Theologian Daniel Gushee gives his nuanced opinion on God and Country celebrations (and I love nuance). Here are the main points (but read it all):
- Americans lack civic spaces to celebrate our nation and roll out traditional patriotic music and rituals, and so they move inappropriately into church.
- Low-church Baptist worship services leave congregants with a hunger for liturgy, which is one reason why God-and-country extravaganzas are appealing to many.
- American patriotism is overidentified with war and the military.
- Christian celebrations of America tend to idolize the past and demonize the present.
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thoughts from an American in Africa telling people that we are celebrating the birth of our democracy and how complex that idea really is. link
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As we celebrate our nation's independence by destroying the inner linings of our stomach's with overeating, I cannot get away from Ben Fold's indictment of American over consumption in the song All U Can Eat. read the lyrics here and see the video here*. Below is the final line of the song.
God made us number one cause he loves us the best
Well maybe he should go bless someone else for a while, give us a rest
Just so everyone can see
We've eaten all that we can eat
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*explicit lyrical content
2 comments:
Rick: You have some eclectic taste in music, I'll say that for you.
Having said that, I like the song. Pretty clever - not to mention technically proficient.
Rick, it's been awhile. Nice blog. This post is good fodder for thought and conversation. Peace.
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