There are many Christians today who believe that any patriotic celebration of the United States of America during a church service or gathering is (at best) inappropriate or (at worst) blasphemy. This includes American flags on stage, patriotic music during the service, or a pastor extolling the virtues of patriotism in the message.
I couldn’t disagree with this more.
The first part of this controversy is about the song and the singer who made it famous. Many believe that “God Bless America” is morally compromised due to the racist past of its most popular singer and the fact that patriotism itself is often associated with racism. As Jameelah Nashid contended in a 2020 piece for Teen Vogue, “In reality, racism and patriotism go hand-in-hand. American music, specifically, can testify to the racist ideas that have been a pervasive part of our country’s history.”
I shouldn’t have to say this, but I condemn racism and white supremacy in the strongest possible terms. Racism is evil. It’s a sin rooted in pride — the sin that says “I’m better than you” — and pride is the sin that started all the other sins!
Racism is reprehensible. And, yet, you can find some form of racism in the past and present of just about every country in the world today. The United States is hardly alone when it comes to racism. What’s more, it’s grossly unfair to automatically and necessarily infer racist intent every time someone speaks lovingly of their country or asks God to bless it.
When I ask God to bless my wife or my adult children–or, for that matter, me!– I’m not asking God to endorse or affirm sin. On the contrary, I’m asking God to lead and guide my family and me in a path that will bring about blessings in our lives. It’s the same spirit found in John’s greeting to his friend Gaius: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (3 John 2).
If a church can’t ask God to guide and bless the country in which they (the congregation) live and serve, then…my goodness!…how is that healthy or God-honoring!??
Are we really at the point where, because Kate Smith sang some racist songs (which is terrible, I grant) and because there’s been sin in our nation’s past and in our present…that, because of all that…we can’t pray 3 John 2 for the country in which we live???
Is that where we are?
If so, we are so confused and warped in our thinking that (in my flesh) I fear there might not be any coming back from that. 🙁
The other objection (somewhat related to the first) is that churches shouldn’t recognize or affirm anything secular next to the sacred. That churches — during their Sunday worship gatherings — shouldn’t (in any way) honor the country or any other human entity. That the focus should be completely on God. And God alone.
What frustrates me about this objection is that it sounds so good. How can anyone be against that?
And, if that’s your view, okay, let me say this…
If a church were to take the stance that we aren’t going to recognize any holidays during our Sunday worship gatherings, I can respect that if they are consistent. I don’t agree with it, but I can respect it — if, that is, they are consistent. That means nothing patriotic on the Sunday before Memorial Day. It also means no recognition of moms on Mother’s Day! That is being consistent.
“Wait! The Bible says we should honor our parents.”
Yes, it does. The Bible also says…
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
I Peter 2:13-17, KJV
There is no way you can read that passage from Peter’s first epistle and conclude anything other than the following: God wants me to be a good, law-abiding citizen who honors the people in my life, including those in civic authority.
A church that incorporates a little patriotic recognition into its services (when the occasion calls for it — such as the Sunday before Memorial Day, the 4th of July, or Veterans Day) is acting in a manner consistent with Peter’s exhortation.
Just as a church that incorporates recognition of married couples near Valentine’s Day, moms on Mother’s Day, and dads on Father’s Day is acting in a manner consistent with biblical teachings on the family.
Obviously, it’s possible to go overboard. It’s very possible to go to an extreme, and many churches have done so. In the case of patriotic recognition, if the celebration of your nation overwhelms worship of God Almighty, you’ve crossed into idolatry.
The way that we handle this at Olney Baptist Church is as follows…
- On the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, we pray for our married couples. And we recognize the couples who have been married the longest. Then, we move on with our worship service.
- On Mother’s Day, we ask our moms to stand, we pray for them, and then we move on with our worship service. Before or after the service, we also have flowers available for them. This year, we had a photo booth in the foyer as well.
- On Father’s Day, we ask our dads to stand, we pray for them, then we move on with the service.
- On those Sundays near (or on) civic holidays, we have one patriotic song at the beginning of the service along with a prayer for our country (and, if Veterans Day, for our veterans — if Memorial Day, for those families who have lost loved ones in uniform). Then, we move on with the service.
We don’t mix any of that in with worship itself. These things are usually done as part of our announcements. Once we enter into intentional corporate worship, all of the music explicitly glorifies God. We don’t mix patriotic songs in with worship songs.
Therefore, were we to sing “God Bless America” in our church service (and we have), we would do it at the beginning of a Sunday near or on a national civic holiday (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day), and we would then pray for our country. And then, that’s it. We move forward with corporate worship.
I realize that some will likely say…
“Yeah, but the fact that you even have a patriotic song at the beginning of the service means you’re mixing it in with worship because the whole service should be about worship.”
If you’re going to be consistent with that, then anything that’s done in a church service should be explicitly geared toward active, intentional worship of God. There should be no announcements then too, right? Not even at the very beginning or the very end? How far do you want to take this?
What’s more, aren’t we supposed to worship God at all times? Why just on Sunday mornings? After all, your body is the temple of the Lord if you’re a believer — not the church building! So…
Do you go to work? Do you play with your kids? Do you go on dates with your spouse? Do you sometimes watch TV? Do you sometimes do things that aren’t explicitly “worshipful”?
“That’s different! The Bible says I should work and spend time with my family, and…”
Yes, it does. And it also says you should be a good citizen in the country in which you live. If you need to, read (or re-read) Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7, I Peter 2:13-17, and I Timothy 2:1-4.
We’re not talking about dedicating the entire service to a patriotic celebration! At least I’m not. We’re talking about setting aside a little bit of time at the beginning of the service to remind all of us of our biblical responsibilities of citizenship (or, in the case of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day — our biblical responsibilities to our earthly families).
I should also point out that our church isn’t political. We are not a church for Donald Trump or Joe Biden. We are a church for Jesus Christ. We don’t strive to be Republican or Democrat. We strive to be biblical.
But this doesn’t mean we ignore the realities of our context. We love, worship, and fear God. And, because of that, we also honor our parents and the country in which we live and serve.
Your church may do things differently. That is between your church and God.
As for me, I will continue to “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”
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