'Lift Every Voice and Sing' Drafted Into the Culture War as Hymn Becomes Latest Partisan Symbol
The beloved hymn 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' has been officially drafted into the culture war, becoming the latest prominent symbol of the political and racial divisions cleaving the United States. Christianity Today argues the hymn — written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 as a celebration of African American faith, resilience, and hope — should belong to all Americans rather than serve as a partisan weapon. The controversy reflects a broader pattern in which sacred music, religious symbols, and elements of Christian worship are being claimed, contested, and weaponized by competing political factions, leaving the church caught in the crossfire of a culture war it did not start.
Read Full Story at Christianity TodayBehold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
— Psalm 133:1
A hymn born from suffering and faith should unite the body of Christ, not divide it. When worship becomes a weapon in a political war, both worship and the worshipers are diminished.