Evangelical churches fuse patriotic and military ritual with Christian worship to sacralize the nation

Evidence

The sanctuary was bursting with stars and stripes—draped from the balcony, lining the stage, printed on the identical ties and scarves worn by the 100-person choir and full orchestra. An image of the Bible resting on Old Glory was displayed on all the screens throughout this conservative Baptist church in South Carolina, including in the overflow area, which was quickly filling up. The balcony and ground floor of the sanctuary were already at capacity. The “God and Country Celebration” would be starting soon, and it was clear that both God and country were equally sacred in this place. After one particularly rousing part of the worship service in which the choir and orchestra performed anthems from each branch of the Armed Forces, the emcee—in full military uniform—intoned, “We would be remiss if we did not mention God, author and perfecter of our faith. He’s guided and protected this country throughout its history. Any victories we claim are all because of him and his faithfulness, and in the good times and bad, he’s always been on our side.” … Earlier in the day, across town, a much larger Baptist congregation held a similar “Celebrate America” service. During this service the entire congregation pledged allegiance, first, to the United States flag, then to the Christian flag, and third to the Holy Bible. Actors representing various founding fathers and decked out in historically themed costumes recited lines proclaiming America’s special relationship with God. Throughout the service, the leaders and congregants lamented that the United States failed in its devotion to God’s laws and principles. This backsliding had caused God to withdraw his hand of blessing. But out of this darkness, they declared, there shines a bright light. As the emcee, also in military uniform, exclaimed, “Jesus alone has the power to change our nation, he gave the ultimate sacrifice for our lives and for our nation.” — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 36

Categorization

• XREF: Concrete observational evidence of the religio-nationalist fusion Cooper’s framework would explain; the ritual detail (pledging to flag, Christian flag, and Bible; military uniform emcees) grounds the analytic category in observable practice. — connects to: Evangelicals redirected their hero worship from clergy to the military — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne: How White…, 304; Evangelical militarism inverted the traditional civilian-control-of-military ideal — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne: How White…, 522; Evangelical support for military might fused theology with masculine power — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne: How White…, 260 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Evangelical militarism inverted the traditional civilian-control-of-military ideal #expands (0.80) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 522
• Evangelical support for military might fused theology with masculine power #expands (0.80) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 260
• Fusing religion with nationalism amplifies collective violence and self-sacrifice. #expands (0.80) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 138
• Leading evangelical theologians embedded militarism and border nationalism in biblical political teaching. #expands (0.78) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 538
• A military evangelical fused the War on Terror with spiritual warfare against Satan. #exemplifies (0.78) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 516
• Evangelicals redirected their hero worship from clergy to the military #expands (0.75) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 304
• Religious ritual converts secular values into sacred ones that harden conflict #expands (0.75)
• Evangelical identity may be defined by culture-war militarism rather than doctrine #expands (0.75) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 552
• Evangelicals saw the military as a bastion of masculine traditional values #expands (0.72) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 305