Let's Talk About the Flag

Romans 14:19, "Therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."

I'll state from the beginning here this blog is meant in particular for those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ.

In the wake of the mass murder of nine our our brothers and sisters in Christ last Wednesday in Charleston, what we have seen is nothing short of miraculous. Here in South Carolina, the body of Christ has come together in the unifying power of the Holy Spirit like no other time I can recall. Yes, after 9/11, we saw our churches filled, but that was an American thing. The attacks on our nation that day unified our nation for a short while, but within weeks of the attacks, our churches were back to normal, and the unity we shared shortly thereafter vanished.

And while these nine lives that were lost on Wednesday were definitely blood shed over racist motives, it was also, importantly, an attack upon the church. And the church has responded as only the church can. The church is not of itself, it is of Christ. And when we see the unity we have seen since last Wednesday, we know that it is a work of the Spirit. This work of the Holy Spirit was given an exclamation point by the inspiring denial of self by the victims of the families themselves. In the most God honoring display of Christian love, grace and mercy I have ever witnessed, these families looked the murderer of their loved ones in the eyes, and told him they love him and forgive him. Friends, only the Holy Spirit inside of us can do that!

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions that has left me drained. But in spite of the senseless violence that started this, its is the work of God through His people that has left an indelible impression. This is what Christ's church is supposed to look like, and it has been beautiful.

But I fear, much like 9/11, the unity could be fleeting. The question for us as believers here in South Carolina is this: Will we allow a flag to divide us, and thus quickly snuff out the work of the Holy Spirit we have seen?

I'm not going to get in to the points that are made in regards to the Confederate Battle Flag of Northern Virginia representing heritage, the standing for states rights that many see it representing, or any of the other things that have been bandied about for countless years in our state. I will concede all of them. I respect your view and what the flag represents to you.

But what if this flag means something else to another? And it does. Of that there is no doubt. As a believer in Christ, is it worth it to hold to your strongly held feelings and appreciation of heritage, yet offend your brother and sister in Christ? Is that the path Christ would have us take? Will that in any way further the kingdom of God?

Unity is something we see far to little of in the church. Instead of edifying, building each other up, as scripture compels us to do, we seem incapable of getting out of our own way, and in the process we tear down each other, and quench the work of the Holy Spirit. Instead of the peace that should define us, we quibble over things that have no bearing on the work of the church on this earth.

Unity is maintained through a basic scriptural principle, and that principle is humility. Christ is our model in humility, the One who "humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Humility is the essence of denying ourselves, something Jesus tells us all of His disciples will do. Are those of us who hold the flag as something we value in regards to our heritage willing to humble ourselves for the sake of unity and the greater good of the body of Christ at large?

If we cannot see that this flag issue that has hung over our state for years and years is about to reach a defining moment, then I believe we are hiding from reality. Criticism of the flag is about to erupt from all sides of the political and religious spectrum, and it is already dividing us. It may be knocked off the front pages of the news when the gay marriage ruling from the Supreme Court comes down, or another story captures the interest of the media, but when legislation is presented late this year to remove the Confederate Battle Flag, it will surely rise up like a gasoline fueled fire. Judging by conversations I've seen on social media, the emotions in regards to the flag are still at a fever pitch. Emotions like that will crush the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Those emotions are not based in the Holy Spirit, but rather the flesh. And the bible tells us that those two are contrary, are opposed, to one another.

This, for us Christians, cannot be a political issue. We cannot look at those who we agree or disagree with politically for our basis in how we proceed here. This is a matter of what is best for the body of Christ! It is a time for humility! And we, the church, are the one's who should be leading in this.

We really only have two choices. We can embrace the things we say we hold so dear; grace, and mercy and love, and humble ourselves so as not to offend our brothers and sisters in Christ. Or, we can dig our heels in and watch this unifying movement of the Holy Spirit I believe we have all rejoiced in quickly disappear.

To you. my brothers and sisters, who value the flag and what it means to you, I ask you consider this. Consider the humility exhibited by those families when they gazed upon the one who murdered their loved ones. The strength that took. The denying of self. Can we do that for those who do not see things as we do?

Removing the flag from our statehouse grounds will not end racism. Racism is sin, and will be with us until Jesus returns. It will not end murder, or hatred, or even divisions in the church. They are all sin. But Jesus tells us; "Blessed are the peacemakers." We have the opportunity to be just that right now.

I'll be honest with you. I'd really like to see what God would do in our state if that were to happen.

I'm Proud of My State

Romans 12:19, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."

By now the whole nation knows the name Dylann Roof and the senseless, evil act he perpetrated upon nine innocent people who had gathered to pray and study the bible in Charleston, SC on Wednesday night. These eight church members and their pastor most certainly welcomed him in to their midst and he reportedly sat with them for close to an hour before raining down a hail of bullets that ended their lives. We've seen this type of scene repeated in our nation many times in the last twenty five years; in schools, theatres, on army bases, at shopping centers. It's never easy to digest. The human soul is indeed capable of despicable wickedness.

But at Emanuel AMC Church on Wednesday a different component was thrown in to the mix. The shooter was a young white male and all of the victims were black. Some news reports are stating that those who did survive are saying racial comments were made by the shooter. A picture in the news of Dylann Roof  wearing a jacket with flags from Rhodesia and South Africa's apartheid era seems to confirm his racial bigotry. The crime was pursued from the outset as a hate crime. In this time of stirring racial unrest, the worst atrocity yet had been committed. And this in a state where a police officer in the same area was recently videoed gunning down an unarmed black male. A state with a long, troubled history in race relations.

If the rest of our nation is a barometer for how this type situation should play out, we should be seeing a city on fire with riots and looting being met by heavily armed police forces in riot gear. Tensions and division should be overflowing and the aftermath should be dominating the twenty four hour news cycle. We've seen this scene play out to many times in the last year; in Ferguson, MO; in New York; and most recently in Baltimore. Crimes perceived as racially motivated are responded to by civil unrest and further tragedy results. But here, in South Carolina, where the Civil War began and the Confederate battle flag still flies on state house grounds, the seemingly normal script has not played out. Here, in South Carolina, another script is being written. One that I pray others will see and learn from.

Instead of riots and looting, with blacks in standoffs with police and racial hatred boiling over like grease unattended on the stove bursting in to flames, we've seen unity in opposition to evil. We've seen white and black joined together in prayer and ministry, We've seen cries from leaders, both faith based and political, to come together, and so far, we have. We've seen God glorified as His people have rejected the need for vengeance and instead come together in His name. We've seen grace and mercy, and yes, even forgiveness, in the face of a seemingly unforgivable act. We've seen the seeds for healing planted that could bear fruit far beyond this current, tragic situation.

What we've seen so far is remarkable, but I have reservations. We know that Satan is "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour," and we've seen the enemy of all mankind use situations just like this to pit people against each other. We must be vigilant and on guard as he will seek to fan the flames and ignite this in to another Ferguson or Baltimore. I have concerns any time I see racial profiteers such as Al Sharpton are arriving on the scene. I know their are instigators out there who thrive on creating chaos from tragedies just like this. This is not over I fear.

But for right now, instead of holy rage, we have seen a work of the Holy Spirit. Instead of mistrust and hatred, we've seen unity and Christian love. You see, these weren't just African-Americans who were murdered, they were Christians practicing their faith. They were brothers and sisters to millions in this state, and the blood that was senselessly shed Wednesday night was bound together with those millions by the blood of Christ,

In South Carolina, like everywhere, we are far from perfect. Yes, we have racism. We have discrimination. We have a history of judging a person by the color of their skin instead of the content of their character. But South Carolina, for all it's warts, also has a population that is still gathered around Jesus for the most part, certainly far more than many places. Faith is ingrained in our culture, and it is faith that has subdued the accompanying troubles that a scene like this often produces.

I'm proud of my state.

Let us pray we persevere in faith and resist the devil so that he will flee.