God and Country - Part 2
On May 30, 2021, I updated and edited a blog I wrote back in 2019 and it bumped the post to the top of my list. It’s been read (fairly) widely and hotly debated by some. I welcome these kind of discussions and think we are all better for them. To that end, I wanted to expand on the issue of singing patriotic songs during worship services and view it through more of a theological lens. The comments are open and I’d be glad to hear your thoughts, even if you disagree.
The issue of how our national identity and baptismal identity intersect and interact has been an issue for Chirstians since the inception of the church. At times this was seen more in ethnic distinctions than national difference, but the same principles and struggles applied. As we seek to follow Jesus in our day and time, we must go back to the scriptures to see how the first church wrestled with this issue and seek to learn from their example. Resting on our tradition is not enough, we must seek to honor our Lord. So what do the scriptures teach about how Christians should operate as people who are citizens of the kingdom of God while also living in the empires of earth. This is not an easy tension to manage, but one we must engage if we are to live faithfully in both - which is our calling as Jesus followers.
Our Christian Identity
The key biblical principle is that our allegiance to Jesus transcends and eclipses any national allegiance we may have. To be clear, it doesn’t eliminate our differences and distinctions, but rather those redeemed glories are part of God’s mysterious design for his church (Ephesians 3). We know that God has ordained nations (Acts 17:26) and it was part of his plan to fill the earth (Genesis 11). Our national and ethnic uniquenesses don’t cease to be a reality, they just stop being the primary identifiers that define our lives.
The early church was quite firm in this truth because they were bringing together people, groups, and ethnicities that had been at odds for generations. In the way that Judaism had come to be practiced in the first century, the greatest distinction and separator that existed was between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were people from Israel, and the gentiles were people from everywhere else. How did the early church respond to these national identities? By stating that allegiance to Jesus was a grander centralizing narrative for life. Listen to Paul’s words in Galatians 3:28,
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ. Now, were there Jews and Greeks in the church? Yes, absolutely. What was Paul’s point then? His point was that their unity in Christ transcended and eclipsed their nationality. Jesus was bigger, he was more important, he was the defining characteristic of their lives and because of that, this ethnically/nationally diverse church became unified under one name, Jesus. You might go so far as to say that if a person holds their national identity at the same level (or above) as they do their Christianity identity, they are unable to be unified with the universal body of Christ. That makes practical sense too. If my identity as an American is held up alongside my identity as a Christian, then it will be hard for me to have unity (which the scriptures call me to) with a Christian brother or sister who lives in Iran (of which there are many today).
There are other places Paul addresses the issue of national and ethnic distinctions - once again between Jews and Gentiles. Listen to his words in Ephesians 2:14-16,
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Paul says that there used to be an “us vs. them” mentality between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were in, the Gentiles were out. God was blessing one group, but not the other. He then makes the drastic statement that through the cross of Jesus, we have been reconciled to God through the cross. We are now “one body.” For the followers of Jesus, our familial ties are no longer defined by bloodline or country border, but rather by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. The crucifixion and resurrection redefine our identity - we are part of the family of God and the body of Christ before we are part of anything else. There are no walls that exist between Jesus followers - the blood of Christ unites us even when border walls separate us. His blood is bigger than any divide. Nations have borders and walls, but the kingdom of God does not; in fact, it breaks those walls down to create “one new humanity.”
Finally, the early church viewed the church as its own race or ethnicity. Listen to the way Peter made this point. He wrote,
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
It sounds strange to our ears, but Peter was making the point that the mercy we have received through Jesus has remade us. It has turned us into “a people” - meaning that we are unique and we don’t fit into any other category neatly and squarely. He goes so far as to call Christians a “nation” and a “race.” It’s clear that the apostles didn’t take this to mean that they were no longer a part of the Roman Empire. We see Paul pointing to his Roman citizenship on a number of occasions (See Acts 16), but we only see him using it as a way to exalt Jesus. He claims to be a Roman citizen, but then he emphatically declares “our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20)
As Jesus followers, we affirm that we are a new creation, a new people. We certainly still recognize the fact that we have a passport that reflects our country of origin. It’s appropriate to be grateful and zealous for the place we call home, but we must keep in mind that as Christians, we are first and foremost part of the body of Christ - united with those across the globe who carry the name of Jesus.
Christian National Engagement
It’s clear that the early church viewed itself as pushing back against the political powers of their day while also honoring the governing authorities that were in place. They stood as a unique place within the empires, declaring that Christ was exalted and king over all - and that claim got them in trouble with the power that be. Listen to the accusations leveled against the church in Acts 17:7,
“... they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
The church seems to have always stood as a prophetic voice against the empires of earth. Certainly, there are some that are better than others; some empires exhibit more of a kingdom ethos than others; but all are imperfect. One of the church’s roles is to emphatically declare “there is another king, Jesus” in their day and their time, regardless of how good or moral their government is. After all, our confession is “thy kingdom come, and thy will be done.” (Matthew 6:10) We are about the kingdom of God before we are about any nation on earth. Some might even go so far as to say that because we are about the kingdom of God, we cannot be distinctly for any empire on earth.
Does that mean the church only offers resistance? No. There are a few things we’re commanded to do. When Jesus was confronted by the pharisees about whether or not they should pay taxes to Caesar, listen to his response. He said,
17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
The Pharisees used this as a way to trap Jesus because politics have always been divisive. In Jesus’ day, there were numerous religious groups present that had different perspectives on how to interact with the State. The Pharisees who wanted to reject the Roman rule. The Zealots who wanted to overthrow the Romans by force. The Essenes were happy to retreat and form an alternative society. And the Saducees who wanted to acquiesce to the Roman demands. To say this was a loaded question lobbed at Jesus, is an understatement. Jesus’ response is winsome and brilliant.
Jesus' response was, “Whose face is on the coin? Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s; give to God what is God’s.” What is Caesar’s? Well, in the immediate context, it’s taxes. However, I think we could also say that we give our government officials our honor and respect (Romans 13). We are called to be good citizens of whatever nation we were born into. Jesus also said, “give to God what is God’s.” What is God’s? Our lives and our worship. Remember, God put his image on us (Gen 1:26). He deserves it all, not just one part of it, but the whole thing. Caesar gets our respect, but Jesus gets our reverence. That’s an important distinction and we should be careful not to reverse the two.
With that in mind, the early church did their best to declare that Jesus was king (Acts 17:7), while also being good citizens. That played out in a number of different ways. The first was to pray for their leaders. Paul made this point in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 writing,
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Pray for all people, he says, then he focuses in and calls the church to pray for kings and those in high positions. Pray for the national leaders - even the national leaders that were persecuting Christians. I’m not sure if they were praying, “God Bless Rome,” but they were praying for their leaders nonetheless. The second thing the church did was strive to be good citizens. This was exhibited in Paul’s call in Romans 13:1,
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
God has instituted government, and we honor God by being good citizens. Finally, Christians were told to seek to live “quiet lives and to mind your own business.” (1 Thes 4:11) Prayerful, obedient, quiet lives are to mark the way Jesus followers live within the empires of earth. There is nowhere in the scriptures where we are commanded to bless our country’s national efforts. That doesn't mean that it’s necessarily wrong to do so, but only that it isn’t a command.
In addition to the guidance of scripture, we have the testimony of Christians throughout history to help us navigate these tumultuous waters as well. Maybe the foremost of these voices is the late Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Here’s what he wrote in The Church and the Jewish Question,
There are thus three possibilities for action that the church can take vis-à-vis the state: first (as we have said), questioning the state as to the legitimate state character of its actions, that is, making the state responsible for what it does. Second is service to the victims of the state's actions. The church has an unconditional obligation toward the victims of any societal order, even if they do not belong to the Christian community. "Let us work for the good of all." These are both ways in which the church, in its freedom, conducts itself in the interest of a free state. In times when the laws are changing, the church may under no circumstances neglect either of these duties. The third possibility is not just to bind up the wounds of the victims beneath the wheel but to seize the wheel itself.
Many know of his pushback against the German government and the reign of Hitler. Part of what allowed the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regiem was the fact that the church became unified with the State. Bonhoeffer’s wisdom was garnered from the church’s mistake in becoming too closely associated with State - wisdom that we would do well to consider.
Our National History
As the United States of America, we have a unique story - we are not Germany, I understand that. We are a republic founded in part on the pursuit of religious freedom. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights contain many values that come directly from scripture. Some of the people who wrote our founding and guiding documents were strong followers of Jesus. Some of the biblical values that stand as towering examples are: freedom of religion and equality of all people. No one would argue that we have lived these values out perfectly, but the US is unique and has flourished in large part due to our government, structure, and values.
However, things start to get muddy when we refer to the US as a “Christian nation.” This is a challenge because in the scriptures, strictly speaking, the term “Christian” is a noun, not an adjective. Technically speaking, a nation can’t be any more “Christian” than a car can be a “Christian car.” C.S. Lewis helps clarify this when he wrote in opposition to using the term outside of the way it's defined in scripture by stating, “We must stick to the original, obvious meaning. The name Christian was first given at Antioch (Acts 11:26) to ‘the disciples’, to those who accepted the teachings of the apostles.” A Christian is someone who not only believes in Jesus, but one who puts his teachings into practice.
Now, a nation can do things that Jesus commanded his followers to do. That might include things like, forgiving their enemies rather than retaliating (Matthew 5:38-39), being generous with their resources rather than hoarding (Matthew 6:2), and they can be humble and willing to serve (Mark 10:42-45). Those are all things that Chirstians do and a nation could do if they wanted to collectively live out the way of Jesus. That would not however make the nation Christian, but would make it a nation doing the things Jesus taught.
One of the challenges for the church in the US has been our response (or at times, lack thereof) when our nation does things that go against the way of Jesus. If our narrative is built around the idea that we are a “Christian nation,” it's hard to identify and call out as a prophetic voice the ways that we are misguided as a people. This was the very thing that Bonhoeffer was cautioning against. We’ve seen this in the way the church at large has failed to condemn our government’s treatment of Native Americans and in the way some in the church even defended slavery. It can especially be a challenge to defend some of our government’s decisions like abortion. The church must be a voice for a better way and when she is enmeshed with the State, it is exceedingly difficult for her to do so.
All that to say, if we are asking God to bless America because we are a “Christian nation,” I think we need to really think about what we mean by that. It might be more biblically accurate to pray that we can live as a nation in the way of Jesus - after all, that’s how to be truly blessed. (see beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 for a list of things God blesses)
Patriotic Songs in Church
In light of our baptismal identity, the commands from scripture about how to live within the empires of earth, and our distinct history as a nation, I do not think it best to sing patriotic songs in worship. When we sing a song like “God Bless America” during a worship service, I have many questions:
Are we subtly or implicitly elevating our national identity over our Chirstian identity?
Are we eroding the work of the cross by affirming dividing lines Jesus has wrought (America and everyone else)?
Are we asking God to bless the things we’ve done that, according to his Word, he disagrees with?
Are we asking him to bless us only or uniquely?
Are we setting up a system where we have an inability to have a prophetic voice?
Is this a song we’ll sing in heaven?
I think these are fair questions and ones that we should ask ourselves in regards to singing patriotic songs during worship.
Maybe some are able to sing God Bless America while still affirming that they are more unified with a Christian in Iran than they are with a non-Christian in the US, but I’d propose that some are not. For some, to sing God Bless America may elevate national identity alongside Christian identity to the point where the lines could be blurred. Some may be the “weaker brother” in this (see Romans 14) and we should do our best to help people avoid the temptation to worship something other than Jesus.
We are a church within a nation, there is no doubt about that. However, we are a church first and foremost when we gather. We are creating a space for worship of the one true God and inviting people of every tribe, tongue, and nation to sing with us. It doesn’t make sense to invite people of other nations to sing of our nation, as great as our nation may be. The gathering of saints for worship should be a place where every person who carries the name of Jesus is on equal footing because of the work of Jesus on the cross. To worship and call for blessing on only one nation, even if it is the host nation, seems to be too small for the kingdom of God. I could be wrong on this; there might be a place for these kinds of songs during worship in church, but I don’t see it at this point.
Gratitude for our Nation
One question that remains is, does this perspective make us ungrateful for our nation and the heroes who have fought and many who have given their lives for our freedom? No, I don’t think it does. I’ve done my best to find out if I’m in the minority in this position. I’ve reached out to two military chaplains - men who have given their vocational lives to serving our country; men who have served on multiple deployments. Both of those men agreed with the perspective that patriotic songs should not be sung during worship services.
I am so grateful to have been born in the USA. I am grateful every single day for the freedoms that we enjoy and I am overwhelmingly thankful for the people who have given their lives so that we can enjoy those freedoms. I’ve traveled abroad a number of times and each time I’m reminded of how good God has been to us in the US. I believe that the Church should think about how to honor and respect those who serve our country, but for the aforementioned reasons, I think we should be careful and thoughtful in the way we do so during the times that we are gathered to worship Jesus. We can respect people, but we only worship Jesus; and if we are not careful, we may unknowingly drift into worship of the wrong things.
At EFCC (the church I pastor), we have an active Veteran’s Ministry. I am 100% supportive of this ministry and see it as a vital, life-giving way to support and minister to those men and women who have given much to our country. I’ll do whatever I can to support that ministry, while also pointing us to worship Jesus and affirming the unity of the body of Christ worldwide.