On Flag Regulations And Fleeing Refugees

This past Wednesday one of our AWANA leaders had a bright AWANA clubber ask a perceptive question: “If Jesus Christ is to be more important to us than all things or people, why do we have the American flag higher than the Christian flag?” This leader encouraged him to seek me out for an answer.

Here is the essence of how I responded, “I believe we should be thankful to God for our country and admire it very much because of its history and how God has blessed it. We should be grateful for all those who have put their lives on the line and also those who have given their lives for the freedom that flag represents. However, the truth is that the Christian flag should be flown above the American flag to remind us that we must value our Lord above even our country.”

Now, some of you may think this inappropriate. After all, “Isn’t it law that we must fly the American flag above all others?” Here is how I would respond to that thought...

Let’s Be Precise On Flag Protocol

It is in The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating To Display And Associated Questions (found at: www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf) we find directions for how to treat and fly the American flag. On page one of that document we read: “Thus, the Flag Code does not prescribe any penalties for non-compliance nor does it include enforcement provisions; rather the Code functions simply as a guide to be voluntarily followed by civilians and civilian groups.” (emphasis added)  So, to be clear, it is not against the law to fly another flag above the American flag.

Lest we still not be convinced, let’s look at an example in this document where another flag is allowed to be flown above the American: “No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy.” (p. 4, emphasis added) So, even United States protocol recognizes that a flag representing one’s faith can have a place of prominence over the American flag to show that allegiance to God trumps allegiance to our great country, or at least to let personnel know a service is taking place.

Let’s Be Precise On Biblical Teaching

I am grateful that this U. S. document recognizes an exception. But here is the realty. Even if it did not, I believe it very right that we would still fly the Christian flag above the American for the following reasons:

1. We are to have no other gods before the true God (Exodus 20:3). In other words, God and his values are to be more important to us than all things—and this includes giving priority to our allegiance to Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:33; Phil. 3:7-11). This means that as much as we should be thankful for this county, its heritage, and God’s blessings on it, our love for God should be greater. I would argue, as a result, that the flag that represents our Christian faith should be given priority to the American flag so we remember who and what is first.

2. Paul warns us against distorting the gospel so that we end up preaching another gospel (cf. Galatians 1:6-10). Now, I am not suggesting that one who is patriotic and wants to fly the American flag above the Christian flag necessarily will distort the gospel. But I am saying that there may be a tendency to do this through equating Christianity with American patriotism or merely being a good citizen. Or there may be a tendency to distort the gospel by implicitly or explicitly putting our nation above Christ. Part of the outworking of the gospel is that there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and when one comes to that God, HHHe is loved above all else—even our country.

3. The best way we can love our country is by loving Jesus Christ more than our country. This is a version of the truth, “The best way we can love our spouse is by loving Christ more,” or “The best way we can love our children is by loving Christ more.” The reason this is so is because when Jesus is our greatest love, we will want to follow his commands—all of them (John 14:15). This not only includes the desire to obey our Savior’s command rather than our government’s, if the latter calls us to oppose the former (Acts 5:29), it also leads us to want to love others in ways that we know are best for them according to God’s truth (1 Cor. 13:6). This makes for the greatest kind of love, that which is most beneficial for others (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). So, to be an obedient-to-Christ-and-Christ-above-country-Christian will make for the best kind of citizen in the country.

4. Related to the third truth is this one. We will not only be concerned about some of Christ’s truth being followed in the country, we will know it is best for all his truth (or as much as possible) to be followed. Let’s apply this to a current event—the Middle East refugees and whether or not they should be allowed into the United States. The debate over this has at times been childish, sanctimonious, and, less-than-helpful on both sides. One side says the right and/or Christian thing to do is to reach out to the refugees and help them—period, and no other considerations. If you don’t agree, you lack the compassion of Christ. On the other side it is argued that Christians should use common sense and recognize the government’s biblical calling to protect its citizens and to carry out God’s justice upon wrongdoers (Romans 13:3-4). So, to talk of help for the refugees is unwise and unsafe. It seems to me that the obedient-to-Christ-and-Christ-above-country-Christian will value both calls—the missional call and the safety call. Keeping Christ first gives us clarity—although it does not always lead to 100 percent agreement.

Let’s Be Precise On Application

So, how should we apply these reminders?

1. I believe in AWANA and in any other place where we fly both flags, it is time for us to fly the Christian flag above the American. This in no way diminishes our great country. Rather, it puts into proper focus the one who is to have our ultimate allegiance. I believe this precision is more important now than at any time in our history. Our country is not only tottering from the loss of the Judea-Christian ethic, there is a larger and larger divide between those who are followers of Jesus and those who are not. The latter need to see, hear, and experience with great clarity what it is to be a follower of Jesus. It is not merely to be an American who also is a fan of Jesus (provided that he fits into our American dream). It is to follow him first, follow him fully, follow him no matter the cost, follow him for the sake of the gospel, follow him for the fame of his name, and follow him in a way that benefits our country the most—namely by calling others to him.

2. As we discuss what to do with the refugees, let’s keep both the security/defense and the missional calling of the Bible in view. In a recent Washington Post opinion piece (“Stop Pitting Security And Compssion Against Each Other In The Syrian Refugee Crisis”), Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote the following:

While this kind of complicated geopolitical situation requires prudence, it also requires virtue. We should debate what it would take to ensure adequate vetting of refugees, but we should not allow ourselves to engage in the kind of rhetoric we’ve heard in recent days—about, for instance, requiring ID cards for Muslim American citizens or considering warrantless searches of their homes or houses of worship.

It is one thing to have disagreement about whether the vetting process is adequate. It is quite another to seek to permanently turn our backs on Syrian refugees altogether.

I do not have a specific answer for how to do this. But what I believe we should be discussing and praying about is how we can follow Christ in both a call to security of the people around us (including family) and the call to mission (which can include stepping out of our comfort zone and even into harm’s way to serve others and the cause of Christ in the gospel). And, on this latter point, I believe this involves more than simply saying, “Someone(s) in our government should do the compassion thing of helping refugees.” No!  It is first and foremost the call of the Church to exercise sacrificial and Christ-like compassion. The government should look at protecting, vetting, and securing, but in a way that allows for refugees to be helped. The Church should be at the forefront of the helping!

The opportunity before the Church is stunning. As David Crabtree in a recent Desiring God post called to our attention, there are eighteen unreached people groups represented in these refugees that God is now relocating. These peoples have remained unreached even in spite of all our missions work and strategy. Could it be that God is working that the nations might come to him in faith and worship?  What a glorious work to do as the Church, at the same time the government does its God-given task of working for national security.

May we Christ-obeying-and-Christ-first-above-country-Christians be fervently praying for both objectives and may God give us the grace to work toward that dual end!