Don't say 'God bless America'? PCUSA pastor says mixture of patriotism, faith is 'bad theology' and 'dangerous' By Patrick Jean Staff Writer The Layman Thursday, July 3, 2008 A Presbyterian Church (USA) pastor is using his blog to urge readers not to say phrases such as "God bless America" or "God bless the USA" this Fourth of July. The Rev. Dr. Bill Smutz, head of staff at Central Presbyterian Church in Lafayette, Ind., believes such phrases are "bad theology" that can lead to "dangerous attitudes and practices." He also calls them an "unwise and unfaithful" use of God's name, in violation of the third commandment, that can be invoked "for mischief." Smutz made his comments Thursday in a post titled "The 4th of July and General Assembly News." He begins his post by saying that he will spend the holiday with family in his hometown of Webster Groves, Mo., "where the 4th of July has always been a big deal" marked by activities and fireworks. "There is, however, another side to my feelings where the 4th of July is concerned … a more complex side," Smutz writes. "For I struggle greatly with the mixture of patriotism and faith that often accompanies this holiday. I am leery of claims that God blesses our country more than any others, that God holds we Americans as a special people. "Our God is the Creator of the universe, the Lord of all – not just the 300+ million people who inhabit this country," Smutz writes. "To claim that God is exclusively on the side of America is bad theology, and leads to dangerous attitudes and practices. The mixing of faith in God and love of country too often results in hubris and arrogance; in attitudes and behaviors towards other people and other faiths and other countries that are less the holy … less than faithful. "A few weeks ago in worship," he writes, "when we studied the third commandment – about not taking the Lord's name in vain – we learned that this commandment could also be translated, do not use the Lord's name for mischief! I believe that phrases like 'God bless America' or 'God bless the USA' are unwise and unfaithful uses of God's name … that they use God's name for mischief." Smutz concludes his thoughts on the issue with: "Our God, through Jesus Christ, invites and expects us to look beyond country of origin, and race and gender and intellect and economic level, and any other human-created divider, and see all people as neighbors, as fellow children of God. The 4th of July is a wonderful time … and also a time when we Christians, who also happen to be Americans, must be extra careful about how we use God's name!" Smutz had already begun his vacation and could not be reached for comment by The Layman. Phone and e-mail messages were left at his church. An opposing point of view comes from WallBuilders, a Texas organization that bills itself as "dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious and constitutional foundation on which America was built – a foundation which, in recent years, has been seriously attacked and undermined." In a January 2000 article, WallBuilders Founder and President David Barton notes the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and of being the longest-serving constitutional republic in the world. "Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental," Barton writes. "They are blessings of God." Barton notes many ties between faith and the founding of the United States: The inscription around the top of the Liberty Bell is from Leviticus 25:10: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof." Founding Father John Adams said the Fourth of July "ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." John Quincy Adams noted that Christmas and the Fourth of July are America's top two holidays: "Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?" There were 16 congressional proclamations for prayer and fasting throughout the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution featured minister-leaders such as the Revs. James Caldwell, and John Peter Muhlenberg, and their letters and sermons gave rise to Revolutionary mottoes such as "No king but King Jesus!" "Preserving American liberty depends first upon our understanding the foundations on which this great country was built and then preserving the principles on which it was founded," Barton concludes. "Let's not let the purpose for which we were established be forgotten. The Founding Fathers have passed us a torch; let's not let it go out."

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