About the Author
Aaron Gasca, M.Div.Aaron Gasca, M.Div., is a youth pastor in Houston, Texas.
Watch
Consider especially these particularly illustrative moments of this service’s nation-centeredness: 1) the children’s ministry leading the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem (27:57–30:44); 2) a prayer for the nation synthesized from excerpts taken from several presidents (30:50–33:40); 3) the playing of “Taps” and the explanation of the symbolism of the 13 folds of the United States flag (37:41–43:00); 4) the singing of other standard patriotic songs (33:45–36:10 or 1:25:00–1:31:47); and 5) the pastor’s Christian interpretation of American history (44:11–49:15; 54:27–59:03; and 1:13:23–1:17:02).
Context
This “Celebrate America Service” from July 1, 2024, is an example of the services conducted by Christian Life Church of Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Transcript
Sermon excerpt (1:13:23–1:17:02). The pastor’s closing remarks in the sermon are useful for seeing the fusion of national identity and Christian religiosity as it blends language from the Bible and quotes from presidents and other political leaders to create a narrative and theology of America needing to be a Christian nation:
What made us great is how we were founded. That’s what made America great. We’ve been so blessed because we have Founding Fathers who believed in this principle. Here’s the last principle we find from Psalm 33, we know this, that God will remove his hand of blessing from a nation that forsakes him. He will. The Lord foils the plans, listen to what it says in Psalm 33: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations. He thwarts the purposes of the people.” Psalm 9:17 says this: “The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.” You see, saluting our flag, standing at attention during the anthem, singing “God Bless America,” and voting faithfully are not the most patriotic things we can do for our country. They are patriotic; we should do those things, yes. But we help America the most by living a godly life. That’s how we help this nation we live in. We live a godly life. We live it for our children, we teach our children, as the Lord told Moses, “Write it on your door frame. Talk about it at the table.” You live that life and that’s the best thing we can do for our nation. But the Bible’s pretty clear that any attempt to govern without God is doomed to fail. Psalm 33:16 says this: “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his own strength.” Listen to this, folks. Hear what he is saying here: “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance.” So, horses and chariots represented financial strength and military power in the Bible. So, America with all of its strength, with all of its finances, with all of its military, is left void when they walk away from the things of God. Despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even, even as we put our hope in you. Listen to what James Madison said, our fourth president: “We’ve staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government. Far from it. We have staked the future upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments.” John Jay, I told you he was our first Supreme Court Chief Justice, and listen to what he says: “No human society has ever been able to maintain both order and freedom, both cohesiveness and liberty apart from the moral precepts of the Christian religion. Should our republic ever forget this fundamental precept of governance, this great experiment will surely be doomed.” You know what he is saying? When you forget God, you’re doomed. When you forget the Lord, you’re doomed.
Liturgical Description
Though Christian Life Church is an Assemblies of God congregation (i.e., under the larger umbrella of Pentecostalism), it uses contemporary worship practices that many evangelical denominations follow. This service blends worship, patriotic tributes, and a “message of faith and national history.” There are four goals manifested in the service: 1) to thank God for American national freedom; 2) to honor the military and recognize its sacrifice to preserve that freedom; 3) to interpret American history so that key historical figures are portrayed as having the same evangelical faith as the members of this church; and 4) to encourage personal responsibility to pursue God and godly righteousness.
To achieve these goals this church incorporated several of the rituals commonly found in nation-centered services by Type 1 Covenant Nation Celebrators: 1) using civic rituals involving national symbols, texts, and music; 2) honoring the nation’s military with special recognition given those who had died in service to the nation; 3) reciting stories about the God-directed history of the nation; 4) showcasing children to represent the next generation absorbing the nation’s values and history; and 5) showing pictures of the nation’s scenic beauty and/or human accomplishments. The only common ritual that was missing was historical dramatization of the nation’s past.
Societal Aspirations
This “Celebrate America” service’s sermon is a great window to get a sense into these aspirations and their vision for the nation. One focus is the pastor continuously undermining a strict sense of separation of Church and State. The pastor, both implicitly and explicitly, argues that separation of Church and State should be operated one way—the government cannot determine or interfere with religion (Christianity), but religion (again, Christianity) should impact government—for example, there should be Christian prayers to start the school days. In the congregation’s opinion, when a nation rightly fears the Lord—and this fear of the Lord has priority among both individuals and society as a whole—the prerequisite for God’s blessings has been met and blessings will fall upon everyone.
Appraisal: The Four Theologies of Worship
Read more about the four theologies of worship →
Dynamic Worship Narrative
If a Dynamic Worship theology states that worship is the doing of God’s story, this service implies God’s story is incomplete without the United States of America. Jesus’ death and resurrection only serve as another “bullet point” to why America is great. Moreover, love and peace are replaced by an emphasis on military dominance, “original” rights, and an argument that America was the starting point and haven for Christian worship. The probing question: How does fusing the Kingdom of God and the American nation-state alter this congregation’s understanding and following of Jesus’ commands to love one’s enemies and practice peace?
Eschatological
This service features an excessive focus on America’s immediate need to repent and turn back to the Lord. The service suggests the prosperity of the nation and Church is dependent on Christians changing culture and dismantling the separation of Church and State. This over-realized eschatology has caused worship to be contained to the present age and a view of God’s cosmic work to be missed. The probing question: Does this sermon’s call for immediate, self-controlled change keep the congregation from trusting in God’s sovereignty to bring about God’s will?
Trinitarian
Aside from brief mentions, the sole focus of worship is on Jesus Christ. Ironically, while the pastor notes that American education often omits the “Godly Heritage” that informed the original intent of the nation (50:40–50:52), the service omits a fundamental claim of the Christian faith—the Trinity. All visuals, imagery, and practices in the service emphasize the nation. The probing question: In not speaking about or worshiping the Trinity, do you think this congregation is more influenced by American culture, history, and politics than it is by how the New Testament focuses on the activity of the Triune God?
Christological
In this service, the United States of America is the key community. The pastor notes that none of the 32 countries he has visited are as blessed (1:10:45–1:11:00). Furthermore, he divides the population into “true” Americans—the ones who honor Jesus Christ—and “false” Americans—those who are unrepentant or critical of America (1:08:59–1:13). The probing questions: How does the distinction between “true” and “false” Americans align or conflict with traditional Christian teachings on salvation, grace, and inclusion? If a “true” American is defined by honoring Jesus Christ, how does this perspective view American citizens of other religious faiths or no faith at all?
For Consideration & Discernment
The sermon portrays the certainty that the American founders have the same exact evangelical faith as their congregation. Through an “idealized” recounting of American history, namely, that the Founding Fathers and Puritans chose to “lay down their lives” to create a nation that worships God, the service creates a powerful and unified story to be a part of. This makes worshipers feel that modern concerns and religious-political initiatives are a part of a sacred American tradition. However, to make this story work, the service strips away the complex facts of the Founders’ lives and spuriously attributes quotes to them. When a sermon presents these historical figures as flawless icons of faith, it misses the complexity and true stories of history. That failure raises an important question: when we project our own beliefs backwards on individuals or history, are we actually honoring a tradition or validating ourselves and current agendas?
Reflection & Discussion Questions
The need to repent is mentioned often in this sermon, usually within the framework of receiving God’s blessings and protection—if one repents, God stays, blesses, and brings prosperity; if one does not repent, chaos ensues. How does this self-generated view of repentance warp the gift of grace? Does this view put God as a “means” to blessing, and a culture one desires, rather than being the ultimate blessing?