Christians and the Pledge

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imageImage © Stefano Brivio | Flickr | Used under Creative Commons license.

The Pledge of Allegiance is back in the news again. This time it’s because the NBC television network cut the words “under God, indivisible” from a presentation during its coverage of the U.S. Open over the weekend. The negative feedback was so strong that NBC was forced to apologize to viewers during tournament coverage the same day. It seems pretty obvious that the words were left out intentionally, but we don’t know exactly who was responsible for the omission. Was it a decision of the network or one or two employees?

There are people who don’t like the Pledge for a lot of different reasons. Jehovah’s Witnesses say it’s idolatrous. Some atheists like Michael Newdow don’t like the reference to God. Religious left leader Barry Lynn isn’t an atheist, but he’s no fan of “under God” because he says it violates the Establishment Clause in the Constitution. Federal Courts, however, have disagreed with Dr. Newdow and Rev. Lynn, including the liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Frankly I’m usually suspicious of people who have a major beef against the Pledge of Allegiance. More often than not, they seem to have an ax to grind against God or against the United States. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not into blind patriotism, but the America-bashing and revisionist history gets tiring. I believe that in spite of all our faults and sins, God has played a major role in the history of our country. We were founded on basic principles of freedom. Those principles are linked to America’s religious heritage-- even though we’ve learned some painful lessons over the years about what “liberty and justice for all” really means.

But my own Christian faith won’t allow me to get completely comfortable with the Pledge of Allegiance, and I say that as a patriot. Here’s why: I don’t like pledging unconditional allegiance to anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t mind pledging conditional allegiance, but that’s not the way the Pledge of Allegiance is written. Anyone who takes the power of their words seriously should examine it carefully. It’s kind of like a blank check. I don’t write blank checks.

When I share my misgivings about pledging allegiance, some folks no doubt view me as a traitor (or something close to it!) Yet what many people don’t realize is that the Pledge of Allegiance didn’t even appear on the scene until 1892, and it was actually written by a socialist. The pledge itself has been changed at least four times, with the latest change happening in 1954. Since the republic managed to survive for over 100 years without the Pledge of Allegiance, I don’t feel we should use it today as a litmus test for patriotism. I’m a huge fan of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But the Pledge? Not so much. Pressuring people in a free society to say things just makes me uneasy.

Question: What do you think of the Pledge of Allegiance? Should Christians recite it?

Shane Raynor is a managing editor for Ministry Matters.
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Comments

  1. revjimparsons says:

    Shane, well put. I have always (well post seminary) wrestled with the Pledge of Allegiance. You have summed up my thoughts about right. We cannot write a blank check to anyone and devote ourselves solely to anything other than Jesus Christ. I think people tend to have a wrong definition of patriotism. Patriotism is holding your country up to God's standards. Idolatry is holding God up to your country's standards

    Thanks for the post.
    • June 20th 2011 at 4:15 PM

  2. mwleburg says:

    i thot that guy from nazareth pretty much said don't take oaths/pledges,
    but let your yes be yes adn your no be no.
    so, i would have a problem taking the oath in court as a witness
    alligiance seems a hard thing to split
    so, it seems if one is a christian, well, then....
    • June 20th 2011 at 4:59 PM

  3. jmillerkelley says:

    I agree that Christians should at least think about the issue enough to be uncomfortable with the idea of pledging allegiance to anything other than God. Marriage vows just popped into my head as a possible exception, but the equivalent of that might be saying, "Before God, I vow to be a good citizen of my country" or whatnot.

    I personally prefer not to say the pledge, though I don't make a show of that in public. As a child in school, I did it because we were supposed to, and I wonder how I'll feel when my children are in school. I wouldn't want them to be harassed for not saying it, but we'll at least talk about it at home, I'm sure.
    • June 21st 2011 at 11:03 AM

  4. BishopAndrew says:

    I simply cannot recite the pledge. I think for a Christian it is inherently offensive. Yes we honour the king but we serve God. Too many Americans confuse Christ with so called "free market capitalism" and think of him as a blue eyed blond headed bearded American which thanks be to God he is neither. I know that in some traditions the national emblem is not allowed behind the Communion rail and it should not be allowed for God and country are rarely on the same page. In a nation where racism is rampant, the poor and the sick, the young and the old, unions destroyed and the working class are exploited by corporations and banks, where people are denied the right to enter into a loving and committed covenant relationship if they are same gender, where life and death is determined by the ability to pay for care, where the immigrant is made the scapegoat just as the Jews were in Europe before them, and the student denied an education becuase of costs the pledge is sadly contradictory to the reality. In my community which comes out of the Intentional Eucharistic Movement we know all about those in power demanding allegiance in the guise of honour.
    • June 22nd 2011 at 1:50 PM

  5. grantspong@gmail.com says:

    Recently I asked a friend how he could promise a bunch of things at his swearing-in ceremony for ordination which neither Jesus nor the Apostles demanded of Church leaders. His answer was simple and profound.

    He adds the words, "as God leads" to any such promise, thus allowing a caveat for obedience to God above all others. What wisdom!
    • June 22nd 2011 at 3:12 PM

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