Blog from the Capital

In today's Daytona Beach News-Journal, BJC Director Brent Walker has a powerful op-ed on the recent threats to Rev. Sean Allen over his theological belief that the American flag should not be in the altar of the sanctuary. Read the whole thing. But here is a snippet:

Baptist Pastor Sean Oliver Allen should be applauded, not threatened, over his courageous stand for freedom and historic Baptist principles in his DeLand church.
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At worst, the placement of an American flag at the front of the sanctuary can result in "flag worship"-- a form of idolatry. At best, when the American flag is placed alongside the Christian flag, it signals equivalence between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Caesar. Christians know that this is not the case. We are citizens of two kingdoms. Yes, we respect our governmental institutions and pray for our governmental leaders, but that must always be secondary to our commitment to and love for God. Faith in God is superior to love of country; allegiance to God transcends all nationalism.

Rev. Walker is quoted in the News-Journal's report on the story today as well. This is an interesting and important debate for followers of Christ that have become accustomed to the flag in church to think through seriously. I do find it curious that the mostly hateful comments posted online by readers of the news story are only concerned with condemning the pastor they disagree with. I haven't seen any effort taken to call out the real despicable act here, in my opinion: running a pastor and his family away from the church with anonymous threats. It is as if they believe he deserves it, echoes of a culture of harassment and intimidation that I had hoped was more firmly behind us here in the South, and surely never the Christian response to a theological disagreement.