Why the Song "Citizens" Matters Now More Than Ever

A track by Jon Guerra helps us think about the issue of immigration

As I sit writing this article, I am wearing a rather odd shirt. On the front, it says, “Love has a million disguises,” and on the back, it says, “But winning is simply not one.” Plenty of people wear shirts every day with all manner of messages on them, from political slogans to ironic 1990s throwbacks. But the content of the message is what sets this shirt apart: Are love and winning opposed to one another?

You would be closer to understanding the meaning if you knew these words are lyrics from the song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra. He is a Christian artist whose work I first encountered when he began dating a childhood friend of mine. (They have since married, and she joins many of his musical endeavors.) When I decided to create a podcast back in 2021, I chose this song from Guerra’s album Keeper of Days for three reasons.

First, one of the opening lines of the song is, “What is the meaning of ‘Christian’ in this American life?”, which was pretty much the subject of my podcast. It seemed like a no-brainer to use it. Second, the song has some nice piano riffs which were ideal for filler music. Third, I knew the copyright holder and thus was able to work out a favorable deal for the rights, i.e. free of charge.

Of course, I did wonder if anyone would have a problem with me using the song, given its clear political implications. “Citizens” deals with the issue of immigration in the United States, jumping from the political controversy to a consideration of what it means for Christians to become citizens of the kingdom of God.

I need to know there is justice
That it will roll in abundance
And that you’re building a city
Where we arrive as immigrants
And you call us citizens
And you welcome us as children home

Yes, Guerra compares Christians to immigrants arriving in a new country, and he suggests they have failed to do unto others as the Lord has done unto them.

I have a heart full of questions
Quieting all my suggestions
What is the meaning of Christian
In this American life?
I’m feeling awfully foolish
Spending my life on a message
I look around and I wonder
Ever if I heard it right

That disillusionment was very much on Jon’s mind when I interviewed him for the podcast back in 2021. Here’s some of what he told me about the origins of the song.

“You know, it got to the point where friends—close friends, people that I probably would have had in my wedding had I known them when I got married, fellow worship leaders, pastors at my church—were just outright getting kind of behind what felt like a nationalistic Christian … Christian nationalism is being thrown around a lot right now, but the themes of that have been growing for the past several years. And I just felt it when I felt my friends, not really seeing or not really, I guess, having any issue with this kind of discourse or this kind of political engagement. I just—I got really sad. I got really kind of troubled and angry, but underneath that, it was like, ‘I thought we were all … We all grew up together. Didn't we all agree this is secondary? That this is actually secondary to another kingdom? That we’re on the same page here?’”¹

You can clearly see this sentiment expressed in some of the lyrics of “Citizens.”

How can we call ourselves Christians
Saying that love is a tension
Between the call of the cross and
Between the old party line

Perhaps the most radical part of the lyrics comes about two-thirds of the way through the song. The immigration debate often hinges on the matter of legality. Whereas in the case of other crimes, we might say that a person “does something illegal,” when it comes to crossing the border without the proper paperwork, we say they “are illegal.” The lawlessness becomes an identity all its own: a way to divide the sheep from the goats, so to speak. Of course, people using that language are not typically saying that a person ought not exist, but that they ought not exist at this location. Nevertheless, the language has a power all its own, wrapping a person’s every waking moment in criminality, as opposed to the single moment someone fires a gun, runs a red light, or sells shares based on insider knowledge. Yet, Guerra sings,

Truly you said we were equal
Everyone’s heart is deceitful
Everyone born is illegal
When love is the law of the land

Some may see this as a rather cheap attempt to erase criminality of one sort by suggesting we are all criminals of some sort. In fact, it is a chief doctrine of Holy Scripture that all humans have broken a law higher than any other. The imagery that is often employed in the Bible is that of illegitimate birth, another human status historically seen to encompass every moment of existence. Guerra says that if the law of the United States were simply the law of love spoken of by St. James, (James 2:8) we would all be in violation, unfit to remain.

Toward the end of the song, Guerra becomes explicitly political, shifting his focus to a specific villain.

There is a wolf who is ranting
All of the sheep they are clapping
Promising power and protection
Claiming the Christ who was killed
Killed by a common consensus
Everyone screaming ‘Barabbas’
Trading their God for a hero
Forfeiting Heaven for Rome

You have likely guessed who the “wolf” is: a person who claims the name of “Christian” and courts the support of Christians, promising them power and protection in a hostile world. It is a bold claim to label someone a “wolf,” but Guerra justifies his choice by noting that the people of God once begged to have Jesus crucified in order to spare a man who had violently opposed their political enemies. (Barabbas was a murderous rebel against the occupying Roman authorities.) Christ submitted to the fate of martyrdom rather than leading a political revolution, proclaiming that his kingdom was not of this world. He made no promise that his followers would have earthly power or protection but told them to take up their own crosses and suffer as he had.

Guerra seems to be saying quite clearly, “We would have been the people back then calling for Jesus to be crucified. We would have wanted a king who would relieve our suffering immediately.”

The message on my shirt comes from the final lines of the song.

Power has several prizes
Handcuffs can come in all sizes
Love has a million disguises
But winning is simply not one

Here I refer again to my interview with Guerra for more context. He spoke about people who insist on making political alliances because of the threat to their way of life.

“And oftentimes it was through the guise of, ‘Well, Western civilization is at stake.’ You know, it was through the guise of, ‘Well, if we don't do this, we don’t make these alliances, if we don’t, then the country's going to hell in a hand basket,’ or it was just these very, very lofty ideals and these really … It was moral. I realized that a lot of people were saying this is a moral issue. Therefore, morally I’m obligated to make these allegiances and … take this kind of stance and take this posture.”

Many American Christians have pledged their allegiance to politicians of various stripes over the years, believing they needed that power and protection to maintain Christianity in the United States, or to keep society from degrading, or some such thing. Many of those people are jubilant at the present, and I have been encountering them in their jubilance on social media. (I try to mostly avoid politics myself, but it finds a way of entering conversations.) They believe that the achievement of power is now protecting them, society is being cleansed, and those who refused to make the same alliances are weak, naïve losers.

This is the philosophy of the ends justifying the means. We make alliances with unsavory characters to gain something we desperately want: something we believe is morally imperative. I have had people tell me it does not matter whether legal procedure was followed in deporting immigrants to a foreign prison. They were criminals, and we just needed to get rid of them. To these individuals, the real crime was allowing so many immigrants to enter the United States illegally. Get rid of them now by any means, however unsavory. He does no wrong who saves his country from invaders!

This is why I am returning to the song “Citizens” now. The pursuit of winning at any cost, even the mistreatment of other human beings, is not loving. When I read the Bible, it tells me that everything we do should be shaped and motivated by love, but I increasingly wonder if I am reading the same Bible as everyone else. I have been presented (or more accurately, confronted) with another Jesus who looks very different from the one I came to know over the years reading the Gospels. In fact, he looks a lot like Barabbas: a man unafraid to cut throats if necessary.

However, let me be clear: The subject of immigration to the United States is a complicated one. The system is badly in need of reform, and our borders must be secured. If people entered this country without following proper legal procedure, they should be made to leave the country. But I also believe that law and order cannot be advanced by violating the law, the ends do not justify the means, and a society which refuses to show compassion is not, in fact, a very Christian society.

But the principle can also be expanded beyond immigration. If we make winning our highest good, we will struggle to maintain a marriage, friendship, or business partnership. People will quickly see that we are not to be trusted. Our lives will be emptied of love.

The most important thing about immigrants is not their legal status here in the United States, but the image of God they bear. While they must obey the law like anyone else, we must not make the mistake of forgetting that they are image bearers. The command to love one’s neighbor (and even to love one’s enemy) is not contingent on that neighbor being a thoroughly upstanding citizen. “Justice for all” means that we do exactly that, applying justice without prejudice to all people.

I therefore commend to you the song “Citizens” for your reflection. Regardless of your political views, it is a good reminder that love and winning are often mutually exclusive things. For what does it profit a person to win the whole world, but never know love? I would rather love than win.

1. https://amillennial.buzzsprout.com/1385029/episodes/7671790-little-songs-for-citizens-with-jon-guerra