In 1938, Irving Berlin was America’s most successful songwriter. At 50 years old, he had lived through a world war and could see another coming with the rise of Nazi Germany. He wanted to write a great song about peace, but he had trouble getting the words to come. He remembered a lyric he wrote while he was serving in the Army in 1918. He found the song in a trunk where he stored song remnants and ideas. He made a few changes and searched for the right singer to introduce the song to America.
A singer with her own radio show that millions listened to was a natural choice. Kate Smith sang “God Bless America” on November 11, 1938, as part of her Armistice Day broadcast. Within days, it was being hailed as the new national anthem. Kate Smith was booked to sing it at major league baseball games and the 1939 World’s Fair. In 1940, both the Republican and Democratic parties adopted the song as their theme. Berlin set up a trust, and all proceeds from the song went to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.
In the wake of 9/11, the song took on new life. Celine Dion performed it on television and her version climbed into the top 40. Irving Berlin lived to be 101, passing away in 1989. His daughter, Mary Ellin Barrett, said, “I understood that that song was his ‘thank you’ to the country that had taken him in. It was the song of the immigrant boy who made good.”
Today we are grateful for the freedoms to worship, to serve in the name of the Lord, to proclaim the gospel, to read our Bibles, and to share the story of Jesus. While the world writhes hopelessly in the mud of isolation, polarization, racism, injustice, and propaganda, Christians have light to shine into the darkness. It is appropriate to pray for God to bless America (and every nation). But it is also appropriate for us to take advantage of our freedoms to broadcast the gospel of grace and the wonder of Jesus —both in our country and abroad. As our country celebrates 250 years, let us be reminded of the greatness of the mission these freedoms present.
John Dobbs
I relied heavily on an article by Bill DeMain for this article. It is located HERE.
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