As a (gulp) middle-aged person who has spent her entire life in The Episcopal Church, I have (largely) deep love for our denominational expression of Christianity in so many ways. The delicate balance of relationship between the liturgies of the word and table, the pomp and circumstance which bookend Sunday and Festal services, and the humility of outstretched hands begging for the body of Christ at the altar all contribute to my love and devotion to our brand of church. But one vestige of our historical expression which never fails to surprise me when I see it is the reminder of our historical ties to empire in the American flag prominently on display in a sanctuary (and even used in a procession now and again!).
Our country’s founding and our church’s founding are deeply intertwined, and devoting space to that history is not this essay’s intention (learn more about that here). While we pride ourselves on standing with scripture, reason, AND tradition, we must examine the tradition of placing a flag of the United States (and other nationalities dependent on the geographical context) in the nave. That reflective examination relies on these questions:
- What is the theological reason for its presence?
- Does the American flag point support the worship of Jesus?
- If the flag remains in place because certain key parishioners desire it, is that enough of a reason?
Theology and the flag
What do we believe about God? And further, what do we believe about God as it concerns the United States? Without falling into the false doctrine of American exceptionalism, where the country was founded out of God’s providence and that God desires us to be the greatest country on earth (thereby all others are falling short), the flag represents a secular political power entity which has nearly nothing to do with God. The greatest commandment given to us by Jesus is to love one another. All throughout his ministry, Jesus sided with the outsiders of the community, not the people in power. Our United States flag stands for the ideals of a country not yet realized (see Langston Hughes’ poem The Land that Never has Been Yet) and as a point of fact, a large percentage of its citizenry has experienced measurable harm by simply living here (see slavery, Jim Crow laws, redlining, taxation without representation for residents of colonized locations, etc.) The American flag and the message of the Gospel may share some ideals, but the promise found in the Good News of Jesus Christ is available to everyone in the here and now.
Supporting worship
Country flags are designed to draw our attention and function as a symbol of its government (see sporting events, military parades, presidential speeches, and patriotic holiday displays). If we can agree that is the case, then we also must consider that their presence in the sanctuary is a distraction from worship at best, and acts as a false symbol and even an idol at worst. The flag is certainly not the only artifact that should prompt our reflection as to how it supports our primary function of worshipping God in the liturgical setting. However, it is the one symbol that seems to remain without much scrutiny. No matter how patriotic the parishioners happen to be, there is a time and place for the flag and the sanctuary is not one of those if your reason for liturgy is to worship God.
But it’s our Tradition!
Within our congregations, we surely have veterans who have served our country and for whom the flag holds particularly strong meaning. As an aging denomination (facts are facts), the power structure (translation: our biggest pledgers) likely falls into the category of folks for whom the flag holds many church memories. It takes a brave leader/leadership team to make the decision to remove/move the flag and perhaps open themselves up to possible financial hostage negotiation situations with threats of pulled pledges, etc. Making decisions to change long-held practices are actually part of our tradition as well (see women’s ordination, marriage equality, and the “new” 1979 Book of Common Prayer as some examples).
Reflecting on the decision to keep the American flag in the sanctuary is not about cancel culture, revisionist history, or a lack of gratefulness to the United States of America for the freedoms offered to (some of) its citizenry. Instead, we are people who make a claim to follow Jesus and are called to spend time in prayer, study, and in Christian service to join with God in renewing God’s creation. Allowing a pole with a flag on it to remain as an outward and quite visible sign of something other than a sign of our faithful worship of God is in itself a decision and we should consider carefully what that decision should be as Christ’s followers.
ordinary lectionary reflections 