The Flag and the Church
A conversation I have not much had over the past eight years concerns the separation of church and state. The phrase means different things to different people, but it can manifest in hot disagreements over things like, should a US flag be in a sanctuary? Why are there patriotic hymns in the (Methodist) hymnal, and is it ever right to sing them in worship? What should a preacher say and not say in response to current events and political figures? What groups and events can use church space?
These are not straightforward conversations to have. My immigrant clergy colleagues often find unsettling the proximity of God and country in US worship. This is especially true for colleagues whose countries of origin have a recent memory of dictatorship. At the same time, military families can find church community to be a solid foundation amidst frequent moves and life-risking separations. For many, church connects the dots between such sacrifice and a higher cause. Scouting programs, often housed in churches, play a similar role.
Our current political climate has upped the ante on these matters. Symbols that were once less controversial for churches, such as the ecumenical Christian flag, have been co-opted by white Christian nationalists. Love of country has become for some the highest calling and for others a heresy. Most will agree that it’s appropriate to pray for the nation, and if that’s the case, what a spectrum of prayers God must be receiving these days!
With Memorial Day upon us and the semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary of the US around the corner, we are wise to reflect on these intersections of public and church life. There are many of us who—while acknowledging present and historical brokenness—still find it a worthy cause to uphold and work for the ideals of democracy within this nation. Inspired by “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” we call upon a Higher Power to help us get there.
But it is equally patriotic and faithful to acknowledge with honesty the ways that our country is falling far short, making those same three ideals impossible for our neighbors in other nations as well as at home. And the church, with its capacities for truth-telling and lament, is well positioned to raise such cries for justice.
Ten years ago, I would have been more adamant about getting flags out of the sanctuary, and perhaps I still should be. For many, the flag signals US dominance, and when placed alongside the Christian flag, it can elevate national loyalty to dangerous levels.
But the flag can also remind us to be prayerful, service-minded, and justice seeking when it comes to our national identity. Sunday worship is meant—in part—to equip us for the challenging moral work that is always at hand. That means there’s no need to check our country at the door. If anything, it’s all the more reason to bring it in. And, it is my prayer, that doing so will honor those—past and present—whose commitments to country have demanded much.
