16 february 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South florida edition CHURCH UNITED I grew up reciting the pledge of allegiance to the Christian flag every morning at Immanuel Christian School outside of Washington, DC. “I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands...” Those words got in me. They shaped me. They formed me. And yet, over time, I and many of my peers in ministry have wrestled with the growing tension between the ideals embedded in that pledge and the reality of how much of the Christian community speaks and acts today. That tension has become impossible to ignore - especially in light of the statistics regarding the next generations rapid decline in church attendance and faith identity. The pledge I recited as a child was simple. It declared allegiance not to a nation, not to a political movement, but to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. A Kingdom that is not of this world but seeks to redeem it. A Kingdom of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A Kingdom of justice, mercy and humility. A Kingdom filled with the poor, the powerless, the broken and the outcast. Yet today, that Kingdom often feels obscured. The words of Christ have been entangled with political agendas, cultural battles and material pursuits. The gospel has, at times, been reduced to a tool for power rather than a call to lay power down. Love has been replaced with outrage, joy with fear and peace with division. And for many, the result has been a faith that feels more like an institution to be defended than a life-transforming relationship with the living God. But even in the midst of this dissonance, I still pledge my allegiance to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom stands apart The Kingdom of God is unlike any earthly kingdom. It is not built on conquest or self-interest. It does not seek to dominate or manipulate. It does not belong to any single nation, party or ideology. Rather, it is a Kingdom defined by a crucified Savior who calls His followers to take up their own crosses and follow Him. This Kingdom is one of radical love — love for our neighbors, love for our enemies, love that does not ask, “what’s in it for me?” but instead seeks to serve and uplift others. This is the love that drove Jesus to eat with sinners, to heal the broken, to welcome the refugee and the marginalized, to challenge the powerful and to give His life so that others might live. It is a love that cannot be co-opted by any movement that prioritizes power over service, wealth over generosity or exclusion over grace. A Kingdom unlike any other Jesus declared that His Kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit, to those who mourn, to the meek, to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:3-6). He said that the last would be first and the first would be last (Matthew 20:16). He warned against hoarding wealth, exploiting the vulnerable and seeking positions of honor (Luke 12:15, Matthew 23:6-12). Yet, how often do we see a version of Christianity that seems more concerned with securing influence and preserving comfort than with seeking justice and lifting up the oppressed? How often do we trade the self-sacrificing way of Christ for a faith that promises prosperity, control or social dominance? If I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, then I must pledge allegiance to the Savior of which this upside-down Kingdom represents —a Kingdom where the marginalized are seen, where the weak are valued and where true power is found by giving it away. A Call to True Allegiance Allegiance to Christ’s Kingdom means more than reciting words. It requires action. It requires humility. It requires repentance. It means choosing faith over fear, hope over cynicism and love over division. It means speaking truth even when it’s unpopular, standing for justice even when it’s costly and extending mercy even when it’s undeserved. It means seeking Christ above all else—not as a means to an end, but as the very foundation of our identity. Allegiance to Christ’s Kingdom comes with the risk of being labeled “woke” one day and “a conservative bigot” the next. For those who have felt the weight of disillusionment, for the children of many committed Christ followers who have wrestled with the ways Christianity has been misrepresented or manipulated, the answer is not to abandon faith but to return to its source. To reclaim the radical, countercultural, life-giving truth of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Not a kingdom of men, but the Kingdom of God. Not a kingdom of division, but a Kingdom of reconciliation. Not a kingdom of fear, but a Kingdom of love. A Kingdom that calls us, compels us and transforms us. A Kingdom that is worth our entire life. So today, as I reflect on the pledge I daily recited as a child, I pray that we would say it again with renewed conviction and humility: “I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands. One savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.” Learn more about Church United by visiting churchunitedfl.com. I Pledge Allegiance to the Christian Flag - Edwin Copeland - Executive Director Church United
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