I think Mike Pence is a good guy and a genuine follower of Jesus. In an atmosphere where a number of people trot out references to God only when it serves their political purpose or to appeal to a certain voting bloc, I believe Mike Pence is the real deal. He genuinely tries to live out his faith in a conscientious and careful manner.
When my denomination held its worldwide gathering in Indianapolis a few years back I remember that he, while serving as governor of Indiana, gave greetings to that gathering before the business sessions began. After listening to his remarks, I remember thinking to myself, “Here’s a guy who’s had a genuine encounter with Jesus and is trying to effectively steward his influence. He’s not trying to spew spiritual platitudes to a Christian audience. He’s authentic!”
With that as context, Mike Pence said something in his speech to the Republican National Convention that, as I’ve reflected on it, really bothers me. Here’s what he said …
“So let’s run the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents … fix our eyes on this land of heroes and let their courage inspire ... let’s fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and freedom ... and never forget that “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” That means freedom always wins.”
For any of us that are biblically astute, we immediately recognize Pence is referencing, in a veiled fashion, Hebrews 12:2—one of the more familiar and recognizable passages in the New Testament. The book of Hebrews was written by an unknown, anonymous author to an oppressed, persecuted people—people who were largely of Jewish origin, had professed faith in Jesus, but were encountering real adversity because of that profession. They needed to be reminded why they should believe Jesus is the Messiah. They needed to be emboldened to hang in there in light of the current difficulties.
In the preceding chapters, the author has gone to great lengths to highlight the supremacy and superiority of Jesus. And here, as he’s approaching the end of what he wants to say, he makes an impassioned plea. “I know things are tough right now. I know you’re encountering resistance and opposition that is unwarranted and unfair. But don’t give up. Don’t give in. Fix your eyes on Jesus—the One who created and sustains you … the One who gets it … the One who went to the mat for you.”
Where Pence ends the writer of Hebrews continues: “For the joy set before him he (Jesus) endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The author reminded them, and reminds us, that our hope is not found in this world. It’s found in the One who rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God. This is the principal message of the Christian faith—a truth that has bolstered and sustained authentic followers of Jesus for generations. The notion that our hope is singularly found in Jesus has been, and will always be, our distinctive feature … our differentiating uniqueness … our calling card.
And it’s this message Pence sabotaged and undercut in his speech to the Republican National Convention. For he said we should fix our eyes not on Jesus, but on “Old Glory.” We should look not to the sacrifice of the Son of God on behalf of the human race, but to the valiant men and women who have gone to war to protect this country that we are privileged to call home. He conflated the Kingdom that stands over and above every earthly kingdom and implied that we should draw inspiration and hope from an earthly kingdom and, in particular, a specific political party and leader—that it is the source of hope to which we should look.
I don’t know the motivation for why Pence said what he said, and I want to give a guy that I believe is a bona fide Christ-follower and conscientious public servant the benefit of the doubt. I understand he believes deeply that a certain philosophy of government and its accompanying principles is the way our country needs to go at this moment. I get it that he’s convinced there’s a definitive mindset we need to collectively embrace at this moment. But to co-opt a call to place our ultimate hope in Jesus and challenge us to look to “Old Glory”—at the very least it demonstrates how easy it is for us to conflate what’s supposed to be our ultimate allegiance to fealty to a lesser kingdom. And at the worst, it’s blasphemy.
I’m all for patriotism. I’m fine with people appreciating their heritage, valuing their homeland, and loving their country. I’m a proud American and not a day passes that I’m not grateful to live in a land that affords me the privileges and opportunities this one does. I appreciate and am thankful for the sacrifices of the many men and women who have served our country over the years. If I’m traveling abroad I’ll tell those I run into that while we’re far from being a flawless or perfect country, we’re certainly a good and generous one that I’m proud to call home. But the moment I start placing my ultimate hope in a country … or a political party … or a specific philosophy of government, then I’ve crossed a delineating line and made an idol out of that thing. I’ve disavowed a heavenly kingdom and embraced as primary an earthly one. And Jesus Himself said that we can’t effectively serve two masters—that at some point we’re going to have to make a declaration and announce who it is we’re ultimately going to serve.
Like I said—I want to be slow to pass judgment on Mike Pence and give him the benefit of the doubt. But if he truly believes we need to look to “Old Glory” as the locus of our ultimate hope, then he is not, as he has often been quoted as saying, "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order." He has made a choice that is erroneous, misguided, and ultimately blasphemous.