Holy, Not National: The Church’s True Identity

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith… and not with human tradition or the elemental spiritual forces of this world” (Col. 2:6–8, abridged).

Paul writes to the Colossians to remind them of a central truth: they belong to Christ. Not to Caesar. Not to empire. Not to any worldly ideology or system. Just Christ.

It’s a message we still need to hear today.

Christian Nationalism is the belief that Christianity should be tightly bound to the identity and governance of a nation—especially our own. It dresses nationalism in the clothing of faith, mixing the cross with the flag in a way that often compromises both. It claims to honor God, but often ends up exalting power, heritage, or cultural dominance instead.

Colossians 2 warns against exactly this kind of deception: philosophies and empty deceits that are “based on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” When our identity as the people of God becomes entangled with national pride or power, we risk trading away the gospel for a counterfeit.

As United Methodists, we affirm a faith that is global in scope and radical in love. Our baptismal vows call us to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness and resist evil and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves. Christian Nationalism—when it leads to exclusion, supremacy, or violence in Jesus’ name—is one of those forms.

The body of Christ is not bound by borders. The Church’s strength is not in military might or cultural dominance. It is in sacrificial love, in radical welcome, and in the mystery of a God who reconciles all things in Christ.

Let us not be taken captive by hollow and deceptive ideas that confuse political identity with divine calling. Instead, let us be rooted in Jesus. Let us proclaim that our Lord reigns not from a palace or a capital, but from a cross—and invites all nations, all peoples, to the table of grace.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, root us in You alone. Help us discern the difference between faithfulness and fear, between allegiance to You and the idolatry of power. Strengthen us, as United Methodists, to be bold in resisting ideologies that distort Your gospel and to bear witness to the love that tears down walls and welcomes the stranger. Amen.