American Idol – Part 3 of my series titled The Journey of a Politically Homeless Christian
You’ve perhaps seen fireworks stands while driving or seen posts in your local Facebook group asking about where to view fireworks today. There are currently fourth of July sales with lots of red, white, and blue.
The United States flag is put on everything and flown everywhere: shirts, mugs, bathing suits, beer cans, tattoos. Why? American’s are proud of their country? Businesses providing merchandise customers want, and a business job is to make money? The flag is being worshipped? Answer: All of the above.
The Flag Code passed by Congress in 1942 doesn’t outlaw those things, I wouldn’t mind if it did. The Flag Code doesn’t make it a crime using it on clothes or carrying horizontally or used for advertising purposes and a host of other things. The flag code is recommendations for private citizens to follow, but there are no flag police if you break the code. Since I’ve been old enough to critically think about such things my opinion has been if people want to do things with the flag that are not “respectful” and against the flag code that’s their business. I don’t like it, but they have the freedom to be “weird” and “disrespectful.” I’m sure many things I do and find “normal” they might find weird as well.
However, as a Christian, I find the proliferation of the United States flag an idol that is too close to being worshipped. It wasn’t until the Civil War that the flag started to spread outside of official use by the Government as a symbol of nationalism and rejection of secessionism.
“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry” 1 Corinthians 10:14
On June 20th, the President said “We ought to come up with legislation that if you burn the American flag, you go to jail for one year...we ought to do it. They talk about freedom of speech and I'm a big believer in freedom of speech, but that's desecration, that's a terrible thing." I’ll pause for a moment and say that in two separate cases in 1989 and 1990 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning an American flag is constitutionally protected free speech under the First Amendment. More on this in a moment.
Beyond the ridiculous punishment suggested by the President, the word that pops out to me as a Christian is “desecration”. This moves the conversation squarely into religious territory treating the flag as a religious and sacred object. And it certainly is by some Americans. It is a graven image for the unofficial American Religion. You could add to the list the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. They are the prayer and hymn of the American Religion that kids are indoctrinated into growing up in school and sporting events. Too many Christians have fallen for this trap. Just as it is common to memorize prayers and hymns in one’s faith including certain gestures, bowing one’s head and closing eyes, hands lifted up for songs. Americans memorize at least partially the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem through repeated utterances in school and sporting events. These too have standard gestures of the hand over the heart, removing hats for men. I don’t mention these outward reactions to say you shouldn’t do them if you feel it is the right thing or led by the Spirit. Rather I am saying the similarities are unmistakable.
I don’t pledge allegiance to the flag or the Republic for which it stands. Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.” Mark 12:17. I’m sure if Jesus came to the world now even with us having the benefit of the New Testament, we would still be marveled at what he’d say and challenge believer and non-believer alike. My allegiance is to God, not a man-made country or a flag. The government can have my taxes just as I give tithes and offerings to the church. It is all blessings from God.
At the same time, I strive to follow Jesus. “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Matthew 16:24
For a little background, the first pledge of allegiance wasn’t written till 1892 by a socialist minister named Francis Bellamy that firmly believed in the separation of church and state and it did not contain the phrase under God. It was written for a magazine to boost sales and manipulate patriotic people and put a flag on every school in the nation. One site I read stated Bellamy had hoped the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.
Circling back to the Constitution. This would be the bible of the American Religion. Where some proudly claim they carry a pocket version with them wherever they go. The Constitution is not an inerrant book, like the Word of God, it has been amended many times and can be updated to better serve the present age.
I return now to being proud of America. On a recent post on my wall I wrote that I’m Christian first, a citizen of the world second, and third citizen of the United States. I personally am prouder of the first two. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” Genesis 1:27. God doesn’t see man-made borders; we are all His children. Also, don’t forget that pride is largely considered the greatest and earliest sin and any time one is thinking in those terms must be careful. Pride is a whole other article, that maybe I’ll return to if time allows.
Are all uses of the flag idolatry, of course not. One of my general guiding principles is to avoid extremes and there is a time and place for almost everything. See Ecclesiastes 3 which begins “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”
Sin begins in the heart, not with outward actions. Make sure however you treat the flag and the constitution make sure it’s a conscious choice with God at the center.
You’ve perhaps seen fireworks stands while driving or seen posts in your local Facebook group asking about where to view fireworks today. There are currently fourth of July sales with lots of red, white, and blue.
The United States flag is put on everything and flown everywhere: shirts, mugs, bathing suits, beer cans, tattoos. Why? American’s are proud of their country? Businesses providing merchandise customers want, and a business job is to make money? The flag is being worshipped? Answer: All of the above.
The Flag Code passed by Congress in 1942 doesn’t outlaw those things, I wouldn’t mind if it did. The Flag Code doesn’t make it a crime using it on clothes or carrying horizontally or used for advertising purposes and a host of other things. The flag code is recommendations for private citizens to follow, but there are no flag police if you break the code. Since I’ve been old enough to critically think about such things my opinion has been if people want to do things with the flag that are not “respectful” and against the flag code that’s their business. I don’t like it, but they have the freedom to be “weird” and “disrespectful.” I’m sure many things I do and find “normal” they might find weird as well.
However, as a Christian, I find the proliferation of the United States flag an idol that is too close to being worshipped. It wasn’t until the Civil War that the flag started to spread outside of official use by the Government as a symbol of nationalism and rejection of secessionism.
“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry” 1 Corinthians 10:14
On June 20th, the President said “We ought to come up with legislation that if you burn the American flag, you go to jail for one year...we ought to do it. They talk about freedom of speech and I'm a big believer in freedom of speech, but that's desecration, that's a terrible thing." I’ll pause for a moment and say that in two separate cases in 1989 and 1990 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning an American flag is constitutionally protected free speech under the First Amendment. More on this in a moment.
Beyond the ridiculous punishment suggested by the President, the word that pops out to me as a Christian is “desecration”. This moves the conversation squarely into religious territory treating the flag as a religious and sacred object. And it certainly is by some Americans. It is a graven image for the unofficial American Religion. You could add to the list the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. They are the prayer and hymn of the American Religion that kids are indoctrinated into growing up in school and sporting events. Too many Christians have fallen for this trap. Just as it is common to memorize prayers and hymns in one’s faith including certain gestures, bowing one’s head and closing eyes, hands lifted up for songs. Americans memorize at least partially the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem through repeated utterances in school and sporting events. These too have standard gestures of the hand over the heart, removing hats for men. I don’t mention these outward reactions to say you shouldn’t do them if you feel it is the right thing or led by the Spirit. Rather I am saying the similarities are unmistakable.
I don’t pledge allegiance to the flag or the Republic for which it stands. Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.” Mark 12:17. I’m sure if Jesus came to the world now even with us having the benefit of the New Testament, we would still be marveled at what he’d say and challenge believer and non-believer alike. My allegiance is to God, not a man-made country or a flag. The government can have my taxes just as I give tithes and offerings to the church. It is all blessings from God.
At the same time, I strive to follow Jesus. “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Matthew 16:24
For a little background, the first pledge of allegiance wasn’t written till 1892 by a socialist minister named Francis Bellamy that firmly believed in the separation of church and state and it did not contain the phrase under God. It was written for a magazine to boost sales and manipulate patriotic people and put a flag on every school in the nation. One site I read stated Bellamy had hoped the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.
Circling back to the Constitution. This would be the bible of the American Religion. Where some proudly claim they carry a pocket version with them wherever they go. The Constitution is not an inerrant book, like the Word of God, it has been amended many times and can be updated to better serve the present age.
I return now to being proud of America. On a recent post on my wall I wrote that I’m Christian first, a citizen of the world second, and third citizen of the United States. I personally am prouder of the first two. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” Genesis 1:27. God doesn’t see man-made borders; we are all His children. Also, don’t forget that pride is largely considered the greatest and earliest sin and any time one is thinking in those terms must be careful. Pride is a whole other article, that maybe I’ll return to if time allows.
Are all uses of the flag idolatry, of course not. One of my general guiding principles is to avoid extremes and there is a time and place for almost everything. See Ecclesiastes 3 which begins “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”
Sin begins in the heart, not with outward actions. Make sure however you treat the flag and the constitution make sure it’s a conscious choice with God at the center.