It’s Time For a Confederate Flag Apology

If you are, either, as old as I am or if you watched the syndicated reruns, you will remember the television show “Happy Days,” and the Fonz. In the early 1970s to the mid 1980s, actor Henry Winkler played the part of Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, known to most of us as Fonzie, on that sitcom that was set in the 1950s. Thinking back to those days, you may also remember the great difficulty that Fonzie had with the words “I’m sorry.” The Fonz just could not bring himself to utter those words. Especially lately, I can identify with my old friend Fonzie.

Recently, I have been called on to apologize for some things I wrote in a Pathway article a few weeks ago. And, I have to admit to you that I have been struggling with the matter. I have questioned myself and my motives. I have carefully analyzed, perhaps over-analyzed, my own words. The point of the article was to show the contrast between genuine Christian love and the hate-filled words and deeds of those who do not know Jesus Christ. It seems, however, that the thesis of the article was lost for some Missouri Baptists because of a particular analogy I used to make the point.

I told about the day I came upon a flagpole in a Missouri front yard. The flagpole was stacked with three flags – the confederate flag, flanked by the state flag of Texas and the Christian flag. I went on to offer my opinion of the meaning of the Confederate flag. And, I must reiterate that my personal life experience with that symbol presents it as a symbol that perpetuates a dark time in the history of our nation – the days of slavery in the South, that time leading up to and the time of the Civil War. That has been my experience and my understanding for more years than I care to admit. Over the last few weeks, however, since that article appeared in Pathway, I have been made aware that I offended some Missouri Baptists with a different opinion concerning the symbolism of the Confederate flag.

I am sorry that I offended some of you. The last thing we need in our Missouri Baptist Convention is something else to fight about. I do not want to be the source of conflict. It is ironic that an article, written to propose that simple Christ-like attitudes would help us get past our current struggles, has been the source of even more conflict. I understand that some Missouri Baptists see the Confederate flag differently than I do. I accept that some of you see that flag as a symbol of southern culture. Actually, I knew that when I wrote the original article. That is why I acknowledged that “… some will disagree with me on this issue.” In early drafts of the article I had explained more clearly that part of the issue. But, I am supposed to write articles that contain between 900-1,000 words. The final version of the article in question contained 1,243 words. I simply did not have the space to explain myself fully. Consequently, I too quickly acknowledged that some would disagree with me and then went on to state my position.

Even though some of the revisionist history I have heard over the last couple of weeks, relating to the Confederate flag and to the War between the States, is bizarre, if you are one of those who disagree with me regarding the Confederate flag, I do not assume that you are a racist and I did not intend to accuse you of hate.

Still, I wonder if those who were so easily offended by my statements ever considered that many people are just as offended by the mere sight of that flag. I wonder if those who so vehemently disagree with me about the Confederate flag will accept that there are others who just as passionately disagree with them. Even more importantly, I wonder, why is it that no one posted on a message board, or wrote a letter to the editor that addressed the real purpose of the article?

Once again, I am genuinely sorry that I offended some of you. Certainly, that was not my intent. In fact, my intent has been completely lost in this discussion. My intent was to contrast Christ-like words and deeds to the recent talk and actions of too many Missouri Baptists. Recall my statement, “… people who are willing to assassinate the character of a fellow Missouri Baptist should not also claim to know and share the love of Christ.” That was the point of the article. And, just as I am apologetic to have offended any Missouri Baptist, I am equally remorseful that some Missouri Baptists seem to be more offended by my article, and the analogy contained in it, than they are bothered by the infighting in our Convention. I don’t understand that.

So, can we come back to the point of the original article? John recorded the words of Jesus concerning the matter. Jesus said, “By this will all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Apostle Paul was inspired by the Spirit of God to write, “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.” In other words, we should not have to even talk about this. I should not have to write about it. We do not need to be taught about Christian love. The fact is we have learned, from the God who loves us, how to love one another. And, we are told in I John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from the death to life.” In other words, we know that we are Christians “… because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” According to the Word of God, there are no genuine Christians who do not demonstrate love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. It seems to me that those truths, relating to the validity our Christianity, are far more important than my view, or your view, of the Confederate flag.