As I sit here typing on Memorial Day, the relationship between patriotism and religion can’t help but surface in my mind. In a world plagued with religiously mandated murders and ‘holy wars’, religion and patriotism currently exist in an awkward partnership. I myself am increasingly leery anytime I see the flag wed with the Cross. Religion has often been warped in our modern era to support atrocious national agendas, while many churches have a flag in their sanctuary without a crucifix to be seen. With all this said, it is peculiarly interesting that I find myself reviewing “The American Patriot’s Bible” (Thomas Nelson, hardcover, 1,824 pages, $39.99), which was sent to me by the publisher, Thomas Nelson. Written in the New King James Translation (NKJV), it is not quite as old-English as the original King James translation, but the readability is still inferior to many other modern translations. Probably the best part of this Bible is it 48 full-color insert pages. These are filled with quotes and stories about how the Bible has been weaved throughout the history of America. It is truly fascinating to see the prominence that God had in the early development of our nation and how our country’s tenants were formed on the foundation of Scripture.
The rest of the Bible is sprinkled with quotes from many American statesmen with varied reputations. Some of these made me feel terribly uncomfortable, such as reading Dick Cheney give a quote on liberty for the story of Joseph in Genesis 37. Likewise, many articles likened the major wars America has fought in with Biblical conflicts. This made me feel somewhat tense and uneasy. Other stories and quotes, including ones from Abraham Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, gave me great hope that one day our country will go back to the roots of our faithful foundation. Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this Bible to any of my friends. The marriage of politics and faith has a tainted reputation in the modern world, so I think this specialty Bible will find itself especially unwelcome by many American readers. The stories and background information are very interesting, but I think there are much better Bibles that are untainted with nationalistic pride.
