New Steven Curtis Chapman song celebrates freedom, listening
Steven Curtis Chapman is marking America’s 250th birthday with a new version of “America the Beautiful” that asks listeners to value freedom, practice gratitude and hear one another out.
The contemporary Christian singer recorded the song with country artist Chris Janson, keeping the familiar lyrics while adding new verses for the anniversary year. The message is less about politics than stewardship. Chapman said Americans have been given freedoms that should be used carefully and with humility.
“I feel like God has graced America with a freedom, and with that a responsibility,” Chapman told Crosswalk. “My hope and my prayer would be that it just might cause us to lay down the weapons.”
One of the new passages acknowledges that Americans will not agree on everything. It compares the country to a song in which people sing different parts, then adds that freedom rings more clearly when people listen well.
Chapman said his appreciation for the country began at home. His grandfather, Rubel Rudd, was a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient who returned from the war with shrapnel in his leg. That family history gave Chapman an early understanding that freedom came at a cost.
Travel also shaped his thinking. Chapman has visited countries where Christians cannot worship openly, an experience he said deepened his gratitude for religious liberty in the United States.
Still, he was careful not to confuse patriotism with theology.
“America is not God’s favorite nation,” Chapman said. “It is a place that he has shed his grace.”
The song was released in June, and Chapman later performed it with Janson at the Grand Ole Opry. Both men are Opry members.
Chapman’s career has spanned nearly four decades. The Recording Academy lists him as a five-time Grammy winner with 18 nominations.
The new recording closes on a simple idea. Americans may sing different parts, but they still share the song.
–Alan Goforth
#StevenCurtisChapman #AmericaTheBeautiful #ChrisJanson #ChristianMusic #America250
