“The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” -Isaiah 29:13
As the Christian Church in America struggles to boldly stand for the wisdom of God’s law and the transforming power of Christ to change lives, the picture at left (which was taken at a large Baptist Church in Missouri) may illustrate one of the primary problems with Christianity in America today. We honor our Lord with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him. And our worship is only made up of rules taught by men.
Because in case you didn’t notice in the picture above, the flag of Jesus is in the place of submission to the flag of the State… as if to say that the Kingdom of Man is given greater honor over the Kingdom of God. While we’re sure this was merely an effort to comply with Federal Flag codes (1), the significance of displaying the flag of Jesus in this way, and the message that it sends, must have been missed by those who raised it. But the proper respect and honor for our Lord in our lives is something we can’t afford to overlook. We’re all guilty of it. Whether it be an obvious outward sign, or a more hidden inner rejection of the Lord that only we know about – standing for the Lord’s Truth (the Kingdom of God) isn’t always easy, or convenient in the Kingdom of Man.
It’s ironic that while the State seems to be working to remove God from just about everything, Christians seem to be inviting more and more of the State into their own lives. Instead of standing as beacons of truth and living with a consistent biblical worldview, they’re partaking in government wealth confiscation programs while sending their children to be educated in government schools. All while our churches are too busy worrying about losing their tax exempt status to inform us how the Bible should be applied to all areas of our lives. This results in ineffective Christians that are conformed to the culture instead of working to reform the culture.
What is important to recognize is that rights and law aren’t simply pulled out of thin air. They are rooted in the existence of a Supreme Law-Giver, as Sir William Blackstone noted. And in keeping with Blackstone’s teachings about law, our founders knew it was foolish to suggest that a government could properly govern without being informed by Christianity. This is not advocating a Church State, but merely an acknowledgement that no nation will survive without moral, self-governing citizens. This need for moral citizens is why our founders emphasized the importance of the Church as an institution in society, and one that should not be handicapped by the State.
Larry Beane in On Flags in the Sanctuary writes that, “In a sense, the church is like a ship or an embassy that flies under its own flag. Churches, though located in the U.S. or Canada or Russia or Ethiopia – are actually missions or consulates or embassies of heaven. The sovereign of the Church is not the king or the queen or the president – but the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, He who said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world,’ He who rebuffed Satan’s temptations to give Him all of the kingdoms of the world.”
And in Should Churches Display the American Flag?, Douglas Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho states, “The New Testament is all about this principle. Where customs interfere with transnational fellowship, those customs must give way (Acts 15:29). Placing a flag in a sanctuary has many possible implications. It could convey the idea that we claim some sort of ‘favored nation’ status. It could imply we believe that the claims of Caesar extend into every space, including sacred spaces. It could imply that our version of Christianity is similar to some kind of syncretistic ‘God and country’ religion, where patriotism and religion are one and the same.”
In the end it leads one to wonder: At what point does Patriotism cross over into Idolatry?
Read more:
- On Law and Love: Blackstone’s Legacy
- Christianity in America: No King but Caesar?
- Christian schizophrenia and Government
- God and Government: A Christian Responsibility
- True Liberty: How Limited Government and Personal Responsibility Works
(1) At a report detailing Federal law pertaining to the display of the U.S. flag (which can be seen here), section 7-K states that, “When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman’s or speaker’s right as he faces the audience.”
