Gospel Songs Are Patriotic Too

It’s hard to believe only a week ago bloggers were talking about patriotism and the virtues of the American nation. Way back then, Chris Gehrz gave some guidance on the prominence of patriotic songs in Christian hymnals. Among his findings was the following:

only seven patriotic songs appear in at least 100 hymnals:

“America” (Samuel French Smith, 1832) — 1,685 hymnals
“God Bless Our Native Land” (Siegfried A. Mahlmann, 1815) — 595
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Julia Ward Howe, 1862) — 452
“America the Beautiful” (Katharine Lee Bates, 1893) — 436
“The Star-Spangled Banner” (Francis Scott Key, 1814) — 376
“God of Our Fathers” (Daniel C. Roberts, 1876) — 360
“God of Our Fathers” (Rudyard Kipling, 1897) — 192

But what if American civil religion turns all gospel songs into patriotic ones? Could it be — hard to imagine these days — that gospel hymns so saturated American popular culture that they were as readily available to citizens as Yankee Doodle Dandy? Hollywood produces during World War II thought so if this clip is any indication:

And if gospel songs are also patriotic, Prof. Gehrz might have to adjust his numbers to include Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

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