The Bible makes mention of the fact that we carry dual citizenship as citizens of the kingdom and citizens of the world. But these identities are not equal. If there is ever a conflict, the values of the kingdom must come first. There is a level of confusion in the minds of many Christians equating being a Christians with being patriotic, but they are not the same. Jesus said that anyone who loves mother or father, brother or sister, “is not worthy of me.” We are a God-first people who put the cares of God before all others. Therefore, we are made better citizens of the state because we are concerned about those who are not deemed worthy of attention.
In August of 2013, President Obama announced the possibility of military action in Syria. Our Syrian Church partners urged the Presbyterian Church (USA) to speak out against military action, arguing that the situation would only become more violent as more weapons were funneled into the country. Mary Mikael, our church partner from the Evangelical Church of Syria and Lebanon, came to Washington, DC and the Office of Public Witness organized visits with key members of congress and the administration. She asked them to give “Syrians a chance to live.”
