Thursday, 02 July 2009
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Do You Sing Patriotic Songs in Church?
The Fourth of July weekend is about to begin. This holiday weekend often raises questions in the mind of music ministers -- should we acknowledge this national holiday in our service? How should we go about it? Should we sing patriotic songs?
What's the balance between recognizing a holiday commemorating our nation's independence, yet at the same time, staying focused on singing praise to Christ?
Do you sing patriotic songs in church -- especially on the Fourth of July weekend? If you're a music minister, how do you achieve the balance between singing patriotic tunes and worship songs? Do you think it's okay to integrate patriotic songs into a worship service?
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About the Author
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- From: Winds_of_Change
- Name: Winds_of_Change
- About Me: Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm an English major in the Journalism Certificate program at the University at Buffalo. I love to write, and through this Revelife blog, hope to integrate that passion with my other love, my Catholic Christian faith. I'm a big fan of Christian music...Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Stephen Curtis Chapman..you name it. I sing at my churches both at home and school and am a firm believer in "He who sings prays twice." Most importantly, throughout the last few years, I've deepened in my faith and come to know that God will always be there to guide my steps. I often live by this passage and trust its message: "'For I know the plans I have for you,'" declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."' - Jeremiah 29:11
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Comments (81)
that wud certaynly be a conflikt azzit wud insinuayte that our nayshun/stayte hazza bettur relayshunship with gawd than say eny uthur nayshun/stayte such behavior iz contrarie to the skripchurz unless of korse you believe that the unitid staytez haz sumhow taykin the playse of israel which wud be a figurativ rathur than litural interpretayshun of the bybul mmmmm paytriotizm izzan ugly thayng filld with lust for power & gayn & evin the saykrid txts show us the end rezult of patriotizm iz ruin
Only "O Canada" on July 1st for Canada Day. I think it is ok to sing patriotic songs in Church. Your country is something you should be proud of :)
I do not. I pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of Jesus. And that's it. I cannot serve two masters!
@pansybradshaw@xanga - It took me forever to read your comment. You raise some interesting points, but your choice of spelling will prevent most anyone from reading it, which is unfortunate.
my country and my God are two separate things. church is for singing songs to God, not to my country.
Without your country you probably would not have your god. God gave you this land, SO THANK HIM AND EVERYONE WHO DIED FOR IT.
That doesn't mean you have to spend four hours singing for the land you live on, just throw a couple songs in here and there. I'm sure god won't mind you appreciating the home he gave you.
Remember: if you didn't live in America, you might not have the freedom to be Christian. Remember that thing? The Constitution? And how lots of people died to add the line "Freedom of Religion?"
You fuckin' better remember it.
We only sing them on the Sunday closest to the 4th. And then we only sing a couple of them.
I've reproduced the words to America, the Beautiful below and I am seriously considering singing it in church this coming Sunday. I think in all of our eagerness to defend the separation between church and state we forget that it is also a Christian's duty to practice good citizenship, by which I mean supporting and hoping that our government operates by laws that are just, fair, and merciful. Recall that the Revelation account of unity says, "From every nation, tribe, and tongue", not from the same of each. There is beauty where different national identities come together and pledge allegiance to Christ as King, but much of that beauty comes from the unification of diversity, not the elimination of it. (In anticipation of some comments: while Paul does say, "In Christ, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, etc. etc", that doesn't mean we are no longer those things at all; rather that they do not define our identity in Christ but that Christ defines our identity in them. As an example, look at Paul's exhortations to widows, slaves, masters, etc. where he explains how Christ's principles ought to transform our occupation of those positions/identities.)
America, the Beautiful
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
I wouldn't have a problem with, say, "God Bless America" (which is a prayer after all, if a rather nonspecific one), or maybe even "America the Beautiful" ("...God shed His grace on thee."). But I'd keep it very muted and understated. Save the bombast for the community orchestra concert in the park where it belongs, fireworks at 10.
read "the war prayer" by mark twain
Some patriotic songs, in proper perspective, are not altogether inappropriate imo. But you cannot control people's perspectives.
@WasaiWarrior@xanga - i wundur how the nativez feel about this "hymn" i wundur wwj say about how europeanz raped & pillajd "amerika"
@WasaiWarrior@xanga - At the Catholic Churches I have attended "America, the Beautiful" is part of the standard repetoire.
America is the only nation in history that declared, in writing, that it is self-evident that certain unalienable rights are given to us by the Creator: the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And for that, America is unique, and uniquely blessed by God. America IS exceptional. America is the greatest nation in human history.
@pansybradshaw@xanga - The song doesn't state, "For raping and pillaging the countryside / we give thee thanks oh Lord / for Native American genocide / and all the guts and gore". The most "controversial" part would be "O beautiful for pilgrim feet / Whose stern impassioned stress / A thoroughfare of freedom beat / Across the wilderness", which still doesn't praise the pilgrims for their acts of violence but for their dedication to freedom. Whether or not people are true to such values is another story, but again, the stress is on what it is we see America as beautiful for and what it is we pray to see it become. Not for corruption and nepotistic rulers but for the pursuit of justice and liberty; not for self-indulgence and individualistic pride but for self-sacrifice in the defense of the weak. I will be the first to admit that America is flawed as a nation, but that should only strengthen our resolve to seek a just and peaceful society, and I think this song (and others) reflect that in a Godward fashion.
If we sang patriotic songs, I would walk out. I do not pledge any sort of allegiance to America.
@HeartOfPandora@xanga - If you haven't noticed, people are Christians all over the world, regardless of the legality of the belief system.
@WasaiWarrior@xanga - Where exactly does the New Testament say that we are to practice "good citizenship"?
@LoBornlite@xanga - So, because the founders mentioned God, we're automatically uniquely blessed by him?
@sierrraa@xanga - So, because the founders mentioned God, we're automatically uniquely blessed by him?
The Founders didn't just mention God, they wrote him into the Declaration of Independence. Our basic rights come from the Creator, not the King and not the state. That is profound.
@sierrraa@xanga - 1 Timothy 2:
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. And
for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling
the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the
Gentiles."
This is the basis of my argument for good citizenship; we do not necessarily ask for a theocratic or Christian government, but one that upholds justice and peace that permits believers to express and live their lives in godliness and holiness. While this does not express a necessary affection for a government or country, the text seems to lend a measure of respect for governments that do. Note that Paul, though imprisoned by the authority Roman legal system, did not call for its destruction but actually sought his own acquittal through its judicial system: he used his Roman citizenship with respect and according to its laws (so far as they did not prevent him fro speaking the Gospel). I consider that a decent model of citizenship and don't ask more than that.
@LoBornlite@xanga - @sierrraa@xanga - Yeah, the unique blessing thing seems pretty made up. I think God is a lot more concerned with how we live than a document that was made 300 years ago.
I do not like singing patriotic songs at all, and our church is near a military base and has a number of military families. We put up a ton of flags, including the flags to different branches of the military. I privately complain about it, but given my position and the history, it's not the time for me to do much about it.
We sing entirely too many patriotic songs, with an American
flag as the background for the words. I often intentionally make
myself absent for those songs. I'm thankful for many things about our country, although I deeply regret some of the things we've done in order to secure it (for starters, how we treated the natives.)
It's not always the words/songs that bother me, it's that many people hear the battle imagery and immediately think of our nation's military fighting for God. And I think that often that's the intention with the words, to use biblical descriptions of battle as an analogy for what our country is doing. I think that's VERY dangerous.
@Theophilus166@xanga - Yeah, the unique blessing thing seems pretty made up.
God's unique blessing on America is obvious to anyone with eyes to see. In less then 200 years America has surpassed all European, Asian and African civilizations in providing the God-endowed rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We have an immigration problem because countless, teaming millions of people with eyes to see know what is best: life in America.
@LoBornlite@xanga - If you think people want to come to America because our freedom of speech, our right to bear arms, and our right to vote, you're mistaken. It's all about money. We have an immigration problem because we're filthy rich compared to the rest of the world. Immigrants come here for a chance to make money.
It doesn't suffice to say God's unique blessing on America is obvious to anyone with eyes to see. How are we measuring this blessing? Finances? Material wealth? That's definitely a poor measure of blessing, especially for the church. I'm not sure where in the bible God promises us "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He promises us eternal life if we follow him, but that's not what the founders of our country were talking about. Jesus warned his followers that they would die if they followed Him. As far as the pursuit of happiness, that's definitely not scripture. Pursuing Christ is not a pursuit of happiness. God is much more concerned with molding us into the character of Christ than our own happiness. The things we pursue to make us happy are often the things we need to give up the most.
I am 75 and really never know who to answer these questions.
The incredible Jesus Christ we serve seems to deserve exclusive praise during a gathering of Believers.
However, Paul writes, (I think in Rom. 13) that we are to respect our government. He wrote that when Christians were hanging on crosses.(One pastor mentioned that once in a sermon).
The USA has been wonderful to me, but its record has not been godly many times--like recently greed seems to be bringing us down.
I suppose a song like God Bless America is fitting.
I just am uncomfortable lifting something else up in addition to our magnificent Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
@WasaiWarrior@xanga - Good citizenship and lifting up prayers for kings, etc. are not the same. Good citizenship is not fulfilled by singing songs to praise the U.S. in an assembly of the church. Good citizenship is the language of the state, not the church. Lifting up prayers and trying to live at peace with everyone is the language of the church.
I would encourage prayers be lifted up for the government leaders, but I wouldn't sing to the greatness the U.S. or to an allegiance to the U.S. since only God is good and only God should have our allegiance. Singing patriotic songs has proved really confusing for many Christians. It is out of allegiance to God that we pray for others and live at peace, not allegiance to the founding fathers' dream.
@Theophilus166@xanga - If you think people want to come to America because our freedom of speech, our right to bear arms, and our right to vote, you're mistaken.
You are mistaken because that is exactly what I did not say. I said that America is exceptional because we are the only country ever, on the earth, to acknowledge in our founding documents, that our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are endowed by the Creator.
As a result God has blessed this country. People, all God's children, come to America because they are attracted to God's blessing.
To reduce everything to money is condescending leftist, Marxist-communist crap. You most likely absorbed that poison during your public school and university education.
What is absolutely stunning is that far too many Christians and almost all of our intelligencia has forgetten what America is.
@Theophilus166@xanga - Pursuing Christ is not a pursuit of happiness.
Yes it is! It's called the final Beatitude. Pursuing happiness is what life is all about. God wants us to be happy because happiness is one of his many gifts to mankind.
To deny happiness is to deny the fundamental nature of God and man.