Are Christians a Tribe or Are We a Nation?

By James Hageman

It’s a strange question and one I would not have asked if it hadn’t been for YouTube. Recently, I saw a video clip featuring Steven Pressfield. You may know him as the author of "The Legend of Bagger Vance" and "Gates of Fire," the first of which was made into a movie starring Will Smith, and the second a part of a general interest in the battle of Thermopylae, which brought about the movie 300. He was talking about the war in Afghanistan and how we need to understand what he calls “tribalism.”

He contrasted tribes with nations and tribesmen with citizens. Tribes are groups as diverse as the Pashtuns in Afghanistan, the U.S. Marines, and gangs in the inner cities.These are groups that value honor, tradition, authority, and family. Nations are modern states. Nations value freedom, diversity, democracy, and the role of the individual in society.

What caught my eye is what Pressfield said about the individual in a tribe. First, a tribe gives you a sense of belonging.You are part of something bigger and more important than yourself. When you are part of a tribe you know who you are. Your identity is secure; you were born into the tribe.

You also have significance. Each person is valued simply by being a member of the tribe. Contrast this with citizens in the modern state; often individuals feel they have no place. They don’t know who they are, why they matter, or even if they matter. Score one for tribalism.

Nations, on the other hand, are composed of citizens. There are good things about nations. Freedom and the individual are valued. Nations gain strength from the diverse gifts and talents of their citizens, who can use those talents to better themselves and others. Nations are governed by laws that treat all fairly (as opposed to tribes, which are governed by custom and a code of honor).

As I listened to this, I asked myself, “We Christians: what are we? Are we a tribe or a nation?” The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that the answer is yes.We are a tribe, and we are a nation.

As a tribe, Christians belong. They know who they are, and they know that they have significance. Bible verses like “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20) or “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13) teach us that we belong to God; that we were purchased from sin, death, and the power of the devil by the blood of Christ; and that we have a place in His kingdom. We are members of the Church, the body of Christ.

We know who we are. The name of God Himself— Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is placed on us in Baptism. We were born again into the family of our heavenly Father at the baptismal font. Our identity is secure in Christ.

And we have significance: our lives matter. “Fear not,” Jesus says, “you are of more value than many sparrows.” We don’t need to fear the attacks of others in our world or the attacks of the devil who seek to destroy our self-worth. For our self-worth does not come from our accomplishments but from Christ’s love. Christians have all the benefits of being a tribe.

But Christians are citizens of a nation too and all for the better. “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). Christ has give us freedom from sin, death, and the power of the devil. “For freedom Christ has set us free,” says Paul (Galatians 5:1). God has given us talents and gifts that we can use to serve Him and one another. We are not constrained by any law, except to love one another. As Martin Luther wrote in The Freedom of a Christian, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”

So, tribe and nation, tribesman and citizen: leave it to God in His wisdom to give us, His Church, the blessings and benefits of both.

Rev. James Hageman is pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Glendive, Montana, and Grace Lutheran Church in Fallon, Montana. E-mail him at ubivoli@yahoo.com.