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I’m in the Lord’s Army: The AWANA Atrocity

I’m in the Lord’s Army: The AWANA Atrocity

Last updated on: August 24, 2025 at 9:18 am by Gregory T. Smith

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I’m in the Lord’s Army: The AWANA Atrocity 2025-08-24T09:18:58-08:00 Gregory T. Smith

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“I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery…but I’m in the Lord’s Army!” And AWANA is the bootcamp.

AWANA doesn’t just instruct kids about Jesus. It teaches them to be soldiers for Jesus. Image from https://pixy.org/823165/. No changes were made. See license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

If you grew up in the Evangelical church, no doubt you learned that song, complete with hand motions. If you missed out on that bit of Christian Nationalist propaganda, here’s a video, just for your own personal indoctrination:

Militarized Religion

If you raised your kids in an Evangelical church, they may have attended AWANA, where this song, among other things, created a unique blend of Christianity and patriotism. It was catchy. It was fun. But it was also a problem. Long before your children were able to critically engage with their faith, they were being trained. Of course, the memorized Bible verses were part of the training—but so was militarized religion.

What is AWANA?

AWANA was founded in 1950 by Lance Lathan and Art Rorheim in Chicago. The name is an acronym that means “Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.” This comes from 2 Timothy 2, where Paul adjures his protégé to serve as “a good soldier of Christ (verse three).” Then, in verse fifteen, he says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.” Lathan and Rorheim combined these two ideas of weaponized religion and studying the Bible, and created the fun and regimented program we know as AWANA.

AWANA is a children’s discipleship program that got its start in the US and has spread internationally. Think Sunday school mixed with scouting, complete with uniforms, merit badges, game time, Bible drills, verse memorization, salutes, songs, and pledges. But underneath all this “harmless fun” is something concerning.

AWANA doesn’t just instruct kids about Jesus. It teaches them to be soldiers for Jesus. And it does so using language, rituals, and structures that shape children to see faith not as an invitation to love, but as a campaign to be won.

(Click on the video to learn more about Bible drills.)

AWANA Pledge

At the beginning of each AWANA meeting, before kids are separated into their age groups, there is an opening ceremony. Kids march into the sanctuary carrying an American flag (in the US) and the AWANA flag. Then, they pledge allegiance to the American flag and the AWANA flag. The AWANA pledge says:

“I pledge allegiance to the AWANA flag, which stands for the AWANA clubs, whose goal is to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ, and train them to serve Him.”

This provokes the question—why are children pledging to the AWANA flag? A pledge is a declaration of unquestioning loyalty. On the heels of World War II, and at the beginning of the Cold War, many believed that a Christian America was a strong America. According to Becky Little’s article, “Why Eisenhower Added ‘Under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance During the Cold War,” the US Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892. The 1940s saw court cases debating whether children should be made to recite the pledge. And, in 1954, Eisenhower added the phrase “under God” to the oath. In those days, national loyalty was essential. So, Lathan and Rorheim believed allegiance to their club trained children to be good Christian soldiers and instituted a pledge to the organization.

You may ask, “What’s the harm in a pledge to AWANA?” Like any pledge, it forms identity. It asks children to publicly declare loyalty to a faith they barely understand—whether or not they’re baptized believers. And, for American AWANA clubs at least, it develops strong ties to Christian Nationalism, or what I call “Americianity.” It’s the idea that America is a Christian nation, and that the Church should dominate culture and government until the country is under a theocratic regime. You may think it is a leap—but read the lyrics of the AWANA song and then tell me I’m wrong.

AWANA Song

After the AWANA pledge comes the AWANA theme song. Around the world, children sing this rousing anthem with pride:

Firmly AWANA stands, led by the Lord’s command,

“Approved workmen are not ashamed,”

Boys and girls for His service claimed!

Hail! AWANA! On the march for youth;

Hail! AWANA! Holding forth the truth

Building lives on the Word of God AWANA stands!

This is not a hymn to Jesus. It is not a quiet spiritual reflection. This is a march. Children are “claimed” for God’s service. This means that they are drafted—taken by force. In light of this, the phrase “on the march for youth” does not indicate that AWANA is on the march on youth’s behalf or for their benefit. Instead, it means that AWANA is on the march in search of youth to convert, in the manner of a military recruiter. “Hail! AWANA!” (2x) sounds very much like “Heil Hitler!” If you still had any questions about the militarism of this song, the second verse seals the deal:

Our Savior following with steps unfaltering,

And love unaltering, His praise we sing,

His banner over us, in service glorious,

We’ll fight victorious for Christ our King!

(Shout) YOUTH ON THE MARCH!

This is not subtle. AWANA is Evangelical boot camp. Its language is militaristic and combative, and its theology is rooted in the work of conquistadores and crusaders. Kids are not following Jesus—they’re fighting for Jesus. And this isn’t mere metaphor. This militaristic mindset becomes part of children’s worldview. They’re in the Lord’s army.

Shame Hidden in the Motto

At the core of AWANA is its theme verse:

2 Timothy 2:15 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (NKJV)

Yes—I’m going to take issue with the Bible itself. What does this verse actually mean? Paul was putting a lot of pressure on his disciple Timothy. “If you’re not diligent, you won’t show yourself approved. You’re going to be ashamed, if you don’t rightly divide (properly understand and apply) the word of truth.” Paul was being a little passive aggressive here and applying a heavy dose of guilt and manipulation.

And what’s good for Timothy is good for church kids, right? If some children memorize their verses, wear the uniform, say the pledge, and stay in line, they are “approved.” The rest? Disapproved. Inferior. Shamed.

And AWANA reinforces this. You earn jewels, badges, trophies. You level up and get celebrated on stage. Some high achievers can even earn scholarships. As a pastor, I saw this as type-A, helicopter parents pushed their children so they could get those monetary grants. But for kids who struggle with memorization, who are neurodivergent, or who come from unchurched homes, AWANA becomes a place of exclusion. And, for those kids who don’t have parents with carpentry skills, the concluding AWANA Grand Prix competition can be an exercise in silent failure.

AWANA is not about grace. It’s a meritocracy in Jesus’ name.

The Prayer of Dominion

The AWANA prayer, though innocent-sounding, carries a note of dominionism:

“Our prayer is that all children and youth throughout the world will come to know, love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Who could argue with a prayer like that? Who wouldn’t want kids to know, love, and serve Jesus? The problem is the idea that all children worldwide should be converted to Christianity. This assumes that all other worldviews, faiths, and traditions are inferior. “Serving” Jesus in this context cannot be about universal voluntary acceptance of Christ. It can only mean forced or coerced conversion to this particular version of Christianity. This is a colonizing prayer dressed up in Evangelical sugar.

A Call to Lay Down Arms

Christianity should never fashion itself after the world’s weapons of war. I know, many may argue that the Hebrew Scriptures narrate many God-ordained conquests. Others could point out the language of spiritual warfare in the New Testament. The problem is that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, never encouraged such thinking.

Instead, Jesus taught us to love our enemies. He rebuked Peter for an act of violence, saying, “All who take the sword will die by the sword.” He refused to call down fire on his enemies, remind those who requested that he do that, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”

Since Jesus calls his followers to be nonviolent, it stands to reason that militaristic metaphors and symbolism have no place in the Church. Marches, pledges, uniforms, and language that teaches children that they’re in the Lord’s army have no place in loving congregations. Neither do military motivators such as earning badges, winning contests, avoiding shame and disgrace, and allegiance to organizations. As Jesus calls us to lay down our arms literally, we must also abandon the language and symbolism of aggression and domination.

A Jesus-Centered Children’s Ministry

So, we must ask, what would a truly Jesus-centered children’s ministry look like? It would not begin with pledges, performance, or uniforms. It would not demand memorization as a way of demonstrating to others that you are approved by God. A Jesus-centered children’s ministry would not sing songs about fighting, marching, or winning. It would not use shame (or the avoidance of shame) as a motivator.

It would start with love. With spiritual inquiry and mystery. It would start with joy.

It would instruct kids about Jesus—not as a soldier follows a commander—but as a child follows a beloved friend: with trust, curiosity, and love.

My Confession

I’ll close this article with a personal confession: Nearly twenty years ago, I was a young pastor who was new to a congregation that already had a thriving AWANA program. Much of what I’ve said here I already believed at that time. But too many church members loved AWANA, and it brought in so many families that my objection to AWANA didn’t seem like a battle worth fighting. So, I whispered my opinion. Then, when my pitiful protest fell on deaf ears, I let sleeping dogs lie (to mix a metaphor).

In my defense, in those days, I knew nothing about the dangers of Christian Nationalism, and didn’t see AWANA as a training ground for MAGA nazis. But that’s the thing. The damages that this organization perpetrates are insidious. They might seem like nothing, but they develop so gradually that by the time anybody notices them, it’s too late—the harm is done. So, I hope that by sharing my mistakes, I might inspire you to be more courageous than myself.

A Call to Action

If your church still uses AWANA, or if your church is considering AWANA as a curriculum, I encourage you to take a hard look at what It’s really teaching. If you’re a parent, consider what messages your child is absorbing—not just the Bible, but the militaristic packaging in which AWANA presents the scriptures.

And if, like my own children, you’re a former AWANA kid, give yourself grace. You were drafted into an army you never signed up for. Now you get to lay your weapons down—and walk in peace.

For related reading, check out my other articles:

General Christian

Politics and Religion

Challenging the Church

Deconstruction

For Pastors

AWANA

Christian nationalism

spiritual warfare

About Gregory T. Smith

I live in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia and work in northern Washington State as a behavioral health specialist with people experiencing homelessness and those who are overly involved in the criminal justice system. Before that, I spent over a quarter-century as lead pastor of several Virginia churches. My newspaper column, “Spirit and Truth” ran in Virginia newspapers for fifteen years. I am one of fourteen contributing authors of the Patheos/Quoir Publishing book “Sitting in the Shade of another Tree: What We Learn by Listening to Other Faiths.” I hold a degree in Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and also studied at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. My wife Christina and I have seven children between us, and we are still collecting grandchildren. You can read more about the author here.

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