Should we have worship services in the church which are focused around celebrating the nation in which we live? This is a timely question given that 4th of July will be here shortly. Should we sing “God Bless America” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in church this Sunday?
I have wrestled with this over the past couple of years. God makes it clear that He does not share His glory with anyone or anything else (Isaiah 48:11.) If we celebrate our country in a worship service… then aren’t we giving glory to an earthly kingdom rather than the living and true God?
Stan Reeves has a fascinating article addressing this issue over at the Reformed Baptist Fellowship site. Here is his conclusion:
“Is it a sin to have a patriotic worship service? I suppose there are ways of handling such a service that would meet the biblical requirements of being God-centered and of focusing on prayer and thanksgiving. At the same time, our hearts so easily turn good things into idols. We can so easily elevate our country above its true significance. And we so easily think small thoughts of God. Putting God and country together in a worship service may very well feed on both these tendencies. So let’s do our barbecue, our fireworks, and our patriotic songs with friends and family to celebrate the history and the place where God has put us. But when we worship on the Lord’s Day, “together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus,” let us worship the one who will be exalted among all nations.”
You can read the whole thing here http://reformedbaptistfellowship.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/three-hymns-for-the-red-white-and-blue-thinking-about-patriotic-worship-services/
Soli Deo Gloria!!!
Your point is well taken. I had mused over the same idea in the past. Since the likelihood of someone choosing to sing a patriotic song increases when song requests are taken during an evening service at my church, I would think the best way to handle it in love would be to preface the singing of the song by having the song leader remind the congregation to sing the patriotic song as to God(i.e. in thanks for His blessings bestowed upon our country–as opposed to singing the praise to a country). Now a connected thought….How do you feel about singing “Faith of our Fathers” on Fathers’ Day?
We often associate the hymn “Faith of our Fathers” with our literal fathers. However, the hymn seems to be speaking of our “fathers” in the faith, meaning those who have gone before us and have held fast to the doctrine once delivered to the saints. I would see this hymn as being not so different than Hebrews 11 where the faith of those who have gone before is recited as a witness to the faithfulness of our God.
With this said, I think it would fine to sing “Faith of our Fathers” on Fathers Day as long as the focus remains on God… not on people.
Hebrews 12:1-2 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (those referred to in Hebrews 11… our fathers in the faith), let us also (like they did) lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance (as our fathers in the faith have) the race that set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God”