On this July 4, we celebrate 250 years as a nation. After all these years, this “experiment in democracy” has not only survived, but it has prospered. Not the oldest country or nation in the world, we have the oldest written Constitution in the world. Although aware of our faults, which has caused some to disparage this country, as Christians there is much for which we ought to be grateful, and at this anniversary, it is timely to express gratitude to God. This simply means we express our thanks to God for his sovereignty and providence (not coincidence) in all things in general, and in all things in particular. Our doing this does not make us Christian nationalists, but grateful Christians.

A Reflection on the Declaration of Independence

Consider the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776): “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The most significant truth is “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Even though we disagree these truths are “self-evident,” i.e., not arrived at by general revelation or post-fall consciences, but through special revelation, we affirm the biblical truth of the imago Dei and on that basis alone people have dignity and worth, what is stated as “certain unalienable rights.” This meant the United States was and is grounded in a “creed” based on principles and laws that guide the making of a culture of “we the people," not on heredity (monarchy), ancestry, or ethnicity.

A Reflection on the Bill of Rights

And for another example, consider the first statement of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the Constitution all passed the same day), adopted on December 15, 1791: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” As a Christian, and as a pastor, I give thanks that the government has not and does not establish a certain religion mandated of all. And I am thankful we have the freedom to gather as God’s people to worship. And I am thankful for religious liberty/freedom which affirms the biblical truth that conversion or becoming a Christian is not externally forced or coerced but internally brought about through the new birth by the Holy Spirit.

This does not mean America was a Christian nation. It would be accurate historically to say that America was a nation influenced by Christians and Christianity. Thomas Kidd writes, “Whether the United States of America has ever been a Christian nation may continue to be debated. The undisputed truth is that Christianity has played a significant role in the 250-year history of America. Its influence is present from the beginning, even though the most prominent Founders did not have robust Christian faith.”

So it is fitting for Christians to give thanks and to be filled with gratitude on this day.

A Reflection on Secular Holidays and Remembrances/Celebrations

Since we give thanks to God for all these things as Christians individually, what does this mean for the gathered assembly as the people of God, the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit (the trinitarian way in which the church is referenced)? Should what we celebrate as individual Christians be celebrated corporately in the church? Is it appropriate to include aspects of civic/civil religion in the corporate gathering of believers? Is it fitting for the people of God to be nationalists in their corporate worship services? What about being patriotic?

Before responding to that question, it will be helpful to note that in some ways, remembering the origin of our country (July 4) is like other secular holidays. How does the church respond to or engage with or participate in them? Often I find the church leans much more strongly in the direction of the secular calendar, e.g., Memorial Day and Labor Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, 4th of July, than it does on the church calendar, which is focused on the redemptive acts of Christ: miraculous conception and birth (Advent and Christmas), the visit of the Magi (Epiphany), his death, burial and resurrection (Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter), and his ascension (to the right hand of God). Although this is another annual July 4th celebrating the origin of our country/nation, this one is special in that it is the semiquincentennial (250 years) since the founding of our nation. 

A Theology of the Church’s Corporate Gathering

Now to the question: should the church celebrate July 4th in their corporate worship gatherings? Here are seven brief statements that reflect my theology on this matter, which grounds and guides my thinking and practice when it comes to the corporate gathering of the body of Christ. (Please note, I am not addressing Christians engaged in civic or political matters, or those serving our country faithfully. This focuses in a more limited way on the church’s corporate worship gatherings. Admittedly, much more could be said.)

1. As Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), that is, we are members of the “city of God,” under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ, who is the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:32-36; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 1 Pet. 3:22).
2. We are also part of the “city of man,“ meaning we live faithfully in the world, but we are not of the world (Jn. 17). Our heavenly citizenship, under the Lord Jesus Christ takes priority over every other loyalty, and that biblical truth is both professed in our lives, i.e., Jesus Christ is Lord (Acts 10:36; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 2:11), and manifested in the church, i.e., Jesus Christ is Head (Eph. 1:21-23; Col. 1:15-20; 2:10. 16-19), when the people of God corporately gather.
3. God determines the times and places for our lives (Acts 17:26), so we humbly and gratefully acknowledge that. Part of what that entails is that we live here and now in this country. There is, as Andrew Walls writes, an indigenous principle to the Christian life, which means all of life is localized in a specific time and place. There is also a pilgrim principle, in that no earthly place is ultimately our home since we are citizens of heaven. This reflects Paul’s prayer “for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:2; cf. 1 Pet. 2:17).
4. There is a difference between God’s mandate and mission for an individual Christian and God’s mandate and mission for the church, the corporate gathering of the people of God. Although they are related, they are different, meaning an individual Christian’s mission does not become the church’s mission.
5. There is a difference between being patriotic, which means we are grateful to live in America, and nationalism, that is believing we are a Christian nation that has taken over the promises God gave to Israel.
6. There is a right ordering of loves (as taught in the New Testament and explained by Augustine as ordo amoris). Love for God is preeminent (Ex. 20:2-3; Matt. 22:37-38), but that does not mean any other love is wrong or idolatrous (Matt. 22:39; Lk. 10:30-37; Heb. 6:10). But it does mean our loves must be rightly ordered. When anything is equated with or supplants or replaces our love for God, or when we add to what singular love and devotion to God entails, as in syncretism (adding something political or cultural to the Christian faith), it is a disordered love and idolatry. Thus, one can love God and love country, but the love is different and must be rightly ordered.
7. When the church gathers, we gather as the new community, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and we are to reflect that we are truly an outpost of heaven, on the ground of the blood of Jesus Christ, he “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10). When we gather corporately, we manifest our heavenly citizenship in our earthly residence, with what we do being grounded in and guided by God’s revelation, the Word of God. 

Here is what we said about a Christian’s understanding of politics and political engagement a few years ago: Where We Stand in the EFCA: Denials and Affirmations along with the Biblical-Theological Commentary.

1. We are not “Christian Nationalists” who believe the federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation or who believe that Americans are “God’s chosen people,” but we do believe that a patriotic love of one’s nation is appropriate and that Christians should be good citizens who may freely advocate for God-honoring public policies.
2. We do not believe that political means can establish the kingdom of God, but we do believe that God has appointed governing authorities to do good and that, for citizens in Christ's kingdom, King Jesus’ rule and reign transcends all other citizenships and partisan ideologies and transforms how we live in the world.

A Reflection on the Theology of the Church’s Gathering

What does this then mean for our corporate worship gatherings? What should be done? There are different ways to understand this,* even if our loves are appropriately ordered. But we must insist that love of God and for the people of God in the gathered assembly is an outpost of heaven. This is not just that it is “to be,” but in fact it is. We reflect here and now what will be then and there. With the inbreaking of the kingdom through Jesus Christ, the corporate body of believers, the church, now reflects the kingdom to come, even while we await the not yet of the kingdom. Our earthly gathering (in a specific time and place) reflects our ultimate King and kingdom (the end time reality brought into the present through faith in Christ), that our citizenship is truly in heaven.

This means that I would not suggest or recommend that we make the 4th a major part of our corporate worship service. Doing so likely confuses or conflates our earthly citizenship with our heavenly citizenship. Although we are situated in a place, we are also like Abraham as “he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). He looked to Christ’s first coming, and we look to Christ’s second coming. And as we wait, we experience aspects of his coming kingdom now in the church.

In sum, I would not make this the focus of our worship service, or sing patriotic songs (blending biblical language or imagery with a focus on country), since that reflects our earthly citizenship when our gathering is to manifest our heavenly citizenship. However, even though I would not make it prominent or preeminent, I would mention it, since everybody is aware of it, and I would address it in an appropriate way in the service. There are several ways this can be done, e.g., in announcements, in a pastoral prayer (cf. here), at the beginning of the sermon, through a testimony, etc. (For another example of how this may be appropriate done, cf. here.) Importantly, it would be grounded and guided by biblical truth and biblical theology pertinent to the people of God at a specific time in a particular place without being limited to that place or space.

Conclusion: Living Faithfully as Pilgrims to Mount Zion

The author of Hebrews informs/reminds Christians—living in this country on this 250th anniversary of our founding—that we “have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering . . . and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:22-24). Therefore, he concludes, “let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29).

These truths ought to suffuse every moment of our corporate worship services, which then suffuses our individual lives the rest of the week.

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*Here are several articles from different perspectives that may be helpful to read and ponder (which are listed chronologically).

1. Bob Kauflin, Should July 4th Affect Our Sunday Planning? (July 4, 2009).
2. Jonathan Leeman, Should We Celebrate the Fourth of July at Church? (June 29, 2018).
3. Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, America’s True Freedom Is Getting to Sing About God, Not Country (June 28, 2021).
4. Joe Carter, 5 Questions to Ask about Your Church’s Patriotic Worship Service (July 4, 2021).
5. Aaron Earls, Fewer Churches Put Patriotism on Display for July 4 (July 1, 2022).
6. Thomas Kidd, What Should Churches Do for the Fourth of July? (May 30, 2023).
7. Tony Reinke, John Piper on Theocracy, Igniting Revolutions, and Patriotism in the Church (June 29, 2024).
8. Sean DeMars, Should Christians Feel Guilty for Being Patriotic? (February 23, 2026).