A Note Before Your Star-Spangled Sunday

Sitting on the back deck with my Dad last night, we tuned into the Presbyterian Church of America General Assembly. After my parents and younger brothers' recent denomination flip, our intense watching of the live stream, complete with church elders voting on overtures for the Book of Church Order, old men exchanging theological inside jokes, and heated debate over lines that 99 percent of America would not bother to care about, their votes directly impact my family and their church.

So why am I bringing this up?

While it might be sad to some and grateful to others, this blog has nothing to do with the PCA General Assembly. However, it was amid our father-son convo when I proceeded to talk about my slight frustration with American church services on Independence Day since this upcoming Sunday is July 4th.

"Wait... Have you not seen the video from First Baptist Dallas?" my Dad asks.

I respond scared, "No. Why would I?"

Despite my original hesitancy of disclosing the church's name, I considered it necessary to both include the name of First Baptist Dallas led by Fox News and OANN standout Dr. Robert Jeffress and attach that exact video. I hope you could catch of glimpse of what I watched along with the PCA General Assembly last night if you haven't already:

Now, I want to make it abundantly clear that I am proud to be an American. I was born as an American, and I hope to die as one. I am honored and thankful for the freedoms sacrificed by hundreds of thousands of brave men and women. It's a great thing to wake up day after day to have both freedom and stability aided by this country's leaders. Still, services like this one are a blatant idolization of America, its flag, and the idea of freedom, whether personal or religious. It is most assuredly a distortion of the gospel preached in that church, across the country, and around the globe.

The Problem of "For God and Country"

If you have grown up in the South, the phrase mentioned above, "For God and Country," has been draped on the walls of your Hobby Lobby's, Lifeway bookstores (may they rest in peace), and Walmart's from floor to ceiling this time of year. Admiration for both the God we praise and the country where we live seems to be tethered together. The mornings before we shoot off fireworks are spent raising American Flags in our right hand and Bibles in our left hand. 

As the quasi-patriotic, quasi-religious pictures begin to form in your mind, alarm bells should be going off as well. For a couple Sunday's a year, the hearts of millions of American churchgoers begin to rise to the tunes of patriotic hymns like "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." The problem of a "Freedom Sunday" or a "Star-Spangled Service" is not the size of the American flag stretched across the stage, but it is instead the size of the hole in our hearts filled by American Patriotism.

Churches like First Baptist Dallas are exposing their idolatry for all the world to see. Bringing in political leaders to uplift America's "Christian Foundation" pens a centuries-old narrative filled with red, white, and blue fibs. As great as it is, America is a country founded on religious freedom, not Christian ethics. The term "Judeo-Christian values" is constantly mentioned as a conservative talking point, but if an outsider looked at the American people, they would be severely disappointed. This nation was birthed by the ideals of individual prosperity from political philosophers like John Locke, not the Apostle Paul. The Constitution is not the Bible, nor will it ever be. The Declaration of Independence does not stack up the Gospel of John. The phrase "For God and Country" is latent with flaws, and it disrespects the perfect God who rules over the whole world.

Can't Depend on Independence

As the American Church, we also need to understand the reason for this day. On July 4th, 1776, a group of men from British colonies signed their names on a declaration of independence from a nation across the Atlantic Ocean. They considered it a must to disband from the British crown and King George III and embark on the American Experiment on their own. 

In the document, God is mentioned as the "Creator," "Giver of the Laws of Nature," and the one who endows all men with the right of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." But if you actually read the document for yourself, which I suggest everyone should, God is not the focus of the declaration, nor is he the focus of the experiment. Why? Because many of the men were deists who recognized the existence of God but in a distant, "nice to see ya from afar" kind of way.

The goal of the declaration is presented to us in the title, independence. It's freedom from the tyrant across the pond. It's "no taxation without representation." It's the Revolutionary War. In those things, it is near-impossible, at least in my mind, to find a "God-ordained" plan or a "Christian foundation." 

Freedom from the Cross Alone

America is a great place, but it is far from perfect. As we have seen over the 245 years, there have been many problems leading to the country that stands today. Jesus hung on the cross and rose from the grave to defeat sin and death for the American, the Canadian, the Swede, the Arabian, the Chinese, and all people who come to know him as Savior and Lord. While God has shown his providence toward this nation from time to time, he does not favor one country over another. 

So, this Sunday night, it is all fine and dandy to shoot the fireworks, eat the Bomb Pops, and blare "God Bless America" from your Bluetooth speakers, if you so desire. In the morning service, however, God's people, from all over the world, should come to worship our King and proclaim the glories of his name like every other Lord's Day. As you approach the church steps, cast the flag-filled board shorts and patriotic dresses aside and rejoice for the cross at Calvary and the defeated grave, to which Christ died and rose again for you. 

One day, America will pass away, and it will not be because our God stopped donning the stars and stripes. Day after day, July 4th after July 4th, he will continue to reign over the universe and look to make his loving presence known to sinners like you and me. We should be thankful above all else for the God who shows his grace to us this Independence Day.