Should Churches Fly the American Flag or Sing Patriotic Songs?

General Faith
21

@Tillman,

Romans 13:7 says, “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” That’s not nationalism—it’s biblical recognition of God-ordained authority and a command to show appropriate honor where it’s due.

The key word? Honor. Not worship. Not blind allegiance. Not exalting nation above kingdom. But when believers thank God for a country that defends liberty, preaches the Gospel, and buries its dead with dignity—that’s not nationalism. That’s obedience to Romans 13.

So when the Church acknowledges God’s hand in a nation’s blessings, it’s not compromising the Gospel—it’s applying it.

22

@SincereSeeker

Ohhh, seeker…You know, for a seeker, you sure write a lot more statements than questions. All the Seekers I know tend to accept that they don’t have all the answers. They want to learn something, rather than shoot everything down based on what they think they know. But I digress.

Nationalism has nothing to do with a love for God and country. Didn’t you know that? It never did. And there is nothing Christian about it. You are being sold beachfront in Arizona, hon.

It is a Nazi far right tactic for manipulating people’s emotions to raise ferver in order to gain power. Often by scapegoating a make believe hyped up threat. “They are eating the cats!!! They are eating the dogs!!!” So funny that so many schmucks listen to that nonsense and believe it, despite everyone in town saying it was a lie.

It was how Hitler got the good Christians in Germany to turn on Jews and murder them. Handicap people, foreignors, the elderly, people with deformed arms, like that reporter who was mocked by the President, were some of their other targets. Remember? Red Rum. Those good Christians were turned into killers by a trickster, and looked away while the devil played.

Nationalism, for instance, is what the far right republicans often use to get people to vote for them in elections because no one would ever really vote for them if it wasn’t for all the lies. Who would vote for a Nazi? A stupid person.

And I don’t mean solid republicans like John Mccain, who actually stood for something like integrity and honor. He actually served this country, was a POW. Suffered. He also went out of his way to correct the lies spoken against his politcal rival- because that is what a man of integrity does. Can’t throw a stone and hit one these days on the right though. No one is willing to do whats good and proper..

And to think, how a great guy like John Mccain was so mocked by far right rich entitled nothings who now want to speak of love of country. While skipping out on military funerals/body exchange ceremonies with other countrys in order to play golf and eat a fancy meal with other rich people.

While planning for a huge military parade that just happens to coincide on a certain President’s birthday… Sure, its all about the men who served. We will keep saying that. Wink, wink.

Back to Nationalism… Tactic for power…

For example, the elections of 2008 and 2012 had a big focus on stopping the homosexual “threat.”
So funny. No one who lived in the 80s ever thought a man in a dress could be a threat. But not this generation. Woof. Soooo scared.

2016 and 2020 and 2024 was largely about transgender folks in bathrooms… All the unreported transgender rapes that no one could find.. Oh, and foreignors coming in to the country. As if the drugs, D.A.R.E. I say, didn’t start coming in on Reagan’s watch way back in the 80s. All that white powder on Miami Vice. (I am not even going to mention the Satanic scare of the 80s. You know, the make believe child-abuse rituals performed by Satanists that got republicans voted into office way back then, of which none were ever proven and confirmed true.)

Make up a threat, stir all sorts of anger and fear, and use the people to get what they want. Basic strategy. Like straight up cheating, but leas obvious and far more crooked and sleezy.

I mean, what kind of a creep plays on the sacrifice of our soldiers in order to smooze their way in? Lets sing patiotic songs while we hold hands. Instead of pursuing the heaping dose of Christ we all need.

I Heart America. God help her.

Here is an article on Nationalism, Nazis, and other relevant things. Read it, know your history so we don’t need to go down that road again. It is bad enough that our President wants to root into Israel while playing with Nazi political tactics. He is one betrayal away from being someone in Revelations, or making us all characters in the Left Behind series.

23

@Tillman,

Well now… that was a journey. From nationalism to Nazis to Miami Vice in one post. I think we crossed three timelines, two continents, and a rerun of Dateline NBC. Impressive.

First off, I apologize—I’ll try to withhold sharing my understanding in this forum and keep my thoughts to myself… who am I kidding? No I won’t.

Now, let’s get serious.

You’re throwing around the term “nationalism” like it’s a default synonym for fascism, but that’s a category error. Biblically rooted patriotism isn’t nationalism, and conservative theology isn’t the prequel to Mein Kampf. Loving one’s country and thanking God for it—especially when that country still protects religious liberty—isn’t idol worship. It’s called gratitude. It’s called discernment. And it’s in your Bible, too—Romans 13:7, 1 Timothy 2:1–2, and Jeremiah 29:7 just for starters.

Yes, nationalism can become idolatry. So can globalism. So can your political cynicism if you’re not careful. The sin isn’t in recognizing the good—it’s in replacing the ultimate. And no one here is replacing Jesus with the flag. That’s your projection, not our profession.

You rightly praise John McCain for his integrity—and I agree. But here’s the twist: you just spent six paragraphs painting millions of people with the same tar brush, casually accusing them of being Nazi-sympathizing morons manipulated by fear. That’s not discernment. That’s slander in a Sunday hat.

You want to call out manipulation? Do it. But don’t hijack the conversation about honoring the fallen or praying for our country and twist it into a dystopian sermon about golf, parades, and bathroom politics. That’s not spiritual insight. That’s political venting with a Revelation sticker slapped on top.

You say we should be “pursuing the heaping dose of Christ we all need.” Amen to that. So how about we start by letting Christ define our enemies, not cable news reruns or internet echo chambers?

I heart America too. But I worship Christ. And I can tell the difference.

24

Ohhh, Seeker,

What can I say? When you walk with Christ, you go places.

As Mathew 5:15 says, Nobody lights a lamp and then puts it under a pot .

Unless you embrace Nationalism. Then you build a giant wall, throw people out, and turn out all the lights to pretend no one is home.

And yet no one is trying to bring globalism into our churches. Because God calls us, actual Christians, to go beyond all borders.

Nationalism sets up walls. Christ tears walls down. Nationalism is about pride. Christ is about humility.
Nationalism is finite. Christ is eternal.

You want to be proud of this country? Fine. I have no issue with celebrating my freedoms as an American. Or the good men amd women who fought and or died for us, this country, or what is right. Or the good we have done as a Nation. And the evil we have overcome.

But don’t get handsy with my church, His Bride. Don’t try to taint the beauty of my faith with a warped overestimation of your collective worth as a people of any Nation. You are nothing without Christ, and less without Agape Love. And to say that warm fuzzy patriotic feelings and ferver should stand beside Christ in God’s House is nothing short of the gross symptom of an illness that needs to be quickly addressed.

I will not trade the magnificence of my Lord for the sweet roofied words of a devil in a business suit. This Bride is no harlot. And she will never be for sale.

How about we ask Christ to save our enemies. And guide them back to Him.

Heavenly Father, deliver us from evil.
Holy Spirit, please clean and clear this house.
In the name of Christ Jesus.
Amen.

25

The only one hijacking the memory of the fallen are Nationalists. That is the manipulation. Using their memory to morph this country and take control. SHAME. And there is no Republican party any more. Talk about something being hijacked. Men of integrity hold their ground. They don’t let the devil have his way with them.

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@Tillman,

Amen to the prayer. Truly. May God purify His Church and keep His Bride spotless. On that, we are absolutely united.

But let’s clear the smoke before we call it fire.

You say nationalism is the enemy, and I say idolatry is—in all its forms. You see a flag and smell sulfur; I see it and thank God I’m free to preach Christ without a gag order. You assume every expression of patriotism is pride; I say gratitude isn’t arrogance—it’s acknowledgment.

You write, “Don’t get handsy with my church.” Trust me, I wouldn’t dare. But when someone starts calling expressions of love for country “symptoms of illness,” we’ve crossed from discernment into doctrinal hypochondria. The Bride isn’t in danger because someone sang “God Bless America” on a Sunday. She’s in danger when people think the Gospel is too fragile to stand next to a flag without getting contaminated.

You said, “Christ tears down walls.” Yes—and He also said, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” He respected boundaries. He acknowledged governments. He even used Roman roads and laws to advance His kingdom. That’s not nationalism. That’s sovereign strategy.

So let’s not act like every patriot is a wolf and every national symbol is a golden calf. The Church is the Bride, not a bunker. We can honor our country without whoring out our faith.

You want the Church to stay pure? So do I. But purity isn’t about hiding from culture—it’s about standing in it, unflinching, uncompromised, and unashamed.

And no, this Bride isn’t for sale.

But she also doesn’t have to live like she’s on the run.

27

@Tillman,

Strong words—and you’re right about one thing: men of integrity hold their ground. That’s why I’m still standing here.

But let’s address this head-on.

“The only one hijacking the memory of the fallen are Nationalists.”

No, sir. The only ones hijacking their memory are those who politicize their sacrifice instead of honoring it. You don’t have to salute every flag-waver, but don’t slap “manipulation” on every expression of gratitude. That’s not prophetic—it’s just cynical.

You’re worried about people morphing the country? Fair. I’m worried too—but not about patriots with flags. I’m worried about pulpits that whisper while the world howls. I’m worried about churches more afraid of appearing “too nationalistic” than of going completely silent in the face of moral collapse.

You say the Republican Party has been hijacked. Maybe so. But this isn’t about parties—it’s about truth. And truth doesn’t wear a red or blue tie. It carries a cross, walks a narrow road, and doesn’t apologize for honoring sacrifice, speaking hard truths, or praying for the nation God placed us in (Acts 17:26).

You want to call out evil? Good. But don’t aim your fire at people thanking God for liberty and freedom. Aim it where it belongs—at the sin that mocks truth, silences the Gospel, and tells the Church to sit down and shut up.

Men of integrity hold their ground. So here I am. Holding it.