"America is no longer a Christian nation," said a keynote speaker at a conference I attended recently, as he elaborated on our country's moral bankruptcy.

"America is the best country in the world today," some people assert.

"We've got to get back to our Christian roots!" says another faction of the church.

"America oppresses the world and is full of self-absorbed people," still other Christians claim.

I've heard many opinions on the state of our country. I am amazed by how different they are. The range of opinions is wide, even among Christians. I listen to one person tell me about our nation's hopeless state of depravity, then turn around and hear someone else sing America's praises and insinuate that the U.S. is God's chosen country.

My head spins. Who is right? Why are politics, government, and patriotism such explosive issues? How can one Christian look at America and see a tyrant, and another look at her and see a utopia? I cannot speak for others, so I don't have answers for these questions. To me, the debate over whether America is currently good or bad is beside the point. Instead of verbally sparring with each other, Christians need to put their feelings of patriotism (or anti-patriotism) in perspective – biblical perspective.

Romans 13 outlines a Christian's duties to the state. Verse 1 says, "Everyone must submit to the governing authorities" because they have been put in place by God for the purpose of enforcing justice. Twice in this passage, Paul uses the phrase "government is God's servant," implying that the state is subject to a higher authority than merely itself. In the same way, we as individual believers are subject to a higher authority than the state. While we live on earth, we are commanded to submit to the governing authorities of whatever country we live in, but we know that our first allegiance is to the Lord and His commands. Therefore, the core of our identity lies not in earthly nationality but in citizenship in God's kingdom. Hebrews 11:13 refers to the heroes of the faith as "foreigners and temporary residents on the earth." I Peter 2:11 also refers to believers as "aliens and temporary residents." In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus implores His followers to invest in heavenly treasures rather than putting stock in earthly goods.

It is clear that we cannot create a perfect country or society. Our hopes cannot be in America or we will face only disappointment, because any man-made system is fallible and subject to corruption. Keeping matters of country, politics, and patriotism in proper balance, though, Christians should be fully engaged in their culture. The key is not to view involvement as a way to bring about state-enforced Christianity – that is impossible, because Christianity is a relationship with God and not a list of laws. Instead, a believer's involvement in culture or government is a chance to represent our spiritual nation, the Body of Christ, which spans the globe. We must realize that we belong to a nation without physical borders, and that we are pilgrims en route to a country we cannot yet see. If we invest too much here, we are wasting our efforts on a transient world.

I appreciate America. I admire the worthy goals of this country's founders and am grateful for the freedom within its borders to worship God without persecution. However, my ties to the Body of Christ are much stronger than my allegiance to the U.S. After living in Europe for two years, I have a deeper love for other nations in addition to my own. God's heart for His church is global, and I want His heart to be mine.