I just watched a report on the ABC’s 7.30 Report about the increasing numbers of young people at The Big Day Out wearing Australian flags and other icons of nationalism. Apparently there’s also an increase of Aussie tattoos being requested, and we’ve seen the growth of Gallipoli attenders.

I’m intrigued as to the cause. Is this something that is observable across a range of ‘brands’. Are we seeing the increase in nationalism as one of many other things that provide identity for people? Are we uniquely a generation that wants to brand itself? How does belonging factor into it? I feel sure there must be studies that have probed these sorts of questions, I just haven’t read them yet.

Is it about pride? Not in the negative sense, but in having something to be proud of, to admire and look up to? In losing our traditional mythic resources from the social fabric - through knowing every back-story, and seeing every flaw in our heroes, traditional or otherwise - have we also lost something to be proud of?

Is it about belonging? Of needing something to identify with so that we don’t feel alone, or outcast? Although I am deeply aware that the attractiveness of belonging these days doesn’t outweigh people’s fear of responsibility or accountability. We want to belong as long as there are no strings attached.

Also, as someone who reckons there is actually a best cause to pledge one’s allegiance to, I wonder whether there’s a more useful focus to offer people than nationalism. Jesus and other prophets have for a long time continued to call for a radical break from nationalistic idolatry, even clan idolatry in the worship of family.

What can the church, as caretakers of the story of God, offer in this time when the church itself is so radically unpopular (in the West)? My intuition calls me to proclaim things like love and peace before proclaiming church, or even Jesus. Not without proclaiming church or Jesus, but as a first step - the first rallying cry, after which discussion about the source of love, and the source of peace can occur, and people can be invited deeper.

Still thinking…