A Subordinate Symbol

Travis Reed of The Work of the People (TWOTP) edited this video from a Zoom call we shared during the COVID pandemic.

What the Flag Means to Me

The flag is a symbol, and because of the nation that birthed it — that created it, that imbued it with meaning — there's no one way to interpret it.

Salutes and Held Hands

I've been at protests where they burned the American flag, and that's fine. I haven't saluted — if you're a veteran, you're not supposed to salute during the national anthem unless you're in uniform and in service; you're supposed to put your hand over your heart instead. And I've also been at stadiums singing the national anthem, and I don't think I put my hand over my heart. I think I stand out of respect, but I feel like there's something about my heart and my center that belongs to God. So I just stand. I think that's what render-unto-Caesar looks like.

The Flag in the Sanctuary

I don't think it has a place at the altar unless it's clear it's a subordinate symbol — subordinate to the cross, or maybe the altar itself. I hear a lot of anxiety on both sides of the aisle about whether to have it or not, like that decision carries enormous weight. I think that's an exaggeration of the meaning the flag should actually have.

For conservative Christians: if the flag is being treated on the same level as the cross or the Christian flag, I get the concern. There's no threat in removing it, and equally I don't think there's any threat in keeping it in the worship space, so long as it's clearly subordinate. Insisting it be removed from the altar or sanctuary entirely reveals as much about the people demanding that as it does about the symbol itself.

The Priest and the Idol

There's a story — I never remember it exactly — about a priest who goes to convert a tribe in the jungle or something. The tribe enthusiastically embraces him and says, "We're going to smash these idols," and the priest says, more or less, "maybe don't, leave them alone." They keep getting converted, and eventually they come back and say, "We should smash the idol," and he says, "You know, it's actually a nice piece of art — the sculptor put a lot of work into it. Why don't you use it as decoration in your home?" So they do. As they get further along in their faith, more zealous, they say, "Let's smash the idol," and he says, "It's kind of cold — do we have any firewood?"

What we do with our symbols says so much more about us than it does about the symbol. It's an inanimate object.

The Loincloth on the Cross

That said — there's a reason we put a white loincloth on Christ in our art. We're a little anxious about the reality of him being stripped bare and humiliated. But that's what it should mean: that we are completely humiliated before the world. What's wise to the world is foolishness in how we act.

So when people ask questions like, "Are we going to give up our country to the Muslims or whatever" — yeah, maybe, I don't know. Sounds crazy. But that's the God who dies on a cross to save the world.