Denton: Why an Appeal to Heaven flag outside U.S. House speaker's office signals danger
The sea of Christian, nationalist and racist symbols displayed at the seat of our democracy on Jan. 6, 2021, represented more than just a rift from America’s long tradition of peaceful transitions of power. Amongst the easily recognizable MAGA, QAnon, and Confederate battle flags, were the far less notorious, but far more alarming, white flags with a sole green pine tree and the words “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN” written above it. First flown by a squadron of six frigates during the American Revolution, the flag quoting John Locke’s right to revolution, now represents both the gaping schism between evangelical Christians and the gravest threat to American democracy.
Most of the evangelical Christians I knew in the army viewed their politics through the context of their faith in the scripture. A fellow platoon leader spoke of the gospel teaching to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that every soul could be saved, and that abundant grace and forgiveness should be given to those who do not know God. However, something changed in 2005, when the Topeka Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church began protesting funerals of service members killed in Iraq. Their pastor asserted the service members' deaths were God’s retribution for America’s immorality, while his faithful held banners reading, “God hates (homosexuals) ” and “Thank God for dead soldiers."
Westboro’s condemnation, fire, and brimstone for those who did not know God has continued over the past two decades, with them notably protesting the Orlando Pulse nightclub funerals in 2016. However, by then the schism amongst the tens of millions of evangelical Christians was underway, with more and more viewing their faith through the context of their politics. Blood and soil Christian nationalist congregations with millions of online followers went from turning their worship services into political pep rallies, to warning other congregations to break from pastors not using their pulpits to advance God’s militant agenda, to preaching under “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN” flag that a second civil war is necessary to prevent the Rapture.
Earlier this year, Rep. (now House Speaker) Mike Johnson’s National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance included the blowing of Old Testament era rams’ horns to herald a modern-day army of God, prayers of spiritual warfare over the country against in the flesh demons, and appearances by “prophets” of the decentralized New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). These zealots receive direct revelations from God, and core tenants of their dogma are for Christians to exercise dominion over every aspect of society, reclaim the fallen earth from Satan, and create a physical Kingdom of God.
Just weeks before ascending to become speaker of the House, on the World Prayer Network broadcast, Rep. Johnson discussed the risk of divine retribution with pastor Jim Garlow, a prominent NAR “apostle.” Rep. Johnson grew tearful, invoked the fiery destruction of Sodom, and prayed, “We repent for our sins individually and collectively. And we ask that You not give us the judgment that we clearly deserve.” To make abundantly clear the danger that Christian nationalist congregations pose to every other American, on a Facebook livestream to the one million followers of a fellow “apostle” that he was seated with at a black-tie Mar-a-Lago gala in November, pastor Garlow declared, “We don’t just ‘preach Jesus.’ We preach what Jesus preached. He preached the Kingdom … What’s the King over? Everything. Everything. Including the governmental and political realm.”
The black-tie gala was for the America First Policy Institute, that is often described as a second Trump administration in waiting. The think tank raised a reported $1.6 million at the event and paid $963,000 for the event’s “rent/facility costs” to the forever grifting former president, who spoke at the affair. Trump’s initial candidacy’s renegade populism appealed to many Americans who were tired of traditional politicians never solving long simmering issues, his unapologetic rhetoric appealed to other Americans with no deep ideology other than disliking feeling scolded for being politically incorrect, and then after winning his primary, he appealed to some Christian evangelical leaders after transactionally promising to fight for Christianity if their congregations voted for him. The NAR endorsed Trump early because it was apparent that he would not be contained by social norms or political institutions, that his power comes from his followers who love him because they feel empowered when he crosses boundaries, and that bestows upon him the ability to fight the hordes at the gate in a way no one else ever has. Many devotees see the sinner as a messiah figure, believe he fights for Christianity because he transformed into a Christian during his presidency, and internalize attacks on his character as attacks on their character, as evidenced by the fortification of their resolve once his indictments began.
The ferocity of the violence seen on Jan. 6, 2021, is an omen. Even more Christian nationalists feel under siege, believe that a civil war is an existential necessity to prevent Armageddon, and therefore they will not stop at just taking away the rights of those of other religions, the LGBTQ+ community, or women just wanting bodily autonomy. On the third anniversary of the insurrection, do not lose site that “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN” flag was on a pole that was used to attack police, worn as a cape by another rioter who entered the Capitol, and now prominently hangs outside the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Josh Denton is commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 168, a Portsmouth city councilor and writes the Nationalism ≠ Patriotism Substack.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Denton: Appeal to Heaven flag warns of rise of Christian nationalism
