Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
The Flag, the NFL, and the Freedom to Protest

The Flag, the NFL, and the Freedom to Protest

Last updated on: September 25, 2017 at 4:00 pm by Frederick Schmidt

The Flag, the NFL, and the Freedom to Protest 2017-09-25T16:00:34-06:00 Frederick Schmidt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I believe in freedom of speech and, therefore, the right to protest.

Unless anarchy, revolution, or self-aggrandizement are the goals, I also believe that at the end of any and every protest, the only way in which to achieve the goals of that protest is to define the legislative objectives one wants to achieve, frame it in language that is actionable, win approval for its content, and apply the law.

The reverse, however, is not necessarily true: Legislative goals need not begin with protest. The degree to which people feel compelled to protest involves a complex array of variables (real or imagined). Their access to the legislative process, the resources available to galvanize public support for their goals, and the urgency of the moment are among those variables.

Because I believe in the freedom of speech, I necessarily believe that people will differ with one another. They will use and misuse their rights. They will fail and succeed in defining their goals. They will exercise their rights with mixed motives. Their efforts will attract people with the same mixture of motives, and everyone involved will operate out of real and imagined assessments of the circumstances at play.

I also believe that those who are repelled, angered, or alienated by those efforts will act out of the same complex array of variables. In responding to those who protest, they will also be exercising the same freedoms that those who protest enjoy.

The one thing that neither side can do is to deny the other side the exercise of those rights. To deny anyone a right is to deny everyone a right – perhaps not today, or tomorrow, but someday.

Ironically and inevitably, those on both sides of the debate have made the American flag and the pledge of allegiance the centerpiece of the NFL dispute. For some the flag has become a symbol of freedoms achieved that the nation has failed distribute without prejudice and discrimination. For others celebrating the flag represents patriotism and the sacrifices made by the men and women of the armed forces.

The difficulty, of course, is that the American flag has no “official” meaning. The earliest and closest thing to a definition, apart from the reference to the first colonies and the fifty states, is the explanation offered by Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Continental Congress and the designer of the national seal who, in 1782, described the colors in both the flag and the seal as follows: “White signifies purity and innocence. Red hardiness and valor and Blue … signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.” So, the flag lingers, like a giant Rorschach test that tells us more about ourselves than it does about itself.

There is, then, no place to stand historically from which to make an unassailable judgment about the current flap over the NFL. One can only say what this dispute means to each of us and what it might mean to all or – more likely — some of us.

For my own part — as a Christian first, last, and always — this is where I find myself with regard to the NFL and the flag:

As a Christian, perfect freedom lies in God. No temporal institution has the power to make me or anyone else truly free.

For that reason, my commitment to the freedoms celebrated by Bill of Rights and the Constitution is pro tempore – for the time in between. The Kingdom of God is already and not yet. The values of that Kingdom can be realized in the life of the church, which is the instrument of God’s redemptive work. They are not realized in our national life, except as the church witnesses to God’s redemptive work in Christ and wins others to those values. In the meantime, I live my life in uneasy tension, not only with the world around me and my own country, but in uneasy tension with the imperfect ways in which I myself respond obediently to the call of Christ in my own life.

I commit myself to the well being of my nation because I believe that in that liminal place between the already and the not yet, the defense of freedom and self-governance provides the best (though far from perfect) place where the invitation of God to true freedom and the rule of God over human hearts can find expression.

From that vantage point, like every American, the flag represents things to me that will inevitably find resonance with some and none with others. That is and must be possible. But for what it is worth, this is where I find myself:

The flag does not represent an achievement. It represents an aspiration and a shared commitment to life and liberty. From the Christian point of view, it promises more than it can deliver. As a Christian, I also believe that we might live ever more deeply into that promise, but our performance will fall short of the ideal.

Those two convictions are not an excuse for half-measures or indifference. A faithful response to the demands of the Gospel for “the time in between” claims my energy and attention and I welcome the tension: the tension of a life lived out between the demands that my faith makes on my life in the form of freedom that only God can give and the gift of living in a nation in which – with effort – an ever greater number of people might be free to choose true freedom.

It is for that reason, that I say the pledge of allegiance and I salute the flag. Members of the armed forces make a sacrifice in defense of that flag that we do not bear, but as citizens we are all obliged to defend the values that flag represents. When our nation fails to extend the liberty that flag represents to all who live under its protection, we all fail. What we do and say will contribute to its resilience and breadth or erode its future. And, frankly, when we refuse to salute the flag, I am not sure who we would argue has failed. It is not some “other.” It is us.

So, from my point of view, for those who choose to protest by not saluting the flag, questions remain:

What failing are they protesting?

Why is that failing the object of their protest?

Why are other failings not included in that list?

What is the legislative change or the social achievement that will address the failing that prompts them to protest?

For those who object to the NFL protest, questions also remain:

If the failings that the protesters raise are not legitimate, why not?

If there are other priorities, what should they be and why?

Assuming that we have not and cannot achieve perfect liberty, what will count as having advanced the cause of freedom in our time?

It will become immediately clear from the questions that I’ve raised, why I’ve never participated in a protest. For me the most important questions have always been the ones that invite definition and precision.

It’s not that I don’t believe that protests cannot galvanize opinion or set the stage for concrete change. They have.

But I am not drawn to polarizing, virtue-signaling that lacks definition and shouts down the opposition. The current NFL protest is, to my mind, little more than that and it comes from people who have the resources to do so much more. That they haven’t made that choice is their right.

Make what we will of the right to protest, I hope that we will all choose with greater care than marks the current political climate. Sadly, this small sliver of history will not last forever and the freedom to choose might not always belong to us or to our children.

Previous Post

September 21, 2017

God-given Weirdness

Next Post

September 29, 2017 Hugh Hefner: Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "cultured despisers" "Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder" "Mountaintop" Experiences "The Second Coming" 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 1 Timothy 1:12-17 1 Timothy 1:14 1776 21st Century 24-Hour News Cycle 250 Anniversary 9/11 Abide abortion Abraham Abraham Cycle Absolution Abuse ACNA Acts Acts 2 Advent Advent 3 Advent One Afghanistan Aging Agnosticism Agnostics Akedah Al Mohler Albert Mohler Albert Outler All Saints All Saints Day Allies Ally ALS Alzheimer's America AMIA Amy Coney Barrett Anarchists Anarchy Anger Anglican Anglican Church Anglican Communion Animals Anniversaries of Loss anorexia Anxiety Apocalypse Apocalyptic Apocalyptic Dread apocalyptic literature Apologetic Theology Apologize Apology Apostle Apostle Paul Archbishop Desmond Tutu Archbishop of Canterbury Art Acevedo Asbury University Ascension Ash Wednesday Ashes to Go Ashes with glitter Atheism Atheists Atonement Augustine Authority Authors Awake Awareness Baptism Baptism and Eucharist Baptism by fire Baptism by Spirit and by Fire Baptism of Christ Baptism of the Holy Spirit Baptismal Covenant baptismal vows Baptizing Jesus Baton Rouge BBC BCP Beatitudes Belief Believing Benedict Benedict's Rule Benedictine Benefactor Beneficiary Benton Johnson Beth Dutton Bexley Bi-vocational Ministry Bible biblical creation Biblical Interpretation Biblical Narrative Big Bang Bill Brosend Bill of Rights Bioethics Bishops Black Lives Matter Blessed Board of Examining Chaplains Body Image Body of Christ Book of Common Prayer Book of Discipline Book of Revelation Book subtitles Book titles Books Boomers Boundaries Bret Weinstien Brian Thompson Buddy Christ Buffalo Buildings bulemia C. S. Lewis C.S. Lewis Call Call of God Calling Camp Mystic Cancel Culture Cancer Capitulation Care for the Poor Care giving Catechesis Cathedrals Catholic Catholicism Celebratory Theology Celtic Spirituality Celts CES Chaplains Charlie Gard Charlie Hebdo Charlie Hedbo Charlie Kirk ChatGPT Children Children's Grief Awareness Day Christ Christ as Judge Christ our Passover Christ the King Christian Christian Conscience Christian education Christian formation Christian leadership Christian life Christian response to violence Christian Spiritual Journey Christian Spirituality Christianity Christmas Christmas Eve Christmastide Christy Thomas Church Church and State Church growth Church of England Church planting Church revitalization Church vitality church weddings Civic discourse Clergy Clergy Spouses climate change Clinton Cognicide Collect Common Prayer Communication Communicative Theology Communion Community Comparative religious studies Compassion Conciliar Christianity Confession Confirmation Conflict congregational life Congregational Vitality congregations Conscience Consciousness conspiracy theories Constitution Consumers Context Conventions Conversion Coptic Christians Coptic Church Coronavirus Councils Counselors Covenant School Covid Covid-19 Crackers and Grape Juice creation creation debate Creationism Creator Critical Theology Cross Crucifixion Cultural Christianity Culture Cure of Souls Dallas Damon Linker David Harbour Deacons Dead Poets Society Dean R. Hoge Death Death and Dying Death of Innocents death of the young Decline Deconstruct Deconstructionism Deconstructionists Definition of Woman Dementia Democracy Democrats Denominational decline Denominational Leaders Denominations Derision Desmond Tutu Diane Feinstein Difference difference of opinion dignity of all human beings Disability Disagreement Disaster Discernment Discipleship Discrimination Disillusionment Dispensationalism Dispute Resolution Diversity Divine love Divine Mercy Divorce Doctrine of the Trinity Dogma Dogs Donal Trump Donald A. Luidens Donald Trump Dones Dorothy Sayers Doubt Doubting Thomas Dreams Dreams and Dreamwork dunamis Easter Eastertide Ecclesiology Economic Shutdown Ecumenism Education Egeria election Election Day Election Night Elizabeth Jeannette Taylor Moulin Elizabeth Lesser Ellie Wiesel Emilio Gentile Epiphany Episcopacy Episcopal Church Episcopal Church Building Fund Episcopal Divinity School Episcopal Elections Epistle to the Hebrews Equity Esau Esau and Israel Esau and Jacob eschatological expectation Eschatology Eternal Life Eternity ethics Eucharist Eucharistic Spirituality Evangelicalism Evangelicals Evangelism Evangelist Evil evolution Examen Exploitation Faith Faith and politics Faith Formation Family Fatherhood Fathers Feeding of the Multitude Feminism First Responders Flag Flood Foot washing Footwashing Forgiveness Formation Fortitude Founder Fourth of July Frederick Douglass Freedom Freedom of Speech Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Schleiermacher Friend Friends Friendship Fruit of the Spirit fundagelicals Fundamentalism Fundamentalism and Politics Fundamentalist Christianity Fundamentalist vs. Progressive Christianity fundamentists Funeral Directors Funeral Industry Funerals Future Futuring GAFCON Galatians 5:22-23 Galileo Gen X General Conference General Convention General Ordination Examination General Theological Seminary Generation Generation X Generational Differences Generations Genesis Genesis 22 Genesis 32:3-32; 33:1-11 Genesis 40-41 George Floyd George W. Truett Theological Seminary Giving Global Church Global North Global South Globalization God God of the gaps God with us Good Fridauy Good Friday Good Samaritan Google Gordon-Conwell Gospel Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospels Grace Gratitude Greatness Grief Grief Awareness Month Grit Guilt Gun control Gun Violence Guns Habakkuk Hal Lindsey Hamas Harmonial Religion Harry Potter Healing and Restoration Health care professionals Heaven and hell Helping Professions Henri Nouwen Higher Education Hillary Clinton history Hobby Lobby Hold my mule Holidays Holocaust Holy Family Holy Spirit Holy Thursday Holy Week Homeless Homiletics Hope Hospitality Hotel California House of Bishops Hugh Hefner human dignity Humility Hypocrisy I Corinthians Identity if your pastor doesn't Ignatius of Loyola II Corinthians illness image of God Immanuel Immigration Immortality Incarnation Inclusion Independence Day Independents Infant baptism Inheritor Inspiration Instagram Intergenerational relationships Internet Intimacy Irenaeus of Lyons ISIS Islam Islamic Fundamentalism Israel Israelis Jacob James Pike James Stewart Jascha Mounk Jeff Hardin Jeffrey Epstein Jesus Jesus as Judge Jesus Christ Jesus followers Joan Chittester Job's Comforters Job's Friends jobs Joe Biden John 13 John 15 John 18:33-37 John 1:1-18 John Lewis John McWhorter John Shelby Spong John the Baptist John Wesley John's Gospel Johnb 1:1-18 Johns Hopkins University Jonah Jonah 1:11-16 Jonah 2 Jordan Peterson Joseph Journalism Journey Jr. Judging Jesus Judgment July 4 Justice Justin Welby Karl Menninger Karl Rahner Kate Spelman Ken Burns Kenosis Kentucky Kevin Ho Kingdom of God Kings Kings of Israel Knowledge KY Labor Lament Lance Armstrong Language Larry Ellison Lawyers Lazarus Leadership Leadership and Fear Left Behind Lent Leon Kass Lex Credendi Liberal Protestantism Liberalism Life poured out Limitation Litigation Liturgical Revision Liturgy Living in the moment Lk 6:17-26 Loneliness Long-Term Care Lord of the Rings Los Angeles Loss Louise Perry Love Love Command luches toward Bethlehem Luke 10 Luke 12:49-56 Luke 14:13-14 Luke 14:28-30 Luke 18:1-8 Luke 19:1-10 Luke 21 Luke 21:25-36 Luke 21:27-28 Luke 24:36-48 Luke 3:15-17 Luke 3:7-14 Luke 4:1-13 Luke 6:27-38 Luke 9:1-13 lvation Madonna Magic Mainline Protestantism Manchester Mandalorians Marcus Borg Marilyn Monroe Mark 13 Mark Driscoll Mark Sandlin marriage Mars Hill Martin Luther King Martin Scorcese martyr Marxists Mary Mass Murder Mass Shootings Masters of Divinity Materialism Materialist Matthew 13 Matthew 20:1-16 Maundy Thursday Medical Ethics Meditatio Meetings MegaChurch Meister Eckhart Memes Memorialist Men Mentoring Menu Mercy Mere Christianity Messiah Complex Metaphor Methodism Methodist Church Micah 6:8 Micah Jackson Michael Curry Michael Tobin Millennials Minds ministers Ministry Ministry of Reconciliation Minneapolis Minya Miracles Miracles and the Kingdom of God Mission Monastic spirituality Money Montana Moral Inventory Moral Theologies (aka Ethics) Moral Theology Moral Therapeutic Deism morality Mortality Mother of Jesus Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mothers Mt 11:2-3 Mt 13:54-58 Mt 24:36-44 Mt 3:13-15 murder Murder of Brian Thompson Music Musicians Name-calling Nashville National Children's Grief Awareness Month NATO Natural Disaster Neo-Nazis Neurological Diseases Never Again New Atheists New Testament Studies New Year New Year's Resolutions News cycle NFL Nicene Creed Non-denom Non-Man Nones Normal Norman Perrin Notre Dame Nurses Nursing Homes NYC October 7 Online Services Online worship Open Communion opinion Oprah Winfrey Oracle Ordained life Order of St. Benedict Ordination Orthodox Palestinians Palm Sunday Palm Sunday Liturgy Pandemic Parable of the Generous Landowner Parable of the Tares Parable of the Weeds Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Parenting Parents Paris Parish Growth Parish Revitalization Parkinson's Part-time Ministry Partisanship Passover Pastoral Care Pastoral Leadership pastors Patheos Patriotism Paul PayPal Peace Penal Substitution Penal Substitutionary Atonement Pentecost People of Ukraine Perkins School of Theology Peter Peter Thiel Pets Pew Foundation Pharisees Pharoah Philippians 2:5-8 Physical violence Physicians Pit Playboy Plot Politics Politics and Spirituality Politics and the Pulpit Poor Possession Post-Christian Post-Christianity Post-modernism Poverty power Pray Prayer Prayer Book Revisiton Prayer in public Prayerbook revision pre-marital counseling Preaching Prejudice President President of the United States Presidential Candidates presidential election Presidential Primaries Presiding Bishop Priesthood priests Priests and Politics Prima Scriptura Primitive Christianity Prince Andrew Prison Problem of Suffering Professional boundaries Program Progressive Christianity Progressive Protestantism Progressives Prophet Prophetic Speech Protest Protestant Reformation Protestantism PRRI Public Discourse Public Office Public Policy Public Prayer Publishers punching down punching up Putin Racism Radical Feminism Razib Kahn real presence Reconciliation Regret Relationship Relationship with Jesus Relationships Religion Religion and Politics Religious News Service Repentance Republicans Resilience Resurrection Retirement homes Revelation Reversal Revival Richard Dawkins Righteous Indignation Rights Robert W. Lyon Robin DiAngelo Robin Williams Rock Concert Roman Catholic Church Romans 13:1-7 Ronald A. Binzley Ronald L. Numbers Rosh Hashanah Rough beast Rowan Williams Royal Wedding Rueben P. Job Rule of Life running Russia Ruth Bader Ginsburg sacrament Sacramental Sacraments Sacred Space Sacrifice of Isaac SAG Awards Saints Salman Rushdie Salvation Sanctification Sarah Mullally Sarah Olson Saving Work of God SBNR SBNRs Schism School safety School shootings Science Science and Christianity Science and Religion Scientific rationalism Scot McKnight Scripture Seabury Seabury-Bexley Second Corinthians Seeing Seekers Self-Care Self-examination Self-Governance semeia Seminarians Seminaries Seminary Seminary education Seneca Sentimentality Sequel Sergey Brin Sermon Preparation Sermons Servant Service SETs Sex Sexism Sexual Harrassment Sexual Revolution Shame Shanghai Shenandoah Shutdown signs Silence Sin Sin and Guilt Skepticism Slavery Snake Pit Snakes Sobriety Social agenda Social Media Sola Scriptura Solidarity Son of Man Soren Kierkegaard Sorrow Soteriology Soul Care South Africa Southern Baptist Church Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Sovereignty speaking truth to power Speech Spin Spiritual Spiritual but not religious Spiritual Community Spiritual Direction Spiritual Directors International Spiritual Disciplines Spiritual Formation Spiritual Formaton Spiritual growth Spiritual Guidance Spiritual journey Spiritual Leadership Spiritual maturity Spiritual Perspectives Spiritual practice Spiritual Receptivity Spirituality Spiritually awake Squirrel Hill St. Francis of Assisi St. Ignatius St. Ignatius of Loyola St. John Chrysostom St. Matthew St. Paul Star Wars Stephen Hawking Steven Charleston Stewardship Stoicism Story Stranger Things Stuck Student Evaluations Suffering Suffering Messiah Suicide supernatural Supreme Court Syria Søren Kierkegaard Teaching of Jesus TEC TED Talk Television Temple Temptation Temptation of Jesus teras Termination of Care Terrorism Test Pattern testimony Texas Texas Hill Country Thanksgiving The 12 Disciples The Ascension The Avengers The Body of Christ The Book of Job The centre cannot hold The Church and Covid-19 The Church and Online Communities The Dave Test The Dual Commandment The Episcopal Church The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem The Feast of St. Matthew The future The Good The Gospel of John The Grave The Great Pastor Resignation The Kingdom of God The Language of Derision The Last Seven Words of Jesus The Last Temptation The Law The Lord's Prayer The Mandalorian the means of salvation The New American Spirituality The New Normal The Parable of the Good Samaritan The Parable of the Sower The Peace The Problem of Pain The Saints Go Marching In The Thursday of Holy Mysteries The Trinity The United Methodist Church The War on Poverty The Week The Weight of Glory The White Helmets the wrong side of history Theodicy Theodore Dalrymple Theological Education Theology theories of communion Theosis Therapy Thomas Aquinas Thomas Attig Thomas Merton Thomas O'Loughlin Thought and prayers Tiger Woods Tim Keller Tim LaHaye Tithing Tolerance Torah Tornado Totalitarianism Trade Towers Tradition Tragedy Transfiguration transubstantiation Travel Trinity Trinity Episcopal Church Trump Trust Truth Turmoil TX Ukraine Uncategorized Unemployment Union Theological Seminary United Methodist Church United States United States and the Holocaust United States Armed Forces United States Congress United States of America Unity Universal Communion Until We Have Faces violence Virginia Virtual Church Virtue Virtues Vision Vladimir Putin Vocation Volodymyr Zelensky Voting Vow of Stability W. B. Yeatts War Washington National Cathedral Way Wealth wedding weddings Wesleyan Western Civilization Whataboutism When Suffering Persists White Supremacists Will of God William D. Davidson William J. Abraham witness Woman Women Women's bodies wonder Woody Allen Words Work World War II world weariness Worship Writers Yellowstone Youth Ministry Zacchaeus Zealots

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz