I’ve never given much thought to the Confederate flag except to say, “You lost. Get over it.” That was until my minister spoke a bit about it because of the tragedy in North Carolina. He asked everyone in the building with the Confederate flag to remove it from their car. He said that as a Christian, you shouldn’t 
want to display something that to so many people see as a memory of hatred.
While some Southerners see the flag as their heritage, most black people are reminded of a time of slavery and segregation. And that is not a symbol that we, as Christians, should be advertising. Our goal should be to promote the glory of Jesus Christ.
John 13:35 states, By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. You cannot be promoting the word of God if you do not love. And if you continue to have symbols of hate, then you cannot possibly love the people your symbol hates.
I assure you, most people who fly the flag are not racist. You see the flag as a symbol of your heritage. Just how familiar are you with this heritage?
The flag we call the Confederate flag today is actually the Confederate Navy Jack. So unless you had a forefather in the Confederate Navy, this is not your heritage. To the left is the original Confederate flag.
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Maybe we’ve been brainwashed by 130 years of Yankee history, but Southern identity now has more to do with food, accents, manners, music than the Confederate past. It’s something that’s open to both races, a variety of ethnic groups and people who move here. – John Sheldon Reed
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The Confederate flag of today has become the symbol of Southern pride. However, this particular flag has a unique history of its own.
After the Civil War, the use of the Confederate Navy Jack flag virtually disappeared until 1948 when a group called the Dixiecrats began to use it. The Dixiecrats were democrats who left the party because of its stance on desegregation and civil rights.
In the 1950’s, the “current” Confederate flag was taken up by the Ku Klux Klan or KKK and is still used by this group today.
Your Confederate flag has been used by these two groups to promote hatred longer than the Confederacy existed. So answer me one question. When you say it’s about your heritage, exactly which heritage are you promoting?
Symbols can be dangerous, especially if you’re a Christian. We need consider what we are advertising. It’s not for me to decide if your “symbol” is showing the Christian image you want to portray. That is a decision between you and the Lord. Pray about it and listen for an answer. Even if it’s not the one you want to hear.
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