As there are no brute facts so also there are no flags without both an allegiance to its meaning and a meaning behind that allegiance. The Confederate States of America sought to return these states to a confederation and thus eliminate the central control and unifying force of the Constitution. With that in place the principle of containing and ultimately eliminating slavery would be undone. It would have no force that might allow its principles to be enacted. It would be impotent.
We tried to control the problem through containment. It obviously did not work. It did not work with Nazi Germany. It did not work with communism and it has not worked with radicalized Islam. Containment seems to always fail.
Compromise seems to always be the way of effective surrender. Missouri would have been a northern, free state had it not been for allowing Maine in at the same time. But alas, somebodies thought compromise might work. All it did was move slavery further north and energize the southern states. Buying peace by giving up land still doesn’t work.
Once a flag becomes an historical artifact all that changes. The errors of history make less sense as time goes on. To many white folks the Confederate flag is a no more than symbol of independence. (Yes, it is true that not all white people are racists.) Some black folks I’ve interacted with over the years have seen it as an historic symbol of racism but at the same time impotent. It is a confederacy flag without a confederacy. Its proposed policies and procedures no longer exist. Still, its presence is uncomfortable.
We evangelicals need to be aware of this. After all, this is an election period. The confederate flag issue is nothing more than political bait. We may think of it in libertarian terms but with an election coming it will be framed as a racism challenge. Doesn’t matter what we think — it all goes to public opinion and getting votes. We do well to not take the bait.
We should be the first to call for the removal of all of the symbols of the racist Democratic Party — and their allies. No more stores should sell Che images. Or USSR (CCCP) shirts. Let’s be initiators instead of responders.
eBay is a purveyor of numerous Che Guevara shirts, USSR (CCCP) attire. Let’s not forget Mao. There is also a good amount on Amazon and Etsy.
This is not a call to boycott.
This is a call to do several things. First, challenge these vendors about their support for some of the bloodiest tyrants of the 20th century. Second, make it public. If you have a local group that can make it a relevant news item in a peaceful and intelligent fashion, go for it. Letters to the editor can also be useful. You can be certain that neither network nor local affiliates will initiate any action. Let’s also go public with the first principle that this is both a Christian and a conservative response. Corporate support for bloody tyrants needs to be challenged.
These symbols are an offense to all. To those who suffered under these bloody tyrants. To all who escaped them. To all who did not escape. To all who served and fought against them.
All of these represent both the history and allies of the
Democratic party. Let’s not allow them to rewrite history again.