(Blog) Are You Ashamed of The Pledge of Allegiance? - Ep. 957 - August 7, 2026

What the Three Pledges Say About Allegiance

When familiar words disappear from schools and churches, the loss can reach beyond the words themselves. The Smith and Rowland Show asks whether the fading practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, the Christian flag pledge, and the pledge to the Bible points to a deeper loss of loyalty.

In Episode 957, Jeff Rowland and Alan Smith argue that allegiance should shape both public life and Christian life. Their discussion challenges churches, parents, and believers to consider what they are teaching the next generation about faith, country, and Scripture.

Why the Three Pledges Matter in This Discussion

Jeff Rowland and Alan Smith frame their conversation around a concern raised in connection with Vacation Bible Schools of America, presented in the episode as the sponsor. They say that many Vacation Bible School programs have moved away from regularly reciting the pledges that were once common in church and school settings.

For the hosts, this is not merely a question of tradition. They see the pledges as simple statements that teach loyalty, shared beliefs, and a willingness to stand publicly for those beliefs.

The episode focuses on three pledges:

• The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
• The pledge to the Christian flag and the Savior for whose kingdom it stands.
• The pledge of allegiance to the Bible as God's holy Word.

Rowland and Smith return often to one central concern: when truth is no longer taught, allegiance can fade with it. The words may still be available, but their meaning can become unfamiliar to the people who once repeated them.

A Pledge Is a Serious Promise

Allegiance Requires More Than Repeating Words

The hosts define a pledge as a serious and formal promise. It can involve a commitment to act, give, support, or show loyalty. They compare it to an oath, the kind of promise made with personal responsibility behind it.

A pledge is a promise of loyalty that involves the person making it, not a slogan repeated without thought.

That distinction matters throughout the discussion. A person who pledges allegiance is not merely reciting a line. In the hosts' view, that person is placing his or her own commitment behind the words.

Rowland describes allegiance as a choice and a promise. Smith adds that loyalty does not depend on perfect performance. A citizen can remain loyal to a country while recognizing serious problems in its government. In the same way, a Christian's commitment to God does not rest on the perfection of other believers.

This does not mean that errors or wrongdoing should be ignored. Instead, the hosts argue that loyalty calls people to become part of the solution rather than abandoning the commitment whenever circumstances become difficult.

Loyalty Is Not Based on Perfection

The episode treats allegiance as a durable commitment. A person does not withdraw loyalty from a friend, church, country, or faith simply because that relationship contains disappointment or failure.

For Rowland and Smith, this principle applies to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible in different ways. The Bible, they say, is God's perfect Word. Nations and people are not perfect, yet they believe loyalty still involves responsibility, service, and a willingness to work toward what is right.

That idea shapes their concern about public participation in the pledges. If people refuse to say the words, the hosts believe the issue may be larger than discomfort with a ceremony. It may reveal uncertainty about whether they are willing to identify with the commitments the words express.

The Pledge of Allegiance and Its Meaning

The Words Point to a Republic Under God

The Pledge of Allegiance reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Rowland and Smith focus on several phrases within the pledge. The flag, they say, points to the nation and its government. The phrase "and to the republic for which it stands" expresses loyalty to the country itself, not simply a piece of cloth.

They also emphasize that loyalty does not require agreement with every policy, leader, or action taken by a government. Citizens can disagree, vote, speak, and work for change while maintaining a commitment to their country.

In their view, allegiance means refusing to become part of the problem. It means seeking the good of the nation even when its leaders or institutions fall short.

The final phrase, "with liberty and justice for all," also matters to the hosts. They describe it as a promise of fair treatment and equal opportunity. Those ideals are part of what they believe the flag and the republic should uphold.

The History Mentioned in the Episode

The hosts discuss several historical changes to the pledge and connect those changes to questions of national identity.

According to the episode, Bellamy wrote the pledge to promote patriotism among schoolchildren and to mark Columbus Day. The hosts also note that the 1923 change made the object of allegiance more explicit for immigrants who had come from other countries.

The 1954 addition of "under God" receives the most attention. Rowland and Smith say President Dwight D. Eisenhower supported the phrase as a way to distinguish the United States from communist nations during the Cold War.

"One Nation Under God" in the Hosts' View

Smith and Rowland treat "under God" as a declaration that national life has moral limits and a higher authority. They argue that the phrase rejects the idea that government should take God's place in a person's life.

Their conversation strongly criticizes communism and socialism, which they describe as systems that place the state in control of personal choices, beliefs, and moral standards. They connect Eisenhower's support for "under God" to the belief that communism is opposed to biblical faith.

The hosts' argument is that a government cannot become a substitute for God without demanding the kind of control that belongs to God alone. Therefore, they see the phrase as a public statement that the nation should remain accountable to God.

They also connect "indivisible" with national unity. While they acknowledge the country's divisions, they believe Americans should resist efforts that weaken loyalty to the nation or turn citizens against its founding principles.

What the Decline of the Pledge May Reveal

Participation Has Become Less Common

Rowland and Smith remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance regularly in school. They describe it as a daily practice, often said each morning in classrooms alongside the pledge to the Christian flag and the Bible.

That routine has changed in many places. The hosts believe fewer schools, churches, and Bible schools include the pledges as part of their regular gathering. As a result, younger people may know the words less well, or may never have been taught why they exist.

Smith shares an example from a church gathering where he noticed that about one-third of the congregation did not place a hand over the heart or visibly recite the pledge. He also says that some church leaders did not participate.

Has repeating the words become less important because the meaning behind them is no longer being taught? That is the question running through the episode.

The hosts do not view physical participation as the only measure of conviction. However, they see public reluctance to say the pledge as a sign that loyalty to the country may no longer be assumed or valued in the same way.

Their Challenge for Public and Church Leaders

Rowland takes a firm position: he believes a person who cannot sincerely pledge allegiance to the United States should not seek public office. He extends that conviction to leadership in American churches.

His reasoning is direct. A public leader should be willing to affirm loyalty to the nation he or she seeks to lead. Likewise, a church leader in America should be able to affirm the country's stated identity as "one nation under God," while also maintaining a higher allegiance to Christ.

Smith agrees that leaders should be clear about where they stand. Their concern is less about forcing empty words from people and more about whether leaders can honestly support the principles they claim to represent.

The episode also raises concern about religious nonaffiliation. The hosts contrast a clear profession of belief with what they describe as a growing unwillingness to take a stand. They acknowledge that some people may be confused, but they argue that confusion should lead people to seek truth rather than remain permanently uncommitted.

The Christian Flag Pledge Centers on the Gospel

A Public Promise to Christ and His Kingdom

The pledge to the Christian flag states:

"I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands, one Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe."

For Rowland and Smith, this pledge states the heart of the Christian message in a few lines. It points to one Savior, Jesus Christ. It also declares His crucifixion, resurrection, and promised return.

The hosts understand the Christian flag as a symbol of Christ's kingdom and what they call the divine government of God. To pledge allegiance to it is to affirm loyalty to Jesus, His gospel, and His authority over personal life.

The words "life and liberty to all who believe" also receive attention. The hosts see them as a statement of the hope found in Christ. Christian liberty, in this view, does not mean freedom to ignore God. It means freedom found through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Pledge Should Lead Back to Sharing the Gospel

The conversation does not stop with recitation. Rowland and Smith repeatedly call churches back to preaching the gospel and leading people to Christ.

Smith recalls that about 11 children gave their hearts to Christ at their Bible school the previous evening. He says that moment restored his perspective and reminded him what the church should be doing in a troubled culture.

The hosts encourage believers to share their faith in ordinary settings:

• Talk about Christ with people at work, in stores, and while running errands.
• Speak about the gospel in everyday conversations when the opportunity is present.
• Make soul-winning a regular part of church life rather than a neglected practice.

They quote the biblical phrase, "He that winneth souls is wise," and argue that churches become distracted when they lose focus on evangelism. Rowland recalls the advice of a preacher and Bible scholar who warned, "If you ever get too deep to preach the gospel, you're too deep."

The hosts apply that warning to church life. A sermon, program, or discussion that no longer centers on Jesus Christ and Him crucified has moved away from the message Christians are called to proclaim.

The Pledge to the Bible Grounds the Other Two

"God's Holy Word" Is the Starting Point

The third pledge says:

"I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God."

Rowland and Smith consider this pledge the foundation for the other two. Its first claim is plain: the Bible is God's holy Word.

They argue that many churches have weakened their commitment to Scripture by treating it as a good book, a collection of human opinions, or a text shaped mainly by the bias of its writers. The hosts reject that view. They insist that biblical authority must remain central in the pulpit and in the life of the church.

The language of the pledge also draws from familiar biblical images. A lamp gives enough light for the next step. A light on a path gives direction. Hiding God's Word in the heart points to memorizing, trusting, and obeying Scripture.

For the hosts, those images describe a faith that guides daily conduct. Scripture is not merely a book for Sunday services. It gives moral direction and confronts sin.

Truth That Is Not Taught Can Be Lost

The strongest argument in the episode is that churches are not only losing the pledges. They are losing the allegiance those pledges were meant to teach.

"What we're losing is allegiance."

That statement captures the hosts' concern. They believe the words of the pledges have faded because churches and Christian families have not consistently taught the truths contained in them.

According to Rowland and Smith, allegiance to the Bible gives Christians a foundation for allegiance to Christ. Allegiance to Christ then shapes how believers understand their place in the country where they live.

They do not argue that America replaces the kingdom of God. Instead, they say Christians should hold loyalty to Christ first while also honoring the country and the principles expressed in "one nation under God."

Churches Set a Standard for Families and Communities

Teaching Must Be Clear and Public

Smith and Rowland place a major responsibility on the church. They believe churches influence the standards held by families, communities, and the nation. When biblical standards fall away, they argue, churches should examine whether they have clearly taught the truth.

That responsibility includes teaching the words of the pledges and explaining why those words matter. A congregation can recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Christian flag pledge, or the pledge to the Bible without understanding them. The hosts want churches to go further than repetition.

They want believers to understand that the American pledge refers to loyalty to a republic, unity, liberty, justice, and a nation under God. They want the Christian flag pledge to point people to the crucified, risen, and returning Savior. They want the Bible pledge to affirm Scripture as God's authoritative Word.

Regular recitation, in their view, can help reinforce those convictions when churches teach the meaning alongside the words.

Submitting to God's Authority

The hosts are also concerned that some people want a version of Christianity that does not require submission to God's commands. Rowland describes this as trying to lobby God's government for a change in standards so that personal choices no longer need correction.

Their alternative is direct: Christians should submit to God's authority rather than seek to revise it. Allegiance to Christ means accepting that His kingdom has a King and that His Word speaks with authority.

That conviction explains why the hosts tie the pledge to the Bible so closely to the pledge to the Christian flag. A person cannot claim loyalty to Christ's kingdom while dismissing the Word that teaches who Christ is and how His followers should live.

A Call to Restore Meaning, Not Empty Ritual

The episode ends with a challenge to pastors, church leaders, Christian educators, and believers. Rowland and Smith urge churches to consider bringing back all three pledges in appropriate settings, including Vacation Bible Schools, Christian schools, and worship gatherings.

Their call is for sincere participation rather than a routine performed without conviction. Churches that choose to use the pledges should teach the meaning of each phrase, connect the Christian flag pledge to the gospel, and present the Bible as God's holy Word.

The hosts' larger message is clear. Faithful allegiance must show up in more than spoken words. It should shape what believers teach their children, what churches preach, how Christians speak about Jesus, and how they live under God's authority.

The Lasting Question Behind the Three Pledges

The three pledges point to three commitments: loyalty to the country, loyalty to Christ and His kingdom, and loyalty to God's Word. Jeff Rowland and Alan Smith argue that each commitment requires more than memory. It requires a sincere promise expressed through daily life.

Their strongest concern is that the loss of these practices may reflect a loss of allegiance itself. Reintroducing the words has value only when churches also teach the faith, responsibility, and biblical authority those words declare.

A pledge carries weight because it asks a person to stand behind it. For Christians, that begins with allegiance to Jesus Christ and the truth of God's Word.

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