May I explain. I am a Christian. That simply means that I interpret every cause, organization, or movement through a Biblical lens under the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah. At best, every other cause is secondary to my call to be a disciple of Jesus.
Flags have meaning no doubt. They have been used throughout history as symbols of nations, armies, and movements as well as a means of communication (flags at half mast mean something; white flags communicate surrender). Depending upon your national origin, a nation's flag may instill a kind of national pride or a sense of apprehension.
There are no doubt some things about "Southern culture" that are wonderful. Respect for the elderly from the young was a requirement. Manners were required for the civilized and chivalry placed women in a place to be honored and respected rather than viewed as sexual objects to be exploited. Who doesn't like some good fried chicken and collard greens? There were good qualities instilled in many a young person as they were raised with a "Southern Heritage."
There is a blight on Southern history that cannot be ignored or denied. There was a time in history when the Civil War of the United States of America ripped our nation apart. This time when the states simply were not united was a result of many socio-political issues of the time. Historians and arm chair historians alike may point to a number of these different issues, but no one can ignore the most significant historical reality to be dealt with: slavery. It is a historical scourge on what some would try to paint as a pristine record of Southern hospitality.
Nearly every person I know (including Southerners of various skin shades) would readily acknowledge and admit that slavery was wrong. It is a mark against our history not only for Southerners, but all citizens of the United States. The reverberations of the conflict that took place only a little more than 150 years ago has impacted our nation ever since. The reconstruction era was full of negotiating reentry of states into the union, rights for former slaves, pardons and punishment for Confederates citizens and leaders and more. Defeat was a bitter pill for some Southerners to swallow. As many were able to obtain positions of political power again, they began instituting policies that would limit or keep many previous slaves as contracted laborers; essentially still slaves. Other people promoted policies and laws that would remove voting rights and even allow for harm of African Americans.
You do not need a history lesson from me, but give me grace to make my point. These things led to a fractured culture that limped through the last 100+ years without solving some of these problems. Indeed they have not been able to be solved through legal means yet (though we should all be thankful for the Civil Rights movement). The reality is that these problems are not legal or political problems at the core, they are sin problems of the heart desire and depraved mind.
So now, generations from the war and early bitterness of post-war America, there are some people who still fly the Confederate flag. While racist organizations and people certainly use the flag as a visual banner of their hate, I have also found some who fly the Confederate flag who are not racist. They would say they are promoting a heritage of freedom and independence. To the racist, I simply offer a rebuke. To the sincere, albeit naïve, I offer three reasons I won't fly the flag:
1. Historical Reason: The Confederate States of America rebelled and were defeated. This nation no longer exists.
2. Patriotic Reason: Since the flag represents a rebellion that was quelled, it is unpatriotic to fly this flag.
3. Christian Reason: This flag has come to represent to a vast majority of people, to whom we are called to minister, racism. Racism is sin.
As a Christian, I won't wear it on a t-shirt, put it on a bumper sticker, fly it at my home, or feel any level of nostalgia when I see it. Like any polite person, I would advocate for manners, respect of the elderly, and chivalry. Those qualities, however, have not become enshrined in the meaning of the Confederate flag in any kind of universal way. Instead, the Confederate flag has come to be a flag that represents racism and hate in our culture.
I don't fly confederate flags. But I do reject racism and advocate for good manners. I hope you'll do the same. Refuse to allow yourself to be pressured or intimidated into uninhibited support of a cause, person, or organization that is contrary to Biblical truth.
So what do you think?
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