Faith and Nationalism - Twin Evils for the Left

Michael Medved in USA Today:

According to a much-discussed posting on a liberal website, an angry worshipper stormed out of a crowded church to protest the singing of God Bless the USA, highlighting the raging debate over the common American practice of mixing faith and nationalism.

An anonymous activist, who identified herself as Radical Faith, used the Daily Kos to report on the unconfirmed incident and to express her sense of betrayal and fury when a soloist belted out the familiar lyrics — " 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land/God bless the USA!" — and the entire congregation rose to its feet.

"At that moment," wrote the activist, "I felt as though I'd been punched in the gut. And it was a double whammy — not only was I offended politically, I was deeply offended spiritually. ... Christians should not cater to one national identity. Deification of the red, white and blue is thoroughly out of place. I remember reading about (the martyred anti-Nazi clergyman) Dietrich Bonhoeffer and how he removed the swastika-adorned banners the National Socialist Party had placed in the sanctuary. He felt displays of nationalism were an affront to God."

While Radical Faith suggests a religious obligation to avoid the entanglement of faith and national pride, other advocates of strict separation of church and state (such as Kevin Phillips in the recent bestseller American Theocracy or religious history professor Randall Balmer, author of Thy Kingdom Come) claim a patriotic duty to block the blending of religion and politics, theology and nationalism.

These separationists, however, face a painful practical problem when it comes to expressing their purported patriotism: What songs can they sing on national holidays or at public celebrations? All the traditional hymns of praise to the United States inconveniently and conspicuously mention God and his special blessings for America.

Michael goes on to show how faith and nationalism are indivisible in America. Read it all here.