When the character of Captain America appeared in 1940, he was introduced as a direct opponent to Adolf Hitler. Although the United States has not yet entered World War Two, the difference between American ideals and the Nazi ideology was portrayed as a clear battle between good and evil. American patriotism represented liberty, and stood against the tyranny, repression, and genocide being carried out by the Nazi regime.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Captain America’s career begins much the same way. Although Captain America: The First Avenger pivots quickly from the historical Nazi threat to the danger posed by Red Skull and Hydra, the World War Two backdrop remains. There is no moral ambiguity in the stakes or the conflicts.
The world becomes more complicated…
As the MCU continues, Captain America is forced into more difficult moral choices. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he finds that the institution for which he is working, SHIELD, has been infiltrated by Hydra. In Captain America: Civil War, he finds himself hunted by his own government and at odds with his own teammates on the Avengers. Throughout those two stories, as he tries to follow his conscience during difficult circumstances, he is faced with impossible choices on who to trust.
Many people have developed a similar distrust of American institutions over the last few years…
During the pandemic and the 2020 riots in major cities, Americans of all political persuasions increasingly doubted whether our institutions were able to address the challenges we were facing. Simplistic views of whether law enforcement, public health, or other authorities were well-intentioned or competent were often shattered during these crises. Since then, additional concerning incidents have arisen, such as the reported FBI surveillance efforts against Catholic organizations.
We know that these are not the first instances of American institutions failing to live up to the ideals they profess. While the Declaration of Independence proclaims all men are created equal, the early history of our nation nonetheless included racial slavery and injustices against Native American populations. Other examples could easily be pulled from either the history books or the current headlines as to how our American institutions have at times been corrupt, false to their principles, or captured by ideologies that are contrary to a Christian understanding of human dignity.
Considering these historic and current flaws in our country, is it reasonable for Christians to be patriotic?
To answer this question, we can turn to another great opponent of Hitler: Dietrich von Hildebrand. Although Hildebrand was a philosophy professor in Germany when the Nazi party rose to power, he chose to actively oppose Nazism in his writing instead of remaining only in his academic sphere.
At the start of Avengers: Infinity War, Captain America is in hiding due to his stand on his principles. Likewise, Hildebrand had to leave Germany when Hitler rose to power, flee Austria when the Nazis annexed it, and then go into hiding and eventually leave Europe entirely when Hitler’s forces invaded France.
Despite opposing a government which was not just problematic, but actively and increasingly evil, Hildebrand defended patriotism as morally positive. He argued that patriotism should take the form of a well-ordered love.
He distinguished patriotism from any form of nationalism which involved idolatry toward the nation. However, he described it as “divinely ordained” and as obligatory for the virtuous person to have a “special sense of belonging” to your own nation, a sense of solidarity with your fellow citizens, and gratitude for the benefits of being a citizen.
With this understanding of patriotism, American Christians can and should remain patriotic. We should maintain a realistic view of the faults of our current government and a critical approach to certain trends in our popular culture. Yet neither of those things should undercut an appreciation of the distinctive character of our nation or the genuine good things in our history and in our founding documents. We should have real gratitude for the benefits of being an American citizen.
Our solidarity with our fellow citizens should be inflamed with the love of neighbor to which we are called as followers of Christ; we should wish for the good of our nation from that vantage point. With Hildebrand’s insights and example, we can courageously oppose cultural and social wrongs in our country, and do so not despite, but because of, our love for our country. And we should pray to be able to do so with the courage symbolized by Captain America, and shown by so many patriots throughout our history.
Matthew Heffron
Matt Heffron is an Iraq veteran and an attorney. He lives with his wife and nine kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and loves Catholic tradition, practicing martial arts, riding motorcycle, and superheroes.