This year is a momentous year for the United States. We celebrate a milestone when as a nation we turn 250. This undertaking by our nation’s builders pitted sheer tenacity against the British empire. Within three months of the first shots ringing out in Concord, Massachusetts, the Second Continental Congress had drafted and passed the Declaration of Independence. Its infamous preamble we still hold dear today.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
So begins eight long years of battles, both won and lost — fathers, sons, and brothers, were divided by family loyalty between the new nation and the old Empire. But, within the chaos of war, this nation was still able to show clarity in what they were trying to achieve. The reason they found clarity in chaos was because they were unified in spirit and in goals.
We scratch our heads as we look out over the last 250 years to examine how “self-evident,” “created equal,” and “unalienable rights” have floated and changed down the river of time. We know that such lofty words hold inconsistencies, and these words continue to challenge our nation even today. We should also acknowledge that these nation builders were starting out on an experiment in self-governing that had never been attempted before. That experiment also continues today. And, our experiment and the words of the preamble in the Declaration of Independence have inspired many nations and people throughout the world to aim for a better system of governance.
In celebrating this year, we want to take time to see what makes us great as a nation. We will reflect on those times when we failed to be really great, and use these history lessons as teachable moments for those who will come after us.
As Christians this is also a moment to remember what we are celebrating and how to balance loyalty to God and loyalty to country. Patriotism is not wrong or evil, but we must remember that as a worldwide body of believers, we as a church operate and have members in almost all countries of the world who may take a different view from our nationalistic stand. Our concern in the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department is that we identity first and foremost as Seventh-day Adventist Christians.
Statistically speaking, the opposite is true! We identify more quickly and on a more daily basis with our political party preferences than we do as Christians. And, we tend to identify our party preference alone as the “righteous” party. This is troubling to our department, and it explains why we as Adventists no longer agree as a unified body of believers on religious liberty issues. Religious liberty has become (and always has been) more than merely protecting the Sabbath and members’ jobs in the workplace. What lies deeper in the religious liberty realm, where we as a ministry live and work, is a reality where members do not act and believe as one body in many religious liberty areas. Just as important to our public witness and effectiveness, as pointed out by Liberty Magazine editor Bettina Krause, is that we are losing our partners in defending religious liberty in the public realm as more and more of them also become politicized. Religious liberty is a precious right. It should never be politicized or aligned with one group over another; it is for believers and non-believers alike. As we celebrate this year, we must remember not to wrap the cross in the flag. To do so desecrates the symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, not just to Americans, but to all humanity here on Earth.
Adventist history is full of portentous understanding of America and its role in prophecy. While there were 11 years between the Declaration of Independence and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights), our nation builders created a country that had no official church. They intended to refrain from helping to establish religion in the nation, instead allowing religion to thrive — or flounder — without state interference.
Understanding the Earth beast with two separate horns, religious and political, our early church leaders saw America as the nation represented by that beast of Revelation 13. In 1863, our Adventist forebearers believed they would see America step into the role of Babylon to fulfill prophecy. Because of this, the early Church had a greatly diminished attitude toward national pride and patriotism.
Just as we should not wrap the cross in the flag, we also need to not prioritize politics over proselytizing. Neither do we need to put politicians on pedestals. We should also remember that Seventh-day Adventist Christians exist all over the world, and live and work under many different forms of governments and governing bodies, not all of whom have the religious freedom we so enjoy here at home.
Despite our many differences as believers around the world, we can still find clarity in the chaos around us, because, just as with the founding fathers of this nation, we are united in spirit and a common goal — but ours is to lead others to Christ.
As Adventists in this celebratory year, we can find balance in celebrating the birth of a nation that struck out on a different experiment of religious liberty that we have so long enjoyed here at home. We know that the liberty we have now will not always be available. We should protect it while we can and thank God for His purest gift of freedom ever given.
is the director of public affairs and religious liberty for the Southern Union Conference.
Southern Union | January 2026
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