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Living Out Your Dual Citizenship
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I’m fortunate enough to have dual citizenship with the United States and Italy. You may never have given thought to the reason you’re a citizen of the U.S. Here, citizenship is granted by virtue of geography – place. That is, if you are born in this country you have a right to claim U.S. citizenship.

But not all nations use geography to determine citizenship. Other countries, like Italy, grant citizenship by virtue of blood. My grandparents came from Italy – a day’s drive from Salzburg, Austria, from where many in Effingham track their heritage – and there is an unbroken, documented blood connection between them and me. My children, following in that blood line, also have dual citizenship.

Now please understand that I am not saying I’m 50% American and 50% Italian. No, I am 100% American and 100% Italian – both, at the same time. Whether I am in the U.S. or Italy I enjoy the full rights of citizenship.

Of course, rights come with responsibilities, and I must always be mindful of each country’s laws. When in Italy, if something goes wrong I cannot simply run to the U.S. Embassy. My Italian passport makes clear that I’m subject to the laws of that country just as any Italian is. (Although an Italian friend of mine once told me, “In Italy, you can do whatever you like – as long as you look good doing it.”)

There are not only laws but social rules I must be mindful of when in Italy. For instance, when having a meal it is an enormous social error to leave the table before others are finished eating. Meals can, and often do, take hours. I can usually tell when I have imposed my American way of seeing the world on Italians; they look at me as if to say, “Exactly what planet are you from?”

What does this have to do with you? Consider this: If you are a Christian, you also have dual citizenship. You are a citizen of this world, and a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. You have two passports.

Yet, being 100% citizens in both worlds (not 50% in each), with the respective rights and responsibilities of each, can sometimes create problems. As Christians, our king provides a way for us to see the world around us. He has given us a collection of writings that reflect His nature and world-view, including His relationship with us and prescription for living (i.e., laws). Secularists do not share this way of seeing the world. As we develop a relationship with God through His son, we adopt His world-view and see His word as authoritative.

If you are a Christian who believes the Bible is the word of God and reflects His eternal truths (this can’t be taken for granted), then I’m sure you have been in a conversation about some important issue with a person who has a secular world-view, and to whom you wanted to ask, “Exactly what planet are you from?”

You experienced a collision of two different world-views – Biblical and secular.

What happens when God’s world-view collides with a secular world-view? For Christians, the answer is simple: It is God's will that must be done. He is our creator, our sustainer, our redeemer – our final allegiance. We are to represent His kingdom ethics. True, it’s not easy. But your faith isn’t worth anything if it hasn’t cost you anything.

And these world-view collisions are to be expected. After all, secularists and Christians serve different kings. Their king is the culture, their opinions, or something else that is transient. That’s not your king.

While theologian Cornelius Van Til – who called these ways of seeing the world “presuppositions” – suggests the two world-views can never come together, I take a more efficacious approach. First, acknowledge this difference exists. Second, remember that we have the responsibility as good citizens to work such that the church informs the culture, instead of the culture informing the church.

St. Peter, who called Christians “strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11), wrote about the importance of being good subjects to the authorities, but also to, “Fear God, and honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17b). Ultimately, the responsibility of Christians is to be loyal subjects to their heavenly king.

Not long ago, one of the judges in the court house of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, noticed that a phrase inscribed there was missing an important word. It read, "Obedience to law is liberty." That statement comes from the 16th century Anglican theologian Richard Hooker. But he wrote, “Obedience to divine law is liberty."

There’s a big difference.

I’m fortunate enough to have dual citizenship with the United States and Italy. You may never have given thought to the reason you’re a citizen of the U.S. Here, citizenship is granted by virtue of geography – place. That is, if you are born in this country you have a right to claim U.S. citizenship.

 

But not all nations use geography to determine citizenship. Other countries, like Italy, grant citizenship by virtue of blood. My grandparents came from Italy – a day’s drive from Salzburg, Austria, from where many in Effingham track their heritage – and there is an unbroken, documented blood connection between them and me. My children, following in that blood line, also have dual citizenship.

 

Now please understand that I am not saying I’m 50% American and 50% Italian. No, I am 100% American and 100% Italian – both, at the same time. Whether I am in the U.S. or Italy I enjoy the full rights of citizenship.

 

Of course, rights come with responsibilities, and I must always be mindful of each country’s laws. When in Italy, if something goes wrong I cannot simply run to the U.S. Embassy. My Italian passport makes clear that I’m subject to the laws of that country just as any Italian is. (Although an Italian friend of mine once told me, “In Italy, you can do whatever you like – as long as you look good doing it.”)

 

There are not only laws but social rules I must be mindful of when in Italy. For instance, when having a meal it is an enormous social error to leave the table before others are finished eating. Meals can, and often do, take hours. I can usually tell when I have imposed my American way of seeing the world on Italians; they look at me as if to say, “Exactly what planet are you from?”

 

What does this have to do with you? Consider this: If you are a Christian, you also have dual citizenship. You are a citizen of this world, and a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. You have two passports.

 

Yet, being 100% citizens in both worlds (not 50% in each), with the respective rights and responsibilities of each, can sometimes create problems. As Christians, our king provides a way for us to see the world around us. He has given us a collection of writings that reflect His nature and world-view, including His relationship with us and prescription for living (i.e., laws). Secularists do not share this way of seeing the world. As we develop a relationship with God through His son, we adopt His world-view and see His word as authoritative.

 

If you are a Christian who believes the Bible is the word of God and reflects His eternal truths (this can’t be taken for granted), then I’m sure you have been in a conversation about some important issue with a person who has a secular world-view, and to whom you wanted to ask, “Exactly what planet are you from?”

 

You experienced a collision of two different world-views – Biblical and secular.

 

What happens when God’s world-view collides with a secular world-view? For Christians, the answer is simple: It is God's will that must be done. He is our creator, our sustainer, our redeemer – our final allegiance. We are to represent His kingdom ethics. True, it’s not easy. But your faith isn’t worth anything if it hasn’t cost you anything.

 

And these world-view collisions are to be expected. After all, secularists and Christians serve different kings. Their king is the culture, their opinions, or something else that is transient. That’s not your king.

 

While theologian Cornelius Van Til – who called these ways of seeing the world “presuppositions” – suggests the two world-views can never come together, I take a more efficacious approach. First, acknowledge this difference exists. Second, remember that we have the responsibility as good citizens to work such that the church informs the culture, instead of the culture informing the church.

 

St. Peter, who called Christians “strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11), wrote about the importance of being good subjects to the authorities, but also to, “Fear God, and honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17b). Ultimately, the responsibility of Christians is to be loyal subjects to their heavenly king.

 

Not long ago, one of the judges in the court house of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, noticed that a phrase inscribed there was missing an important word. It read, "Obedience to law is liberty." That statement comes from the 16th century Anglican theologian Richard Hooker. But he wrote, “Obedience to divine law is liberty."

 

There’s a big difference.