Bowing Toward Babylon

What is being done in worship when national holidays are celebrated, the American flag is displayed and honored, and songs are sung that extol the nation? Are these benign gestures? Or could they actually be idolatrous? In this insightful and persuasively argued study Craig M. Watts contends the inclusion of elements of American nationalism in worship is detrimental to the integrity of Christian worship. He maintains that in faithful worship the story of Jesus must be re-presented and performed in such a way that the only affections and loyalty that are fostered are those Christians everywhere rightfully share. To do otherwise opens the door to idolatry and leaves the church doing what Watts calls ""bowing toward Babylon."" He reviews the development of the symbols, songs, and gestures that celebrate America and how they were introduced into worship. Watts concludes that the spirituality of American Christian nationalism does not complement the faith of the church but distorts it, hindering global Christian unity and the peaceable witness of the church in a divided world.


""With painful clarity, Craig Watts exposes how the worship practices of many North American congregations have bowed not to the living God of the Bible but to the idols of latter-day Babylon. Going beyond exposing sin, however, Watts prescribes pathways toward faithful worship.""
--Ronald J. Allen, Professor of Preaching, Gospels and Letters, Christian Theological Seminary
 
""Craig Watts illumines the radical difference between the Christian and American stories, commitments, and liturgies, and--by drawing on Scripture, theology, history, and current events--helps us see why there is no room for American nationalism in Christian worship. For the sake of the integrity of the church, every preacher and, indeed, every Christian in every church in America, should read and internalize this book.""
--Richard T. Hughes, author, Myths America Lives By
 
""In this timely renunciation of Christian nationalism, Craig Watts offers a critical examination of the nature of faith and calls the church to loyalty to the God we worship. His analysis is biblically sound, and he offers a careful reading of the role of patriotism in American and ecclesiastical history. A book group or seminary classroom examining church-state relations will find Watts's practical theological treatise provocative due to its prophetic integrity.""
--Jim Higginbotham, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care, Earlham School of Religion
 
""In the Age of Trump, Craig Watts's Bowing Toward Babylon offers a concise critique of Christian nationalism. Liturgies form identities in the church, but also in the nation-state. Christ-centered worship and social witness, not nationalism, should shape the allegiances, identities and loyalties of the twenty-first-century church.""
--Peter Goodwin Heltzel, Associate Professor of Theology and Director of the Micah Institute, New York Theological Seminary   



Craig M. Watts is minister of Royal Palm Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Coral Springs, Florida. He is the author of Disciple of Peace (2005).