Fly Your Flag

What we believe, we live out and proclaim. In fact, there are numerous ways we can do that. Psalm 60 teaches us about the importance of displaying what we believe; it says:
2 You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it; Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
3 You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion.
4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
5 That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

Prompted by a certain U.S. Supreme Court justice who has displayed flags outside of his homes, Paul Batura of Focus on the Family, writing at The Daily Citizen, stated:

I like people who fly flags.

What type of flag you fly matters, of course, but it’s been my experience that there are more good people who fly good flags than bad people who fly bad ones.

You can never go wrong with flying Old Glory.

He says that, "I think one of the many reasons I like people who fly flags is because the act tends to reflect a degree of creativity and appreciation of history on behalf of the person flying it." He adds, "Flags can teach or communicate loyalty, whether to a state, a cause, a college or even a team."

Tomorrow is Flag Day, and I came across a survey from 2022 dealing with the American flag - it was conducted by YouGov, and the main statistic, according to a summary article, was, "60% of Americans say they have a 'very positive' view of the U.S. flag."

Quite frankly, that doesn't bode very well with regard to American patriotism, with love of our country. The survey did indicate that an additional 17% had a "somewhat positive" view of the flag. The summary goes on to say: "More than half of Americans (54%) say they have a U.S. flag at home. Among this group, 40% say they fly it daily, and 30% save it for holidays and special occasions."

Unfortunately, in the words of this article, "...younger Americans — who see the American flag in a less positive light than older adults — also are less likely to call themselves patriotic."  Less than half - 41% - of young adults under 30 have a very positive view of the flag, and only 20% view themselves as "very patriotic." 

All in all, 45% of all U.S. citizens surveyed described themselves as "very patriotic," with an additional 31% saying there were "somewhat patriotic."

Miles Smith of Hillsdale College, writing at First Things, examined the history of churches displaying flags of various countries.  He says:

In America, displaying the national flag in a church is a sign that we expect our government to fulfill its duty to protect our religious freedom. Not freedom of worship, not freedom of indoor sacramental observance, but freedom of religion, as it is exercised in ecclesiastical, domestic, and public spheres. If Americans want to keep a healthy disestablished Christianity, it seems particularly important to hold our government to this duty. The American flag promises to protect other religions besides Christianity, but it also does not promise less than the protection of Christianity.

And, Liberty Counsel went to bat for the right of a Boston pastor to fly a Christian flag on a pole outside City Hall, since city leaders had disallowed it simply because of its religious nature.  Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of Hal Shurtleff, there has been a "ripple effect" of municipalities revising their flag policies, including the display of the gay pride flag.  The Liberty Counsel website states:

In Clearwater, Florida, Mayor Bruce Rector stated that the city will host events and a proclamation for “pride month” but have ended the practice of switching out the city flag at the downtown Municipal Services Building. Rector said that it could create “a slippery slope” with the city making judgment calls on groups that may “ask for the gesture in the future.”

The city council banned the “pride flag” in Hamtramck, Michigan on public property after debate on LGBTQ+ discrimination and religion due to the “beliefs of some members of their faith.” The council voted to display only five flags: the American Flag, the Michigan flag, and the countries of immigrant residents.

In Downey, California, the city council voted 3-2 to adopt a “neutral” flag policy allowing only the United States flag, the state flag, the city flag, and the POW/MIA flag.

Even though Huntington Beach, California had previously flown the rainbow flag during “Pride month” during the last two years, voters approved a measure that restricts all non-government flags from being flown on city property and only allows that the American flag, the State of California flag, the County of Orange flag, the City of Huntington Beach flag, the POW-MIA flag, the six Armed Forces flags and the Olympic flag during the Summer Olympic Games may be flown on government flagpoles.

And, as you may remember, the city of Montgomery approved a policy that, according to WSFA, said that "...Only U.S., state and city flags will be flying on the poles outside of Montgomery City Hall."

The flags we display can say quite a bit about our beliefs and our character. We have a great country, founded on principles consistent with the Christian faith, a country that, as Professor Smith points out, has at its core a dedication to religious freedom. It is not idolatrous to be patriotic, especially when you consider God's hand in the sustenance of said country.  Now, there are folks that place love of country over love of God - and that's something they need to deal with before God. But, by and large, we can be confident, as Christians, in loving our country.

We can also consider how we are displaying our love for God. We belong to Jesus, and He calls us to be visible representatives of His presence within us. We have to be careful in how we express ourselves, so that in all things we are showing our love and devotion to our great God and King, above all.