It’s Memorial Day weekend, the glorious beginning of summer. All over the nation people are firing up their BBQs, gathering with friends and family, enjoying the warmer weather, and remembering those who have fought for the freedoms we have grow to take for granted. It’s good to remember those who have laid down their lives so that we can freely live ours. I’m so grateful for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live freely - that’s not a reality in so many countries around the world, and this weekend I’m reflecting with much gratitude in my heart  

However, there’s something else that happens in churches across the country this weekend. Something, I’d argue, that’s not as good. Something that many of the saints who have gone before may have even considered idolatry. I know that word gets thrown around a lot in some circles, but it could be the correct word in this instance.

Many churches will gather to worship Jesus, but they’ll sing songs about God and country. “God Bless America” and the like will ring out from sanctuaries intending to host worship of the Lamb. Some churches will even tote an American Flag on stage as a reminder that we’re “proud to be an American.” It’s hard to imagine the church in Rome, even after Constantine’s conversion and the acceptance of Christianity as the empire’s official religion, singing “God Bless The Roman Empire” or “Proud to be a Roman.” No, to followers of Jesus living in the middle of Philippi, a Roman colony, Paul wrote “our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil 3:20) As citizens of Heaven, we certainly make our home in the empires of earth, but Jesus gets our allegiance. When we raise the flag of any one nation in a church building, we’re in danger of drifting into nationalism. Jesus taught us to pray, “your kingdom come,” but we’ve shrunk that to “God bless America.”

I get it, we are grateful for our country and the men and women who have given their lives so that we can worship. Yes and amen to that! SO AM I! I have traveled extensively and am so grateful to live in the US and for the freedoms as have. And, there’s a time and place for those songs and a pageantry built around gratitude for our brave fallen men and women. Like I said, that’s a very good thing... I’d just argue that church isn’t the place to sing songs about our country. Maybe a parade, a patriotic concert, or a gathering at the local military cemetery. But church is the place to remember that God is for all people, not for one nation. Church is the place to remember that we are part of a kingdom before we’re part of an empire or state. Church is a place to remember that every tribe and tongue and nation will one day gather around the throne and on that day no one will be touting national pride, we’ll be bowing to the Lamb. Church is a place to remember that God dies for his enemies rather than killing them. Church is a place to pray blessing over our enemies. Church is the place to remember that we’re called by Jesus to pray for those who persecute us. Church is a place to remember the ultimate sacrifice - Jesus laying down his own life. Church is intended to be a different kind of place.  

I’m convinced that nationalism is one of the American church’s greatest and most subtle sins. Nationalism is the worship of the empire and it’s idolatry. Idolatry is simply taking something good and making it ultimate. We see people turning money, sex, security, and power into idols. But we also see people turning their country into an idol. To a large degree, the U.S. is an easy idol. God has been SO good to us. Our country is founded upon Judeo-Christian values and with the intent for people to be able to worship as they please. However, all of those things make the flag a very capable idol.

It’s helpful to see just how dangerous the in of nationalism can be. Nationalism typically results in the inability of the church to be a prophetic voice against the things they feel are wrong or that run contrary to the way of Jesus. Often times it results in the church pledging its loyalty and support to one party over another. Nationalism is what happened to the German Church during the rise of Hitler. Nationalism is one of the reasons we’ve had such a hard time repenting of our sin against the Native Americans or our participation in the atrocities of slavery. When the church gets in bed with the empire, she has little ability to speak out against it. Nationalism has the ability to blind us and cause us to lose our way - it taints our vision because our worship becomes divided between God and country.

Here’s where the rubber hits the road… one the best way to reinforce a nationalistic version of Christianity is to sing ‘God and Country’ songs in church. It’s dangerous. Sure, sing those songs as you hum along to your country music station on the radio, but keep them out of the church. Let the church remain a place where Jesus is worshiped and people from all over the globe feel at home. Let the church be a place where the kingdom is sought above all and where we pledge our allegiance to Jesus alone. Be a good citizen, that’s a biblical calling, but worship Jesus. 

It’s a great challenge to decide what songs to sing during worship - one that pastors and ministers wrestle through on a weekly basis. One of the lenses I use is: if we won’t sing this content in heaven, maybe we should reconsider whether we sing it in worship. I can’t imagine people around the throne of God singing, “God bless America.” I’m guessing that would feel myopic and far too small in the throne of heaven. I’m praying for a day where it feels far too small in our churches.

Read Part 2 here.