder if we could also say that we can only have one master, or one allegiance, and that should be to king Jesus. How have you been able to share your decision with others who might be initially offended by this decision?