An English teacher named Katherine Lee Bates was travelling in the American west in 1893. She was impressed by the beauty and grandeur of the mountains of Colorado. She was moved to write the patriotic hymn “America the Beautiful,” as a statement of belief in God and a prayer for our nation. The refrain, “America, America, God shed his grace on thee,” has become a familiar example of “civil religion.”
There are many such examples. Presidents, throughout our nation’s history, have invoked the blessing of God on America. When Ronald Reagan was nominated at the Republican convention in 1980, he closed his acceptance speech by asking the convention center crowd to begin the presidential election campaign right then, with a moment of silent prayer. Then he solemnly intoned, “God bless America.” Many were deeply moved. Some in the national media mocked him for this simple expression of faith.
Later, when as president, he survived an assassination attempt, he declared, “Whatever happens now I owe my life to God and I will try to serve him every way I can.” In a speech to a gathering of the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983, he said, “Freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted.”
Reagan’s words are examples of the kinds of statements many American leaders have made in political campaigns, in times of national crisis, and in expressing their personal beliefs in interviews. Words like these acknowledge that the majority of Americans are comfortable with public expressions of belief in God. This “civil religion” recognizes the freedom of all Americans to express their beliefs according to the dictates of their own consciences.
Baptist theologian Richard Land wrote, “Civil religion cannot replace personal faith, but it can be society’s way of acknowledging the central role religion has played in American life and protecting a place for faith in the public square. It should in no way be considered a substitute for deep faith convictions. . . . It is merely society’s way of accommodating religion in general without favoring a particular faith over other faiths. Civil religion can also provide a shared space in which people of varying religious traditions can bring their faith convictions to public debate in a pluralistic society.”
In 1798 John Adams said we need a citizenry with strong religious and moral character in order to sustain America. Our government, he said, is “insufficient” for any other. This is not the same thing as saying that America is, or ever was, “a Christian nation.” But it is a powerful admission that America needs a citizenry whose values are shaped by religious convictions. Our founding fathers were brilliant men of deep conviction, courage, and commitment. But they were not all “born again” Christians. They did, however, admit the nation’s need for the protection and guidance of divine Providence.
Throughout its history our nation has believed that God has a special purpose in mind for America. The Declaration of Independence refers to God as our Creator and He holds nations and individuals accountable to his judgments. The freedoms, rights, and responsibilities we have as Americans are gifts from our Creator. Because of this, it has been rightly said that the founding of America was “a faith-based initiative.”
These thoughts are on my mind as our nation’s 250th birthday approaches. I am praying for this nation, as I am sure my readers are praying, that God will guide us and that he will heal our land.
When Katherine Lee Bates wrote, “America, America, God shed his grace on thee,” she was framing a prayer. When we sing it, we are praying for our nation.
Pastor Randy Faulkner