Church & Patriotism
May 30, 2004
[For an earlier post I wrote on the same issue (and for a very cool article), go here]
I’m leading worship tomorrow for the last time at my church, and I noticed in the bulletin we are saying the Pledge of Allegiance, as well as the Christian Pledge of Allegiance. For those of you not familiar with the Christian Pledge of Allegiance, this is it:
I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.
I hope I’m not asked to help lead this, because if I am asked, I cannot do it. I cannot do this generally, let alone in the context of worship. I do not mean any disrespect for any who have served, and or lost their lives in times of war - but I cannot promote a supposedly-Christian/God-endorsed-patriotism during a worship service. I know this is not solely a southern Idaho phenomenon (though it may be slightly intensified down here) - but I’m wondering how people deal with this issue in their churches? How do we deal with this problem - the problem of God and country? God and the US? Because yes, I do believe it is a problem. I am reminded of the words Jim Wallis shared at the Emergent Convention: “Since when did Jesus become pro-rich, pro-war & pro-America. I hate to mention this, and you might want to share this with your churches back home, but ‘God Bless America’ isn’t found anywhere in Scripture.”
Tags: American-Flag, Church-Politics, Flag, Patriotism, Politics
Posted in 
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
May 30th, 2004 at 3:52 am
hear ya, bro. I pledge allegiance to Christ and Christ alone. Makes for fun when everyone else in the room at a Rotary meeting is saying the pledge while I just stand there.
Fortunately, I’ve never had to face this during worship. Even in the military, we never recited either pledge in church!
May 30th, 2004 at 8:06 am
amen.
the god and patriotism struggle is alive and well in georgia. once, they played “america the beautiful” at our church as the communion-meditation hymn for some patriotic sunday.
i complained.
i don’t know what the answer is. i keep hoping maybe the whole thing will balance out eventually.
May 30th, 2004 at 4:43 pm
alive in SC as well. They played a short video clip with various images of military past and present. Interesting that the torture of Iraqi soldiers was not in there. A difficult issue with no easy answers however.
we need to find a picture of Michael W. Smith waving that American flag you told me about…
peace
mark
May 30th, 2004 at 5:06 pm
this drives me nuts.
esp. because it seems so plain and obvious to me that this phenomenon is crazy.
like, excuse me but what the hell is “America the Beautiful” doing in the _hymnal_!?!?!? who is doing this!?!?!
did you read the thing in Brian M’s website about Evangelicals and George Bush? its a related topic… its a really nice essay.
May 30th, 2004 at 5:24 pm
This is a tough one for me as well. Thankfully, we’ve gotten away from American the Beautiful and the Pledge. This morning in worship we played the Battle Hymn (which was written in the context of slavery and the Civil War, calling the country to task) and had an Air Force Colonel pray for military, fire, and police men and women. It’s a long way from the year we did the “I Love America” musical (personally, I boycotted–vocally I might add–that particular presentation. I think it was a good balance, focusing on personal sacrifice, rather than just, Yippee for America.
May 30th, 2004 at 6:05 pm
my dad and I visited The Wall (Vietnam Memorial) on tour yesterday. It’s really big.
We had an army brat (official title) speak to us briefly in church today about our views of service persons… you know - how without them and their sacrifices we may not be able to freely complain about patriotism on blogs.
I for one also struggle with the God/America deal. But I think until we start singing, “God Bless America…Because We Deserve It,” I’ll suffer through the patriotic Sundays.
May 30th, 2004 at 7:13 pm
Cheers, Adam! I’m with you on this…and that’s no surprise to you since you read my blog and frequents rants about just this kind of thing. Fortunately we’ve formed a congregation over time that no longer pushes in this direction. Even today, they understand why Pentecost outshinges Memorial Day in worship, and I no longer feel the pressure to cheer us along with a God and country, nationalist pep rally.
Last Sunday in worship, eh? When do you head off to NJ?
May 31st, 2004 at 2:03 am
Good ol’ american church. I remember one incidence in particular where I was volunteering at a music camp for the united methodist church in florida and to make a long story short, was horrified by how the so called “worship” services had moved from focusing on god and worshiping to showing off how much better one churches choir was than anothers…. it all hit a height when, in our final worship service the “congregation” got the chance to offer hymn numbers to be sung during the worship. By this time I was so over the idea of worshiping all together, and also aware of the irony of having american patriotic songs in the hymnal that I convinced the entire youth section to vote to sing hymn number 3 hundred something… which happened to be the star spangled banner… and the chior master agreed to sing it before he looked it up to realize which song it was… so there we were, all standing in “worship” for the wrong reason now blatantly singing a song that was more focused on us than on God… I for one enjoyed the irony.
May 31st, 2004 at 3:55 pm
greetings, cleave. Let me just throw this quote in for thought. It is by the poet Adrienne Rich, written during the first gulf war, when the patriot missle was the big thing:
“A patriot is not a weapon. A patriot is one who wrestles for the soul of her country as she wrestles for her own being.”
Maybe rather than try and get patriotism out of our churches, we should redefine patriotism. Because, by her definition, I want to consider myself a patriot.
November 6th, 2004 at 4:09 pm
About her definition, I still think it could be a bit better. If she meant struggling for “country” as struggling for the people of this nation, then I am a patriot. If it is meant to suffer for the system of the US government, I don’t agree. Our democratic-republic (mostly republic) goverment is NOT God-ordained, but freedom is. And I want to work for the freedom of the people in this country and others, not work for the status-quo.
As for the pledge of allegiance, I consider is worshipping the flag, so I don’t agree with it. If others don’t see it as that, then they aren’t are not sinning if they do pledge, because idolatry occurs in the heart. However, as soon as God is replaced by “America” in our hearts, it is wrong. I know many people say “God is not an American,” but few really seem take that to heart. Most churches I have been to encourage enlistment in the military more than becoming a missionary. They put veterans on pedestals, and leave missionaries to be viewed as almost pathetic. This is wrong.
November 6th, 2004 at 4:19 pm
patriotism: loving one’s country (dictionary definition)
There is nothing wrong with loving one’s country, but they should not love it more than God. This is idolatry.
I agree with Gabriel because I have experienced the same thing. They made a big hoopla at my church when some troops came home from Iraq, and when some missionaries came and spoke, it was just another service.
Who do you think is doing a more important job?
Did Jesus instruct his followers to enlist in order to protect the Roman government?
May 4th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
God and Country has been so intermigled now that people believe that there is no seperation and that if you do not co-mingle the two in a Church, then you truly are not a Christian, and especially not a patriot.
Well, news for them — we are not to be patriots, we are to be Christians that believe what God said when He told us to not have anything before Him. Being a minister myself, I had to come to grip with quite a few things. One of which is the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag ….
First, the beginning of it is wrong for Christians to say: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America …” In this statement, if we say it, means that we have just put an IDOL before God in our lives and have bound ourselves in chains of darkness spiritually.
Not to mention, when we realize that the country is not God Ordained and under His mighty hand, we especially do not need to be pledging allegiance to the flag. You see, the flag is an IMAGE of this country that we are told to basically worship. The flag itself, if torn, burnt, even touches the ground, then the person that causes it to happen may be charged with DESECRATION of the flag. You cannot desecrate something unless it has been OFFERED to a DIETY or god.
Hmmm … so now a pledge is be said to an item that cannot be desecrated.
Where is does it talk about an image that people will be worshipping, and if they do not, then they will die. Look it up in Revelation … the image of the beast and so forth. Christians have been led astray by the men that have crept in to spy out our liberties in Christ.
God is calling unto repentance because the time is at hand for His Kingdom to Reign on Earth. The End is Here, Are You Ready?
Want More Information> http://www.forgenerations.net
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
if good “Christians” continue to find ways to exclude people, there will soon be no need of church.
As a volunteer choir director/musician I had a choir member to purchase a song “Arlington” and asked if he could sing it as part of worship the Sunday before Memorial Day. I didn’t know the song, but trusted him. It’s actually a beautiful ballad celebrating those who have fought so that others can have the freedom to live in a land of liberty….not perfect…but I’d rather be here than anywhere. The church loved it! And I did too.
The minister blew up at me, the choir director, and the young man singing the song. He feels like most of you do.
But let me ask this question, if honoring former service men, who are Christians, helps to promote positivity and cohesion in a church, why can’t it be embraced? I do not know of anyone who has been in the service and attends the churches I have been in, (from Bapt. to Presb. to Meth.) that put their love of the USA above GOD. They just appreciate the opportunity to live in a land that has the possibility of truly becoming one nation under GOD. Lofty, yes. But built in GOD’s wonderful message of hope.
Too many people in churches today are trying to make church dictatorial, exclusion instead on inclusive.
I don’t get it. Jesus embraced all, and took people where they were.
I say, if singing an occasional patriotic song during the church year bothers you…plan a vacation that Sunday. I know, I plan to NOT be at my church the Sunday before Memorial Day this year….
Signed,
Someone who is proud to be a Christian living in the USA
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Added on to my thought…The reason I will not be at my church, is that my pastor is that dictator…..I do not want him blowing up at me anymore.
Time to change churches? Probably.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I walked out of a service at my church First Christian Church (DIsciples of Christ) this past Sunday when one of the right-wing fanatics in our church introduced recitation of the pledge during the children’s sermon. He had pulled his stunt a couple of years ago. I am now looking for anothe church. I left and attended a service at another church.