(I posted this on the ITMS Facebook page this morning, but I wanted to expand on it a bit for others.)
The opening line of the Merton Prayer is a humble admission of uncertainty: “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.”
This humility is a stark contrast to the confidence often exuded by Christian Nationalists.
For Merton, a “Christian nationalist” is one whose “Christianity” takes second place and serves to justify a patriotism in whose eyes the Nation can do little wrong. A “Christian nation” for the Christian nationalists is a shining example of imperial strength, with a twisted view of hierarchy and patriarchy. This view often leads to the subjugation of certain groups and reinforces power differentials. In such a case, it becomes “Christian faith” and “Christian heroism” to renounce even one’s Christian protest and to obey the dictates of the (un-Christian) Nation without question.
The Merton Prayer, a testament of surrender, stands in stark contrast to the ideology of Christian Nationalism, a word not often found in their vocabulary. Merton’s call to relinquish control and surrender to the divine will is a stark departure from the Christian Nationalists’ belief in their power. The Merton Prayer underscores our desire to serve God. This sentiment aligns with His will, as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, His parables, and teachings.
“The great question, then, is one of clarification. We can no longer afford to equate faith with the acceptance of myths about our Nation, our society, or our technology; to equate hope with naive confidence in our image of ourselves as the good guys against whom all the villains in the world are leagued in conspiracy; to equate love with a mindlessly compliant togetherness, a dimly lived and semi-radiant compulsiveness in work and play, invested by commercial artists with an aura of spurious joy.” ~ Faith and Violence: Christian Teaching and Christian Practice 203–204
For those unfamiliar with the Merton Prayer, here it is:
“My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, I will trust you always,
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
Now, I would suggest that as we encounter Christian Nationalism brewing among both our civic and religious leaders in the US, every time you hear the leaders promote Christian Nationalism, listen carefully and go back and read the Merton Prayer. Identify the differences and ask yourself why.
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