The Greater Heritage?

I am normally not so blunt or straightforward about such controversial of a topic. However, since my media feeds have been filled with this debate, most of which I find unbalanced, I have felt it necessary to speak on this subject. I do so out of love. If I offend anyone by what say, I apologize beforehand. However, I will not apologize for what I will say. I believe in what I will say, or I would not write it. My purpose is not to create offense, but to hopefully create understanding and deeper dialogue. I know I risk being hated by some. I will say this. I respect your views. All I ask is that you prayerfully consider what I am saying. If you still disagree, that is your prerogative.

 

Should the government force anyone or any institution to take down Rebel flags? No… I do not believe the government has that right. Part of what makes America such a great nation is that we have the right to offend each other with our speech (within legal grounds). We have the right to fly flags or wear shirts or other clothing of our choosing. If we allow the government to force removal of certain items or beliefs because they are offensive to any segment of people, where will that stop. It's too slippery a slope to be comfortable granting the government such power. But, to me, that is really NOT the point at all. We are missing a much bigger picture.

 

In this day and age that we live, the government should not even have to contemplate taking down symbols that do nothing but remind some people of the most divided time in the history of our nation. I am patriotic to the core. I love the red, white, and blue. I love what this nation stands for, and I cringe at what is happening today by the manipulative tactics of both the Republican and Democratic parties. However, I will unequivocally state that the stars and stripes is all the flag that I will ever need.

 

For the record, I am a white Christian who believes that it is a sad day when many Christians are debating this topic instead of looking toward a higher calling. I want to make it clear that I cannot even pretend to understand the feelings of African-American men and women who have endured the atrocious prejudices of the past. I will not be one of those "educated" people who try to put myself in their shoes and then state that they should not feel the way they do on such a powerful topic. The truth remains, agree or disagree with how these people feel, their feelings are real, and should be considered by the Christian community.

 

With that said, I was raised in the south. My best friend, whom I call my brother, is African-American. The pastor and pastor's wife who helped me through the darkest days of my young life are African-American. I have been there when we showed up to play basketball at a church in northern Louisiana and were told that we would not be allowed to come back if we brought the "colored boy" with us again. We politely told them how we felt, and we didn’t go back. I was there when my closest friend at work was called a "nigger" by an elderly white woman who he was merely helping carry her bags. I got in trouble for politely correcting the error of her speech, even when my friend encouraged me to "just let it ride."

 

I grew up in a community that was surrounded by racist white people who took pride in flying the Rebel Flag as a sign of loyalty to their southern white roots. It turned my stomach then and it does so even more today. I am a listener and a researcher. I have heard the dialogue from white America. "If they want to be considered equal, they should just be Americans. Not African-Americans. They need to quit crying. None of the people that are crying about slavery were ever actually slaves. If they want equality. Step from the past and be equal."

 

Sort of a double standard. Don't you think? Forget your past. If you want to end racism, forget what happened over a century ago. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go.

 

But allow me to keep holding onto my "heritage." Allow me to fly the emblems of my "past." How is that fair and just?

 

Someone has to make the first move. If you really don't think lowering the flag is such a big deal, and if you think that others should not make a big deal out of it. Then why is it so hard to take down? If you truly want to honor your heritage and remember the past, do like so many other relics that have gone before, put it in a museum and go honor it any time you like. There are other ways to honor your heritage without flaunting a symbol of racism.

 

The next bit is not my own, but it is too good not to share. I give credit to Ryan Austin Dean (http://ryanaustindean.com/blog/) for his take on this subject and for agreeing to let me share.

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Many Southerners defend the display Confederate Flag, claim that it's not racist, and insist that anyone who thinks it is should read their history books. Here's the problem: no matter your intentions, the flag has been, and will be, associated with racism. If you are genuinely against racism, but simply proud of your Southern heritage, there is no way to communicate that sentiment to a stranger who sees you from afar. To them, you're just another racist. You can say, "Heritage, not hate," but it's not going to make a difference.

Yes, the Civil War was fought over "states' rights." But what state right was the fundamental, defining issue that severed the bond between the North and the South?

Let's read an excerpt from Georgia Congressman Alexander H. Stephen's famous "Corner Stone" speech:

Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.

What flag represented his "new government"?

Included in Mississippi's Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union: 

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.

What flag came to represent their new government? Georgia's official secession addressed it in the second sentence. Systematic racism, emphasized by the continued legalization of slavery, was essential to Confederate beliefs. Make no mistake about it — it is the reason for the Civil War.

By all historical accounts, the flag remained popular after the war as a symbol of Southern pride and in remembrance of the fallen soldiers. But it didn't stay that way. It was adopted by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups, as well as the short-lived Dixiecrat Party, whose official platform included the line, "We stand for the segregation of the races." (Article 4)

Throughout the 20th century, the Confederate flag became inexorably linked with racism. Nothing that anyone says at this point can sever that tie. No, it wasn't always the primary flag of the Confederacy. No, it wasn't always a clear-cut symbol of racism. However, it is today.

In short, flying the Confederate flag doesn't necessarily make you a racist, but it definitely makes you look like one, and to that I say...

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What an awesome summary.

 

I had an extremely enlightening conversation today. I called a good friend of mine that I hadn’t spoken to since high school. He is a white guy. I called him because he is now married to an African-American lady. He loves her and is raising a family with her. Now, that may not seem like much in today's world. It happens all the time. However, I called him to get his take on this subject because I remember Steve Revels as a racist. He flew the Rebel flag high and liked to talk about how white people were better than black people. I wondered what had changed. So after much contemplation, I mustered up the courage to get his number and give him a call, and he graciously and courageously talked straightforward about this topic with me. These are just a few of the highlights.

 

Steve talked about how racism in America is still alive. He discussed how he sees it on both sides of the fence (another topic for another day). He talked openly about his past and how he would always say that he supported the Rebel Flag because of heritage, but really it was because he believed with all his heart in white supremacy. He believed that white people were "simply better."

 

So, I called Steve today, because that is the Steve I remember. Not the guy in the pictures in love with a beautiful African-American woman and raising a family together. I asked about the flag first, and Steve matter-a-factly stated that the flags definitely need to come down. Not because every person who flies the flag is racist, but because there are far too many who fly it that are. Far too many are like he used to be, claiming heritage but really believing in white power.

 

I said, "Steve, you have pretty much said it without saying it, but I want to ask just to be clear. Back then, would you have considered yourself to be a racist."

 

"Without a doubt," he replied. "Not as strongly as the guy who just shot the people in South Carolina by any means. But there is no doubt that I judged people and hated people based solely on the color of their skin."

 

In the course of the conversation, I said, "Steve, I have to ask. What caused such a transformation in your life? How did you go from believing such things so strongly to loving and having a family with an African-American woman? I mean, that's a big change."

 

He didn't hesitate, "Jesus Christ… You know, Jonathan, the most confused person in the world to me is a racist Christian, and I was there… The reason I believe that is because where God is, there is no room for hate. Hate cannot exist if God is really in a person's life… I realized that if God loved me, and He loved the black person next to me equally, then I could not really be like Him if I felt any different."

 

And then, I believe Steve hit the nail on the head. He got to the crux of the matter. "When God changes you, he doesn’t just make it where you can treat people of a different color differently because you are supposed to. You don't think about it because you know that's what God wants. When God really changes you, you don't see a person any different because of their differences. You don't treat them as equal because you are supposed to. You treat them equal because it's your nature. It comes just natural now. That's the power of Gods' love."

 

Thanks, Steve Revels for that booming reminder. The world would be a better place, if we could all somehow come to the same revelation. I applaud your honesty and courage to discuss such controversial a topic in detail.

 

My final analysis on this subject. The government should not have the right to stop anyone from flying the Rebel Flag as high as they want to. It's your right. But for me and my house, we won't be supporting it. As a Christian, I personally feel like I have a higher allegiance than to a Confederacy that died a long time ago. Or even a nation that still exists today. My first alliance is to Jesus Christ and His Word. As a Christian, I have been warned to abstain from the very appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). We have been challenged by the apostles and disciples to not be offensive unless it is because of a Biblical truth that we stand for.

 

Therefore, I cannot in good conscience rip open wounds or cause reminders of a painful past to be constantly displayed, knowing that I have brothers and sisters in Christ who hurt because of "heritage." More important than national heritage is Christian heritage.I don't want my children inheriting a nation stained by a dispicable past. I want to give them a nation that has overcome that evil that was by the love that is. I agree with Dr. King. There is the dream. However, it can become reality, for as Steve said, "That's the transforming power of God's love."

Perhaps if the Christian community would stop feeding the fire and fanning the flames, the world would not find it so easy to propagate its message of hate. Maybe if the Christian community would be more willing to engage in meaningful dialogue, the media would not possess so much power to divide. I am thankful for my Godly brothers and sisters of all colors and races, and pray that this evil agenda that seeks to do nothing but continue to seperate people will be stopped by the greatest force on the planet. The force that the victims' families in South Carolina have chosen to display. Absolute grace and unconditional love. In the midst of such perverse darkness, His truth is marching on…