Is Canadian pride OK, though?

I will confess: as a Canadian, the boastful threats from the incoming US President about taking over Canada don't sit well with me.

When the President-elect began talking about making Canada the 51st State on social media, it was aggravating. His followers/defenders were gleeful, first mocking people for not being able to tell when he was trolling or making a joke; then, when it became evident that he wasn't joking, aggressively talking about why it makes sense to absorb Canada and saying there is nothing Canada can do about it.

This became a little more than aggravating.

And when Ontario Premier Doug Ford began wearing a "Canada is Not for Sale" hat, Canadian pride surged. All the more so upon seeing the Canadian planes water bombing the terrible fires in Los Angeles.

I wanted to drink Maple Syrup, hug a beaver, and sing O Canada at a hockey game. I was ready to defend the border against the ravening hordes rushing up from Washington State.

But then I got to reflecting: is that not just another form of nationalism? A creeping Canadian nationalism?

Don't get me wrong: I think it is perfectly acceptable to view the statements of the next American President as reckless, foolish, uncivil and dangerous. They aren't funny, they aren't rational, they aren't wise.

But I am not permitted to hate the man who says them, certainly not in the name of wounded national pride, nor even fear.

I think it is ok to view the justifications of his followers as ill-informed, ignorant, and tiresome.

But I am not permitted to despise them.

In fact, I am called to the opposite spirit entirely. Jesus commands us to love our enemies, to bless those that curse us, to do good to those who hate us, to pray for those who persecute us. 

And when he said that, his audience knew from enemies. They had enemies, within the people of Israel and without. There was no spiritualizing of this idea.

There seems to be no real option for hatred here, no elevating the country above everything else, no room for patriotism that revels in the fantasy of vengeance or violence. We are called to love, full-stop. Even those who mock. Even those who threaten and throw around wild words. 

Because our love, as followers of Jesus, matters inestimably more than even questions of national sovereignty. Radical love is Jesus' answer to false love of Christian nationalism.

I have no wish to be American. No Canadian I know has any wish to be American. It is ok to say this.

But love of country can never substitute the actual love of neighbour, love of enemy, and love of Christ that Jesus invites us into.

So, I won't buy the hat. (Or the hate).

See our full course on Jesus OR Nationalism here: Jesus OR Nationalism