True Patriotism

As we approach the 4th of July, celebrating our Independence and all that it stands for, many have asked me what I thought about church sponsored patriotic programs.

I was reminded that Meredith and I spent a week at two Mennonite Churches in Beatrice, Nebraska. I was teaching in the mornings and evenings and then I preached at both churches on Sunday morning. It was a great time in a lot of ways.

A week before going to Beatrice, my hostess called me and said, "you need to know that last week the church board voted to remove the flags from the sanctuary. It was a tied vote and my husband, as chair, had to break the tie. He voted to remove the flags from the sanctuary."

Needless to say...I was glad that I was prepared for the potential conflict that I would encounter and was pondering my own views about faith and flag. I was asking myself questions like, "what about having flags in the sanctuary....is that appropriate? Is it appropriate to celebrate the 4th of July in the church? Etcetera and etcetera.

So....what do you think?
After I hear from you....I will share some more thoughts.

Jeff