KN Essays

Happy Little Hyphens By Craig Watts Royal Palms Christian Church, Coral Springs FL Karl Barth saw the horrible distortion of faith and life that took place in Germany because of the linkage of national pride and Christian faith. He insisted that the church needed to rid itself of "happy little hyphens." No more German-Christians or French-Christians or American-Christians should exist. When we are Christians we share an identity with others who have faith in Jesus Christ no matter where they live. And that identity must not be conditioned or qualified by any national loyalty or pride. "Happy little hyphens" inevitably lead to deplorable compromises in faithfulness that dishonor our Lord. Shortly after 9/11 George Bush II also spoke out against "happy little hyphens." He proclaimed that we must no longer have Polish-Americans or Cuban-Americans or Arab-Americans or Jewish-Americans or Moslem-Americans or Christian-Americans. All that matters is that we are Americans. I think not. Who we are and what we have a responsibility to do is defined by Christ and no other. The God behind the chants of "God Bless America, God Bless America, God Bless America" is not the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The God with a special focus on America, who wants us to be American-Christians is a false god, a tribal deity, an idol whose chief symbol is the flag of stars and strips to which so many reverently pledge their allegiance. We should have nothing to do with this god. Without "happy little hyphens" Christians in America are deeply linked to, share an identity with and owe a loyalty to other Christians around the world and not primarily to Americans. But we are also connected to all people everywhere through the cross upon which Christ hung, not for America, but for the world. Misguided Christians can gleefully chant their nationalistic slogans only so long as those hyphens remain firmly in place. Lets get rid of the hyphens so our witness, loyalty, faith and love will be unfettered.