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11/23/2003 Entry: "Spirituality and patriotism"
Bene Diction has a post about Canadian spirituality that has turned into an interesting discussion about patriotism.I'm pretty uncomfortable with the whole notion of Christian patriotism - flags in church, national anthems, that sort of thing. Whatever loyalty we owe to our nation, we surely owe a higher allegiance to God's kingdom. I'm a long way from convinced that invoking God's special blessing on "our" land, or claiming that God is especially on "our" side is ever really a reasonable thing to do.
Replies:
We have a Canadian flag flying in our sanctuary and it's not uncommon in Salvation Army circles. We also have have a denominational flag. (Blue for the purity of God, red for the blood of Christ and yellow for the fire of the Holy Spirit.) Of course, the Army's structure was modelled on military lines.
We have also, on a Sunday around July 1st, sung Oh Canada during the service. However, we include the final stanza, which is a prayer.
Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,Hold our dominion in thy loving care;Help us to find, O God, in theeA lasting, rich reward,As waiting for the Better Day,We ever stand on guard.
Posted by Ian McKenzie @ 11/23/2003 10:12 PM CST
LoL. I've only seen a Canadian flag in a church in a state funereal. Good point though. There probably are Canadian churches that have them.I'd be really uncomfortable with that. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever singing the national anthem in church either.Now, why do I recall God Save the Queen? :^) Blog on!
Posted by Bene Diction @ 11/23/2003 07:42 PM CST
