Worship and Patriotism

On Michael W. Smith’s second worship album, there’s this song (There She Stands) that I didn’t understand at all for a while, just because I didn’t listen to it very carefully. When I did, I realized that it’s a song about the flag, or about the U.S. as represented by the flag. I was outraged. Nothing against patriotic songs, but what the heck is it doing on a worship album? Shouldn’t we render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s, and not mix up the two?

But then I realized, maybe I’m the one that’s missing something, because in every single hymnal I’ve ever used, there are patriotic songs in there. Even the Korean-American hymnal includes I believe both the U.S. and Korean national anthems in it. So apparently, among Christians the world over, it’s commonly accepted to mix worship with patriotism. I’m just curious how it got to be that way, because I don’t quite get it, and I’m still not sure I like it. But yeah, since it’s so common, I must be the one that’s missing something.