Missouri Churches Told Not to Display American Flag Near Altar
Episcopal Bishop Deon Johnson has directed his denomination’s churches in Missouri to no longer display the American flag near the altar, citing concerns about “Christian nationalism.”
“Rooted in a conflation of faith and national identity, this ideological movement distorts the gospel of Jesus, misusing Christianity to justify division, exclusion, inequality, racism and supremacy,” he said, according to the Episcopal News Service. “This ideology further demands that laws, culture and public policies be based on a distorted interpretation of the gospel that elevates power and control over love. These ideologies are in direct contradiction with our faith.”
Johnson acknowledged that the flag can be “a symbol of national unity which honors the soldiers who willingly sacrificed for its purpose and the cause of peace.” At the same time, however, to associate the flag with the cross “intentionally blurs the division between our faith in a loving, liberating and lifegiving God and national pride,” he said.
The term “Christian Nationalism” was created by media outlets to refer to fewer Christians who supported the 2017 candidacy of Donald Trump. It has since become what some say is a “dog whistle” to denigrate Christians who make patriotic statements or believe God has particularly blessed the United States.
Johnson’s guidance directs clergy and congregations “to contextualize the flag by properly placing it outside the altar area and next to rolls of honor, books of remembrance, or service memorials to those who served.”
The Episcopal House of Bishop’s Theology Committee released a report in October on “The Crisis of Christian Nationalism,” urging all Episcopalians to do their part in countering such movements. The report on Christian nationalism does not specifically advise moving American flags from altars, although though it offers a range of other suggestions for responding to the crisis.
“This challenge is not new or particular to this day and age,” the report said. “In the early church, gentiles had to renounce their allegiance and their participation in the Roman army when they became Christians. Each generation must explore and renew its understanding of life in Christ in its moment in history.”
The report is one of the latest examples of church’s ongoing response to the perceived threat of Christian nationalism. The 81st General Convention adopted a resolution in June 2024 urging Episcopalians to educate and equip themselves for action in response to “the urgent, troubling and deeply rooted issue of religious nationalism, the intersection of religious extremism and nationalist ideologies, both domestically and globally.”
–Alan Goforth
