America First Shouldn’t Mean America Only

I’m Hicks first. My wife and kids mean more to me than anyone else on this planet. They are my main responsibility. My primary loyalty and allegiance goes to them. If I ignore them so that I can serve everyone else, shame on me. When you look at the priority of who gets my love, my immediate family is undoubtedly at the top and they should be. Again, you might say I’m Hicks first. But here’s the thing: I’m not Hicks only.

There are a lot of people whose last name is not Hicks who are nevertheless my friend and who I would be willing to help. If a friend called me up at 6 o’clock in the evening and said, “One of our kids just got badly injured and we’re on the way to the ER. Can we drop our other kids off at your house and they can stay with you until we finish?” and I say, “Sorry, it’s family movie night. Hicks first, you know?” that would be stupid, immoral, and evil. Hicks first shouldn’t mean Hicks only. I can give my family a place of priority and still show love to others. In fact, as a Christian I am duty bound to do so.

The Ordo Amoris

I’ve heard the political right make the argument that we should be America first on the basis of something called the ordo amoris (order of loves). Vice President JD Vance clashed with the pope not too long ago on this very topic. The concept was originally presented by Augustine and seems to be pretty intuitive all things considered. This principle states that while we are called to love everyone, even our enemies, there is a proper order to our love. You have a greater debt of love to those closest to you than you do to a stranger on the street. So far so good.

What has happened recently, however, is that this individual principle has been taken to a national level. It’s not just that I as an individual have a greater debt to those closest to me, but that this is true of entire countries. Taken to the level of a nation, the point is that America, particularly the American government, has a higher duty of care to Americans than it does to foreigners. This principle is being used to justify deportations as well as a broader isolationism. “America needs to put Americans first!” True enough, but I do think there is one important qualification that often gets missed in this proposal.

The Awkward Case of the Good Samaritan

While there is some truth to the fact that I should love my family more than a random stranger on the street, the Bible is explicitly clear that I should love random strangers on the street. In fact, one of Jesus’ most famous parables makes that exact point. The Good Samaritan could easily have walked by the man left to die and thought something like, “I need to finish my trip so I can get home to my family.” “I’m going to have leave him at the inn and probably pay for it myself. That’s my kids’ college money.” “I could be in danger from the same robbers if I stop and help. Do I want my wife to be a widow?”

This all brings me back to my opening illustration. I grant the rationality of the ordo amoris. It makes good sense, but I should not use it to justify ignoring other people who need my help. As a country, there should be a priority put on caring for Americans. But this doesn’t mean we should never help any other country or people ever. That’s not a right ordering of loves. That’s only having one love.

Where Do We Go from Here?

How this principle works out is where things will get messy. Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria. Ukraine faced an unprovoked invasion by a massive, hostile force to the north. Israel has been surrounded by terrorists groups whose stated goal is to wipe them off the earth. We’ve helped all these groups at varying levels. We’ve also done it without putting a single boot on the ground. Some think we have done too much. Others would like to see us do more.

Obviously we cannot fix every problem. Many would argue that the war on terror was mistaken because it tried to do too much. As I recently heard one speaker put it, “We tried to make a country with an 8th century mindset into Jeffersonian democrats at gunpoint.” In retrospect, probably not our brightest idea. But does that mean we overcorrect by saying “America first” and then entirely recede from the world? I don’t think that’s right either.

I don’t disagree with the general principle that the government of a country should be primarily concerned for its own citizens. I think part of the reason the current administration is in place is because the people in America felt that their needs were being overlooked by the very people they had elected to govern them. But as with most things in life, this will require balance and wisdom to apply carefully. There will no doubt be disagreements along the way, but hopefully we can all at least agree to the big picture? America first? Yes! America only? I would say no.