NBC apologized after the network omitted the words "under God" on two separate occasions from a clip of students reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as part of its coverage of the U.S. Open.
Speaking on the air, commentator Dan Hicks issued the following apology:
“We began our coverage of this final round just about three hours ago and when we did it was our intent to begin the coverage of this U.S. Open Championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being held in our nation’s capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it.” **
Personally, I was offended by the omission of the most important phrase of the Pledge. I don't think it was done "regrettably" let alone accidentally. It is unfortunate that continued efforts are made to remove threads of Christianity from the fabric of our nation. But, this is nothing new.
I am reminded that this world is not my home. Ultimately, the United States is not my home.
Now please don't misunderstand me, I am a full-blooded American. I am proudly patriotic. I wave American flags and even place them in my yard. While I have not served, I come from a long line of men and women who have faithfully served from WWII onward. My family represents all of our wonderful military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. We can even add the United States Coast Guard which operates under the jurisdiction of our Homeland Security. So, when I say that I'm proud to be an American, I say it with all sense of gratitude, admiration, and appreciation. I thank God for the men and women who have fought and even given their lives for the freedoms I enjoy.
I am a citizen of the United States of America, but more importantly, I am a citizen in the kingdom of Heaven. This earth is not my home. This country is not my home. Heaven is my home. Hearing an edited version of the Pledge of Allegiance only affirms this truth.
We live in a world that rebels against God.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen" (Romans 1:18-25 NASB).
We live in a world where humanity worships the created rather than the Creator. Idolatry is worshiping anything other than the God who created us. Nationalism can be an idol. Yes, it is possible to worship a country rather than the Creator. We are a nation under God, but our nation has largely chosen not to worship Him. We worship our comforts and conveniences instead. In light of this, we should not be surprised when "under God" is omitted from the Pledge.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to pray for a spiritual awakening. We need the Holy Spirit of God to rain down on this dry and thirsty land. What does a spiritual awakening look like? First, let's consider what it doesn't look like:
These concerns trouble me greatly and they often find themselves front and center in religious debates. But, I tend to believe that these concerns are symptoms that distract us from our critical mission. What is our critical mission? It's called The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20):
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The evil one would love for us to spend all of our time fighting for our "rights and religious freedoms" while the lost perish without Jesus. To put it simply, Satan would love for us to be religious-centered not Gospel-centered.
Should we be concerned over the attack on Christianity in our nation? Yes. Should we take action? Yes. Should we vote and elect leaders who share our convictions? Yes. Should we support the Defense of Marriage Act? Absolutely. Should we fight for the rights of the unborn? Definitely. And on and on it goes...
We desire for the righteousness of God to prevail. We desire for evil to be brought to justice. And let's be clear: God's righteousness will prevail and evil will be punished. He is the Righteous Judge (1 Peter 4:5).
We should actively address all of the matters previously mentioned, but nothing should distract us from reaching the nations with the Gospel. This is our critical mission.
Removing prayer in school is a symptom of a godless society. The remedy is not a religious court battle, but a Gospel invasion! Religious battles are fought against flesh and blood (i.e the Crusades). The problem is, our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). The Gospel is the only way to fight this battle!
Spiritual awakenings remedy symptoms.
We can either spend all of our time fighting symptoms or we can invest all of our time making famous the Savior and seeing hearts and lives changed for the glory of God. A spiritual awakening looks like radically changed people who have been set ablaze by the Spirit of God.
When we are Gospel-centered we are more concerned with reaching students, teachers, and administrators with the Good News of Jesus than we are opening a school day in prayer. Think about it, even if we were to "win" this battle it would include far more than the Pledge of Allegiance or the Holy Bible. In addition, our children would also learn to pray on a rug 5 times a day facing Mecca, recite the Koran, or the Bhagavad Gita. This is a melting pot of "religious tolerance" not "religious freedom."
As Believers, nationalism should never be placed above theism; more specifically, it should never be placed above the Gospel. We must be Gospel-centered. First and foremost we are citizens in the kingdom of God.
Our "proud to be an American" bumper sticker should never cover up our "proud to be a Christian" identity.
In the end, omitting "under God" from the Pledge is nothing more than the evil one attempting to distract the people of God from fulfilling the mission of God.
As Paul says, "may it never be..."
** http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/19/nbc-us-open-under-god_n_880114.html