Throwback Thursday: On Flags in the Sanctuary
Note: This issue comes up again and again, and this is my 2013 argument against flags in the sanctuary. ~ Ed.
The question recently came up in my congregation about the lack of a U.S. flag in the sanctuary of the church. I did not remove it; my predecessor actually did it years ago, before I was called to my current congregation.
And I support his decision to do so.
Of course, this was not a popular decision at the time. But pastors are not called to be popular. And for people who simply want what they want, and who stop up their ears to any explanation, they will simply choose to be angry. They may even pass along veiled (or not so veiled) accusations of evil motives. And yet even though I did not always agree with my predecessor in liturgical matters, I know he had no evil intention in making this decision - a decision that had the unanimous concurrence of the Board of Elders.
Everything in the church is about Jesus.