The Bridge in Plain Text
Issue To Be Used Any Time After
July 1, 2007
Below you will find all the
text from The Bridge in plain text format, so you can easily copy
and paste the information into your publications. Links to the graphics are
available below the text.
The Bridge
A monthly publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
Connecting the congregational, synodical, and churchwide expressions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
To Fly or Not to Fly? - Flags in
Church
An excerpt of “Are Flags Appropriate
in Church” (www.elca.org/worship/faq/worship_space/flags.html)
Copyright © 2003 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
One of the most frequently
asked questions directed to the worship staff of the ELCA has been whether
it is appropriate for congregations to place flags in the worship space. The
recurring issue is not flags themselves, but the national flag of the United
States of America. Flags are not a required element in a Christian worship
space.
The American flag is a
powerful symbol of this nation. It carries enormous emotional meaning,
especially for veterans and for families that have sacrificed loved ones in
wars and armed conflicts under that symbol. It can also carry great
political significance for those who see it as a symbol of what they
consider amiss with our nation.
Many Christian congregations
have traditionally included an American flag among the items used to furnish
their worship space or displayed elsewhere in their building. In many
congregations, it has been customary for the American flag to stand to one
side of the altar and the so-called Christian flag to stand on the other.
The flag of the United States
is a national symbol, not a religious one. Christians balance their national
loyalties with their loyalty to Jesus Christ and Christ’s church. The
Christian church includes many individual nations and states. It calls
Christians to transcend national divisions, and thus to observe their
baptismal unity. The worship space of the congregation is not the best place
to display national flags, for such display honors neither the integrity of
the flag nor the sovereignty of the Lordship of Christ. In reality, national
interests and the commitment of the Christian to Christ can come into
conflict.
A responsible alternative to
putting the flag in the worship space would be to display it prominently
place in other suitable places. Placing flags in the fellowship or community
hall or other large meeting room used by civic groups such as scouting
organizations or for civic functions such as voting, allows the flag to
carry out its symbolic function for the nation without competing with the
central symbols of the Christian faith.
The so-called Christian flag
seems originally to have been an emblem associated with the international
Sunday school movement. It is not identified with any particular church
body, is superfluous in a space where the cross or crucifix is the central
symbol of the faith.
Whenever the American flag is
displayed publicly, it is very important to follow with great care the rules
of protocol that have been established by civic agencies governing that
display. A local veterans group or military post usually can supply these
rules on request. These protocols apply wherever the flag is displayed,
indoors or outdoors. Proper placement, lighting, care, all need to be
considered carefully.
Monthly Bible Verse
This Bible verse was selected by Harold Usgaard, bishop of the
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, for everyone in the synod to study.
“As many of you as were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer
Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and
female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians
3:27-28
About Our Synod
The Southeastern Minnesota Synod is a faith community of 130,000 baptized
people in 184 congregations as well as related institutions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its geographic area includes
15 counties in the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
The Bridge is a monthly
publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. For more information,
contact the synod office:
Southeastern Minnesota Synod,
ELCA
1001 14th St. NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551
(507) 280-9457
www.semnsynod.org
This issue is designed to be
used any time after July 1, 2007.
Graphics from this issue
Right-click the link and choose "save to disk" to save the
graphic, and then insert it into your desktop publishing program. Graphics
are in high-resolution tiff format. If you require another format, please
call 507-280-9457.
|
