Patriotic thoughts: pastoral or too harsh in dealing with church conflict?
So some of you may know that lately I have dealt with some conflict in the church. This conflict climaxed around memorial day as some of the older folks wanted me to make our only worship service more patriotic. I refused and have had hell to pay ever since... some have even left the church. In my attempt to clear this up I have meet with some key leaders.
I have formed a letter in regards to the conflict and to explain my thoughts. Since this issue is not an easy one to grasp (for the average lay person who has been given God-and-country theology for many, many, many years by previous pastors) this letter is very long. So I have only given the opening paragraphs, which my some have said are too harsh.
Yes, they are direct, but... what do you think?
That is what I want to know. So here they are (and there is some borrowed language from a friend in ministry who recently dealt with the same issue).
***
Brothers and Sister in Christ,
In late May and early July, Christians across the nation gathered in their sanctuaries and engaged in acts of collective idolatry. That most Christians neither intended to be idolaters, nor were even vaguely aware they were doing so is not the issue; quite apart from what they intended or understood, many Christians gathered together in acts of worship directed toward a false god. Our blissful ignorance, far from being an excuse, is simply a sign that we have lost the capacity rightly to name the deity upon whom we are ultimately dependant.
I refer, of course, to the fact that Christians around both the Memorial Day and July 4th civil holidays recited the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the American flag and sang songs in honor of America. In some churches on Sabbath days around these dates, Christians stood for the flag and presented gestures and words of allegiance to the symbols of and directly to the American nation-state.
My writing this will almost certainly elicit strong reaction. In fact, some members of the congregation have already been made aware of my thoughts and feelings regarding these matters and some are so upset about this that they have decided to leave our congregation. I have a feeling that I have been misunderstood. If the members of this church, like yourself, are to be angry, let them be angry for the right reasons. My objections to what happens on these Sundays have little to do with my objections to war, or with loving America, or with supporting the American government in a time of national crisis. They have everything to do with the proper worship of the Triune God, the One in Whose name we ostensibly gather on Sunday mornings.
Like all Christians in America, I live daily with the tensions—and with the confusion—created by living as a member of a state that demands my allegiance. My daughter attends a local church's preschool and during their chapel time, unfortunately, they are instructed to say the “Pledge of Allegiance.” My wife and I have explained to her that her duty to “God and country” includes first of all reminding her country that it is not her god. For us, that means not pledging our allegiance to anything other than Jesus Christ, including America or to any of its symbols. Other faithful Christians may think this is a bit much. They may question the analogy between worship and pledge, arguing that the two activities belong in two different realms. They may claim that it is quite possible to worship God and pledge allegiance to America. I respectfully disagree. Words and gestures do matter, and the words we speak and the gestures we perform in Church matter most of all.
While there are many Biblical examples I could offer, allow me to point to two examples from our Christian heritage. In the Book of Daniel, I might remind you of a very subversive and political story you learned in Sunday School...
***
I will post more tomorrow. I back off later in the letter, which is five pages, single-spaced.
What are your initial thoughts? Is this too harsh? Are you the average lay-person who has never thought about this... What did you think? What would you think if you got a letter that opened like this from your pastor?
I have formed a letter in regards to the conflict and to explain my thoughts. Since this issue is not an easy one to grasp (for the average lay person who has been given God-and-country theology for many, many, many years by previous pastors) this letter is very long. So I have only given the opening paragraphs, which my some have said are too harsh.
Yes, they are direct, but... what do you think?
That is what I want to know. So here they are (and there is some borrowed language from a friend in ministry who recently dealt with the same issue).
***
Brothers and Sister in Christ,
In late May and early July, Christians across the nation gathered in their sanctuaries and engaged in acts of collective idolatry. That most Christians neither intended to be idolaters, nor were even vaguely aware they were doing so is not the issue; quite apart from what they intended or understood, many Christians gathered together in acts of worship directed toward a false god. Our blissful ignorance, far from being an excuse, is simply a sign that we have lost the capacity rightly to name the deity upon whom we are ultimately dependant.
I refer, of course, to the fact that Christians around both the Memorial Day and July 4th civil holidays recited the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the American flag and sang songs in honor of America. In some churches on Sabbath days around these dates, Christians stood for the flag and presented gestures and words of allegiance to the symbols of and directly to the American nation-state.
My writing this will almost certainly elicit strong reaction. In fact, some members of the congregation have already been made aware of my thoughts and feelings regarding these matters and some are so upset about this that they have decided to leave our congregation. I have a feeling that I have been misunderstood. If the members of this church, like yourself, are to be angry, let them be angry for the right reasons. My objections to what happens on these Sundays have little to do with my objections to war, or with loving America, or with supporting the American government in a time of national crisis. They have everything to do with the proper worship of the Triune God, the One in Whose name we ostensibly gather on Sunday mornings.
Like all Christians in America, I live daily with the tensions—and with the confusion—created by living as a member of a state that demands my allegiance. My daughter attends a local church's preschool and during their chapel time, unfortunately, they are instructed to say the “Pledge of Allegiance.” My wife and I have explained to her that her duty to “God and country” includes first of all reminding her country that it is not her god. For us, that means not pledging our allegiance to anything other than Jesus Christ, including America or to any of its symbols. Other faithful Christians may think this is a bit much. They may question the analogy between worship and pledge, arguing that the two activities belong in two different realms. They may claim that it is quite possible to worship God and pledge allegiance to America. I respectfully disagree. Words and gestures do matter, and the words we speak and the gestures we perform in Church matter most of all.
While there are many Biblical examples I could offer, allow me to point to two examples from our Christian heritage. In the Book of Daniel, I might remind you of a very subversive and political story you learned in Sunday School...
***
I will post more tomorrow. I back off later in the letter, which is five pages, single-spaced.
What are your initial thoughts? Is this too harsh? Are you the average lay-person who has never thought about this... What did you think? What would you think if you got a letter that opened like this from your pastor?
posted by Rev. C. S. Roberts at 11:39 AM
7 Comments:
Being a UMC local pastor, it was not but a couple of years ago that I was a lay person, so hopefully I can come at it from both sides of the fence. This year on both Sundays before these holidays I did not do a patriotic message either. I did recognize what was going on...like everyone did not know anyway, but I made sure we put God above all. Both Sundays, I was dealing with topics that were needing to be dealt with for my congregation's growth. Not knowing your congregation, but, we all have those "sacred cows" that yes indeed are forms of idol worship. We all have them, it's just a matter of what they are. It makes me sad when people leave the church over things of this nature, but again, it happens. Were you too harsh? Being this far on the outside as I am, I can't 100% say. But in my opinion, how you effectively communicate your point will show the healing that needs to take place. My prayers are with you and your leadership. We are pastors because we love the flock. Blessings in your ministry. I will keep reading as more posts are available.
Bryan Smith
Chapel Hill UMC
Rome, GA
An increasing number of Churches in Canada ( mainline and evangelical ) are going in for the
patriotic service on our July1st equivilent of July 4th. Those of us who have questioned the rightness of using Church services for such purposes have been shoved aside.
As Berean said (or at least implied), people have a tendency to automatically reject anything that might change their comfortable little world (I'm not being critical; by people, I mean ALL of us). We all need a jolt at least every now and then. No, by no means were you too harsh.
It's so odd that the Church seems to be filled with people who either worship the flag or piss on it.
Or at least their voices are the loudest.
I have been mostly a lay person, but have served as a local pastor.
I really like to sing This Is My Song 437 in the UMC hymnal. It recognizes our patriotism while alo recognizing that of other nations and our prayer to "God of all the nations".
I do not think that we should have big whoopdy do all patriotic rah rah services for any secular event.
Very pastoral, Chris. An excellent letter. Those who will choose to stay away will soon enough (hopefully) come to understand the distinction. At first I thought the opening reference to "idolatry" was a little extreme but then, are you not a spiritual guide, a shepherd who can recognize a wolf?
I'm not sure I would have used those words, but I have not had the misfortune of having to endure such. I still think it probably comes close to being the most pastoral thing you've ever done. Godspeed, brother.
Here are some links that I believe will be interested
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