Pastors & patriotism: Do American flags belong in the sanctuary?

[00:00:00]I grew up Southern Baptist and for as long as I can remember, there was always an American flag on display in the sanctuary every Sunday. It was absolutely normal, but that's changing.

[00:00:10]A new study of pastors and patriotism shows a stark divide.

[00:00:14]I'm Jason Boyett and I write about religion. So, the share of Protestant pastors who want patriotic elements in their church worship services has dropped 16 points in less than a decade.

[00:00:25]Lifeway found that only 45% of Protestant pastors support including patriotic elements in their worship services around the 4th of July. That number in 2016 was 61%.

[00:00:38]That's a big drop. Another question they asked, should churches do something special for America's 250th birthday?

[00:00:45]Pastors were evenly split. 50% in favor, 47% opposed, 3% didn't know. A generation ago, that question just would not have been contested. A flag on stage at church was pretty normal. So, what changed?

[00:00:59]Younger pastors.

[00:01:01]Pastors under the age of 45 are much less likely than older pastors to support anything that reeks of patriotism in their worship services.

[00:01:11]And so, as that generation moves into leadership, the trend is just going to continue. It's happening at the same time some Americans are trying to declare this a Christian nation. So, they're forcing the debate and for decades American Christian identity and American national identity, they just were intertwined. I mean, they were pretty much interchangeable.

[00:01:31]But not anymore. Younger pastors are keeping them separate.

[00:01:35]For them, worship is about loyalty to God and then every other loyalty has to take a backseat once you walk into the sanctuary. That is a meaningful change.

[00:01:45]I cover this stuff every week in my Religion News letter if you ever want to read instead of scroll.