Is Nationalism Right? - A Christian View of Nationalism

What is nationalism?  The goal to form a separate country is often based on language and culture.  It can also take the form of putting your country first.  For America, our foundations are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights within the Christian Worldview.  This does not imply that we worship the State.

Nationalism is the opposite of globalism and we might think of those who conquered large regions of the world:   Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Hitler.  We might take the analogy with a family.  We put our family first, but respect other families.  It's somewhat like the free market - if there are several countries we may have an opportunity to be part of the "best" one.  President Trump is pro-nationalism and contra-globalism.

Scholars have noticed a pattern in different civilizations that is very clear in the book of Judges:

Bondage => Liberty => Abundance => Apathy =>  Dependence => Bondage

As globalism threatens, we still have a sure hope.  Jesus said,  "... I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Mt. 16:38).

Borders are from God:

From one man [or "of one blood"] he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. (Acts 17:26) 

Remember the days of old,Consider the years of many generations.Ask your father, and he will show you;Your elders, and they will tell you:When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,When He separated the sons of Adam,He set the boundaries of the peoplesAccording to the number of the children of Israel.Deut. 32:7,8

This passage from Deuteronomy apparently refers to Babel.  One key lesson from the confusion at Babel is that when all the people of the earth get together and unite against the Lord, it will only lead to trouble.  Much later, God gave the Promised Land to Israel:

I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.  (Exodus 23:31)

What happened at Babel and why was it wrong?  The world leaders of the time refused to obey the Lord's clear command: 

Let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. (Gen 11:4) Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." (Gen. 9:1)

Globalism is one world government which might sound nice, but what if our philosopher king is evil?  In 1798,  Napoleon wrote to General Sheik El-Messiri and made this shocking statement:

I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran, which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness.

Was he being serious?  Was this just some political ploy? 

Should we follow the path of the European Union or Brexit?  In the European Union we see a downgrade of sovereign countries, the result is assaults, hygiene problems and terror attacks.  In addition, free speech has been squashed, homeschooling is banned in some places and Darwin is king.  The Brexit movement is a pushback to that.

In 2006, the Polish Deputy Minister of Education publicly rejected evolution.  In contrast, the European Union (EU)  backs Darwin all the way.  A 2007 non-binding EU statement pushes the molecules-to-man theory:

Evolution is not simply a matter of the evolution of humans and of populations.  Denying it could have serious consequences for the development of our societies.   Advances in medical research with the aim of effectively combating infectious diseases such as AIDS are impossible if every principle of evolution is denied.  One cannot be fully aware of the risks involved in the significant decline in biodiversity and climate change if the mechanisms of evolution are not understood.

The average age of great civilizations is around 200 years.  How long will America last?  Between 1789-1858, France had 16 constitutions, one from 1835 remained in force for only 21 days.

What are the global aspirations of the Muslim world?  The Ottoman Empire, in the late 1600's, almost reached to Vienna and controlled North Africa and the Middle East.   At one time, part of Spain was under Islamic control.  There were even raids into France.

Is nationalism always positive?  In the 1500's there were wars of religion with Protestant areas and Catholic regions.  Let us all urge the young people we know to look into the  Biblical basis for the U.S. Constitution and the Christian  heritage of America.  Here is a thought provoking article on the ethics of globalism vs. nationalism.

Poland and Hungary have relatively stricter immigration policies and as a result they have fewer terror incidents.   Without God, unity can merely become a despotic source of power that is abused.  Consider atheistic Communism and secular socialism.  Concentrated, centralized power can be a serious problem indeed, if God is not its center and source.

Israeli History Professor Yuval Noah Harari (Hebrew University, Jerusalem) gave an anti-Nationalist TED talk.   Last year he wrote Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.  The book description speaks of "our quest to upgrade humans into gods."  What does globalism have to offer?  We read this from the book blurb:

What then will replace famine, plague, and war at the top of the human agenda?  As the self-made gods of planet earth, what destinies will we set ourselves, and which quests will we undertake?  Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century - from overcoming death to creating artificial life.

"Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust." (Is. 40:15)

Recommended Books for 2016

The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (2K+ pp.) is edited by Michael Barrett, Joel  Beeke and Gerald Bilkes.  This Bible takes a positive stand for Biblical creation.  Beeke is the author of What Did the Reformers Believe About the Age of the Earth?

YES - Young Earth Science provides the case for a young earth from history, philosophy, geology and biology.  This fully documented work contains over 450 footnotes and more than 130 charts, graphs and illustrations.  Although some parts are more technical, this book is for all readers with a general science background.

A number of bold authors (many with Ph.D.'s) wrote Sacred Cows in Science which deals with a number of worldview issues:  climate change, animal rights, extreme environmentalism, intelligent design, man-dino coexistence and the reality of the soul among other relevant topics.  One chapter is "Global Catastrophe and the Historicity of Noah."  Dennis Jernigan, who has recorded with Natalie Grant, Twila Paris, Ron Kenoly and Rebecca St. James, writes the chapter "No One is Born Gay."

Here we find a complete topical treatment of Proverbs and James. Smith and Hall categorize all of the proverbs and all the verses from the book of James.  If you are looking for a guided tour through the divine wisdom of Proverbs and James, you will find this volume most helpful.

Do you have a mental block for Math?  This book is for you!  Do you want to become an engineer?  You need this book.  This 190 page powerhouse has 39 chapters and includes such mind-expanding topics as limits, differentiation, chain rule, Mean Value Theorem, integration, Arc Length, Surfaces of Revolution, L’Hopital’s Rule, Hyperbolic Functions and integration by parts.

This answers the BIG question that Ben Stein focused on in his film Expelled.   Who is the Intelligent Designer?  Is it an alien as Richard Dawkins proposed?  Here is a compilation of scripture demonstrating that God is the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos.  There are also verses on the implications of creation.  Can Intelligent Design and Darwin work together?  The meme "ID is creationism" is also dealt with.  Can anyone name the Intelligent Designer?  Anyone?  Anyone?

The Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of Our Ancestors by Bodie Hodge is a detailed study of how the major nations arose.  Hodge deals with the origin of the world's 7K languages.  He also handles the decrease in longevity in post-Flood times and the origin of writing.  Hodge challenges the view that Rapid Plate Movements (RPM's) occurred during the time of Peleg (Gen. 10:25).

The ABC’s of Genesis 1 to 11

Adam was a real historical figure.

Babel confused everybody.
Creator and Sustainer, God is.
Deluge – the Global Flood ruined Earth.
Eve (aka Eva) is the Mother of All (Gen. 3:20).
Fall – the Curse was the consequence.
Genesis 1-11 è foundational to Biblical doctrine.
Historical Narrative – Gen. 1:1 to 2:3 is.
Ice Age – ONE, not many.
Jesus endorsed Genesis 1-11.
Kinds are fixed (not species).

Lamb – sacrifice is required (Gen. 3:21, Ex. 12). [1]
Man is unique (Gen. 1:26, 2 Peter 2:12, 16).
Noah, Ark, Global Flood (Gen. 6-9).
Offerings and worship (Heb. 11:4, Gen. 8:20).
Pain since the Fall (Gen. 3:16-19).

Qumran – Dead Sea Scrolls – Genesis
Redemption promised (Gen. 3:15).
Satan is alive & well on planet Earth (Gen. 3).
Theology Matters (GIII is foundational).

Ussher, Y6K, YES, Annals of the World.
Virgin Birth (Gen. 3:15).

Week, origin of (Creation Week, Seven).
X-cellent, Adam was smart‼
YES = Young Earth Science (Gen. 5&11).
ZZZ è Adams Lost Dream.

In The Great Evangelical Disaster, Francis Schaeffer said,

The issue is whether the Bible gives propositional truth … where it touches history and the cosmos and this all the way back to pre-Abrahamic history, all the way back to the first eleven chapters of Genesis … [2]

“Every single biblical doctrine of theology, directly or indirectly, ultimately has its basis in the Book of Genesis” – Ken Ham. [3]

Writing in “The Funeral of a Great Myth” C.S. Lewis wrote,

… everything is moving “upwards and onwards.”  Reason has “evolved” out of instinct … civilization out of savagery … [many Darwinists claim] reason, virtue, art and civilization as we now know them are only crude or embryonic beginnings of far better things – perhaps Deity itself – in the remote future. [4]

 

Notes:

1)  A is for Adam by Ken & Mally Ham (Master Books, 1995), p. 78.
2)  The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Vol. 4 (Crossway, 1996), p. 332, emphasis added.
3)  The Lie by Ken Ham (Master Books, 25^th Anniv. ed., 2012), p. 82, emphasis in original. 
4)  Christian Reflections by C.S. Lewis (Eerdmans, 1967), p. 86.

Mysterious Origins of Man

On February 25, 1996 NBC broadcast The Mysterious Origins of Man, hosted by Charlton Heston.  Michael Cremo, who co-authored Forbidden Archeology, is featured and provides evidence that man existed from early geologic times.  This video is part of a 3 DVD set.   

Darwin critic Richard Milton (Shatteringthe Myths of Darwinism) also appears.  Advanced technology in ancient times is documented by Graham Hancock.  The co-existence of man and dinos is also considered. 

Michael Rogers writing in Library Journal had this to say,

The Archaeologists and geologists interviewed contend that there long has been a massive cover-up … in the scientific arena of any artifacts that contradict accepted theories and that such notions, including Darwinism, are just "interpretations" of evidence and not proven truths.  In addition to Darwin's missing link, assumptions challenged include the age of humankind (some evidence suggests we're far older than believed), whether people existed at the same time as dinosaurs (maybe yes), and the existence of an advanced race who built the great wonders of the world and were mysteriously wiped out by a natural disaster. … Highly recommended.

Similarities between the Old World and New World show that man rapidly spread throughout the globe after the Tower of Babel.

The pole shift idea might be compared the with Catastrophic Plate Tectonics (CPT).

Dear Geico

I love your funny “caveman” ads, but disrespect for our ancestors is looked down upon by many cultures of the world. Your underlying message seems to be, “It not only takes a village, it takes a village idiot named Caveman to sell insurance.” During the Ice Age it made sense to live in caves!

The most famous cavemen were the Neanderthals.  New Man, that is what Neanderthal means, is my brother. The Choctaw, of which I am a member, have a tradition that all people spoke the same language (Choctaw) and that after building a tall mound to reach the sky the languages were confused. This is a variant rendition of the historical account of the Tower of Babel found in Genesis (Adam’s favorite book). That is, all peoples, including Neanders, have a common origin. An update from the journal Archaeology provides evidence that Neanderthals and moderns interbred.  

Some Neanderthals had red hair! Neanders made wood structures covered with hide. They made javelins, a flute, body ornaments and used fire and spices for cooking. They even made a deep underground structure without natural light. 

A fascinating piece, "Neanderthals are Still Human” shows that the hyoid bone, which is important in speech, is the same as the hyoid bone in moderns.  Also their brains were bigger. There were also ritualistic burials with goat bones. Jack Cuozzo had the opportunity to x-ray some of the original Neander skulls in Europe and found that they must have lived to the great old age of around 200 years!

The mitochondrial evidence that some claim puts the Neandertals into a separate group actually falls within the range of modern genetic dispersion.

I would encourage your fine organization to concentrate on advertising customer value and fair pricing rather that putting down our brilliant relatives from a few thousand years ago. Stress the actuarial basis for honest pricing rather than picking on the noble caveman!