Than he lay down his life for his country

“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his country”

Says the inscription on the park bench by my dentist office. There’s a statue of a veteran to add to the patriotism.

This is an adaptation of Jesus’ words:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

-John 15:13

This is more than an adaptation; it’s a perversion. Nationalism has long been held as a virtue among many segments of conservative American Christian culture. But there is no justification for the syncretism of biblical values and nationalism.