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Jul 04
Happy Independence Day, everyone. Which naturally leads me to a question… how does your church handle patriotic holidays?
Do you sing “America The Beautiful” during the worship service?
Do you pledge your allegiance to the flag?
Do you decorate the sanctuary in red, white, and blue?
I posted this on Twitter this morning: As a worship leader, I am always uncomfortable with the conflation of God and country, especially on this day.
I can’t help it. Especially during a service dedicated to the worship of the Divine Creator, I just can’t abide displays of patriotism that elevate our nation (or its leaders or its supposed past) to anywhere near the Throne of God.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m thankful to live in a country where I’m free to worship as I choose, and I’m thankful to those who have gone before to make that possible.
But pledging allegiance to the flag? Singing patriotic songs? I say no thank you.
For the record, there were some patriotic decorations at Crossings Community Church this morning, and the song sung during our offering time drew parallels between the statue of liberty and the cross, but that was about it. My pastor stood up and said, “This is Independence Day, but we must declare our DEpendence on God.” To which I said, “Amen.”
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Jul 06, 2010 @ 06:58:58
Good word from Pastor Bill. I agree with you, Brad… IMMENSELY GRATEFUL TO GOD for those who have gone before, for our freedom and those who have fought for it, but definitely uneasy about patriotism’s place in corporate worship. An acknowledgement is fine with me, but a preoccupation with it leaves me unsettled. Even songs like the one you mentioned drawing parallels between the the Statue of Liberty and the Cross I think COULD cheapen the cross and confuse America’s standing before God on a national level (not sure exactly the song to which you are referring).
Some questions that I think are important to ask on 7/4: “Yes we are thankful for our religious freedom and material blessing, but would we be willing to worship without it? Is it really all about the political freedom? Has our freedom caused our faith to be complacent? Does my celebration of America isolate me in my attitude from the rest of the global church?” There are more, but I’ll leave it at that.
Just some more things to think about… but by all means be grateful for the blessings God has given us through our country.