Today we will reflect upon the 235th anniversary of our nation’s birth and the rich heritage we inherited because of contributions of exceptional leaders named, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln.

The United States was not founded as a Christian nation. It has not been nor will it be a Christian nation, not in the way that radical Muslims want to turn secular governments into Islamic states. The framers of our Constitution understood the necessity of a clear and sharp separation between the church and the state.

Yet, we must acknowledge that the guiding values of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution did not simply drop from the sky. There is a clear moral and spiritual tone to the good and godly words of these documents. In public school we memorized them --

As I prepared this message I discovered that in Thomas Jefferson’s initial draft of the Declaration of Independence he wrote: “We hold these truths to be sacred.”

This July 4th weekend has celebrated with parades, picnics, and fireworks, but the ideals for which it stands are also included in our worship insofar as they are a reflection of God’s intentions, not just for our nation, but for all people.

“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is not typically sung in Church of the Brethren worship. We believe that participation in war in any form is inconsistent with living after the example of Jesus. From the beginning the Brethren strove to remain separate from society and politics so as not to dilute what mattered most -- their commitment to Jesus.

Just as hymns stir our hearts and help us articulate our faith, patriotic songs that rouse national pride and reflect what matters to its people. Katherine Lee Bates wrote the final draft of “America The Beautiful” in 1913. Here is her account of how she received the inspiration to finish the song:

I think our national anthem should be “America, the Beautiful” In the pre-game activities at Notre Dame home football games, it is played after “The Star Spangled Banner.“ Katherine Bates’ described what is best about America -- the beauty and bounty of the land, the values of freedom and equality, the right to worship as we choose, the sacrifices of all who made America a beacon which has drawn people throughout the world to its shores in pursuit of a better life.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Psalm 106 tells the story of God’s great deeds on behalf of Israel. It is also a confession that the children of Israel did not have the mind to live right or do right, and needed God’s help to live up to God’s expectations. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good! His steadfast love endures forever… Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times."

Israel was God’s chosen nation. But its chosenness was a responsibility and not a divine favor. Israel was chosen to be a light to the world. It was blessed to be a blessing to the world. Being chosen also meant opening itself to God’s examination and correction.

Do you know the second verse to America the Beautiful? Few do.

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

What does love of country mean in this day when it has strayed from its ideals? What does it mean to live as a Christian when the practices and policies of the government are contrary to how Jesus commanded us to live? Is it possible to be a patriotic Christian? You may not agree, but patriotism and discipleship do not belong together, at least not with the prevailing view of patriotism.

During the Civil War, the legendary Brethren preacher John Kline ministered to congregations on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. His opposition to war and his refusal to side with either the Union or Confederacy caused both to suspect he was a spy. As he road on horseback to a preaching mission he was shot and killed by Confederate soldiers.

Not long before his death John Kline wrote about patriotism. He said:

Patriotism to me means gratitude and respect for America’s principles, its culture, and its achievements that have bettered the nation and contributed to the well being of the world. Sadly, the meaning of it today has been constricted. People who challenge the wisdom of the administration become the object of smear campaigns. Dissenting voices are labeled unpatriotic. If you don’t support the war, you’re not patriotic. If you don’t wear an American flag lapel pin, you're unpatriotic. If you are not totally for us, you are totally against us. No one seems to remember that Thomas Jefferson said, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”

Andrew Bacevich teaches international relations at Boston University. He is a graduate of West Point, a Vietnam veteran, a Republican, and a conservative Catholic which makes the book he has written very compelling. It’s titled, The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War. He writes: “The United States has become a military society where armed-power is the measure of national greatness. The U. S. spends more on defense than all the rest of the world put together… Our country is obsessed with war, rumors of wars, images of war, ‘preemptive’ war, ‘preventive’ war, and ‘surgical’ war… Only in America do civilians eagerly buy expensive military service vehicles for suburban shopping runs.”

In 1805 Alexis de Tocqueville came to America. He traveled throughout the country recording his impressions of our 29-year experiment in democracy. He compiled his observations in a book called, Democracy in America. In 2005, the bicentennial year of the book, the Atlantic Monthly commissioned a French intellectual named Bernard-Henri Levy to travel throughout the United States and report what he observed. He visited a worship service at one of the largest megachurches, and based on what he heard, this is how he said Americans see the divine: “a God without mystery; a good-guy God; almost a human being, a good American.”

Drive around town and you will probably see a bumper sticker with a stars and stripes background and the words, God Bless America. It is a good sentiment, but it falls short. The premier Bible verse we learned as children, says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).”

Israel got into deep trouble because it believed that God’s election was reserved for them alone. They displayed bumper stickers on their donkey’s backsides that read, God bless Israel. God will not be dressed in the flag of any country because God is the God of ALL people. I don’t put bumper stickers on my cars, but if I did, it would be the one that says GOD BLESS THE WORLD. NO EXCEPTIONS.

You probably haven’t heard of Louis Vitale. He is a Franciscan monk who is deeply troubled by what is happening to American in the name of patriotism. Earlier this year he was jailed for challenging the training of interrogators at the Army Intelligence Center and School in Huachuca, Arizona. Father Vitale and another priest went to deliver a letter opposing the immorality of teaching torture techniques. The letter said, “As a nation we have crossed a line we had pledged we would never cross.” On the road into the facility the two priests knelt for prayer and were then arrested.

The event that led Father Vitale to take this action was the report of a young Army interpreter named Alyssa Peterson who trained at the school with interrogators, and was sent with an interrogation team to a prison in Iraq. She was part of two sessions with Iraqi prisoners but refused to participate further because of the extreme techniques that were used on the prisoners. It deeply disturbed Alyssa, and when she shared the concern with her commanding officers by what she witnessed, she was reassigned to suicide prevention training unit. Soon thereafter, she committed suicide. The record of the procedures she witnessed was destroyed.

It’s an odd thing for a Brethren preacher to say, but we are called to arms -- not with assault rifles and cruise missiles. Armed with the only weapons Jesus has given us -- faith, prayer, trust in the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance, and the truth that sets all people free, we affirm all that is good and right and just in America, and then step forward and speak out when America is taken in the wrong direction. We must have deep respect for our country, but as Christians our first allegiance is to God. Our symbol is not the flag but the cross. Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in the commonwealth of heaven.” The Kingdom we serve is not of this world. Hebrews 13:14 says, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come.”

Carl Bowman is a sociology professor at one of our Brethren colleges. He has extensively studied the impact of society on Brethren beliefs and practices. Our denomination began with a commitment to be in the world but not of it. We began with the desire to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and not shaped by the ways of the world. We began knowing we had to “count the cost” because living for Jesus means being out of step with society and stepping on lots of toes.

However in his most recent book, Carl Bowman shares a sobering assessment of our church. Today, only about 11% of Brethren remain committed to the beliefs and practices that distinguish from the rest of society. In other words, there is basically no difference between what we believe and how we act compared to most Americans.

What about you? As a Christian are you at ease with the present arrangements? Can you look at what’s being done in the name of Patriotism, can you continue to see the ravages of war and injustice and fear-mongering and not even bat an eye? Then it’s time to look at Jesus -- take a good, long look.