So, Sarah Palin proudly displays an Israeli flag in her office in Juneau, and her “Pentecostal” faith makes supporting the state of Israel a central tenet of belief, possibly even more important than the Gospel itself (you know, that odd little fact that Jesus Christ was crucified and raised to redeem humanity from its sinfulness). As the Washington Times reports:

Mrs. Palin was baptized as a teenager at the Wasilla Assembly of God Church. She frequently attends the Juneau Christian Center, which is also part of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God. Her home church is the Church of the Rock, an independent congregation.

“Historically, the Assemblies of God have been dispensationalists, which means they believe in ‘the rapture’ of Christians that takes them out of the world,” said Mr. Matthews. “Central to that position is a very strong support for Israel. It’s integral to their view of both prophecy and politics. Denying Israel is almost like denying the faith.”

This got me to thinking. Flying the flag of another country, pledging allegiance and loyalty to another polity, this is not the behavior of politicians in a powerful, world ruling empire — it’s what people in conquered nations, colonies and satellite states do. I can imagine Czech communist party officials in, say, 1980, having the Soviet flag in their office, of groveling before the USSR and the CPSU. No serious politician in Moscow (the head of the Soviet-Czechoslovak Friendship Society is not serious) would fly or wear the Czech flag — it was clear how power flowed, from Moscow to Prague. Or Senegalese politicians in the 1950s pledging their loyalty and love to France, but no one in Paris caring much about Senegal.

Now granted, there was no theology outlining the Moscow/Prague relationship (although Marxism is a kind-of secular premillennial dispensationism), nor in the French colonialism of Africa. I am also not a dispensationist (indeed, it is heretical) and I know that being a dispensationist is not a requirement for pledging allegiance to the state of Israel. Still, it’s odd that the leaders of the allegedly powerful United States stumble over themselves swear their loyalty to another nation-state, another polity, with such fervor.

The Best of Charles H. Featherstone