I am (sorta) proud to be a European
How Nationalism and Culture can never provide true Identity
On March 25, 1957, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands started a partnership with each other for the purpose of creating economic stability and peace on the historically restless continent of Europe. By signing two treaties in Rome, these six countries pledged to not only share their coal and steel, as decided in 1951, but also to increase their partnership on the economic level. This led to the founding of the European Economic Community (EEC), as well as the European Atomic Energy Community. In 1993, after several other countries had joined these six nations, the European Union was founded.
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
This year it is exactly 60 years since the signing of the two treaties in Rome by the six original countries, and much has changed. The European Union has expanded, and gained more influence. This fact, however, is not surprising. Even way before the founding of the European Union, many people dreamed of an entity like the European Union that would, over time, gain more and more influence. One of the great minds that laid the foundation for the European Union was Winston Churchill. He has often been praised for thinking several steps ahead than everyone else on important matters, and the issue of European unity is no exception. In 1946, Churchill gave his famous speech in Zürich, in which he stressed, “the need to “recreate the European family” and allow it to “dwell in peace, in safety and in freedom.” “The first step,” he proposed, “must be a partnership between France and Germany.” His longer-term objective was a “United States of Europe”” [1]. Churchill was not the only one to come up with ideas like this. Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, both key players in the founding of the European Union, said similar things.
The reason why they said these things is clear: two World Wars had proven that the European countries could not live together on the same continent if they did not have the same values. Instead of having multiple countries that unite around their own ideals and goals, Churchill, Monnet, and Schuman were of the persuasion that Europe would be a safe, wealthy continent if all the countries had more collective pride, than pride for their own nation.
Sociological Principles
This thought points to an interesting sociological principle: In order for groups to be unified and successful, they must have similarities in their norms, personalities, but also in their cultures. In order to make a unified entity, one must understand the separate cultures of the various groups so that all parties feel equally represented. In the book, Christian Perspectives on Sociology, one of the author states that,
“[An important dimension of groups is] culture-that is, the customs of the community or society at large…Various personalities deal with culture in different ways and the result can be conflict. The life of the group involves dealing with these conflicts. In the course of negotiations the group develops a culture of its own, taking both personalities and the culture at large into account”[2].
In other words, a group that consists out of several different parties will adapt certain aspects from all of those parties, but it will be a compromise in values and cultures for the individual countries. The making of a mixed culture will involve giving and taking for all parties, but the objective is for the new group to, over time, create a unique culture of its own that everyone can identify with.
The question that is currently very present in the political debate of almost every European country is: Should we become the United States of Europe, or should we go back to intergovernmental cooperation? Many people realize that the current balance of power cannot be a permanent one, it must lead to something.
Pro-Europe vs. Anti-Europe
Some people see the solution for Europe and its search for peace and shared culture to be in more unification. Guy Verhofstadt, a Belgian politician who is a member of the European Parliament is of the conviction that, “the solution to the European problems is a federal Europe, which however, should not be equated with centralization. On the contrary, he considers it to be an acknowledgement that in today’s world there are a number of policy areas which transcend the nation state and many levels of governance, from the local to the continental, which can best function jointly through the principle of subsidiarity” [3].
Other politicians, such as Thierry Baudet, a Dutch member of parliament who was recently elected, wants the European Union to go back to intergovernmental cooperation instead of further unification. Baudet states that, “What we are seeing is a surge of change in The Netherlands. The forces that produced Brexit in Britain and the election of Donald Trump in America are being unleashed in Holland as well” [4].
Many politicians are of the persuasion that we will only have more unity in our countries if we choose to unite more and give more and more power to Brussel, who will distribute it fairly. Others, like Thierry Baudet, strongly oppose that view because they think that their cultural identity should be rooted in their nation´s culture, not their continent´s.
So what we see is that the European debate about cooperation and transition of power is not in its deepest essence a debate about the culture of the group, but rather about the identity of the group. Thierry Baudet wants to find his identity in being Dutch, while Guy Verhofstadt wants to be considered a European first. The knowledge of this deeper issue is crucial to understanding how Christians, especially those who live in Europe, should view this current issue.
Finding True Identity in Christ
It is not wrong to feel associated with a certain country. Nor is is wrong to find a part of your identity in your nationality. The problem occurs when that becomes the primary source of identity and purpose.
The knowledge of who Christ is and what he has done for His people should be the primary source for our identity. We should be finding our belonging and purpose in the fact that we are sons and daughters of Christ (2 Cor. 6:18), a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), a people for God’s own possession (1 Pt. 2:9), adopted (Ephesians 1:5), brought into fellowship with God (1 Cor. 1:9), citizens of a heavenly kingdom (Philippians 3:20), sojourners (1 Peter 2:11), ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2), and the list could go on and on.
The knowledge of who Christ is and what he has done for His people should be the primary source for our identity.
If we find our source of identity and self-worth in being of a certain nation or culture, then we will be disappointed because that nation or culture will let us down because it is made up of sinners. But if we place our identity in knowing and being known by Christ, we will find true satisfaction and joy. L.E Guerin, an American who moved to England many years ago, wrote this in a response to those who felt identity strain as a result of the Brexit:
“Why are we surprised by the world’s perpetual preoccupation with fear and politicking and division and nationalism when the globe hasn’t submitted to Christ as king? Doesn’t Brexit underscore the reality that even seemingly solid, decades-long inter-governmental contracts will not last? Surely we can admit that human government is far from the final answer. Yes, we must continue to work together for positive change, but I’m suggesting we stop expecting God’s kingdom to come in all its consummate glory when we’re only fighting with make-shift tools and through man-made means” [5]
Guerin is absolutely right: until the world has submitted to Christ as the supreme Treasure and King, this world will be a broken place. So we dare not find our ultimate source of identity in being from a particular nation. We must find our identity in our relationship with God. As the early church father, Augustine, famously said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee” [6].
[1]. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/happy-60th-birthday-european-union_us_58d2fd6ce4b099c777b9deb2
[2]. Christian Perspectives on Sociology. Wipf and Stock Publishers, Chapter 5
[3]. http://www.katoikos.eu/dialogue/no-way-around-a-more-flexible-eu.html
[5]. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-brexit-really-says-about-us
[6]. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/42572-thou-hast-made-us-for-thyself-o-lord-and-our