When Sheldon Good's alma mater, Goshen (Ind.) College, decided to change a long standing tradition of not playing the American national anthem at his school's sporting events, he took issue with the decision. The pressure for the school to begin playing the anthem came when Mike Gallagher, a syndicated conservative talk-host, urged listeners to contact the college and advocate for the widely socially embraced practice.

Good says the decision to play the anthem at sporting events of a school with a historic peace church history re-affirms the widely held belief that pacifists are passive. Christians are called to be global citizens, writes Good. “God calls us to carry our patriotism lightly.”

Read this profound, insightful, and articulate response from a recent college grad currently working at Sojourners in Washington, D.C. - link courtesy of The Mennonite

Added Feb 23, 2010: The Washington Post picked up on the issue in a Feb. 20, 2010, story.