May 12, 2006
Symbols of Shed Blood
I recently returned from a historical tour of the Washington DC area where my veteran’s blood (Navy and ARNG) received an infusion of patriotism. Until the last few years the American flag and the Christian flag have held prominent positions on our church platform. When they were removed, I found them leaning against the gym wall and dragging on the floor. My offer to take them home and properly store them was rejected and they’re now displayed unceremoniously in a corner of the Fellowship Hall. Without the shed blood of Christ there would be no salvation…without the shed blood of Americans there would be no freedom to worship.
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4 comments:
I couldn't have said it better! Yes, a flag is just a flag, but it makes us think of what it represents. It bothers me when our Christian or American flags are treated with such disrespect. To me, it's like disrespecting what the flag represents - our Savior or our Country.
Mike, thanks for your input.
Perhaps the flags were removed because they symbolize long standing and respected tradition, and tradition is not accepted as politically correct and may not be in tune with the "vision" of contemporary leaders. The flags represent something larger than local organizations, as Mike said, so might be viewed by some as minimizing the importance of those local entities, even threatening their authority? More likely they do not feel the loyalty that we do.
05-15-06
Gail;
-----People use common symbols as identifiers of concepts and meanings. For example, the most commonly used set of identifiers is words. They are used commonly by everyone who participate in a particular langauage group. Early Christians used the fish symbol as an identifier, later the identifier became the cross. Skaters wear the belt line of their britches at half mast as an identifier, Goths wear black with spike accents, men wear masculine, and women wear feminine. These are all groups, just as countries are groups, and the most prominant identifier of a nation is its flag.
----But just as unisex styles and celebration of homosexuality drive to upset the identifiers of the two sexes in a hope wash them into a "unity", there is around us the subtlest indication of disrespect for the identifiers of nations for the same purpose. Mankind has survived as a variety of nations and cultures since God's shakeup of man's first attempt to globalize. But Satan is once again trying to dissolve man's variety of nations into one great ocean of submission.
----People submit easier when they exist in a giant homogenized mass. I believe that is why Satan will once again raise the "Babylon" experience within mankind. I believe that Satan has found a handle in the hearts of very good and godly Christian leaders who aspire to being the trail-blazing, guru-guide for the giant mega-church. By the overwhelming popularity of the big time mega-church leader, Satan can reduplicate that man's normal human error like a supercomputer can spit out form-letters. And that is what Satan wants in a Christian, not a carefully written, full length letter, but just a little form letter that looks more like the big guy on the stage (or the little big guy) than a full-length letter would look like Jesus.
----So, applying this to the flags, both the Christain and the American Flags stand for too much imagery of individual responsibility, integrity, and honor for Satan's effort to glabalize the submission of mankind. And the American flag carries that bonus meaning of nationalism. These meanings Satan does not want in that giant ocean of humanity. Since he owns the part of the contemporary leader's heart that yurns for "mega" (same as what Satan yurns for), it is very easy for him to win these leaders over to the dissing of the flags also, since Satan has them dissing everything else in the church that might lead to the individual Christian's life becoming the full-length letter that so reflects Jesus in the dark. That way, Satan gets a two-for-one in the mega-church: truncated Christians, and erosion of nationalism, plus a few bonuses like Rick Warren's influence for the globalizing global warming issue.
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