Review of Daniel Darling’s ‘In Defense of Christian Patriotism’

“America is living through a crisis. But it’s probably a crisis you haven’t noticed. It’s a crisis of ingratitude.”

These are the first words of Daniel Darling’s book In Defense of Christian Patriotism. This line brought to my mind an embarrassing experience I had several years ago. My wife and I were on a Caribbean cruise. There was a loud karaoke bar located near the middle of the ship where every evening guests at various levels of intoxication would embarrass themselves and entertain everyone else with their personal rendition of their favorite songs.

One evening, my wife and I were walking past the karaoke bar and heard someone croaking out the words to the Lee Greenwood hit “Proud to be an American.” If there were such a thing as Independence Day carols, this song would certainly be near the top of the list. I’ll admit that I don’t really like that song. It always struck me as overly sentimental and cheesy. So, when I heard this song coming from the bar, I cynically smirked, grabbed my wife’s hand, and led her quickly there. I did NOT want to miss it.

“It’s a crisis of ingratitude.”

When we walked in, I was immediately ashamed of myself. I mean, not gradually. Immediately. Standing up front was an old man—92 years old we learned. He was completely blind and wearing a Navy veteran’s hat. Standing next to him was his granddaughter—a woman that looked to be about my age. She was both holding him up and helping him to sing the words. But it didn’t seem like he needed much help. He was belting out every out-of-tune word to that song. His voice broke, and we all wept when he sang “and I won’t forget the men who died, and gave that right to me, and I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today…”

Standing in the same space of this man—a man who would be roughly the same age as my grandpa who had fought in World War 2—my cynicism just seemed bratty, pathetic, and profoundly ungrateful. Daniel Darling’s book would have provided a good word of correction to me at that moment.

The title of Darling’s book is revealing. It implies that Christian patriotism cannot simply be assumed. It assumes that Christian patriotism must be defended. Indeed, this seems to be the case. Patriotism, in general, appears to be on the decline in our country. According to a 2025 Gallup poll, a record-low 58% of American adults say they are either “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American.

“Patriotism, in general, appears to be on the decline in our country.”

There is a sharp partisan divide in these numbers, however. Only 36% of Democrats are extremely or very proud to be an American while 92% of Republicans are extremely or very proud. Republican numbers have remained steady over the last 25 years regardless of who is in the White House. Democrats and Independents both started to lose their pride in America with the beginning of the Trump presidency. Such a stark difference has made the topic of patriotism suddenly controversial.

Nationalism or Patriotism?

Of course, Christian patriotism is even more controversial. Is it proper for people whose loyalty and allegiance are to Christ and His kingdom to pledge fidelity to earthly kingdoms? What is the place of patriotism for people whose citizenship is in heaven? These are not bad questions for us to ask. In fact, Christian thinkers have wrestled with these and other related questions for as long as Church has existed.

More recently, the question of Christian patriotism has been shaped by fears of so-called “Christian nationalism.” Christian nationalism is one of those phrases with a slippery definition. Darling points out, accurately, that the term is “often used today to apply to any Christian who actively advocates for policies that reflect his or her values or who rightly understands America’s Christian roots” (86).

Such people are often treated by the press as shadowy and malevolent theocrats in waiting. This is especially the case for conservative Christians. Rarely, if ever, is the term applied to progressive Christians who argue for public policies that align with their religious convictions.

“Rarely, if ever, is the term ‘Christian nationalism’ applied to progressive Christians who argue for public policies that align with their religious convictions.”

According to research from Ryan Burge, there is a partisan divide between those who have even heard of Christian nationalism. Only 8 percent of extremely liberal people have never heard of Christian nationalism while over 40 percent of conservatives have never heard of the phrase. This lends credence to the suspicion that the charge of Christian nationalism is often more a partisan concern than a religious one.

However, that is not to say that Christian nationalism is not a concern. There are indeed a small, but influential, number of Christians who fantasize about the creation of some sort of theocratic state. Their rhetoric is often bigoted and regressive possessing a twisted nostalgia for a nation that never existed. Worse, they reflect the desire that we have already seen among Jesus’ own disciples to reduce him and his kingdom into merely an earthly phenomenon. This is idolatry that has become all too common to our politics both on the right and the left.

Darling insists that there is a fundamental difference between nationalism and patriotism. Darling defines patriotism as “love of country as manifested in loyalty, service, and giving honor to one’s country” (31). His thesis is that patriotism is not merely an acceptable choice. Patriotism is a Christian duty. He puts it bluntly: “You can’t both obey God and hate your country” (30). And this isn’t true merely for Americans; it is true for people living in any nation.

Patriotism is the expression of two Christian virtues. First, patriotism is an expression of gratitude to God. Second, patriotism is an expression of “neighbor-love.”

Answering Objections

There are at least three objections that a person could make to this thesis. 

1. Isn’t a love for country at odds with a love for God?

Darling sees no inconsistency between this love of country and loving God. Being a citizen of heaven doesn’t mean that we should be bad citizens of earth. In fact, you could argue the opposite. Because we are citizens of heaven, we should be agents of love, sacrifice, and virtue in our earthly nations. Our neighbors and our countrymen should be thankful for our faith.

Put another way, is my love of my family at odds with my love for God? No, of course not. My love for family only becomes a problem when that love supplants my love for God and becomes an idol. In fact, my love for my family is enhanced by my love for God when I recognize my family as a gift given by God. As Darling puts it, “In its proper place, loving our country above the rest is a way of expressing gratitude for our home” (124).

“My love for family only becomes a problem when that love supplants my love for God and becomes an idol.”

2. Isn’t patriotism bigoted?

As Christians, we believe that the kingdom of God isn’t defined by national boundaries. As Christians, we have a closer kinship with Christians in other nations than non-Christians in our own. Further, we have a command to love all people, not just Americans. Some fear that love of one’s country must mean that we don’t care at all about other countries or the people who live there.

This might be one of the principal differences between nationalism and patriotism. Nationalism is a bigoted love, a love that excludes the possibility of loving anything else. Patriotic love isn’t a love that excludes, but it does prioritize.

It is a bit like the love I have for my wife. I love my wife uniquely, but that love doesn’t mean that I hate other women. Loving our country doesn’t mean we hate other countries and the people who populate them. To be a Christian patriot simply means that we love and want what is best for our home.

3. Aren’t there plenty of reasons not to love our country?

Darling dedicates a couple of chapters to this question. It is true that there are lamentable things from America’s past as is true of any country. But it is also true that America has been an exceptional source of good in the world. To deny either of these facts is to deny history.

Darling warns against either hagiography or iconoclasm when it comes to our history. Patriots are neither naïve optimists nor cynical pessimists. Patriots love and want the best for their country, which requires a clear-eyed understanding of both our past and our present.

“Patriots are neither naïve optimists nor cynical pessimists.”

Strengths and Weaknesses

The book consists of two parts. In the first part, Darling argues for the necessity of Christian patriotism. In the second part, he helpfully shows that engaging in politics is not the only way that Christians can love their country.

Overall, I appreciated Darling’s book. I also recognize that he wrote the book for people like me, conservatives who have been made to feel that patriotism is an embarrassment or somehow inappropriate. Most readers will no doubt pick up this book already convinced of its central arguments. A person who is already a skeptic about Christian patriotism would look at the cover prominently displaying a star-spangled cross and simply roll their eyes.

I suppose this could be considered a weakness of the book. It’s also a reflection of the sad polarized times that we live in.

As America nears its 250^th birthday this summer, there will be a lot of displays of national pride. That Lee Greenwood anthem will be playing on repeat. Hopefully, there will also be a healthy amount of reflection on what it means to be an American. As Christians, it will be an opportunity for gratitude to God and an opportunity to recommit ourselves to loving the home he has provided. Daniel Darling’s book is a great help for all of us, regardless of our politics, to think well about our patriotism.