Today is Flag Day. So… why should we care?
It’s easy to scroll past dates like this without giving them much thought. But I’ve been thinking about it — and I think it matters more than we realize.
Flag Day commemorates the creation of the American flag. But it’s not really about fabric and thread or even just history. It’s about what the flag represents: the beginning of a bold freedom experiment — a nation built on the belief that people can govern themselves, pursue liberty, and worship freely under the authority of God, not man.
Now, I’ve heard the criticisms. Some say honoring the flag is a form of idolatry — that it distracts from worshiping God. And yes, like any symbol or institution, it can be twisted into an idol if we let it. But that doesn’t mean we throw it out altogether.
Honestly, that line of thinking feels a lot like the arguments that divide Christians over denominational labels — Augustine this, Calvinism that, Arminianism the other. We get caught up defending interpretations handed down over centuries, and we lose sight of the simple power of the Gospel: the firsthand accounts of Jesus and His disciples.
If we’re willing to accept the interpretations and frameworks of theologians who came hundreds of years after Christ, why wouldn’t we also consider the hearts and intentions of the people who built this country? Many of them were doing their best to build a nation that reflected their belief in the same powerful God we follow today.
So no — we don’t worship the flag. We don’t put our country, constitution, or ideals above God. We should be careful to make that distinction, always.
But we can still be grateful. We can still be proud — not in a blind, boastful way, but in a sober, humble recognition that we’ve been given something rare: a nation where we’re free to pursue faith, defend truth, and raise our families according to our convictions. And that freedom is under attack more now than ever before.
So on this Flag Day, I’m choosing to pause and give thanks — not to the flag itself, but to the God who gives us every good and perfect gift, including the gift of living in a place where we can still speak His name freely.
Here’s to Flag Day — and to continuing the work of defending the faith and freedom it represents.
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