Because words matter

Words matter. What we say, what we recite, what we repeat. All of it matters. And the meaning behind the words we say matter just the same.

For this reason a Christian must never deny Jesus, especially to save their own life. Many have said they would lie in the face of a life or death situation. They would lie about denying Christ and even saying they convert, for example, to Islam, and when free go back to being a Christian. One person once told me if Jesus was in the room when he lied about denying the Master, Jesus would give him a wink and smile. All of which, of course, flies in the face of our Lord’s own words:

But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven. (Mt. x.33)

That is why I think it is so important that Christians seriously consider the traditions and songs that are so closely tied to a nation.

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

What I cannot submit to is pledging my allegiance to the flag of any country, or to an earthly government of any nation. My citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and not any temporary, quarantined plot of geography. My allegiance is to the Lord of all, Jesus, and to no one (or thing) else. And sadly these words are recited in churches, same as hymn or Scripture, every time a special day in the American calendar comes along. Remember the key words: “I pledge allegiance.” Do you know what it means to make a pledge? Are you aware of the significance of giving allegiance to something or someone? How can someone pledge their allegiance to the US flag and government and at the same time pledge their allegiance to Jesus, Lord of all, and the Kingdom of God?

Do you recall these words?

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

That is the virtually never recited first portion to the very popular “God Bless America.” Given the context of the words usually sung, I think there is significant meaning that needs to be considered. This “prayer” is in the context of war, and implores us to “swear allegiance” to the USA. The language “a land that’s free” and “be grateful for a land so fair,” lofts the US over other nations, a practice no Christian should ever take part in.

And here is one more of serious note, especially in light of recent news from Goshen College. I side with the scores of Anabaptism-embracing disciples of Jesus that reject the compromising steps Goshen is taking with respect to the historic separation from empire. What makes Anabaptists distinct in a society where revenge is the norm, and calling on the tribal deity is orthodox, right, and just, is not the beards we tend to see. The radical stance against the ways of earthly kingdoms is what sets us apart, whether for good or bad. Everyone is familiar with the national anthem of the US, “Star Spangled Banner.” We all know the words recited at baseball games:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

But what about the other verses? There’s more. You should have a keen look at verse 3, but here’s the most notable cache of words found in the fourth verse:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

“Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land/Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.” That is a statement that God Almighty rescued the land over and against the evil enemies. That God took sides in the battle between nations, between peoples. Is that what God did? Is that what he does?

Then we have these words: “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,/And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’” Again, claiming God for the nation’s own, in order to conquer when they deem the cause just.

All of this stems from a particular perception of God and history that some choose to hold on to. And this is what people sing about when they recite the national anthem, knowingly or not (though I suspect the latter is the most likely). I find it bound in a mentality focused on kingdoms of this world, and not on the Kingdom of God.

Words matter. What we say is very important. What we sing and recite has significance and meaning. The reason I choose not to recite the above three statements/songs is because words matter. I choose to bind myself to Christ and not be compromised (as I feel it would be) by this world.