Civil religion in the CRC?

by Chad Vandervalk, Contributing Editor

While touring de Kolonie, the original Dutch colony in West Michigan, with the Christian Reformed Church History class, I was surprised by one of the displays I saw. There was an area that commemorated the veterans of various wars who were members of Graafschap CRC in Holland, Mich., where the museum is located, including some of the veterans who had carried President Lincoln's casket after he was assassinated. This display struck me as somewhat odd in a museum on the history of the CRC. As a Canadian, I began to wonder about the effect American patriotism has had on the CRC as a whole. While this was mulling around in my mind, we stopped by Pillar CRC in Holland, Mich. and there, right in the front of the church to the left of the pulpit, stood the American flag. This increased my wondering that was prompted in the museum.

I have been struck by the civil religion in the general culture of the United States. What is the church saying when a flag is placed in the sanctuary? Is civil religion creeping into the CRC?

The following definition of civil religion comes from the Wikipedia: “[T]he folk religion of a nation or a political culture. [...] Such civil religion encompasses such things as: the invocation of God in political speeches and public monuments; the quotation of religious texts on public occasions by political leaders; the veneration of past political leaders; the use of the lives of these leaders to teach moral ideals; the veneration of veterans and casualties of a nation's wars; religious gatherings called by political leaders; the use of religious symbols on public buildings; the use of public buildings for worship; founding myths and other national myths; and similar religious or quasi-religious practices.”

If some argue that this type of thing does not happen in the United States, think about the inscription above the statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.:

In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.

The United States government has created a shrine, a temple, to one of its fallen heroes. The nation has immortalized Lincoln as a type of Christ, or Messiah, for the nation. Walking around downtown Washington, D.C., I was struck by the number of shrines similar to this, and the expense used to immortalize these people and events.

In his book Biblical Religion and Civil Religion in America, Robert Bellah quotes W. H. Herndon, Lincoln's law partner: “For fifty years God rolled Abraham Lincoln through his fiery furnace. He did it to try Abraham and to purify him for his purposes. This made Mr. Lincoln humble, tender, forbearing, sympathetic to suffering, kind, sensitive, tolerant; broadening, deepening and widening his whole nature; making him the noblest and loveliest character since Jesus Christ. I believe that Lincoln was God's chosen one.”

This civil religion of the United States is no more apparent than during a presidential election. The electorate needs to hear that their president at least claims to be a Christian. This has seemed to increase in the past few years, especially after the attacks of September 11. The difference between the Canadian electoral process and the American system is no more apparent than in this issue. If a political party leader in Canada makes public their Christianity, they do not stand a chance at being elected. If a political leader in the U.S. does not make public their Christianity, they do not stand a chance at being elected. This creates a link between Christianity and the State, which creates a Christianised form of civil religion. This makes it extremely dangerous. If civil religion is noticeably pagan or secular, then it is easy to distinguish and keep out of our churches. When civil religion becomes Christianised, it becomes very difficult.

Some may argue that this is not civil religion, but just a basic form of Christianity; the U.S. was a Christian nation and we must move back to that. However, Bellah says, “The words and acts of the founding fathers, especially the first few presidents, shaped the form and tone of the civil religion as it has been maintained ever since. Though much is selectively derived from Christianity, this religion is clearly not itself Christianity.” The U.S. was not even set up as a Christian nation.

It is one thing for this to go on within the general society of a nation, but has this type of thing crept into the church? This brings me back to the question of the flag in the sanctuary. Is it appropriate to have a symbol of national identity put within a space meant to help one transcend national differences and worship God, the Creator and Savior of all peoples? As a child of God and a member of the body of Christ, we have more in common with our fellow believers around the world than we do with our non-Christian American neighbors. One of the great things about our denomination is that it transcends national boundaries. We have made a concerted effort to show the world that the church of God is not bounded by political boundaries. Placing a flag in the sanctuary resets these political boundaries.

It seems to me that many churches realize the inappropriateness of the U.S. flag in their sanctuaries because they attempt to ‘balance’ it with the Christian flag. This sends the message that the U.S. flag and the Christian flag are equal in importance. The message that a person's commitment to Christ and to her country should be equal. Many people hold a deep allegiance to the American flag. Many of our congregants grew up saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag every morning in school. I think this is one of the reasons the symbol is so dangerous. If a person walks into a sanctuary, sees the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance is the first thing that comes to mind, we have a problem. He or she should not be thinking about national allegiance, but about meeting with God. The church that I attend places many different flags in the sanctuary during mission emphasis week. However, as per U.S. rules about displaying the flag, the American flag has to have prominence. This sends the message that the United States is more important than the other nations represented. Since this is done in a sanctuary, it gives the message that God sanctions this distinction. We have to remember the power of images and try to figure out what we are telling people with them.

In their book Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Revisiting Civil Religion Carolyn Marvin and David Ingle argue that “nationalism is the most powerful religion of the United States.” They note that “the social geographer Wilbur Zelinsky observes that the American flag has a visual power and presence for its believers that is comparable to the mediaeval crucifix.” The power of this image could cause a split of allegiance. It at least has the danger of sending an incorrect message to a believer. When I exhort at various churches that have a flag in the sanctuary, I find it extremely distracting. Though this may not be the intent, the message I get is that only Americans are welcome to worship God.

The United States is not God's chosen country. It does not have a divine right to rule the world. It is not the new Israel, even though some have claimed it is. In Jefferson's second inaugural address he said, “I shall need, too, the favour of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life.” This idea of manifest destiny, that God was preparing the way for the colonials to settle in the new ‘promised land,’ has not had much of a foothold within the CRC historically. However, our denomination has been changing. It is no longer an immigrant church, but is being influenced more and more by domestic culture and ideals.

Please realize that I am not some flag-burning hippie. I do not hate the United States. I simply want people to think about how the culture has affected their religious practice in a negative way. I am against any kind of national symbol in a sanctuary. Some Canadian churches, I am told, have a Canadian flag in their sanctuary, and this is just as inappropriate.

I know this may sound harsh to some people. There are people who have fought for the U.S. in various wars, and people are fighting even now. There are many reasons why we should be thankful we live in a place that allows the freedom of religion. We can be thankful that we live in a place where our rights are protected and our voice is respected. But I am not making a comment on the appropriateness of religion in politics; I am talking about American ideals passing for Christian ideals. These are seeping into the church and distracting us from worshipping Christ is a proper manner.

So, the sanctuary is not the right place for the flag. Now what? How do we deal with congregations that have the flag there? What do we tell those who equate their nation and God? How can we be pastorally sensitive, while at the same time pointing out the sin in this connection? That, I think, would depend from case to case. It would not be appropriate to simply move the flag in the middle of the night, and hope people do not notice. Nor would it be appropriate to make a big display of pulling it out, without explaining why and trying to address the issues the people have. There is an appropriateness to recognizing the freedom this country has given us to worship God. There is also a danger in mixing religion with nationalism. We have to figure out a way to recognize these things while not mixing God and country.

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