ince the September 11 terrorist attacks, the song "God Bless America" has enjoyed renewed popularity, and generated controversy over the separation of church and state. It is often dubbed the country's "unofficial national anthem." Within hours of the demise of the World Trade Center, a throng of Congressional lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Capitol to sing the eleven-line recitative. On the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, traders and guests were led by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in a round of song, and the resumption of Major League Baseball saw the traditional echoes of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" replaced by "God Bless America."

   While singing "God Bless America" or displaying it on signs (especially those identified with government or public schools) is thought of as a patriotic tradition with roots deep in American history, the origins of the song are more recent. The piece was composed by Irving Berlin (1888-1989), one of eight children whose family moved from Eastern Russia to escape anti-Jewish pogroms. After settling in the Lower East Side of New York City, Berlin helped to support his family by writing music and even becoming a "singing waiter" in area restaurants. During World War I, he composed a musical, "Yip, Yip, Yaphank" which included the hit "Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning." Another piece was "God Bless America," but Berlin considered the song to be inappropriate for the more festive tone of the production, and set the manuscript aside.

   Berlin went on to write over 900 musical scores, including such hits as "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Blue Skies," "White Christmas," and "There's No Business Like Show Business." On Broadway, he won the hearts of audiences with productions like "Annie Get Your Gun" (1946) and "Call Me Madam" (1950). His prodigious output made him a household name for decades, and earned him a multitude of awards including the Tony (1963) and the Academy Award for Best Song of the Year, "White Christmas" in 1942. Capitalizing on the success of "God Bless America," Berlin donated millions of dollars to Army Emergency Relief, as well as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.

   The original rendition of "God Bless America" languished until Armistice Day in 1939 when it was performed by Kate Smith during a national radio broadcast. It became an instant hit, and the country's "unofficial" anthem.

   What renders "God Bless America" so evocative today is its timing. Kate Smith's broadcast was on the threshold of "gathering storm clouds" in Europe that would soon lead the country into the Second World War. Many Americans see a parallel with current events, and the nation's involvement with yet another global conflict.

   "The songs we sing as Americans say a great deal about how we deal with our grief and understand our place in history," says James A. Smith Sr., of the Florida Baptist Witness news journal. In a piece carried by Religion News Service, he adds: "Most importantly, music may demonstrate our faith (or lack of faith) in God. Songs like John Lennon's 'Imagine" offer merely escape and utopian dreams. Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God' and other hymns of the Christian faith, in contrast, point us to a sovereign God who holds the world in his hands and in whom we can take refuge..."

   Smith adds that "In Today's post-Christian American culture ... Christians must recognize that many Americans who proclaim 'God Bless America' have forgotten what it really is -- a prayer."

   Berlin, a Jew, was also active in ecumenical movements like the National Conference of Christians and Jews; and while the song may be not be sectarian in appealing to the deity of one particular faith, it does proclaim honor on behalf of a God. The strong religious overtones are evidenced not only in the verses, but in how society reacted to Berlin's astounding hit. On February 18, 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower presented Berlin with a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his services in composing "God Bless America" and other music. This came during the height of the "Red Scare," when Congress and the President ramrodded legislation which effectively religionized the national motto, changing it from "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of Many, One) and required the slogan be display on currency.

   Smith adds that "The resurgence of 'God Bless America' presents a wonderful opening for ministry." For religious groups and their supporters on Capitol Hill, it also offers an emotional vehicle for focusing the national consciousness on sectarian faith, and attempting to breech the wall of separation between church and state.

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