For most of civilization, no one pretended that their political and spiritual lives could be compartmentalized.  There was no pretension over thinking you could pledge to this or that over here, and then turn around and pledge to this or that over there.  For most of history, there was no sacred here, secular there, divinity here, state there.

The ancient Romans were no exception.  When a star appeared in the sky some 2000 years ago, they said it was Julius Caesar ascending to heaven.  A week long celebration was decreed—called the “adventus”—with children taught to sing advent songs in honor of the Caesar.  Titles were given to the emperors: Son of God, The One Who Was Promised, God Incarnate on the Earth, Savior.  Groups called ecclesias met around statues of the Caesar in the center of town to practice aligning their lives to his will.

The poets were beside themselves in praise, “Since the providence that has divinely ordered…the most perfect good in Augustus…bestowing him upon us and our descendants as a savior—he who put an end to war and will order peace, Caesar, who by his epiphany exceeded the hopes who prophesied good news (euangelia), not only outdoing benefactors of the past, but also allowing no hope of greater benefactions in the future…”

They infused their emperor language with divinity.  And maybe it wasn’t that they were delusional enough to believe that their caesars were actually gods.  It may just have been that they weren’t so delusional as to call their emperor and empire worship anything other than what it was: worship.

Their hopes and dreams and aspirations and loyalty and sacrifice were pinned on this emperor and that empire.  It was only clear as day that this encompassed their spirituality, because it encompassed every aspect of their lives.

To stand in front of a flag and offer one’s commitment is an act of spirituality.  To put one’s hope in this politician or that is an act of spirituality.  To align oneself with the prosperity and protection of one particular nation over another is an act of spirituality.  Good or ill, it is spirituality.

It can be nothing else.

This, by the way, is what got those early followers of Jesus killed.  It wasn’t that they were so spiritual that Rome was offended.  The Roman Empire actually saw itself as being very lenient and pluralistic when it came to religious groups.  Any group could file for cultus privatus, and be protected to practice their particular religion.

What got many of these followers of Jesus killed was their clarity about pledging allegiance.  Their very language pushed against the political and spiritual underpinnings of the Roman Empire.  They used all the Empire’s buzzwords, pushed all the emperor’s buttons.

Get this: they called Jesus the Savior of the world.  They called Jesus the One who was Promised.  They called Jesus the Son of God.  They even had the audacity to say that the euangelia—or Good News—didn’t come by way of the emperor and his legions and power, but rather by Jesus and his love and his grace.  They even formed rival ecclesias in the Roman cities.

Ecclesia is the Greek word we translate as “church”.

And so when they would say, “Jesus is Lord”, what they meant was “Caesar is not.”  Which means that they were very literally pledging allegiance to Jesus as opposed to the state.

They knew that they could not do both.

And that will threaten an Empire, a nation, a country, an economy.

And so some empires have responded the way the Romans did, with swords and crucifixions.  Others have responded by claiming that the state and houses of worship should be separate, so that people can pretend to pledge allegiance to both.  Some nations—are you ready for this?—even encourage people of faith to put their flags next to their altars, and get them to believe that pledging allegiance to their country is synonymous with pledging allegiance to their God.

I mean, can you imagine how dangerous that would be?

To pay attention to our allegiance is to pay attention to our spirituality. 

It is to ask the question: How is my allegiance shaping my spirit?