NC-'God before government:' Two local churches to fly Christian flag above Old Glory
'God before government:' Two local churches to fly Christian flag above Old Glory
http://www.shelbystar.com/article/20...es=og.comments
By Casey White and Gabe Whisnant
Posted Jul. 4, 2015 at 5:25 PM
Updated Jul 4, 2015 at 6:38 PM
By the end of the Fourth of July weekend, two Shelby churches will stand together in flying the Christian flag above the American flag.
On Sunday morning, Elizabeth Baptist Church will join Focus Missionary Baptist Church in the symbolic gesture to show that commitment to God is greater than service and commitment to government.
Elizabeth Baptist Pastor Rit Varriale, who is a U.S. Army veteran a graduate of The Citadel, was in the midst of planning the “God before government” movement over several months when he noticed Focus Missionary’s Christian flag already flying above the American flag.
He reached out to Focus Missionary Pastor Walter Wilson, who began flying the Christian flag around two or three months ago, to talk about their shared ideals.
“When I was getting ready to put the flag up one day, God spoke to my spirit that He was first,” Wilson said. “Everything we do, we’re supposed to acknowledge Him first. He told me to put the flag above the American flag.”
According to Varriale, the symbolic gesture with the flag and the “God before government” effort lines up with the nation’s pledge of “one nation under God,” the nation’s founding documents that are filled with religious sentiment as well as biblical beliefs about putting God first.
Varriale said flying the Christian flag higher is not meant to be a slight to military or a publicity stunt. Instead, he wants the gesture to serve as a call to other churches to stand together in the name of religious rights.
“The attention we want to get is the attention of the church,” Varriale said. “It’s time for the church to wake up and stand up for what they believe in.”
The flying of the Christian flag above the American flag at Elizabeth Baptist on Sunday will fall just a week after the Supreme Court of the United States’ 5-4 ruling in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.
“The timing was, I think, providential more than coincidental,” Varriale said.
The Elizabeth Baptist pastor said recent times have seen a clash between religious rights and individual rights as they pertain to sexual ethics. He believes religious rights are being trumped by government officials in many cases.
Both pastors said reactions to the flag and their effort have been met with a mostly positive reaction from their communities, so far, with some detractors online.
“The support has been overwhelmingly in favor with the responses we’ve received from our local people. Our congregations have been completely onboard,” Varriale said.
Wilson said he hopes the effort acts as a positive change for the future even if there are people who question the ideas the churches are pushing to make public.
“Everybody knows that everybody is not going to agree, but we can always disagree and be agreeable,” Wilson said. “What’s important is what we are doing and how we are investing into our next generation.”
Mike Buss, a flag education staff member at the National American Legion headquarters, said the actions of the local churches are a breach of the U.S. Flag Code but no civil penalties can be administered.
"From time to time, this happens. It's certainly not the proper way to fly the flag. The only time (a church pennant can be higher) is when Navy ships are at sea and during church services, and that goes back a long while," Buss said. "A lot of times, people or groups will do this because they've got a personal or political agenda, but this country and that flag guarantees those rights. That's why it's flown above everything else."
Section 7, Article c of the U.S. Flag Code states:
"No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof: Provided, That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor, and other national flags in positions of equal prominence or honor, with that of the flag of the United States at the headquarters of the United Nations."
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