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Written by: Rex M. Rogers

Published: 13 April 2026

The nation’s Semiquincentennial is approaching.  Will we last till then?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #257 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

I’d assume most Americans know that this coming July 4, 2026 is the 250^th Anniversary of the nation’s founding, but if you read surveys or watch person-on-the-street interviews conducted by news anchors or comedians you’ll discover that many Americans evidence an appalling lack of understanding about even the most basic facts about American history, like for example, “Who won the Civil War?”

So, I am not surprised to learn that American citizens do not know much about their homeland or citizenry.

A 2023 survey “indicated that over 40% of Americans did not know the specific reason for Independence Day, with 45% incorrectly identifying the year of the signing.” “When asked what July 4 is meant to officially commemorate, only 59% gave the correct answer: ‘The signing of the Declaration of Independence.’”

An April 2026 survey discovered, “Thirty-seven percent of respondents view the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence as ‘a proud national milestone,’ while 24% say it is ‘not something I think much about,’ and 18% describe it as ‘mostly symbolic and ceremonial.’”  “A majority of respondents, 59%, said the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence still guide the country in meaningful ways, while 41% said those ideals are mostly disconnected from today's reality.” “When asked about progress over the past 250 years, 57% said the United States has achieved the nation's founding ideals either "a great deal" or "a moderate amount," while 33% said "not very much" or "not at all," and 10% were unsure.”

The Pew Research Center, “in a 2025 survey…asked people in 25 nations to say – in their own words – what makes them proud of their country. In several ways, Americans’ answers stand out from those of people in other countries.

Americans are among the most likely to emphasize freedom as a source of pride. They are also more likely than people in many other surveyed nations to offer a negative sentiment when asked what makes them proud.

And Republicans and Democrats tend to highlight different sources of pride.”

“Few Americans (3%) mention U.S. history as something that makes them proud of their country.”

In 2001, Gallup asked Americans, How proud are you to be an American — extremely proud, very proud, moderately proud, only a little proud or not at all proud? 87% responded affirmatively.  In 2025, twenty-four years later, this same question was asked, and only 58% responded affirmatively. In 1976, during the Bicentennial, 94% of Americans said they were proud of their country.”

So, the steady media drumbeat on how bad, sad, and mad America is today, is having its effect, especially among young Americans. Aside from media messaging, why is this?

One reason is something called polarization. Americans are divided, fragmented. Another is the existential nihilism and exhausted fatalism gripping American culture in the early 21st Century. Culturally, we’re not only divided, we’re lost, drifting, searching for meaning everywhere but where it can be found.

As Christian believers, we know how to respond with the truth that meaning entered history in a person, Jesus Christ, who confronted suffering and injustice, experienced death on our behalf, and rose again breaking death’s finality, thus Jesus fulfills all longing as “the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn. 14:6).

But this simple yet profound truth is largely not welcome at the American cultural table, less so in Europe, certainly not at all in academia, except perhaps for the university revivals we’ve been hearing about.

Americans are struggling with an identity crisis. We don’t know who we are, so many of us are not proud of a heritage they’ve never learned or about which they’ve been misled.

We know from the study of past empires certain centrifugal forces can tear a civilization apart. The Roman Empire unraveled over centuries due to a combination of internal weaknesses and external pressures: corruption and ineffective administration eroded trust and stability, heavy taxation and debt, barbarian invasions, decline in civic pride. There is no guarantee this cannot happen or is not already happening to the U.S.A.

Meanwhile, America’s founding ideals are still there. America coalesced around two critical, fundamental principles: the then-self-evident truth of individual equality and the unalienable right of liberty endowed by the Creator. 

For all the immigration fuss in recent days, America is and has always regarded itself as an idea. Being an American is not exclusively about being “made in America,” i.e., born here . Being American is not about soil or tribe or blood or lineage or ethnicity or nationality or race or religion. American identity is a civic identity rooted in shared founding ideals.

Sometimes it’s called the American Creed, a set of beliefs that emphasize liberty, justice, and the rule of law, insisting that government exists by consent, of, by, and for the people. The American Creed also celebrates opportunity, individual responsibility, and civic virtue. We tend to think about “rights” but we’ve forgotten about “responsibility.”

Unlike many nations with rigid hierarchies, the American Creed holds that political authority is not inherited, not a matter of class or wealth or “privilege,” certainly not about race or sex, but granted through active citizenship.

America has been gifted both faith in freedom and freedom of faith, precious blessings most of mankind has never known.

The United States is far from a perfect union and sometimes we struggle to realize “liberty and justice for all.” But no nation’s history even remotely approaches America’s efforts to believe in, to fight to protect, and to celebrate human freedom.

In his book, Biblical Patriotism, Adam Wyatt said, while “God has created all nations with love and care according to His plan, there is something unique to the American experiment. Even a cursory look at American history shows that God has indeed used this country and blessed it in a way that few countries have had the honor to experience.”

So, we as Americans, as Christians, as conservatives, or frankly however you align your beliefs, if we care about passing on to our children and grandchildren a country and culture that is a land of freedom and opportunity, then we need to stand up, speaking the truth in love, that politics cannot solve our crises. 

As the British author and social commentator G.K. Chesterton noted, we need ordinary men and women who have accepted the message of the Gospel, who embody its incredible transformative power, who then live out or “externalize” their religious beliefs in their everyday life. We need people who believe in truth because God Is There and He Is Not Silent, that he is Truth. We need people who are weary of politicians who mouth platitudes to get elected but then in office go along to get along, never really voting to change anything in the interest of freedom and opportunity. We need people who believe in marriage, family, procreation, an admirable work ethic, and generosity, the building blocks of society.    

We need Christian nonprofit organizations who help the Church help others in both spiritual and humanitarian need—the “truly needy,” as Ronald Reagan called them, people who life has dealt them hard knocks but people who want to contribute to the good of their families and society. We need citizens who affirm right and wrong, law and order, mercy, responsibility and accountability, blind justice.

We need people who commit, with the Holy Spirit’s enablement, to be the light of the world and the salt of the Earth. This is a centripetal force greater than all others.

E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many One, served as a de facto national motto from 1782 until “In God We Trust” was officially adopted in 1956. E Pluribus Unum is a Latin phrase rooted in a Christian conception of society. Significantly, it is not E Pluribus Tantum, Only Many. The “diversity” being marketed today, often religiously absolutized as a value with little or no concern for unity, is a recipe for social disaster.

The USA, God be praised, is still a land where religious liberty is honored, and with it, freedom of speech. It is a place where all people, including Christians, can learn to discern how their faith can contribute to lives and culture.    May this struggle, this Great Experiment, continue.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best.

If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2026    

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.

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Written by: Rex M. Rogers

Published: 08 December 2025

Whatever your age, do you sometimes feel like culture is spinning out of control? What are the forces generating this spin, and what can restore stability?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #237 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Centrifugal force is an established fact of physics. It’s the outward (fictious) “force” that seems to push an object away from the center of a circular motion. It’s the idea that if something moving has no anchor, no hub, no center mooring, it will spin off from the center, moving away in any or all directions.

A car turning a corner such that passengers feel pushed to the outside of the turn. A tetherball flying outward away from the pole. Clothes in a washing machine spin cycle. People riding carnival rides feel pushed to the outside of a merry-go-round or a tilt-a-whirl.

Meanwhile, centripetal forces pull things toward the center or hub. For example, the centripetal force of gravity from the sun keeps planets in orbit. Same with the moon. Gravity holds the moon in orbit around the earth. The moon tries to move in a straight line (because of inertia). Earth’s gravity continuously bends that straight-line path into a curved one, preventing the moon from flying off into space.

During Medieval times, scholars believed religion was the essential glue, or centripetal force if you will, holding society together. They saw social order, morality, authority, and unity as rooted in divine law. Many later scholars worried that as modern secularized nation-states emerged, without religion’s unifying role, society might fall apart, i.e., lose moral coherence and fragment.

But as it turned out, secularization didn’t remove religion; it: privatized it, pluralized it, reduced its political power. Today, many scholars still argue that religion helps bind communities, just not as the sole basis of social order. Religion helps generate forms of “collective moral sentiment,” even if not overtly religious, e.g., patriotism, national celebrations, constitutions treated with symbolic reverence, social solidarities through shared values. These moral sentiments act like what scholars have called “civil religion.”

We know from the study of past empires certain centrifugal forces can tear a civilization apart. The Roman Empire unraveled over centuries due to a combination of internal weaknesses and external pressures: corruption and ineffective administration eroded trust and stability, heavy taxation and debt, barbarian invasions, decline in civic pride.

Question becomes, what can we learn from this history? Certainly, the USA is fraught with a growing list of centrifugal forces: political polarization, deep ideological divisions, increasing distrust between opposing political identities, media echo chambers, debates over immigration and street protests: free speech or lawlessness, anarchy, and planned chaos?

These centrifugal forces reduce social cohesion, make compromise harder, weaken confidence in institutions, heighten social conflict, and reduce a shared sense of belonging. The United States of America are not as “united” and our e pluribus unum maximizes “pluribus” over “unum.”

Thankfully, Americans still widely rely on several centripetal forces, for example, shared national institutions like a single Constitution and legal system, a unified military, a Federal Reserve and unified financial system, mature civil rights legal framework, a common currency, national corporations, national holidays, symbols (flag, anthem), widespread civic rituals (voting, jury duty) that reinforce a sense of belonging to a larger whole. High geographic mobility, marriages across region, religion, and ethnicity, national entertainment, sports, music, and a common language.

The growing belief on left and right that elections are unfair, rigged, subject to fraud, the focus of voter suppression, non-citizen voting, tampering, political bias, foreign influence, or other corruption is a key threat to national unity. This is a huge issue that indeed has come close and could still in the future precipitate a constitutional crisis.

What is that? It would happen if an incumbent elected official, especially the President, rejected an election outcome and refused to leave office. This is banana republic stuff, and we want no part of it in the USA, but our political polarization and overwhelming distrust has us on the brink.

America’s sense of disruption, polarization, chaos, and decline has largely occurred in my lifetime—that is, since the 1960s when Christianity began to lose its time-honored spot at the head of the table. Now, depending upon the social circumstances, like a public university, Christianity is not only not at the head of the table, but it’s not at the table at all.

Christian scholar Henry Van Til famously defined culture as “religion externalized.” In other words, a people’s religious presuppositions will work themselves out in the culture, the way of life, they develop.

“Culture is simply a worldview made evident. It is basic beliefs worked out into habits of life. It is theology translated into sociology. Culture is a very practical expression of the common faith of a community or a people or a nation.”

“What a person thinks, what he believes, what shapes his ultimate concerns, and what he holds to be true in his heart—in short, his faith or lack of it—has a direct effect on his material well-being, behavior, and outlook; on his sense of what is good, true, and beautiful; on his priorities, values, and principles. After all, ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.’”

If Christianity, or what scholars like Peter Berger, Os Guinness, and others cited as America’s historic, “Judeo-Christian moral consensus,” our “sacred canopy” as they called it—when this was jettisoned we lost our glue, our reason for existence, and with it, our key centripetal force holding Western Civilization and specifically the USA together.

But there is still hope.

“In 1905, Max Weber, the renowned political economist and ‘founding father’ of modern sociology…in his classic work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, argued…that faith brought men and nations both liberty and prosperity.”

“The great lesson of history…is ordinary people of authentic Christian faith who are ultimately the ones who best able to shape the outcome of human events or, as G.K. Chesterton said, “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”

Ultimately, that is our greatest hope for the future. It is simply that a new grassroots majoritarian emphasis on things that really matter–on the Gospel and its fruits–will emerge as we train up the next generation of culture-shapers.

It is that a love for hearth and home, community and culture, accountability and availability, service and substance, morality and magnanimity, responsibility and restoration will capture hearts and minds and lives. It is a hope that may be stymied, obstructed, and hampered–but ultimately it cannot fail.”

So, we as Americans, as Christians, as conservatives, or frankly however you align your beliefs, if we care about passing on to our children and grandchildren a country and culture that is a land of freedom and opportunity, then we need to stand up and speak up, sharing the truth in love, that politics cannot solve our crises. Politics might assist, but politics and political leaders cannot provide ultimate meaning or a vision for tomorrow that perpetuates a shining city on a hill.

As G.K. Chesterton noted, we need ordinary men and women who have accepted the message of the Gospel, who embody its incredible transformative power, who then live out or “externalize” their religious beliefs in their everyday life. We need people who believe in truth because God Is There and He is Not Silent, that he is Truth. We need people who are weary of politicians who mouth platitudes to get elected but then in office go along to get along, never really voting to change anything in the interest of freedom and opportunity. We need people who believe in marriage, family, an outstanding work ethic, and generosity.

We need Christian nonprofit organizations who help the Church help others in both spiritual and humanitarian need—the “truly needy,” as Ronald Reagan called them, people who life has dealt them hard knocks but people who want to contribute to the good of their families and society. We need citizens who affirm right and wrong, law and order, mercy, responsibility and accountability, blind justice.

We need people who commit, with the Holy Spirit’s enablement, to be the light of the world and the salt of the Earth. This is a centripetal force great than all others.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.

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Written by: Rex M. Rogers

Published: 13 October 2025

What can we learn from ancient King Nebuchadnezzar about our nation’s longevity and our political leaders’ pronouncements and projections?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #229 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Ancient rulers, let’s just say thought very highly of themselves, some to the point of proclaiming themselves gods. Most early history people groups considered themselves the greatest, the salt of the earth.

For example, the Sumerians, the first known civilization, 3500–2300 BCE, saw Sumer (or Mesopotamia) as the center of civilization. Other lands were “foreign” or “barbaric.” The Babylonians believed Babylon was the navel of the world; the Etemenanki ziggurat, considered by many scholars to be the site and replication of the biblical “Tower of Babel,” was literally called “the temple of the foundation of heaven and earth.” The Romans saw Rome as caput mundi (“the head of the world”), the center of civilization and the divine order. The Middle Kingdom Chinese considered China the world’s center; surrounding peoples were “barbarians.” In old Japan, the term Nippon means “Origin of the Sun,” implying their land was where the sun (and thus the world) begins. Aztecs believed their capital, Tenochtitlán, was built at the center of the universe, where the “four directions” met. Among 9th–20th century nationalisms, various nations, e.g., British Empire, Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, the United States, portrayed themselves as the bearers of civilization or destiny — “the people” leading history’s center stage.

All this is to say that President Donald J. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” and other nationalistic pronouncements are not anything new.

Thinking highly of one’s nation or people group, it seems, is part of human nature. And on one level, there’s nothing wrong with selfless patriotism and humble confidence aimed at one’s nation or people.

Problems arise when patriotism gives way to ethnocentrism, the idea one’s nation or people are inherently superior to others, which usually partners with another negative attitude, xenophobia, an intense, irrational dislike, fear, or hatred of people from other countries or cultures.

And problems arise when confidence morphs into hubris, an arrogant conceit that God had nothing to do with our blessings, power, and well-being; in fact, we don’t need God for we are gods, with the character Jack Dawson in the Titanic movie we say, “I’m king of the world!”

During his 43-year reign, ancient King Nebuchadnezzar the Great, the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, 605-562 BCE, was without question the most powerful person in the world. He built a colossal golden statue of himself and commanded people to bow down to it (Dan. 3).

And though God had warned him via the captive prophet Daniel’s words, still, Nebuchadnezzar later looked upon his city and said,

“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30).

At that moment, God judged Nebuchadnezzar, causing him to lose his mental faculties for seven years, thinking he was a beast, living in the wilderness, and eating grass like an ox. At the end of his time, God restored Nebuchadnezzar’s faculties and throne, and the King said, “Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Dan. 4:37).

King Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned in the Bible more than 90 times. He became a symbol of God’s authority over nations, even over pagan empires. There is much we can learn from his story.

In the Bible, God makes it clear, as Nebuchadnezzar discovered, that God is sovereign over nations and rulers. For example, the Scripture says, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” Ps. 47:8. And, “He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away” Job 12:23.

And another, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales” Is. 40:15.

Then the Word also says the Lord is sovereign over rulers. For example, in the book of Daniel (2:20-21), it says, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.” In Psalms (22:28), the Word says, “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” And then in Proverbs (21:1), it states, “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”

So, I find it interesting and instructive that the Word both commands us to pray for rulers and warns us about them. The Apostle Paul said, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:1-5).

But even as we pray for them, in the book of Psalms (146:3-4) the Scripture reminds us about who ultimately is in charge. “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”

Remember I said there is much to learn from King Nebuchadnezzar’s story?

1. Neither we, nor fate, nor rulers, nor forces determine our’s or our nation’s future; God does.

It is not wrong to develop a vision or goals, plan, prepare, or work toward a better tomorrow for our families, our work, or our nation, but we should always do so remembering what Nebuchadnezzar learned—God does according to his will (Dan. 4:35). This is not limiting but liberating, for the truth that we serve a living omniscient, omnipotent Creator God who loves us, redeems us, and grants us freedom sets us loose from fear of mysterious fates and forces, bad luck, or various ideological determinisms. No, we are rational, reasoning beings made in the image of God who can use the talents he has given us to build, contribute, and bless for the glory of God.

2. Nations do not last forever, nor do rulers.

This is a reminder that, blessed as the experience is of living in any country, especially one that celebrates life and liberty, one that perhaps we patriotically love and appreciate, even these United States of America, no empire, no nation – not even the three thousand years of the Egyptian kingdom – continues eternally. The USA is not mentioned in the Bible and is not cited relative to End Times scripture.

This does not mean the USA won’t be around when the Lord returns, but we don’t know this. The USA celebrates its 250^th Anniversary in year 2026, but there are many undermining ideas afoot in the US today, ideas that have consequences and some like Cultural Marxism, left-wing radicalism, and creeping bureaucracy directly attack the foundations of the American republic. There is no guarantee the United States of America will continue another 250 years.

President Donald J. Trump is a dynamic personality, who if he lives will be 80 years old at the time of the nation’s 250^th birthday. I pray God’s blessings upon Mr. Trump’s health and well-being, but he, like the rest of us, will not live forever. Nor will his legacy.

So, what else do we learn from King Nebuchadnezzar and scripture?

3. Do NOT put your trust in nations, including the USA, or national leaders, only God. 

I am patriotic. I am grateful for my American birth and life, and I’m grateful for the intention and the ideals that made this country strong in the first place, most especially freedom. I hope we can see America not simply great again but restored and renewed based on its founding principles. But either way, the USA will not take care of us into eternity.

As Os Guinness reminded us, “Humans are still mortal. Superpowers and civilizations are mortal too. They all have expiration dates.” Scripture says, God “makes nations great, and he destroys them.” With King Nebuchadnezzar, we can bless the Most High, praise and honor him who lives forever, for his dominion is everlasting, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation (Dan. 4:34).

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.

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Written by: Rex M. Rogers

Published: 08 September 2025

The NFL started the 2025 season in Philadelphia, broadcasting “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the so-called Black National Anthem, followed later by “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Is this laudable or unwise?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #223 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

The NFL opened the 2025 season in Philadelphia with a performance of the so-called Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This decision to broadcast this song at NFL games has sparked both support and criticism.

On the positive side, performing the anthem can be seen as an act of recognition and respect for African American history and contributions. The song, written in 1900 and long appreciated within Black communities, carries emotional and cultural significance. Including it alongside “The Star-Spangled Banner” ostensibly highlights the diversity of the American experience and acknowledges struggles for racial equality. For many, this represents progress toward healing and giving voice to communities that have historically been marginalized. The NFL, with its about 70% Black players, hopes to send a symbolic message that it values the heritage and identity of its athletes and fans.

On the other hand, critics argue that playing what amounts to two national anthems risks deepening racial or ethnic divisions rather than promoting unity. The traditional anthem is intended to represent all Americans, not some and not a fractured identity rather than a shared one. Opponents claim this further politicizes sports, introducing controversies into what is meant to be a unifying and entertaining event. Some feel it emphasizes racial differences rather than common citizenship. Additionally, because sports events reach millions, detractors fear the move could alienate certain fans, potentially fueling resentment rather than understanding.

The tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events in the United States dates back more than a century and is closely tied to moments of national challenge and unity. The earliest widely recorded instance occurred during the 1918 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. With World War I ongoing and the nation in a somber mood, a military band played “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the seventh-inning stretch of Game One. The crowd, players, and soldiers in attendance stood and saluted, creating a powerful moment of shared patriotism. This positive reception encouraged organizers to repeat the practice in subsequent games.

Although at that time, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was not yet the official national anthem—it would be designated as such in 1931—the song grew in popularity at public events throughout the 1920s and 1930s. During World War II, the tradition became firmly established.

“Major League Baseball became the first professional sport to make it a standard to play the national anthem. With the United States of America being in World War II, the NFL joined the MLB in making it a standard to play the national anthem before every NFL game.” The national anthem was first played before NFL games starting in the 1941-1942 NFL season. Since that wartime season, the NFL has made it a tradition to play the national anthem before every game.

At a time when the nation sought unity and morale, playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before games symbolized collective resolve and national pride. The rise of radio broadcasts also amplified the anthem’s impact, allowing it to be experienced by millions beyond the stadiums.

By the mid-20th century, the practice spread beyond Major League Baseball and the NFL to other professional sports such as basketball and hockey, as well as to college and high school athletics. Over time, it became a standardized part of the pre-game ritual, regardless of whether the country was at war.

Today, the anthem is viewed as both a tradition and a symbolic act that connects sports to national identity. Its origins reflect the role of athletics not only as entertainment but also as a stage for expressions of unity, loyalty, and shared values in times of both crisis and celebration.

The tradition of playing national anthems at sports events is not unique to the United States. While “The Star-Spangled Banner” gained prominence at American games starting in World War I, other nations developed similar customs, often tied to international competitions and moments of national pride.

In Europe, national anthems were first widely used in international soccer (football) matches. The earliest recorded instance dates to 1905, when teams from France and Switzerland played, and “La Marseillaise” was performed.

The practice grew as international tournaments expanded, especially after the founding of FIFA in 1904. By the time of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, national anthems were already standard before matches as a way to honor competing nations.

The Olympic Games also played a major role in spreading anthem traditions worldwide. Beginning in the early 20th century, Olympic ceremonies featured anthems both for medal presentations and for opening and closing events. This global exposure helped normalize anthem performances as symbols of national representation, eventually filtering down into domestic competitions in various countries.

In the United Kingdom, “God Save the King/Queen” was played at major soccer and cricket matches well before World War II, especially during matches involving national teams. Similarly, Canada’s “O Canada” gained prominence during international hockey tournaments in the early 20th century and became customary at both domestic and cross-border games against American teams.

But unlike the U.S., where the anthem became standard at nearly all professional and amateur games, in many countries the practice remains primarily tied to international or representative competition rather than every local or club match. Still, the symbolism is consistent: anthems serve as reminders of unity, pride, and identity, connecting sport to the broader meaning of nationhood.

The United States has long embraced “The Star-Spangled Banner” as its sole national anthem, a unifying song meant to represent all Americans regardless of background. In my view, while I respect the feelings of Black Americans, rather than play a separate song just for them, I’d rather emphasize one nation under God. 

Keeping one anthem is important for patriotism because it provides a common symbol around which citizens can rally. At sporting events, where people from varied walks of life gather, the anthem serves as a reminder of shared identity and national pride.

And the national anthem is not just about a song. What it represents is symbolized in the American flag, and this special banner is what American soldiers fought to protect and for which many gave the last full measure of devotion. Honoring the national anthem, and the flag, honors those who made our freedom possible, and that “our” is all of us.

Limiting official ceremonies to a single anthem also reinforces the American motto E Pluribus Unum—“Out of many, one.” The nation is composed of people from countless cultures, faiths, and traditions, yet the historic national anthem offers a moment where those differences are set aside. Standing together for the same song communicates that, despite varied histories and perspectives, despite varied races, citizens are bound by a common commitment to their country.

From a practical standpoint, designating only one anthem also avoids the appearance of favoritism or division. What about all the other races and ethnic and national subgroups in America? If different groups were each represented by separate songs at national events, the effect could unintentionally fragment identity rather than solidify it. Sports work best as unifying experiences where loyalty to team and country should outweigh political or cultural divides. Retaining only “The Star-Spangled Banner” at NFL games and other events reinforces the idea that all citizens are part of one nation with one shared anthem.

America is comprised of the many, but to sustain nationhood and citizenship a melting pot of unity is vital. A single anthem reflects the belief that many voices together form one people. “The Star-Spangled Banner” remains the official national anthem, representing the shared ideals of freedom, resilience, and loyalty to country. Its continued performance ensures that Americans—Black, Yellow, Red, Brown, and White—rally around a common symbol. By upholding “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the anthem for all, the nation affirms its commitment to positive patriotism and to the enduring ideal of E Pluribus Unum.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.

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Written by: Rex M. Rogers

Published: 17 November 2024

American patriotism has taken a lot of hits in recent years. Should Americans be patriotic? Is there anything really to be patriotic about?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #179 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

America has been called a Christian nation, though this description has been hotly debated. 

America has been called “the first new nation” by eminent sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset. 

America has been called “The Great Experiment” by no less than George Washington.

America has been said to be great because it is good, and that it would cease to be great if it ceased to be good. 

This observation has been variously attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville and others, but whoever said it the phrase captures America’s sense of itself as the land of opportunity, the land of the free and the home of the brave, ideas rooted in the Judeo-Christian moral consensus that gave meaning and destiny to the American people their first two hundred years.

America’s experience with Christianity is an historic and storied one, not always consistent with biblical theology but one of depth, influence, and impact.

Several lines of scholarly consideration developed from America’s unique experience with religious liberty and the impact of Christianity: 

• American exceptionalism, the idea America developed from a set of values that became a creed affirming what the Founders considered self-evident truths, that human beings are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, equality before the law, justice, individual responsibility. It is an historical interpretation and cultural philosophy that bespoke America’s sense of itself as different, special, and “the last best hope of earth.”

• American imperialism,in the late 19^thand 20^th Centuries an extension of American ideals and power across the world, some say to protect freedom, others say to dominate. It captures an American view of its purpose as special, different, or above.

• Christian nationalism, the idea America was created by Christians and should be run by Christians without separation of church and state. It is a political ideology that conflates the cross and the flag, in essence looking upon the USA as a kind of theocracy. This point of view distorts both the Gospel and democracy.

• Civil religion, a sort of melding of a country’s dominant religious views and its political philosophy in everyday practical social life and rituals, e.g., displaying the US flag in churches, singing the National Anthem or “God Bless America” at sporting events, what sociologist Robert N. Bellah called, “an institutionalized collection of sacred beliefs about the American nation.” 

These expressions of Christianity and culture in American history offer upsides and downsides. The upside of American exceptionalism, for example, is that it gave America a purpose, a moral destiny. The downside is that it worked itself out at times in movements like 19^th Century Manifest Destiny, which in its best suit gave Americans a proactive, optimistic, forward-looking attitude, “Go West young man, Go West.” People strongly believed in the virtue and the right of the American political culture and system and that their progress was inevitable and justifiable. But in its worst suit Manifest Destiny destroyed the beaver, the buffalo, the rich prairie eventually resulting in the Dust Bowl, and the Native American population.

Historically, many indigenous, aboriginal, or other people-groups, including Native Americans, thought of themselves simply as “The People.” The Ancient Chinese referred to themselves, for example, as “the People of the Middle Kingdom,” meaning they considered themselves the center of civilization and all those around them and beyond were barbarians. 

The point is, whether American exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, American imperialism, Christian nationalism, or civil religion, it is fairly easy to demonstrate that Americans have, like other civilizations, tended to think of themselves as remarkable. 

This, in itself, is not remarkable. It is only an issue if this sense of our own identity, as remarkable, morphs into a philosophy that we are somehow better, or above, or special, or entitled, by which we, “the people,” begin to judge and treat others as less than.

Or, this sense that Americans are remarkable becomes an issue when many in the current political environment of the 21^st Century think America is anything-but-remarkable, in fact these Americans reject their heritage and identity by attacking the values, the political system, and the spirit of what it has meant to be an American. This is remarkable.

In America’s past, Christianity was cited to justify slavery in the ante-bellum South and decimate the American Indian in the 1870s-90s, yet Christianity was also applied righteously in the abolition movement and the Civil War in the 1860s and eventually the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The record is mixed because American Christians are, like all human beings, finite and sinful creatures. We see through a glass darkly.

However, to the good, Christianity influenced the development of American law, education, politics, economics, culture, and progress toward liberty and justice for all. The impact of scriptural values can be seen in cultural mores regarding sexuality, marriage, family and child-rearing, work ethic, property, free enterprise, public morality, social cohesion, and politics.

E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many One, served as a de facto national motto from 1782 until “In God We Trust” was officially adopted in 1956. E Pluribus Unum is a Latin phrase rooted in a Christian conception of society. Significantly, it is not E Pluribus Tantum, Only Many. The “diversity” being marketed today, often absolutized as a value with little or no concern for unity, is a recipe for social disaster.

I love my country, and I am blessed with many international friends who love their country, but it must be said, being “Christian” and being American or Lebanese or English or French or Chinese or Egyptian or any of the other 195 nations in the world is not the same thing. 

This does not mean God does not care about nations. In fact, the Scripture is chock-full of references to the Lord’s work in the midst of, despite, and through nation states. 

But God’s will and the Word of God are not the same, in fact are entirely distinct from, the presence, politics, and/or policies of nation states. God accomplishes his purposes in every age, no matter the political configurations of the time.

What then does all this have to do with the ease with which some equate their religious faith, ideology, partisanship, or demography with a morally superior, righteous, and unassailable position?

It is this: if American “Christians” carry an attitude of superiority into their ideological, partisan, or personal identity they not only sacrifice the power of the faith to change the world, they also easily fall prey to a self-appointed moral righteousness. 

In other words, one’s viewpoint is no longer just one perspective to be evaluated and debated along with many others in the marketplace of ideas. No, one’s viewpoint is non-debatable, non-negotiable, unimpeachable, inviolable. One’s viewpoint can brook no challenge, give no quarter, take no prisoners. One’s viewpoint is sacrosanct. The other viewpoints are therefore by definition not worthy, not worth hearing, and possibly so dangerous they must be silenced.

While this assumption of ideological superiority is exactly what the Left and left-leaning liberalism does, no Christian who attempts to adhere to Scripture can justify such lack of humility and outright arrogance.

This assumption of unbreachable moral righteousness is also something that political conservatives must avoid. Winning is fun, and MAGA supporters earned a substantial victory in the November 2024 election, so yes, to the victor belong the spoils, and in the months ahead the conservative MAGA movement should enact its policies as supported by the American people. But they must also avoid the human desire to dance on their opposition’s logo, to vindicate themselves by quashing others needlessly, to seeking to silence other points of view. Freedom of speech means freedom to speak viewpoints others consider objectionable, Christian or conservative or liberal or left.

Scripture says, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”
Col. 3:12.

The USA, God be praised, is still a land where religious liberty is honored, and with it freedom of speech. It is a place where all people, including Christians, can learn to discern how their faith can contribute to lives and culture. May this struggle, this Great Experiment, continue.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. Or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers for more podcasts and video.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2024   

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube Channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers or https://x.com/RexMRogers.