Each year that July 4th falls on a Sunday, church leaders have to make a series of decisions. Sould we place an American flag on the podium? Should we sing God Bless America or My Country Tis of Thee during the worship service? Do we include a tribute to our military servicemen and servicewomen? Do we recite the Declaration of Independence? The manner in which churches celebrate July 4th depends in large part upon their understanding of American history. Clergy who believe that Revolutionary America was a Christian nation led by orthodox or evangelical founding fathers are far more likely to incorporate the pomp and circumstance of Independence Day celebrations into their congregational worship.
The subject of the Christian roots of America is a contentious issue today. Politicians invoke it in an attempt to curry favor with voters. Schoolboards fight over its inclusion in curricula. This blog has no intention of addressing the rights or wrongs of such a politicized topic.
Politicians and historians ask very different questions. For politicians history often becomes a tool for gaining cultural and political power. The past becomes the servant of the present. Politicized history is simplified history told in stark monochrome, a tale inhabited by clear heroes and obvious villains. But for historians, history comes in shades of grey; we seek to show historical events in their complexity. We try to understand the past on its own terms. Thus the politically-charged question, “Was America a Christian nation?” cannot be answered with a simple yes or a no.
If you’d like to explore the historical role of Christianity in the founding of America, I’d recommend The Search for Christian America. Mark Noll, Nathan Hatch, and George Marsden approach the topic from a historian’s perspective. The Search for Christian America is a golden oldie by now (1983), but it remains the must-read book for understanding the role of Christianity in the founding of the United States. Noll, Hatch, and Marsden – each of whom is an evangelical Christian and a well regarded historian – carve out a middle ground between advocates of an essentially Christian America and those who believe that America was founded purely upon secular, Enlightenment ideals. Pick up a copy for your summer vacation reading list.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll put that one on the short list. July 4th services seem to be the perfect storm of Christianity and civil religion. The universal nature of the church and the particular values of nationalism/patriotism certainly can make for a strenuous balancing act on Sunday mornings. If many churches defined their worship by the liturgical year instead of secular holidays perhaps such conflicts could be minimized. I say all this as a willing but cautious participant in such services.
Great post, Paul. Wanted to point you toward another resource on the same topic: one of my professor-acquaintances at Messiah College, John Fea, is putting the finishing touches on a new monograph titled “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?” The text should appear on bookstore shelves by February 2011. For a sense of the book’s breadth, check out the table of contents: http://www.philipvickersfithian.com/2010/07/good-feeling.html
Thanks Devin. I follow and enjoy Fea’s blog, so I’m looking forward to reading his book.