Photograph

What is rightly ordered love in relations to Christianity and the modern nation state?

Photo by Laura Fuhrman on Unsplash

We are in a trade war! Donald Trump has erupted a fire of patriotism within me. What is rightly ordered love concerning Christianity and the modern nation-state?

First came the Tweets. Canada as the 51st State, Trump the provocateur baiting liberal outrage. Skepticism from Maple MAGA, pro-Trump Canadians who applaud Him as a tough negotiator employing His leverage to maximize American interests. Would Trump actually impose 25% tariffs on Canada? Annex our nation as the 51st state?

Trump showed his muscle by imposing 25% tariff on Canada. Our leaders hit back with tit-for tat Terrifs. Canadian booed the American anthem. Conservatives praised Trudeau! Trump paused the Tariffs for thirty days after Trudeau employed a Fentanyl Czar to tackle the supposed border crisis how is He going to punch-back?

Part of me was swept up in Vivre Canada. Another part of me wanted to be above the nationalist discourse. In left-wing political thought, borders are artificial lines on a map weaponized tool of violent division. Take for example the historic territory of Turtle Island in Indigenous culture showing how tribes would have treaties and territories crossing the colonial Canada/US/Mexican borders.

However, as Trump threatened not only our economy but our territorial sovereignty I for one was not the only person who foresaw the fulfillment of the Manifest Destiny. Oddly Trump unites the American sphere of influence as the Americas would affirm the social construction of borders. After all Canada, The USA and Mexico would be interchangeable jigsaw pieces in a puzzle to maximizing the American Empire erasing cultural and communal distinctions. For this reason, I came to a clearer understanding that while borders are social constructs we as humans through communities embody borders through our lived realities.

We, as Canadians, are more than stereotypes. Many liberal democracies have Universal Healthcare. Vermont also makes maple syrup. The Americans memorialize the miracle on ice when they beat the Soviets for Olympic Hockey gold, just as we memorialize Sidney Crosby's Golden goal at the Vancouver Olympics.

What distinguishes us from the Americans is our founding heritage relating to the British Crown. Our unique relationship with the French and the Indigenous nations, and the European settlers loyal to the Crown. Our Constitutional Monarchy in which the British Monarch is the head of state and appoints the Governor General who signs laws as drafted by Parliament. However, my skepticism to fully embrace our colonial heritage is born out of a critique of institutional power relating to Christianity.

Christ, through His life, His death and His resurrection upended all worldly powers. For in the desert, Christ was tempted He was shown the Kingdoms of the World which could be His if He worshipped Satan. He rebuked Satan proclaiming God alone deserves worship from the Gospel of Matthew 4:8-11 NKJV.

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Does this make borders illegitimate? Should not the Church hold universal jurisdiction above secular institutions and powers?

A concept in Latin called Ordo Amoris helps us think through these questions. In the threat of American domination, I feel conflicted about embracing Monarchy even symbolic because of rightly ordered love. A concept which came into the popular vernacular through American Vice-President J.D Vance who condemned the U.S Conference of Bishops on Catholic Charities funding over immigration. Accusing the Bishops of love of money disguised as works of mercy.

I would argue that the concept of subsidiarity of local communities should be organized around rightly ordered Christian love. For to have mass migration is a liberal solution to a systemic problem. The freedom of movement and choice undermines the local flourishing of communal identity and the poor.

For example, multinational corporations are given tax breaks and are not held accountable for hiring illegal immigrants. Instead, immigrants are disproportionately punished for meeting a demand which capital creates. Domestically labour is weakened through free trade and strengthening labour through unions and worker run-cooperatives would be an alternative to tariffs without increasing prices for consumers. We need fare-trade not free-trade which only enriches capital in a globalized society.

As for the absorption of elite projects local communities suffer. For example the foreign policy of coups in Latin America has destabilized the region leading to migration flow to the USA. The influx of immigrants creates communal tensions creating skepticism and fear of the other. Enclaves of immigrants who look and speak differently then yourself. Instead of forced integration which would require centralized government planning mass migration forces individuals to burden systemic issues instead of solving root problems.

Home. Is where we place our roots few people leave home out of choice most people love their home and communities. Our society should hold the elites accountable not punish local communities and seek to invest in building and strengthen nations which where terrorized through Empire. The experience of the refugee captured in the spoken word poem “Home” by Warsan Shire.

I want to go home,
But home is the mouth of a shark
Home is the barrel of the gun

In my gut the defence of nationalism and borders is conflicting not because I want my local community to be erased. Absorbed into a stateless project run by US empire. But because naturally I am skeptical of nationalism as a bulwark. For example Monarchy. To push back against American Hegemony strengthening the British Commonwealth would undermine for me a principled stand against Empire for we Christians are foremost Citizens of Heaven.

In war effective defence territorial sovereignty is often centralized to mobilize against invasion. While I critique NATO as the arm of US Empire the truth is that without NATO and the West backing Ukraine would have fell quickly to the Russian invasion. Pragmatically we Christians find ourselves aligned with Empire as a bulwark like the Romans.

One can be above it all when it is theoretical and not your home. But what pushed me is the reality that Donald Trump does see Canada as the 51st state. Call me alarmist but if He invades I will be supporting military and guerrilla resistance to US occupation. I also have no patience for Conservatives who clown themselves cheering Trump to liberate us from Trudeau. I think it is not edgy but treason in the old-fashioned sense of the word.

At first I did not want to comment like the blogs and videos chasing the news cycle. To go into a theology depth with figure online doing much more extensive exegesis than myself. However what drove the thread of rightly ordered love was the attack on Canadian sovereignty by Donald Trump.

Which is why I quote the profound theology of Nickelback. I know the Canadian band is the butt of many jokes however the song Photograph for me captures how we become rooted in time and place. How social constructs like borders become reality through our communal photographs.

I miss that town I miss the faces You can't erase You can't replace it I miss it now I can't believe it So hard to stay Too hard to leave it If I could I relive those days I know the one thing that would never change Every memory of looking out the back door I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor It's hard to say it, time to say it Goodbye, goodbye. Every memory of walking out the front door I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for It's hard to say it, time to say it Goodbye, goodbye. Look at this photograph Every time I do it makes me laugh Every time I do it makes me...

In the debate however. We can zoom outward to the entire globe. When in reality we often neglect those at home. Myself included can learn to log-offline and serve my family which requires greater humility and ordered love than any grand debate. I hope to encourage you to take photographs, memories of time and places which ground us in the love of home.