I am Thankful Today and Not Ashamed
In a world characterized by ingratitude, giving thanks, especially for America is out of vouge. I dissent!
I write this the day before Thanksgiving, 2022, but truth be told, I do not see an outpouring of gratitude in our society. Rather, as Carl Truman rightly observes, our times are characterized by “infantile ingratitude.” This is hardly surprising. Sources of ingratitude and angst abound. American politics is suffused with toxic rancor and our education system teaches our children to hate our own country. Indeed, the various neo-Marxist liberation groups have vilified almost all of our American ancestors, especially white Christians. And the original settler-pilgrims who came to Plymouth are roundly reviled and caricatured as cruel invaders. It is almost as if only white Christian Americans have every done anything wrong, and every other culture is pristinely moral. The truth is the left in this country simply hates traditional America because it hates Western Civilization and hates Christianity even more.
Gratitude, Failure, and America
Well, I refuse to go with the trend. Tomorrow, I will pray with my family, eat turkey, and give thanks for this country and the many blessings we have received from the Lord. I am not ashamed of America. I am not ashamed of being southern man of Anglo-Irish descent. I am not ashamed of my ancestors. And I am not ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). In saying this, I am not ignorant of the evils committed in America’s past. The historical mistreatment of indigenous peoples and peoples of African descent is well known. These realities are tragic and reprehensible. The evils of American history are to be recognized and avoided in the future. But to constantly dwell, in a one-sided way on national failures is neither healthy nor accurate for creates division and distorts a broader and more accurate depiction of the past — one which depicts American failures and American achievements with proportionate weight. Of course, Americans have failed, sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. This is true of every country and every race and every man and every woman. But no other country is mine but America. No other home is my home, but Tennessee. And so I am grateful for America.
The recognition of past evils in no way relieves one of the grave duty of piety. Respect for our forefathers and respect for our country remain duties of both divine law and right reason, and we decline as a people when we fail in these matters. In neglecting these duties, we fail to pass on a heritage to our children and in doing so cut them off from rootedness in time and place. How many contemporaries complain of loneliness and alienation? Is it any wonder? When a nation is cut off from its past, it withers from lack of vision, energy, and vocation. Even more importantly, the leftist hatred of America is based on a basic logical error. The radical critique of America moves from particular actions to an evaluation of the whole. This is the informal fallacy of composition; this fallacious move infers that what is true of the part is necessarily true of the whole. However, this is not necessarily so. Although a certain company made the tires on the vehicle, it does not necessarily follow that that same company made the entire car. You cannot infer from some American wrong actions (even if many) that the entire country is necessarily evil. This is simply irrational. America, the American experience, is larger than her faults, although they be real. The American story is bigger and better than its errors. It is a story about freedom, faith, family, courage, hope, and generosity. Therefore, with all due respect to those who hate America and cannot give thanks, I dissent. I live in the bigger story of America, and I am thankful for America and so much more.
I Give Thanks
I give thanks that I live in a country in which I am free to express my beliefs and to exercise my religion. In a time, when even European countries are curbing the rights of Christians to speak out on important cultural and moral issues, American Christians remain relatively free. I am thankful that the U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights remain strong impediments to unlimited government. Indeed, we are a country blessed with noble and sagacious founders, wise laws, and honorable customs.
Perhaps even more deeply, I am a grateful for the natural beauty and spiritual heritage of this nation. Since I was a boy, I have been awe-struck by the natural majesty of America. What a powerful gift. What a source of wonder, contemplation, and joy. I am thankful for the vibrant Christian tradition in our history, which stretches from the time of Jonathan Edwards to today. America remains a place where God is honored, the gospel preached, and souls are saved. Indeed, in the modern world, America is famous (or infamous) among advanced countries for its stubborn adherence to Christ. To be sure, Christian faith is in decline. But it is not gone. It persists. Though waxing, the flame still burns, and I suspect that the fury of those who hate Christ is rooted in the gnawing fear that the flame of faith may burst to life again with renewed light and power.
I am thankful for my home, classical music, classical philosophy, American football, Jane Austin, the Bible, the Lord of the Rings, my children, and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Blessed with such a bounty, how can one do anything but give thanks and celebrate Thanksgiving with solemn joy. However, gratitude goes well beyond personal feelings of thankfulness. To give thanks is a duty rooted in the virtues of religion, piety, and gratitude and this only adds greater luster to Thanksgiving.
The Virtue of Gratitude
In brief, the virtues of religion, piety, and gratitude are all connected to the cardinal virtue of justice. In the classical work of Thomas Aquinas, justice is the habit of rendering what is due to another — what is proportionate to another. Think of paying your rent, returning a borrowed item, or respecting the property of another. Justice is also exercised when a just judge inflicts a penalty on a malefactor that “fits the crime.” The virtues of religion, piety, and gratitude concern what is due to someone who has given first, that is, we practice these virtues towards our benefactors. The virtue of religion concerns God, the first cause of our being and all of the goods that we enjoy in life; piety concerns our parents and homeland; finally, gratitude is directed towards particular benefactors, perhaps a patron, pastor, employer, or teacher.
Generally speaking, by religion we worship and obey God; by piety we honor our parents and serve the country; by gratitude we thank our benefactors. In all of these instances we see an interplay of gift, generosity, indebtedness (or obligation), and giving thanks. It is easy to see that the American holiday of Thanksgiving is closely related to religion, piety, and gratitude; therefore it is not only a time of celebration and friendship, but a praiseworthy custom that aptly expresses our debt of thanks to God, parents, country, and benefactor. Of course these connections are perhaps what makes Thanksgiving so repugnant to leftist and other radicals. Such people feel they are entitled to an equal distribution of goods and privileges and because they are entitled they do not need to thank anyone. There is no such thing as graceful generosity for these people for they believe they are entitled to whatever they want. The language of gift and gratitude is unknown to them; they speak of demands, rights, and entitlements. What an angry, self-centered, and sad little world.
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
For my own part, I readily and happily acknowledge that I am so deeply indebted to benefactors that I cannot avoid giving thanks. The solemn joy of Thanksgiving is pressed upon me by experience, demanded by right reason, and exemplified in the word of God:
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” …
Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. …
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. …
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps. 118, ESV)
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Amen! Thank you for this, Ben. I’m tired of being made to feel guilty for being grateful for who I am, what I believe, and the people who have come before. Thank you.