Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ

The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2005-01-22

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver argues that the Confederate battle flag is a Christian symbol representing freedom from tyranny, not racism or slavery. He uses biblical teachings on banners and standards to establish the importance of flags, then presents historical evidence to counter modern criticisms. The lecture asserts that the War Between the States was fought over states' rights and economic issues, not slavery, and that attacks on the flag are attacks on Christian heritage and truth.

[John Weaver] The following presentation by Pastor John Weaver points out only a few of the facts our modern history books ignore concerning the war between the states. It is intended to spark interest in the true heritage of the South and expose the efforts of the politically correct to slander the noble and heroic stand of Southerners, both black and white, against the tyranny of unconstitutional usurpation of power by the federal government. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight, to the book of Numbers, chapter 1. Numbers, chapter 1. And we'll read some verses there and then in chapter 2 as well. Numbers, chapter 1. I'm going to bring a message tonight in defense of the flag, and I think you'll see why before I finish. Numbers, chapter 1. Notice, if you would please, verse 52.

[John Weaver] The Bible says,"...and the children of Israel shall pitch their tents." Every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard throughout their host." Note that phrase, every man by his own standard throughout their host.

[John Weaver] Now look in chapter 2, beginning with verse 2. Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch his own standard or banner or flag with the ensign banner or flag of their father's house far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. And on these sides, toward the rising of the sun, shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies. Nashon, the son of Amedad, shall be captain of the children of Israel, of Judah. Notice, if you would please, in verse 10. On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies, and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Eliezer, the son of Shadur. Note, on the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben. Look in verse 17. Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of Levites in the midst of the camp. As they encamp, so shall they set forward every man in his place by their standards. On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim, according to their armies, and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elisha, the son of Ammihad."

[John Weaver] Then verse 25,"'The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies, and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahasuer, the son of Amishadai.'" And then verse 31, And they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were a hundred thousand, and fifty and seven thousand, and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards." Then verse 34,"...and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses." So they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward everyone after their families according to the house of their fathers.

[John Weaver] Let me begin by asking a simple question. Why in the world is there so much fuss over a flag. Is a standard, is a banner or a flag worth fighting about? Everyone knows that a flag is a symbol. It represents something. But what is a symbol of and what does it represent? If you will study your Bible, you will find that our English word flag does not occur in our Bibles except to represent reeds or properly the paper I plant that grows by the riverside. But if you will take the time to go through a concordance, you will find that the word banner, the word standard, the word enzyme occurs frequently over and over. I want you to see by way of introduction tonight the importance of a flag or the importance of a standard. You see, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wilderness, They kept everyone under their own standard.

[John Weaver] And do you realize that they were centered around that tabernacle according to their standards as well? If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 2 and verse 2, note this statement. Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard. So evidently every tribe had its own standard, but go on, with the ensign of their father's house. So there were not only tribal standards, There were also family standards, so usually then each family carried two banners, one for their tribe and one for their father's house. And of course all of these Families in Israel, all of these tribes then, were centered around that tabernacle, and they marched when they marched according to the order that God gave. Now, there were four leading tribes. There was the tribe of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan. Now, according to tradition, the standard of the tribe of Judah had a lion on it. Hence, we know Christ as the lion of the tribe of Judah. That of the tribe of Reuben had the likeness of a man's head.

[John Weaver] That of the tribe of Ephraim had the figure of an ox, and that of the tribe of Dan had the symbol of an eagle. If you'll study the book of Ezekiel, you'll find the four living creatures there that Ezekiel saw had the faces of these four standards that are mentioned here in the book of Numbers, chapter 2.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, very quickly, to Psalm 20 and verse 5. Psalm 20 and verse 5, just trying to show you the importance of a standard. In Psalm 20 and verse 5, the Word of God says this. Note carefully, Psalm 20, verse 5,"...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. The Lord fulfill all thy petitions." Note,"...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners." So banners, or flags then, have a religious significance. Here's the importance of a banner. We set it up in the name of our God. It represents our theology. It represents our Christianity. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 60 and verse 4. Psalm 60 and verse 4. Note, if you would, How plain the Bible is here, Psalm 60, verse 4. The Word of God says, Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.

[John Weaver] So God then gives us a banner that we might display that banner. Why? Because of the truth. Not because of error, not because of anything else, but because of the truth.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 17 and verse 15. And you're going to be surprised when you find one of the names of God mentioned here in the Bible. Exodus chapter 17 and verse 15. The children of Israel had fought against the Amalekites and had won. God had given them the victory. And let's begin reading there with verse 14. Note what God tells Moses. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua.

[John Weaver] For I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. For he said, because the Lord had sworn that the Lord would have war with Amalek from generation to generation." Now note, Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. Jehovah Nissi means the Lord, our banner. In other words, God is the banner of His people. The name of God is associated with the warfare of His people. So a flag, then, is not just given to us for the truth, but God Himself is said to be our flag, our banner.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 59, verse 19. Here's a very powerful verse. Look in Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 19. Note, if you would, this verse, Isaiah 59, verse 19. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. Now watch. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

[John Weaver] Did you hear what I just read? When the enemy shall come in like a flood, then the Spirit, that is the third person of the Trinity, then the Holy Spirit shall lift up a standard against him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. If the Holy Spirit is lifting up a banner, if He's lifting up a standard against the enemies of God and the enemies of God's people, what standard or what banner is He lifting up? Well, look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10, and you will find out. Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10. Note, if you would please, Isaiah 11 and verse 10, the Word of God says concerning Christ, And in that day there shall be root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign, or a flag of the people.

[John Weaver] And to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious." So when the enemies of the Lord come in like a flood, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard against them, and that standard is Jesus Christ. So God the Father is said in the Scripture to be our banner. God the Son is said in the Scripture to be our banner. I don't know about you, but I believe God places a great deal of importance upon banners and flags and insigns in the Word of God. No one can deny the importance based upon the Word of God.

[John Weaver] But what about the confederate flag? Is the confederate flag a Christian symbol? Is the confederate flag a Christian flag. Interestingly, when one mentions the Confederate flag, usually what comes up in someone's mind is the battle flag as we see right here. I want you to know tonight that there were numerous Confederate flags. This is the battle flag. Let me just point out the fact There were five major flags.

[John Weaver] There were many, many more. But their first flag, that I want to point out, was the Bonnie Blue Flag, which was a solid blue flag with a single star right in the middle. Now, the Bonnie Blue Flag was the unofficial flag of the Confederate States of America. It was never officially adopted, but it was an extremely popular flag, and there's a song written about it from that period on the Bonnie Blue Flag. Then, secondly, there is what is known as the first national flag, which is sometimes called the Stars and Bars. Now, there was a problem, and I'm going to deal with it just a little bit later, but the Stars and Bars looked a lot like the Stars and Stripes. And there's a conflict because of that. But there was the stars and bars of the first national flag. Then secondly, or thirdly, I should say, there was the second national flag, which is referred to as the Stainless Banner.

[John Weaver] It just had this symbol in the upper left-hand corner, and then it was pure white. It was silver. The only problem with the stainless banner was, when the wind was not blowing and it was folded, it sometimes looked like a flag of truce or a flag of surrender. And then thirdly, we have the third national flag, and that was the same stainless banner, but with a solid red bar all the way down it. And that's the one that is usually flying today, the third national flag.

[John Weaver] It was officially adopted, but very few of them were issued. And then of course we have the Confederate battle flag as we know it. Interestingly enough, the first four flags are very rarely spoken against Because most people don't even know about their existence, and they're totally absolutely ignorant of them, and so consequently, it is the battle flag that catches most of the flack. So let me begin tonight with some negatives. I want to tell you what the Confederate battle flag does not represent. I want to tell you what it does not symbolize. And I want you to hear me very carefully, because I'm going to give you the historical proof for what I'm going to say. First of all, the Confederate battle flag is not a racist flag. I can hear it now, though, but Brother Weaver, don't you know that the KKK uses a Confederate flag? And don't you know the white supremacist groups use the Confederate flag? And don't you know the hate groups use the Confederate flag? Yes. But I also know that they use the stars and stripes, and I also know they even use the Christian flag as well.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you a question. Why are not the stars and the stripes and the Christian flag considered racist flags as well? I mean, if someone is going to be guilty by association, Or if something is going to be guilty by association, I can show you pictures of the Ku Klux Klan marching in Washington, D.C., and there is not one Confederate flag amongst them. They're all carrying the stars and stripes, the U.S. flag. If we're going to condemn a flag because the KKK and the white supremacist groups and the hate groups use it, let's condemn all the flags. Be consistent. Condemn the stars and stripes, condemn the Christian flag. Let me ask you another question just to show you the certainty of this position. Do you realize that the Darlington 400 for years used a picture of the Confederate flag on its billboard and advertised itself as the Rebel Raceway? Does that mean, therefore, that all those Winston Cup drivers are racists? Does that mean that anyone who tends the Darlington 400 is a racist?

[John Weaver] What about the Scottish soldiers? I'll explain this a little bit later. Even today, Scottish soldiers who are in British Army wear the cross of St. Andrews. Does that mean that all Scottish soldiers are racist as well? Let me show you the enmity and the hatred and the venom that is being spoken against this flag. And I'm going to tell you why before I close tonight. But I got a website. And the name of the website was basically The Confederate Flag Must Go.

[John Weaver] It was put there by Jack Crawford, who evidently is a black man, based upon his other writings. And here is what he said. I'm quoting him verbatim. I took it off his website. He says this, quote, The Confederate flag is a well-recognized international symbol of racism, slavery, hatred, murder, and white supremacy. It should be outlawed, not just banned. Anyone flying it should be corrected in a manner that is usually reserved for overseers, slave masters, and leaders of lynch mobs responsible for the murder of children. Am I clear?" So what does Mr. Jack Crawford say? He says anyone who flies this flag ought to be killed.

[John Weaver] That's basically what he's saying. What would you do to a murderer who formed a lynch mob and hung a child? Well, very clearly, you would see that he got the death penalty. Well, that's what he's saying.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just tell you very quickly, Mr. Crawford's statement is unhistorical, it is unconstitutional, and it is untrue. Do you realize that most attackers of the flag are either motivated by historical ignorance or pure, unadulterated malice toward the South, its symbol, its heritage, and its people? In 1994, a Harris poll found that two-thirds of black Americans have no problem with the Confederate flag. No problem at all. Why in the world make the flag an issue? In fact, there are numerous black Americans that speak out for the Confederate flag.

[John Weaver] Let me give you one of them. R.J. Wilkins of Miami, Florida, had this to say. They were flying the Confederate flag at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, and he wrote this, I'm a black man who is not offended by the flying of the Confederate flag beside the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. The Confederate flag is as much a part of my history as of any white person's.

[John Weaver] It may not represent the best of my race or be held by some as a contribution to this country's greatness, but it does to me. My great grandparents were a part of the plantations. They worked the cotton fields, cleaned the big houses, and in many ways supported the development of American society. We should let the Confederate flag fly as a reminder of our American history, both black and white."

[John Weaver] But let me tell you something. You want to hear a black man speak out and speak the truth? Let me give you a quote that W. Earl Douglas gave. He was a black journalist. Charleston, South Carolina. He's now dead, but here is what he said concerning the Confederate flag. Now listen carefully. Quote, if hate had been the prevailing emotion between the races, then it is a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never been born.

[John Weaver] Now let me just stop there. Did you hear what he said? If hate had been the prevailing emotions between the blacks and the whites in the South, He is saying it's a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never, ever been born. I continue. Fortunately, he says, there was love, understanding, and compassion. Now, listen to what this black man says. And the two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are, number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two, that it was fought by the North for the purpose of freeing the slaves.

[John Weaver] The Negro was merely used as the excuse for that war, while the real reason for it is reflected in every area of our lives, where the tentacles of government form the bars of a new slavery. No, don't hurl that Confederate battle flag. Let it wave all across the South to remind Americans that there exists here a yearning for liberty, freedom, and independence that will not be denied.

[John Weaver] Let it fly as a testimonial to real men and real women who would rather work and fight than shed tears and beg for governmental charity." Amen. He understood, folks. He had more sense. and more knowledge than most people today. You see, the Confederate battle flag is not a racist symbol, and it never has been. One of my favorite stories is about a black representative, John F. Harris, who was a legislator in Washington County, Mississippi.

[John Weaver] And he had the opportunity to vote for Senate Bill No. 25, which was a bill to erect a Confederate monument on the Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi. Now, the bill did pass. And Mr. Harris, who was sick and got out of his bed to give his speech before the Senate, did so. And of course, on February the 23rd, 1890, the Daily Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi printed his speech in full.

[John Weaver] Let me read a portion of it to you. He says, Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my play store for a few words on the bill. I have come from a sick bed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come. But sir, I could not sit quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County. I am sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead. And sir, I am convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines in the seven days fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor, he would not have made that speech.

[John Weaver] When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed, and they made no requests for monuments. But they died, and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore. We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions. When my mother died, I was a boy. Who, sir, then acted a part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old missus?

[John Weaver] Were she living now, or could speak to me from those high realms where are gathered the sainted dead? She would tell me to vote for this bill, and, sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of a bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead." End quote. Here was a man, a black man, who wore the Confederate gray, and he understood the war was not a racist war. Now, let me tell you, the Confederate flag is not a racist flag. But now wait. If you want racism, if you want hatred, if you want white supremacy, I will tell you where to find it.

[John Weaver] Under the stars and stripes. Not under the Confederate flag. Do you realize the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863? On August 14, 1862, less than five months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Abraham Lincoln invited a number of leading blacks to the White House to give them his words of wisdom and to demonstrate to them why he was attempting to colonize them back in Africa. By the way, Lincoln's Negro policy was to send them all black back to Africa. That was his policy.

[John Weaver] William Seward, William Stanton, all of them, same thing. And so he invited these Negroes to come to the White House to hear his words of wisdom, and I'm quoting verbatim what Lincoln said. Listen carefully. He says, why should people of your race be colonized and where? Why should they leave this country? This is perhaps the first question for proper consideration. You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference that exists between almost any other two races.

[John Weaver] Whether it is right or wrong, I need not discuss. But this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think. Your race suffers very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffers from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this is admitted, it affords a reason, at least, why we should be separated. You are freemen here, I suppose.

[John Weaver] Perhaps you have been long free all of your lives. Your race is suffering, in my judgment, the greatest wrong inflicted on any people. But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the right race. The aspiration of men is to enjoy equality with the best when free. But on this broad continent, not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single man of our race." Abraham Lincoln. Let me translate that. Blacks aren't equal to whites. Never will be.

[John Weaver] That's what he got through saying. Listen to what Lincoln said in a speech in Charleston, Illinois, 1858. Lincoln said, I am not now nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or the political equality of a white and black race. I am not now nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and black races, which will forever forbid the two races from living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man." Abraham Lincoln.

[John Weaver] You see, the Confederate flag has never stood as a racist symbol. If you want racism, you go to the Stars and Stripes. In the South, although there was separation, the blacks respected the whites and the whites respected the blacks. And I'll tell you this, there was no trouble in the South back then, nor in the 1960s, until the North came down and started stirring up trouble. So the Confederate flag is not a racist flag. The Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery. It does not represent slavery.

[John Weaver] Are you listening to me tonight? There is not one slave ever brought into this country under the Confederate flag. Every slave that was brought into this country was brought in by northern ships under the Stars and Stripes. There was not even a slave brought into this country on a southern vessel. The slaves are brought into this country on northern vessels under the stars and stripes. Did you know, out of the 224 years in this country, that slavery was legal? And by the way, there were slaves in this country in 1620. The 224 years that slavery was legal in this country, only four of those years did the confederate battle flag fly. One flag flew over the country more than any other flag during those 224 years. It was the Stars and Stripes. It wasn't the confederate battle flag. It was the Stars and Stripes. Why hate and attack the confederate flag? I mean, if you want to hate a flag of slavery, then you ought to hate the Stars and Stripes. That was the one that brought the slaves over.

[John Weaver] And if you want to hate another flag of slavery, why not hate the British flag? Did you know that England was responsible for taking five million blacks from Africa and selling them to every country under the sun? If you want to hate a flag, why not hate the Dutch flag, or the Portuguese flag, or the Spanish flag? They sold slaves. And if you want to hate a flag even then, how about hating the Muslim flags? Because even they, the Muslims, are still involved in slavery.

[John Weaver] I mean, let's be honest. Now, if you want to believe that the war of 1861 to 1865 was over slavery, I can show you two things that ought to forever correct your thinking in that area. The war was not over slavery. Slavery has only been made an issue by the liberal revisionists. It was not an issue. Let me prove to you just by two simple statements. I'll give you more. But let me prove to you that the war was not fought over slavery. And therefore, this flag could never, ever have represented slavery.

[John Weaver] You see, Abraham Lincoln proposed a 13th Amendment to the Constitution. He proposed that 13th Amendment in March of 1861. It is the only proposed constitutional amendment that was signed by a sitting president. It bears Abraham Lincoln's signature. Here was Abraham Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment. Quote, No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give Congress the power to abolish or interfere within any state with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said state." Did you hear that? Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment said, Congress shall not have the power to interfere with any institutions within any state, including those held to labor or service by the laws of that state. In other words, what Abraham Lincoln was saying to the South, if you will accept this proposed 13th Amendment, you may forever keep slaves.

[John Weaver] Folks, Beauregard never fired on Fort Sumter until April the 9th. This was in March of 1861. If the war had been about slavery and if the South wanted just to keep slaves and that was it, why fire a gun? Why fire a shot? Just simply accept this proposed 13th Amendment and it would all be over. Let me read to you. This resolution was passed unanimously by Congress on July the 23rd, 1861. You may read it for yourself in the congressional record. Here's what this resolution says.

[John Weaver] The war is waged by the government of the United States, not in the spirit of conquest or subjection, nor for the purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or institutions of the states, but to defend and protect the Union. Congress said the war is not about slavery. Lincoln said, the war's not about slavery. I will even give you a 13th Amendment that will allow you to make slavery permanent.

[John Weaver] You see, what was happening was this. There's a lot of issues, and I can't cover them all tonight. But one of the issues was an economic issue. Do you realize the South, before the war, was extremely wealthy? And the South, before the war, funded probably 75 to 80 percent of all the taxes. But the North wanted a 40% tariff. The South said, no, the most we will ever agree to is a 10% tariff.

[John Weaver] And what Lincoln and the Radical Republicans were doing was this. They were saying, we will give you the 13th Amendment. We will let you keep your slaves if that's what you want. You just let us keep our tariffs." In other words, the North was willing to sell the blacks out for money, for higher taxes. They weren't interested in the slaves. They could care less. You see, Hapgood's book, Abraham Lincoln, The Man of the People, on page 273, quotes Abraham Lincoln as saying, if I could save the Union without freeing any of the slaves, I would do it. Abraham Lincoln later said that slaves are property.

[John Weaver] And if freed, they should be paid for. Later on, Lincoln said, I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. Now here, Lincoln is acknowledging that he has no lawful right to interfere with slavery. Slavery, by the way, was constitutional. All 13 colonies agreed on it, and by the way, in 1776, all 13 colonies held slaves.

[John Weaver] Not just the South, all of them. Lincoln said, I have no lawful right to interfere, nor, he says, do I have an inclination to do so. In a letter to Alexander Stevens, who happened to be later the Vice President of the Confederacy, Lincoln wrote Alexander Hamilton Stevens and says this, Do the people of the South really entertain fear that a Republican administration would directly or indirectly interfere with their slaves, or with them about their slaves?

[John Weaver] If they do, I wish to assure you that once as a friend, and still, I hope, not an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears. The South would be in no more danger in this respect than it was in the days of Washington." So once again, Lincoln is saying, it's not over slavery. You say, but Brother Weaver, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves. No, it didn't. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free one slave. Do you know what Abraham Lincoln tried to do with the Emancipation Proclamation?

[John Weaver] In fact, he says so himself, and so does other men in his cabinet. They say that the Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure. Lincoln, number one, wanted to keep England specifically, and the rest of Europe particularly, from joining in with or recognizing the Confederate States of America. That was his first goal in that Emancipation Proclamation. His second goal was a war measure, another war measure, in the sense he was hoping that the blacks in the South would rise up in rebellion against their white masters and their white people.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. Just to show you there was no trouble in the South. There was not one rebellion during that war of black folks. Do you realize a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have emptied the Confederate armies? Because the men would have gone home to protect their families. And Lincoln knew that. You see, what Lincoln did was this. Now listen to me. Lincoln tried to free the slaves in the South where he had absolutely no authority, and he refused to release the slaves in the North where he did have authority. Did you know that in the Northern armies, even when they were fighting the South, there were over 300,000 slaveholders in the Northern armies? Did you know that General Robert E. Lee, before the war ever began, when he inherited some slaves, freed them. General Ulysses S. Grant, who was the main general of the North and afterwards became president, even after the war was over, he kept his slaves.

[John Weaver] And he did so with this excuse. Good help is hard to find. You see, the truth of the matter is this. The Emancipation Proclamation was not only unconstitutional, And everybody recognized it. It cost the Republicans a lot of elections. There were five northern states that refused after that to elect Republicans to Congress. And moreover, there were a lot of Union soldiers that deserted because of it and refused to fight.

[John Weaver] Slavery was not the issue. Slavery has never been the issue until recently, until political revisionists And the political correct people wanted to make it the issue. There have been numerous warnings down through history concerning our flag and concerning our heritage and our culture. One of those warnings came from General Patrick Cleburne. And I want to read to you what General Patrick Cleburne said in January of 1864.

[John Weaver] And he was warning the South in regards to subjugation. And you're talking about a prophet? Listen carefully. General Cleaver said this, if the South lost, it means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy, that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers, will learn from Northern school books their version of the war, will be impressed by all of the influences of history and

[John Weaver] education to regard our gallant dead as traitors and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision." Folks, let me tell you, that is exactly what has happened in this country. You pick up any textbook that you want to pick up, and it'll just simply say, the war was over slavery, the North was right, the South was wrong. And most folks believe that junk. They've been taught it. The war was not over slavery. Not over slavery at all.

[John Weaver] One of my favorite stories is about a reconstructed Southerner, who ran into Mildred Lewis Rutherford. Mildred Lewis Rutherford was one of the finest Southern historians that you could ever come across. I believe she died in 1928. But this one reconstructed Southerner said to Mrs. Rutherford, he said, my father was a Confederate soldier, but had he lived, I'm sure he would have regretted having fought for the wrong side. To which Mrs. Rutherford replied, far more probably. He would have regretted having a son so disloyal to the principles for which he was willing to give his life. The Confederate flag is not a racist flag. The Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery.

[John Weaver] Here's the third thing I want to teach you tonight. I want you to listen carefully. The Confederate flag is a Christian flag and it represents freedom from tyranny. The Confederate battle flag as we know it really did not come into existence, or I should say into full-blown presence, until after First Manassas, July 21, 1861. Most of you know, or at least you should know, that the South and the North call their battles by different names, so it's either First Manassas or First Bull Run, depending on what section of the country you're from. But during that battle, the Confederate battle flag was the stars and bars And the stars and bars was very easily confused with the stars and stripes, not only at a distance, but especially under battle conditions.

[John Weaver] And you've got to remember all of the smoke that those black powder rifles and cannon made at that particular time. It was during this battle that General Beauregard was observing the battle, and he sees a large body of troops moving toward the Union right flank. And Beauregard tried and tried to make out the flag and to see if it was a northern flag or a southern flag and he just simply could not make it out. So he called some of his young lieutenants up and he said, tell me, is that our flag or is that their flag? They could not make it out either. And so he stood there very cautiously, trying to determine whose flag it was, what group was there.

[John Weaver] And all of a sudden, a little puff of wind came, and it unfurled, and he could see that it was stars and bars, and he cried, The day is ours! Attack! Attack! And with that, of course, they won the day, and the Yankees literally threw down their weapons and ran all the way back to Washington, D.C. Later, Beauregard wrote, and here's what he said, at the Battle of Manassas, I found it difficult to distinguish our then-Confederate flag from the United States flag, the two being so much alike, especially when General Jubilee Early made the flank movement who decided the fate of the day. So Beauregard said, I couldn't tell if it's ours or theirs. Then he wrote, I resolved to have our flag changed or to adopt for my command a battle flag which would be entirely different from any state or federal flag." Beauregard later said, after the war, after the battle it was found that many persons in both armies firmly believed that each side had used as a stratagem the flags of his opponent.

[John Weaver] It was General Miles who proposed this battle flag with the Saint Andrew's cross on it. Now, you've got to remember that Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus Christ. Now, why in the world is this battle flag carrying what is known as the Saint Andrew's cross? Well, Andrew, not only being the first disciple of Jesus Christ, was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and he faithfully preached and taught the Word of God. He taught and preached not only in Asiatic nations, but also in what is in Russia today. Andrew was crucified around 69 A.D. in Patras, Greece. And Andrew persuaded his persecutor, prosecutor, whatever you want to call him, He persuaded him not to crucify him on a Latin cross, but to crucify him on an X-shaped cross. And the reason he did not want to be crucified on a Latin cross was because that was the way Christ was crucified, and he did not believe himself worthy to be crucified like Christ. Secondly, he convinced his persecutor to not to nail him to that X-shaped cross, but literally to tie his feet and to tie his legs there.

[John Weaver] Because, once again, he did not believe that he was worthy to be crucified in the same manner that Jesus Christ was crucified. And you've got to remember that when this was occurring, Andrew was approximately 90 years of age. And Andrew knew that once he was tied to this cross, being tied would prolong the agony and the pain. Not ease it, but prolong it. And so Andrew remained alive, tied to that cross, and preached to everyone that came by for three days.

[John Weaver] Finally, after the third day, many of the people believed his preaching. and some were so moved they went to the persecutor and asked him to have Andrew cut down from the cross. He consented, and they went and cut him down, and when they did, he fell to the earth absolutely dead as a martyr for Jesus Christ. Andrew became the patron saint of Russia and of Scotland.

[John Weaver] Now you say, why is that important? Did you know that according to the census, two-thirds of the Americans living in the 1860s were either Scotch or Scotch-Irish? See, many of them already had St. Andrew's crosses on their flags as such. because they were Scotch people. The cross of St. Andrews is a symbol of the Christian faith and of the heritage of the Celtic race. The Confederate battle flag is based upon the national flag of Scotland. In fact, another name for the Confederate battle flag is the Southern Cross. And this flag was adopted by General Miles and General Beauregard and men of the South deliberately, consciously, premeditatingly in order to display their faith in the sovereign God of heaven and earth. They realized that God is the God of providence, that God is the God of history, that God is the God of salvation. Let me read to you a letter that General Miles received from Samuel Barrett of Washington, Georgia. He wrote on May the 23rd, 1861, and forwarded a letter to South Carolina.

[John Weaver] It was Congressman William Porcher Miles. Miles was head of the Congressional Committee tasking with adopting a flag for the Confederacy. Barrett said the flag should be a token of humble acknowledgment of God and be a public testimony to the world that our trust is in the Lord our God. You see, Colonel Walton wanted to have The Latin cross. Colonel Miles said, no, we'll use the St. Andrew's cross.

[John Weaver] And that's basically what General Beauregard adopted. And this is a Christian flag. It is a Christian symbol. And it was chosen to display faith in the sovereign God. Why should it not? Did you know that the Confederate Constitution acknowledged the sovereignty and the almighty power of God. Let me just read you the preamble. By the way, if you don't know it, the Confederate Constitution was the first constitution that outlawed slavery. The Confederate Constitution said, basically, after the then living slaves died out, there would be no more slaves imported into the South. So it's the first constitution to outlaw slavery. But here's the preamble. Listen to it. We the people of the Confederate States, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God. to ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America. Even the Confederate States motto was Deo Vindicae, which means the Lord is our Vindicator.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something else. This Southern Cross, this St. Andrew's Cross, is also the Greek letter T. which has historically been used to represent Christ because TCH happens to be the first two letters of the word Christ. Moreover, let me show you this. I realize a lot of people say, well, we're against people sending out cards saying, Mary, Xmas. But that X was that St. Andrew's Cross. Historically, It meant Christ. Marvel, let me tell you this. Uneducated and educated people understood the St. Andrew's Cross. They understood the key. They understood the importance of it. Because even on legal documents, a man who was uneducated and could not write made his what? His X. Because it was the first two letters of the name of Christ. And it was made in faith and recognition before God as the sovereign God and the God of providence. And he was giving an oath as he made his ex that he would keep his word and do what he had signed.

[John Weaver] So the Confederate battle flag, dear friend, is indeed a Christian flag. Now, let me ask you, what does it mean to attack the battle flag? It means that you're attacking the sovereignty, majesty, and might of Jesus Christ and His divine role in our history, culture, and life. To attack the battle flag is to attack Christ because it's a Christian flag. Moreover, let me show you something. This flag stands for the heroic efforts and courageous acts of our Confederate dead. Did you know that General Beauregard got one of the first of the first three original battle flags? And on May the 28th, 1883, Beauregard donated his battle flag to the Louisiana Washington Artillery. Colonel Walton was there to accept the flag, and Judge Alfred Roman was presenting it, and here's what the judge said. Listen carefully. In the name of General Beauregard, under whose eyes you first went under fire at Manassas, I have the honor to present to you this sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." Did you hear that? This sacred emblem, the flag, of Southern valor and patriotism, said Judge Alfred Roman.

[John Weaver] Its colors are yet as fresh as when it received its parting look of its fair maker. Its value is enhanced by the fact that the upper portion of its staff is made of a piece of the flagstaff of Fort Sumter, shot down by the Confederate gunners in April 1861. Gunners, by the way, who were under the command of General Beauregard. Unsullied though it be by the smoke of the battle, it was nonetheless born in war, and the breeze first kissed it in the tinted field.

[John Weaver] It is the genuine model of the glorious flag all around which all of us fought, and so many of us bled, and so many of us What did the judge say? Here's an emblem of Southern valor and patriotism? He didn't say here's an emblem of racism and our fight for our slaves. No. He said here's the emblem of Southern valor and patriotism. Why attack the Confederate flag? Why attack Confederate monuments? Why attack the Confederate South? To attack the Confederate South, its flag and its monuments, is an attack on truth. Are you listening? The South was fighting for independence. The South was fighting for states' rights. The South was fighting for the Tenth Amendment that you and I know. Did you know that the South threw up a petition against Congress and against the United States government exactly like the Declaration of Independence? They only changed the names and made it reflect exactly what the North was doing, how they were acting exactly like George III.

[John Weaver] It may surprise you to know that some Southerners wanted to keep the stars and stripes. You know why they wanted to keep the Stars and Stripes? They said, it's not we who have left the Constitution, it's the North. Let them get another flag. We're the ones that are fighting for truth. You see, to attack the Confederate flag is an attack on political incorrectness. If you want to be politically correct today, if you want to be liberal and pink today, then you attack the Confederate flag. You attack the Confederate monuments. The flag, the Confederate flag, represents all of those who are opposed to unlimited government. The North wants to have unlimited government. Washington, DC wants unlimited government. Unhappily, most of our state capitals want unlimited government. The Confederate flag says, oh no, there is a limitation. There is a Constitution.

[John Weaver] We have God-given rights. We are not going to surrender them. And this attack, to attack the flag, is to attack the truth. Let me tell you something. The Confederate flag stands against everything that you now see in Washington, D.C. 250,000 Confederates gave their lives to prevent what we have today, the intrusion of government into every area of our lives. The Confederate battle flag stands for truth. It stands for freedom from tyranny. It stands for states' rights. It stands for liberty and freedom. But not only that, it stands even more so for liberty against tyranny and freedom against tyranny. Do you realize that the Confederate battle flag is indeed an international symbol, but not an international symbol of racism, white supremacy, hatred, and murder. It's an international symbol, all right.

[John Weaver] Some of you here remember when the Berlin Wall was torn down. We watched it on TV, but I'll bet you've forgotten what was waving on that Berlin Wall—Confederate battle flag. Victory over tyranny. Did you know that the Confederate battle flag has been adopted and used by the people of Poland, Hungary, the Ukraine, Lithuania, and East Germany as they were victorious over the Union of Soviets? Did you realize that even Quebec used the battle flag in trying to secede from Canada just a few years ago?

[John Weaver] Yes, I can assure you. The battle flag is an international symbol, but it's an international symbol for liberty and freedom and independence against tyranny. The Confederate battle flag represents truth against error, freedom against tyranny, light against darkness, and the kingdom of Christ against the kingdom of darkness. You know, what we have forgotten is this. The War of 1861 and 1865 was not just simply a war that involved politics and economics, it was indeed a cultural war and a religious war.

[John Weaver] The North was predominantly Unitarian and humanist to the core, while the South was predominantly Christian. And it was a war to wipe out Southern heritage and Southern culture and Southern Christianity. And as Greg said earlier, public schools were only forced upon the South after the South lost the war of northern aggression.

[John Weaver] Now, why must the flag be attacked? Let's ask that question again. Why must the flag be attacked? Why must all Confederate monuments be attacked? Why must the Confederate dead be libeled and slandered? Let me tell you why. Because if we keep our symbols and we see them constantly, we might just begin to inquire as to their origin and their meaning. And in doing so, begin to question the myths and the propaganda that had been promulgated down through these years, and beginning to question those myths and propagandas, we begin to see the truth. And all of a sudden, we begin to stand for the very things that our forefathers stood for, believed in, and died for. Let me tell you, that flag is a threat to the socialists, to the communists, to those who hate God and hate Christ and hate liberty and hate freedom. It's a threat, and they want it taken out of sight. Let me tell you something, dear friend. We better say, Lord, let that flag wave.

[John Weaver] When that flag goes down, don't think that's going to be the end of it. It'll just be the beginning, because they'll want to take everything else. until our heritage, our culture, everything is totally destroyed. Please, if you don't remember anything else tonight, remember this. In order to keep a people enslaved, and in order to keep your slaves content, you must destroy their past. The people who have no past have no future. One of these days, the South is going to awaken again. And we're going to see that we have sacrificed our children too long on the altar of humanistic and northern appeasement. We've got to come back and say, we have a heritage, we have a culture, we have a life. I remember when I was in college, I had a class, voice and diction.

[John Weaver] My teacher, unhappily, was a Yaker. But he told me, he said, Mr. Weaver, you still have that Southern drawl. And I said, sir, do you know why I have that Southern drawl? He said, why? I said, because I was born in the South, I'm living in the South, and bless God, I plan on keeping my Southern drawl. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed of that battle flag. I'm not ashamed of our history and our heritage, and I want to challenge you.

[John Weaver] If you don't believe what I'm saying, you go down to the library, and you get the official volumes on the War of Rebellion, and you get the official records like I did, and you read them for yourself, and you will find what I'm saying is absolutely true. I want you to turn to one last verse tonight. I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 6. Here we are. Jeremiah chapter 6. I want you to see verse 16. Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16, look at what the Word of God says. Jeremiah 6 verse 16, Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and you shall find rest for your souls. But they the wicked said, We will not walk therein. But look what he said. Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the old ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein."

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. If I had a choice today, if I could choose to have the society that we have today, or the society that existed in the South before the war of northern aggression, I can assure you I would take the society that existed in the South before the war of northern aggression. If I had a choice as to whether I would take the morality of the day or the morality of the South in the 1860s, I would take the morality of the South in the 1860s. If I had a choice as to whether I could take the character, or I should say the lack of character today, or the character that was around in the 1860s in the South, I would take the character in the 1860s in the South.

[John Weaver] A man's word was still his bond back then. I know there were some criminals. But generally speaking, a man's word was his bond. Let me tell you something, folks. It's time we get back to our history. It's time we get back to our heritage. It's time we get back to our culture. It's time we get back to truth. It's time we get back to Christ. And we need to do exactly what Jeremiah says. We need to stand in the ways and ask for the old path.

[John Weaver] wherein is the good way, and walk therein. And long may that Christian Confederate battle flag wave. It's a symbol of Christ and Christianity and patriotism and valor and courage and independence and freedom. Father, we bow to Thee this night. We thank Thee for Jesus Christ. We thank Thee that He is the true banner that in Him and in Him alone is salvation. And I pray, Father, in the name of Christ, You would move on our hearts, stir our souls. May we not give up. May we not give in. May we not give out. May we fight for Thy truth, for Thy honor and the honor of Thy people. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1220517550
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-01-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	83

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Biblical Importance of Flags and Standards

Weaver introduces the topic by reading from Numbers 1-2 about the Israelites' standards and argues that flags have religious significance, citing Psalms and Exodus to show God Himself is a banner.

The following presentation by Pastor John Weaver points out only a few of the facts our modern history books ignore concerning the war between the states. It is intended to spark interest in the true heritage of the South and expose the efforts of the politically correct to slander the noble and heroic stand of Southerners, both black and white, against the tyranny of unconstitutional usurpation of power by the federal government. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight, to the book of Numbers, chapter 1. Numbers, chapter 1. And we'll read some verses there and then in chapter 2 as well. Numbers, chapter 1. I'm going to bring a message tonight in defense of the flag, and I think you'll see why before I finish. Numbers, chapter 1. Notice, if you would please, verse 52.

The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"...and the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard throughout their host."

Note that phrase,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"every man by his own standard throughout their host."

Now look in chapter 2, beginning with verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah."

Notice, if you would please, in verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur."

Note, "on the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben." Look in verse 17.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud."

Then verse 25, "The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai." And then verse 31, "And they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards." Then verse 34, "...and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers." Let me begin by asking a simple question. Why in the world is there so much fuss over a flag? Is a standard, is a banner or a flag worth fighting about? Everyone knows that a flag is a symbol. It represents something. But what is it a symbol of and what does it represent? If you will study your Bible, you will find that our English word "flag" does not occur in our Bibles except to represent reeds or properly the paper plant that grows by the riverside. But if you will take the time to go through a concordance, you will find that the word "banner," the word "standard," the word "ensign" occurs frequently over and over. I want you to see by way of introduction tonight the importance of a flag or the importance of a standard. You see, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wilderness, they kept everyone under their own standard.

And do you realize that they were centered around that tabernacle according to their standards as well? If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 2 and verse 2, note this statement. "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard." So evidently every tribe had its own standard, but go on, "with the ensign of their father's house." So there were not only tribal standards, there were also family standards, so usually then each family carried two banners, one for their tribe and one for their father's house. And of course all of these families in Israel, all of these tribes then, were centered around that tabernacle, and they marched when they marched according to the order that God gave. Now, there were four leading tribes. There was the tribe of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan. Now, according to tradition, the standard of the tribe of Judah had a lion on it. Hence, we know Christ as the lion of the tribe of Judah. That of the tribe of Reuben had the likeness of a man's head.

That of the tribe of Ephraim had the figure of an ox, and that of the tribe of Dan had the symbol of an eagle. If you'll study the book of Ezekiel, you'll find the four living creatures there that Ezekiel saw had the faces of these four standards that are mentioned here in the book of Numbers, chapter 2. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, very quickly, to Psalm 20 and verse 5. Psalm 20 and verse 5, just trying to show you the importance of a standard. In Psalm 20 and verse 5, the Word of God says this. Note carefully, Psalm 20, verse 5,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 20:5

"...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions."

Note,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 20:5

"...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners."

So banners, or flags then, have a religious significance. Here's the importance of a banner. We set it up in the name of our God. It represents our theology. It represents our Christianity. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 60 and verse 4. Psalm 60 and verse 4. Note, if you would, how plain the Bible is here, Psalm 60, verse 4. The Word of God says, "Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth."

So God then gives us a banner that we might display that banner. Why? Because of the truth. Not because of error, not because of anything else, but because of the truth.

Now I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 17 and verse 15. And you're going to be surprised when you find one of the names of God mentioned here in the Bible. Exodus chapter 17 and verse 15. The children of Israel had fought against the Amalekites and had won. God had given them the victory. And let's begin reading there with verse 14. Note what God tells Moses.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 17:14-15

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua."

"For I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi: For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." Now note, Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. Jehovah Nissi means "the Lord our banner." In other words, God is the banner of His people. The name of God is associated with the warfare of His people. So a flag, then, is not just given to us for the truth, but God Himself is said to be our flag, our banner. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 59, verse 19. Here's a very powerful verse. Look in Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 19. Note, if you would, this verse, Isaiah 59, verse 19. "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."

Did you hear what I just read? "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, then the Spirit," that is the third person of the Trinity, "then the Holy Spirit shall lift up a standard against him." Now, let me ask you a question. If the Holy Spirit is lifting up a banner, if He's lifting up a standard against the enemies of God and the enemies of God's people, what standard or what banner is He lifting up? Well, look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10, and you will find out. Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10. Note, if you would please, Isaiah 11 and verse 10, the Word of God says concerning Christ,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 11:10

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people."

"And to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious." So when the enemies of the Lord come in like a flood, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard against them, and that standard is Jesus Christ. So God the Father is said in the Scripture to be our banner. God the Son is said in the Scripture to be our banner. I don't know about you, but I believe God places a great deal of importance upon banners and flags and ensigns in the Word of God. No one can deny the importance based upon the Word of God.

Overview of Confederate Flags

Weaver describes the various Confederate flags, noting that the battle flag is the most criticized, and lists the Bonnie Blue Flag, Stars and Bars, Stainless Banner, and third national flag.

But what about the Confederate flag? Is the Confederate flag a Christian symbol? Is the Confederate flag a Christian flag? Interestingly, when one mentions the Confederate flag, usually what comes up in someone's mind is the battle flag as we see right here. I want you to know tonight that there were numerous Confederate flags. This is the battle flag. Let me just point out the fact there were five major flags.

There were many, many more. But their first flag, that I want to point out, was the Bonnie Blue Flag, which was a solid blue flag with a single star right in the middle. Now, the Bonnie Blue Flag was the unofficial flag of the Confederate States of America. It was never officially adopted, but it was an extremely popular flag, and there's a song written about it from that period on the Bonnie Blue Flag. Then, secondly, there is what is known as the first national flag, which is sometimes called the Stars and Bars. Now, there was a problem, and I'm going to deal with it just a little bit later, but the Stars and Bars looked a lot like the Stars and Stripes. And there's a conflict because of that. But there was the Stars and Bars of the first national flag. Then secondly, or thirdly, I should say, there was the second national flag, which is referred to as the Stainless Banner.

It just had this symbol in the upper left-hand corner, and then it was pure white. It was silver. The only problem with the Stainless Banner was, when the wind was not blowing and it was folded, it sometimes looked like a flag of truce or a flag of surrender. And then thirdly, we have the third national flag, and that was the same Stainless Banner, but with a solid red bar all the way down it. And that's the one that is usually flying today, the third national flag. It was officially adopted, but very few of them were issued. And then of course we have the Confederate battle flag as we know it. Interestingly enough, the first four flags are very rarely spoken against because most people don't even know about their existence, and they're totally absolutely ignorant of them, and so consequently, it is the battle flag that catches most of the flack. So let me begin tonight with some negatives. I want to tell you what the Confederate battle flag does not represent. I want to tell you what it does not symbolize. And I want you to hear me very carefully, because I'm going to give you the historical proof for what I'm going to say. First of all, the Confederate battle flag is not a racist flag. I can hear it now, though, "But Brother Weaver, don't you know that the KKK uses a Confederate flag? And don't you know the white supremacist groups use the Confederate flag? And don't you know the hate groups use the Confederate flag?" Yes. But I also know that they use the Stars and Stripes, and I also know they even use the Christian flag as well.

The Confederate Battle Flag Is Not a Racist Flag

Weaver refutes the claim that the flag is racist by noting that hate groups also use the U.S. and Christian flags, and cites polls and black voices supporting the flag.

Let me ask you a question. Why are not the Stars and the Stripes and the Christian flag considered racist flags as well? I mean, if someone is going to be guilty by association, or if something is going to be guilty by association, I can show you pictures of the Ku Klux Klan marching in Washington, D.C., and there is not one Confederate flag amongst them. They're all carrying the Stars and Stripes, the U.S. flag. If we're going to condemn a flag because the KKK and the white supremacist groups and the hate groups use it, let's condemn all the flags. Be consistent. Condemn the Stars and Stripes, condemn the Christian flag. Let me ask you another question just to show you the certainty of this position. Do you realize that the Darlington 400 for years used a picture of the Confederate flag on its billboard and advertised itself as the Rebel Raceway? Does that mean, therefore, that all those Winston Cup drivers are racists? Does that mean that anyone who attends the Darlington 400 is a racist?

What about the Scottish soldiers? I'll explain this a little bit later. Even today, Scottish soldiers who are in the British Army wear the cross of St. Andrew. Does that mean that all Scottish soldiers are racist as well? Let me show you the enmity and the hatred and the venom that is being spoken against this flag. And I'm going to tell you why before I close tonight. But I got a website. And the name of the website was basically "The Confederate Flag Must Go."

It was put there by Jack Crawford, who evidently is a black man, based upon his other writings. And here is what he said. I'm quoting him verbatim. I took it off his website. He says this, quote, "The Confederate flag is a well-recognized international symbol of racism, slavery, hatred, murder, and white supremacy. It should be outlawed, not just banned. Anyone flying it should be corrected in a manner that is usually reserved for overseers, slave masters, and leaders of lynch mobs responsible for the murder of children. Am I clear?" So what does Mr. Jack Crawford say? He says anyone who flies this flag ought to be killed.

That's basically what he's saying. What would you do to a murderer who formed a lynch mob and hung a child? Well, very clearly, you would see that he got the death penalty. Well, that's what he's saying.

Now, let me just tell you very quickly, Mr. Crawford's statement is unhistorical, it is unconstitutional, and it is untrue. Do you realize that most attackers of the flag are either motivated by historical ignorance or pure, unadulterated malice toward the South, its symbol, its heritage, and its people? In 1994, a Harris poll found that two-thirds of black Americans have no problem with the Confederate flag. No problem at all. Why in the world make the flag an issue? In fact, there are numerous black Americans that speak out for the Confederate flag.

Let me give you one of them. R.J. Wilkins of Miami, Florida, had this to say. "They were flying the Confederate flag at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, and he wrote this, 'I'm a black man who is not offended by the flying of the Confederate flag beside the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. The Confederate flag is as much a part of my history as of any white person's.'" "It may not represent the best of my race or be held by some as a contribution to this country's greatness, but it does to me. My great grandparents were a part of the plantations. They worked the cotton fields, cleaned the big houses, and in many ways supported the development of American society. We should let the Confederate flag fly as a reminder of our American history, both black and white."

But let me tell you something. You want to hear a black man speak out and speak the truth? Let me give you a quote that W. Earl Douglas gave. He was a black journalist. Charleston, South Carolina. He's now dead, but here is what he said concerning the Confederate flag. Now listen carefully. Quote, "If hate had been the prevailing emotion between the races, then it is a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never been born."

Now let me just stop there. Did you hear what he said? "If hate had been the prevailing emotions between the blacks and the whites in the South," he is saying, "it's a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never, ever been born." I continue. "Fortunately," he says, "there was love, understanding, and compassion." Now, listen to what this black man says. "And the two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are, number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two, that it was fought by the North for the purpose of freeing the slaves." "The Negro was merely used as the excuse for that war, while the real reason for it is reflected in every area of our lives, where the tentacles of government form the bars of a new slavery. No, don't hurl that Confederate battle flag. Let it wave all across the South to remind Americans that there exists here a yearning for liberty, freedom, and independence that will not be denied."

"Let it fly as a testimonial to real men and real women who would rather work and fight than shed tears and beg for governmental charity." Amen. He understood, folks. He had more sense and more knowledge than most people today. You see, the Confederate battle flag is not a racist symbol, and it never has been. One of my favorite stories is about a black representative, John F. Harris, who was a legislator in Washington County, Mississippi. And he had the opportunity to vote for Senate Bill No. 25, which was a bill to erect a Confederate monument on the Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi. Now, the bill did pass. And Mr. Harris, who was sick and got out of his bed to give his speech before the Senate, did so. And of course, on February the 23rd, 1890, the Daily Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi printed his speech in full.

Let me read a portion of it to you. He says, "Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to ask for a few words on the bill. I have come from a sick bed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come. But sir, I could not sit quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County. I am sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead. And sir, I am convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines in the seven days fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor, he would not have made that speech."

Historical Testimony from Black Confederates

Weaver shares quotes from black journalist W. Earl Douglas and black legislator John F. Harris, who defended the Confederate flag and monument, emphasizing their personal experiences.

And he had the opportunity to vote for Senate Bill No. 25, which was a bill to erect a Confederate monument on the Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi. Now, the bill did pass. And Mr. Harris, who was sick and got out of his bed to give his speech before the Senate, did so. And of course, on February the 23rd, 1890, the Daily Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi printed his speech in full. Let me read a portion of it to you. He says, "Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to ask for a few words on the bill. I have come from a sick bed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come. But sir, I could not sit quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County. I am sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead. And sir, I am convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines in the seven days fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor, he would not have made that speech."

"When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed, and they made no requests for monuments. But they died, and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore. We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions. When my mother died, I was a boy. Who, sir, then acted a part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old missus?"

"Were she living now, or could speak to me from those high realms where are gathered the sainted dead, she would tell me to vote for this bill, and, sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of a bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead." End quote. Here was a man, a black man, who wore the Confederate gray, and he understood the war was not a racist war. Now, let me tell you, the Confederate flag is not a racist flag. But now wait. If you want racism, if you want hatred, if you want white supremacy, I will tell you where to find it.

Racism Under the Stars and Stripes

Weaver contrasts the Confederate flag with the U.S. flag, quoting Abraham Lincoln's racist statements and arguing that slavery and racism were perpetuated under the Stars and Stripes.

Under the Stars and Stripes. Not under the Confederate flag. Do you realize the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863? On August 14, 1862, less than five months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Abraham Lincoln invited a number of leading blacks to the White House to give them his words of wisdom and to demonstrate to them why he was attempting to colonize them back in Africa. By the way, Lincoln's Negro policy was to send them all back to Africa. That was his policy. William Seward, William Stanton, all of them, same thing. And so he invited these Negroes to come to the White House to hear his words of wisdom, and I'm quoting verbatim what Lincoln said. Listen carefully. He says, "Why should people of your race be colonized and where? Why should they leave this country? This is perhaps the first question for proper consideration. You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races."

"Whether it is right or wrong, I need not discuss. But this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think. Your race suffers very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffers from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this is admitted, it affords a reason, at least, why we should be separated. You are freemen here, I suppose." "Perhaps you have been long free all of your lives. Your race is suffering, in my judgment, the greatest wrong inflicted on any people. But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race. The aspiration of men is to enjoy equality with the best when free. But on this broad continent, not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single man of our race." Abraham Lincoln. Let me translate that. Blacks aren't equal to whites. Never will be.

That's what he got through saying. Listen to what Lincoln said in a speech in Charleston, Illinois, 1858. Lincoln said, "I am not now nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or the political equality of a white and black race. I am not now nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and black races, which will forever forbid the two races from living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man." Abraham Lincoln. You see, the Confederate flag has never stood as a racist symbol. If you want racism, you go to the Stars and Stripes. In the South, although there was separation, the blacks respected the whites and the whites respected the blacks. And I'll tell you this, there was no trouble in the South back then, nor in the 1960s, until the North came down and started stirring up trouble. So the Confederate flag is not a racist flag. The Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery. It does not represent slavery.

The Confederate Flag Is Not a Flag of Slavery

Weaver argues that no slaves were brought to America under the Confederate flag, and that slavery existed under the U.S. flag for 224 years, with the Confederacy only four years.

Are you listening to me tonight? There is not one slave ever brought into this country under the Confederate flag. Every slave that was brought into this country was brought in by northern ships under the Stars and Stripes. There was not even a slave brought into this country on a southern vessel. The slaves were brought into this country on northern vessels under the Stars and Stripes. Did you know, out of the 224 years in this country that slavery was legal—and by the way, there were slaves in this country in 1620—the 224 years that slavery was legal in this country, only four of those years did the Confederate battle flag fly. One flag flew over the country more than any other flag during those 224 years. It was the Stars and Stripes. It wasn't the Confederate battle flag. It was the Stars and Stripes. Why hate and attack the Confederate flag? I mean, if you want to hate a flag of slavery, then you ought to hate the Stars and Stripes. That was the one that brought the slaves over.

And if you want to hate another flag of slavery, why not hate the British flag? Did you know that England was responsible for taking five million blacks from Africa and selling them to every country under the sun? If you want to hate a flag, why not hate the Dutch flag, or the Portuguese flag, or the Spanish flag? They sold slaves. And if you want to hate a flag even then, how about hating the Muslim flags? Because even they, the Muslims, are still involved in slavery. I mean, let's be honest. Now, if you want to believe that the war of 1861 to 1865 was over slavery, I can show you two things that ought to forever correct your thinking in that area. The war was not over slavery. Slavery has only been made an issue by the liberal revisionists. It was not an issue. Let me prove to you just by two simple statements. I'll give you more. But let me prove to you that the war was not fought over slavery. And therefore, this flag could never, ever have represented slavery.

The War Was Not Fought Over Slavery

Weaver presents Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment and congressional resolutions to prove the war was about preserving the Union and economic issues, not slavery.

You see, Abraham Lincoln proposed a 13th Amendment to the Constitution. He proposed that 13th Amendment in March of 1861. It is the only proposed constitutional amendment that was signed by a sitting president. It bears Abraham Lincoln's signature. Here was Abraham Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment. Quote, "No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give Congress the power to abolish or interfere within any state with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said state." Did you hear that? Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment said, "Congress shall not have the power to interfere with any institutions within any state, including those held to labor or service by the laws of that state." In other words, what Abraham Lincoln was saying to the South, "If you will accept this proposed 13th Amendment, you may forever keep slaves."

Folks, Beauregard never fired on Fort Sumter until April the 9th. This was in March of 1861. If the war had been about slavery and if the South wanted just to keep slaves and that was it, why fire a gun? Why fire a shot? Just simply accept this proposed 13th Amendment and it would all be over. Let me read to you. This resolution was passed unanimously by Congress on July the 23rd, 1861. You may read it for yourself in the congressional record. Here's what this resolution says.

"The war is waged by the government of the United States, not in the spirit of conquest or subjection, nor for the purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or institutions of the states, but to defend and protect the Union." Congress said the war is not about slavery. Lincoln said, "The war's not about slavery. I will even give you a 13th Amendment that will allow you to make slavery permanent." You see, what was happening was this. There's a lot of issues, and I can't cover them all tonight. But one of the issues was an economic issue. Do you realize the South, before the war, was extremely wealthy? And the South, before the war, funded probably 75 to 80 percent of all the taxes. But the North wanted a 40% tariff. The South said, "No, the most we will ever agree to is a 10% tariff."

And what Lincoln and the Radical Republicans were doing was this. They were saying, "We will give you the 13th Amendment. We will let you keep your slaves if that's what you want. You just let us keep our tariffs." In other words, the North was willing to sell the blacks out for money, for higher taxes. They weren't interested in the slaves. They could care less. You see, Hapgood's book, Abraham Lincoln, The Man of the People, on page 273, quotes Abraham Lincoln as saying, "If I could save the Union without freeing any of the slaves, I would do it." Abraham Lincoln later said that slaves are property.

And if freed, they should be paid for. Later on, Lincoln said, "I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." Now here, Lincoln is acknowledging that he has no lawful right to interfere with slavery. Slavery, by the way, was constitutional. All 13 colonies agreed on it, and by the way, in 1776, all 13 colonies held slaves. Not just the South, all of them. Lincoln said, "I have no lawful right to interfere, nor," he says, "do I have an inclination to do so." In a letter to Alexander Stephens, who happened to be later the Vice President of the Confederacy, Lincoln wrote Alexander Hamilton Stephens and says this, "Do the people of the South really entertain fear that a Republican administration would directly or indirectly interfere with their slaves, or with them about their slaves?"

"If they do, I wish to assure you that once as a friend, and still, I hope, not an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears. The South would be in no more danger in this respect than it was in the days of Washington." So once again, Lincoln is saying, "It's not over slavery." You say, "But Brother Weaver, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves." No, it didn't. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free one slave. Do you know what Abraham Lincoln tried to do with the Emancipation Proclamation? In fact, he says so himself, and so do other men in his cabinet. They say that the Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure. Lincoln, number one, wanted to keep England specifically, and the rest of Europe particularly, from joining in with or recognizing the Confederate States of America. That was his first goal in that Emancipation Proclamation. His second goal was a war measure, another war measure, in the sense he was hoping that the blacks in the South would rise up in rebellion against their white masters and their white people.

The Emancipation Proclamation as a War Measure

Weaver explains that the Emancipation Proclamation freed no slaves in the North and was a strategic move to prevent European recognition of the Confederacy and incite slave rebellion.

Let me tell you something. Just to show you there was no trouble in the South. There was not one rebellion during that war of black folks. Do you realize a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have emptied the Confederate armies? Because the men would have gone home to protect their families. And Lincoln knew that. You see, what Lincoln did was this. Now listen to me. Lincoln tried to free the slaves in the South where he had absolutely no authority, and he refused to release the slaves in the North where he did have authority. Did you know that in the Northern armies, even when they were fighting the South, there were over 300,000 slaveholders in the Northern armies? Did you know that General Robert E. Lee, before the war ever began, when he inherited some slaves, freed them. General Ulysses S. Grant, who was the main general of the North and afterwards became president, even after the war was over, he kept his slaves.

And he did so with this excuse. "Good help is hard to find." You see, the truth of the matter is this. The Emancipation Proclamation was not only unconstitutional, and everybody recognized it. It cost the Republicans a lot of elections. There were five northern states that refused after that to elect Republicans to Congress. And moreover, there were a lot of Union soldiers that deserted because of it and refused to fight. Slavery was not the issue. Slavery has never been the issue until recently, until political revisionists and the politically correct people wanted to make it the issue. There have been numerous warnings down through history concerning our flag and concerning our heritage and our culture. One of those warnings came from General Patrick Cleburne. And I want to read to you what General Patrick Cleburne said in January of 1864.

And he was warning the South in regards to subjugation. And you're talking about a prophet? Listen carefully. General Cleburne said this, "If the South lost, it means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy, that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers, will learn from Northern school books their version of the war, will be impressed by all of the influences of history and

The Confederate Flag Is a Christian Flag

Weaver details the flag's design as the St. Andrew's Cross, a Christian symbol, and its adoption to display faith in God, citing the Confederate Constitution's invocation of Almighty God.

Here's the third thing I want to teach you tonight. I want you to listen carefully. The Confederate flag is a Christian flag and it represents freedom from tyranny. The Confederate battle flag as we know it really did not come into existence, or I should say into full-blown presence, until after First Manassas, July 21, 1861. Most of you know, or at least you should know, that the South and the North call their battles by different names, so it's either First Manassas or First Bull Run, depending on what section of the country you're from. But during that battle, the Confederate battle flag was the Stars and Bars. And the Stars and Bars was very easily confused with the Stars and Stripes, not only at a distance, but especially under battle conditions.

And you've got to remember all of the smoke that those black powder rifles and cannon made at that particular time. It was during this battle that General Beauregard was observing the battle, and he sees a large body of troops moving toward the Union right flank. And Beauregard tried and tried to make out the flag and to see if it was a northern flag or a southern flag and he just simply could not make it out. So he called some of his young lieutenants up and he said, "Tell me, is that our flag or is that their flag?" They could not make it out either. And so he stood there very cautiously, trying to determine whose flag it was, what group was there. And all of a sudden, a little puff of wind came, and it unfurled, and he could see that it was Stars and Bars, and he cried, "The day is ours! Attack! Attack!" And with that, of course, they won the day, and the Yankees literally threw down their weapons and ran all the way back to Washington, D.C. Later, Beauregard wrote, and here's what he said, "At the Battle of Manassas, I found it difficult to distinguish our then-Confederate flag from the United States flag, the two being so much alike, especially when General Jubal Early made the flank movement who decided the fate of the day." So Beauregard said, "I couldn't tell if it's ours or theirs." Then he wrote, "I resolved to have our flag changed or to adopt for my command a battle flag which would be entirely different from any state or federal flag." Beauregard later said, after the war, "After the battle it was found that many persons in both armies firmly believed that each side had used as a stratagem the flags of his opponent."

It was General Miles who proposed this battle flag with the Saint Andrew's cross on it. Now, you've got to remember that Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus Christ. Now, why in the world is this battle flag carrying what is known as the Saint Andrew's cross? Well, Andrew, not only being the first disciple of Jesus Christ, was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and he faithfully preached and taught the Word of God. He taught and preached not only in Asiatic nations, but also in what is in Russia today. Andrew was crucified around 69 A.D. in Patras, Greece. And Andrew persuaded his persecutor, prosecutor, whatever you want to call him, he persuaded him not to crucify him on a Latin cross, but to crucify him on an X-shaped cross. And the reason he did not want to be crucified on a Latin cross was because that was the way Christ was crucified, and he did not believe himself worthy to be crucified like Christ. Secondly, he convinced his persecutor to not to nail him to that X-shaped cross, but literally to tie his feet and to tie his legs there.

Because, once again, he did not believe that he was worthy to be crucified in the same manner that Jesus Christ was crucified. And you've got to remember that when this was occurring, Andrew was approximately 90 years of age. And Andrew knew that once he was tied to this cross, being tied would prolong the agony and the pain. Not ease it, but prolong it. And so Andrew remained alive, tied to that cross, and preached to everyone that came by for three days. Finally, after the third day, many of the people believed his preaching, and some were so moved they went to the persecutor and asked him to have Andrew cut down from the cross. He consented, and they went and cut him down, and when they did, he fell to the earth absolutely dead as a martyr for Jesus Christ. Andrew became the patron saint of Russia and of Scotland.

Now you say, "Why is that important?" Did you know that according to the census, two-thirds of the Americans living in the 1860s were either Scotch or Scotch-Irish? See, many of them already had St. Andrew's crosses on their flags as such, because they were Scotch people. The cross of St. Andrew is a symbol of the Christian faith and of the heritage of the Celtic race. The Confederate battle flag is based upon the national flag of Scotland. In fact, another name for the Confederate battle flag is the Southern Cross. And this flag was adopted by General Miles and General Beauregard and men of the South deliberately, consciously, premeditatingly in order to display their faith in the sovereign God of heaven and earth. They realized that God is the God of providence, that God is the God of history, that God is the God of salvation. Let me read to you a letter that General Miles received from Samuel Barrett of Washington, Georgia. He wrote on May the 23rd, 1861, and forwarded a letter to South Carolina.

It was Congressman William Porcher Miles. Miles was head of the Congressional Committee tasked with adopting a flag for the Confederacy. Barrett said the flag should be "a token of humble acknowledgment of God and be a public testimony to the world that our trust is in the Lord our God." You see, Colonel Walton wanted to have the Latin cross. Colonel Miles said, "No, we'll use the St. Andrew's cross." And that's basically what General Beauregard adopted. And this is a Christian flag. It is a Christian symbol. And it was chosen to display faith in the sovereign God. Why should it not? Did you know that the Confederate Constitution acknowledged the sovereignty and the almighty power of God? Let me just read you the preamble. By the way, if you don't know it, the Confederate Constitution was the first constitution that outlawed slavery. The Confederate Constitution said, basically, after the then living slaves died out, there would be no more slaves imported into the South. So it's the first constitution to outlaw slavery. But here's the preamble. Listen to it. "We the people of the Confederate States, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America." Even the Confederate States motto was Deo Vindice, which means "the Lord is our Vindicator."

The Flag Represents Freedom from Tyranny

Weaver argues the flag symbolizes states' rights, limited government, and resistance to tyranny, and has been used internationally as a symbol of liberty.

Let me tell you something else. This Southern Cross, this St. Andrew's Cross, is also the Greek letter Chi, which has historically been used to represent Christ because Chi happens to be the first two letters of the word Christ. Moreover, let me show you this. I realize a lot of people say, "Well, we're against people sending out cards saying, 'Merry Xmas.'" But that X was that St. Andrew's Cross. Historically, it meant Christ. Moreover, let me tell you this. Uneducated and educated people understood the St. Andrew's Cross. They understood the Chi. They understood the importance of it. Because even on legal documents, a man who was uneducated and could not write made his what? His X. Because it was the first two letters of the name of Christ. And it was made in faith and recognition before God as the sovereign God and the God of providence. And he was giving an oath as he made his X that he would keep his word and do what he had signed.

So the Confederate battle flag, dear friend, is indeed a Christian flag. Now, let me ask you, what does it mean to attack the battle flag? It means that you're attacking the sovereignty, majesty, and might of Jesus Christ and His divine role in our history, culture, and life. To attack the battle flag is to attack Christ because it's a Christian flag. Moreover, let me show you something. This flag stands for the heroic efforts and courageous acts of our Confederate dead. Did you know that General Beauregard got one of the first of the first three original battle flags? And on May the 28th, 1883, Beauregard donated his battle flag to the Louisiana Washington Artillery. Colonel Walton was there to accept the flag, and Judge Alfred Roman was presenting it, and here's what the judge said. Listen carefully. "In the name of General Beauregard, under whose eyes you first went under fire at Manassas, I have the honor to present to you this sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." Did you hear that? "This sacred emblem," the flag, "of Southern valor and patriotism," said Judge Alfred Roman.

"Its colors are yet as fresh as when it received its parting look of its fair maker. Its value is enhanced by the fact that the upper portion of its staff is made of a piece of the flagstaff of Fort Sumter, shot down by the Confederate gunners in April 1861." Gunners, by the way, who were under the command of General Beauregard. "Unsullied though it be by the smoke of the battle, it was nonetheless born in war, and the breeze first kissed it in the tinted field." "It is the genuine model of the glorious flag all around which all of us fought, and so many of us bled, and so many of us died." What did the judge say? "Here's an emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." He didn't say "here's an emblem of racism and our fight for our slaves." No. He said "here's the emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." Why attack the Confederate flag? Why attack Confederate monuments? Why attack the Confederate South? To attack the Confederate South, its flag and its monuments, is an attack on truth. Are you listening? The South was fighting for independence. The South was fighting for states' rights. The South was fighting for the Tenth Amendment that you and I know. Did you know that the South threw up a petition against Congress and against the United States government exactly like the Declaration of Independence? They only changed the names and made it reflect exactly what the North was doing, how they were acting exactly like George III.

It may surprise you to know that some Southerners wanted to keep the Stars and Stripes. You know why they wanted to keep the Stars and Stripes? They said, "It's not we who have left the Constitution, it's the North. Let them get another flag. We're the ones that are fighting for truth." You see, to attack the Confederate flag is an attack on political incorrectness. If you want to be politically correct today, if you want to be liberal and pink today, then you attack the Confederate flag. You attack the Confederate monuments. The flag, the Confederate flag, represents all of those who are opposed to unlimited government. The North wants to have unlimited government. Washington, D.C. wants unlimited government. Unhappily, most of our state capitals want unlimited government. The Confederate flag says, "Oh no, there is a limitation. There is a Constitution."

We have God-given rights. We are not going to surrender them. And this attack, to attack the flag, is to attack the truth. Let me tell you something. The Confederate flag stands against everything that you now see in Washington, D.C. 250,000 Confederates gave their lives to prevent what we have today, the intrusion of government into every area of our lives. The Confederate battle flag stands for truth. It stands for freedom from tyranny. It stands for states' rights. It stands for liberty and freedom. But not only that, it stands even more so for liberty against tyranny and freedom against tyranny. Do you realize that the Confederate battle flag is indeed an international symbol, but not an international symbol of racism, white supremacy, hatred, and murder. It's an international symbol, all right.

Some of you here remember when the Berlin Wall was torn down. We watched it on TV, but I'll bet you've forgotten what was waving on that Berlin Wall—Confederate battle flag. Victory over tyranny. Did you know that the Confederate battle flag has been adopted and used by the people of Poland, Hungary, the Ukraine, Lithuania, and East Germany as they were victorious over the Union of Soviets? Did you realize that even Quebec used the battle flag in trying to secede from Canada just a few years ago? Yes, I can assure you. The battle flag is an international symbol, but it's an international symbol for liberty and freedom and independence against tyranny. The Confederate battle flag represents truth against error, freedom against tyranny, light against darkness, and the kingdom of Christ against the kingdom of darkness. You know, what we have forgotten is this. The War of 1861 and 1865 was not just simply a war that involved politics and economics, it was indeed a cultural war and a religious war.

Why the Flag Must Be Attacked

Weaver contends that attacks on the flag aim to erase Southern heritage and prevent inquiry into truth, and that preserving symbols is essential for future freedom.

Now, why must the flag be attacked? Let's ask that question again. Why must the flag be attacked? Why must all Confederate monuments be attacked? Why must the Confederate dead be libeled and slandered? Let me tell you why. Because if we keep our symbols and we see them constantly, we might just begin to inquire as to their origin and their meaning. And in doing so, begin to question the myths and the propaganda that have been promulgated down through these years, and beginning to question those myths and propagandas, we begin to see the truth. And all of a sudden, we begin to stand for the very things that our forefathers stood for, believed in, and died for. Let me tell you, that flag is a threat to the socialists, to the communists, to those who hate God and hate Christ and hate liberty and hate freedom. It's a threat, and they want it taken out of sight. Let me tell you something, dear friend. We better say, "Lord, let that flag wave."

When that flag goes down, don't think that's going to be the end of it. It'll just be the beginning, because they'll want to take everything else, until our heritage, our culture, everything is totally destroyed. Please, if you don't remember anything else tonight, remember this. In order to keep a people enslaved, and in order to keep your slaves content, you must destroy their past. The people who have no past have no future. One of these days, the South is going to awaken again. And we're going to see that we have sacrificed our children too long on the altar of humanistic and northern appeasement. We've got to come back and say, "We have a heritage, we have a culture, we have a life." I remember when I was in college, I had a class, voice and diction.

Conclusion: Return to the Old Paths

Weaver calls for a return to Southern heritage, morality, and Christianity, citing Jeremiah 6:16, and prays for the continued waving of the Christian Confederate battle flag.

My teacher, unhappily, was a Yankee. But he told me, he said, "Mr. Weaver, you still have that Southern drawl." And I said, "Sir, do you know why I have that Southern drawl?" He said, "Why?" I said, "Because I was born in the South, I'm living in the South, and bless God, I plan on keeping my Southern drawl. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed of that battle flag. I'm not ashamed of our history and our heritage, and I want to challenge you." If you don't believe what I'm saying, you go down to the library, and you get the official volumes on the War of Rebellion, and you get the official records like I did, and you read them for yourself, and you will find what I'm saying is absolutely true. I want you to turn to one last verse tonight. I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 6. Here we are. Jeremiah chapter 6. I want you to see verse 16. Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16, look at what the Word of God says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 6:16

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein."

But look what he said.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 6:16

"Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein."

Let me tell you something. If I had a choice today, if I could choose to have the society that we have today, or the society that existed in the South before the war of northern aggression, I can assure you I would take the society that existed in the South before the war of northern aggression. If I had a choice as to whether I would take the morality of the day or the morality of the South in the 1860s, I would take the morality of the South in the 1860s. If I had a choice as to whether I could take the character, or I should say the lack of character today, or the character that was around in the 1860s in the South, I would take the character in the 1860s in the South.

A man's word was still his bond back then. I know there were some criminals. But generally speaking, a man's word was his bond. Let me tell you something, folks. It's time we get back to our history. It's time we get back to our heritage. It's time we get back to our culture. It's time we get back to truth. It's time we get back to Christ. And we need to do exactly what Jeremiah says. We need to stand in the ways and ask for the old path.

wherein is the good way, and walk therein. And long may that Christian Confederate battle flag wave. It's a symbol of Christ and Christianity and patriotism and valor and courage and independence and freedom. Father, we bow to Thee this night. We thank Thee for Jesus Christ. We thank Thee that He is the true banner that in Him and in Him alone is salvation. And I pray, Father, in the name of Christ, You would move on our hearts, stir our souls. May we not give up. May we not give in. May we not give out. May we fight for Thy truth, for Thy honor and the honor of Thy people. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Significance of Flags

Summary: Flags and standards are important in Scripture, representing God's truth and presence, and are used in worship and warfare.

Evidence: Weaver cites Numbers 1-2, Psalm 20:5, Psalm 60:4, Exodus 17:15 (Jehovah Nissi), and Isaiah 59:19 to show God as a banner and the Spirit lifting a standard.

The Confederate Flag as a Christian Symbol

Summary: The battle flag's St. Andrew's Cross is a deliberate Christian emblem, representing faith in God and the heritage of the Celtic race.

Evidence: Weaver explains the design's origin with General Beauregard and Congressman Miles, the cross of St. Andrew as a martyr's symbol, and the Confederate Constitution's invocation of God.

Rejection of Racism and Slavery Associations

Summary: The Confederate flag is falsely accused of representing racism and slavery; historical evidence shows these were not the Confederacy's defining features.

Evidence: Weaver notes black support for the flag, Lincoln's racist views, and that slavery existed longer under the U.S. flag; he argues the war was not about slavery.

States' Rights and Resistance to Tyranny

Summary: The Confederacy fought for constitutional principles, limited government, and independence against Northern aggression and federal overreach.

Evidence: Weaver discusses the 10th Amendment, tariffs, and the South's petition mirroring the Declaration of Independence; he says 250,000 died to prevent today's government intrusion.

Preservation of Southern Heritage

Summary: Attacks on the flag and monuments aim to destroy Southern culture and history, which must be defended to maintain identity and truth.

Evidence: Weaver quotes General Cleburne's warning about Northern revisionism and argues that erasing symbols enslaves people by destroying their past.

Key Arguments

The Bible elevates flags as religious symbols

Summary: Scripture shows that banners and standards are set up in God's name and represent truth, making the Confederate flag's Christian symbolism biblically grounded.

Evidence: Weaver reads Psalm 20:5 ('in the name of our God we will set up our banners') and Psalm 60:4 ('a banner... displayed because of the truth'), and identifies God as Jehovah Nissi.

The Confederate flag is not racist; its critics are inconsistent

Summary: If the flag is racist because hate groups use it, then the U.S. and Christian flags must also be condemned, but they are not.

Evidence: Weaver points out that the KKK marches with U.S. flags and that the Darlington 400 uses the Confederate flag without being called racist.

Black Americans historically supported the Confederacy

Summary: Quotes from black leaders show that many saw the flag as part of their heritage and fought for the South, disproving the racism charge.

Evidence: Weaver quotes R.J. Wilkins, W. Earl Douglas, and John F. Harris, a black legislator who wore Confederate gray and voted for a monument.

Abraham Lincoln and the North were the true racists

Summary: Lincoln's own words reveal his belief in white supremacy and colonization, contrasting with the South's relative racial harmony.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Lincoln's 1862 address to black leaders and his 1858 Charleston speech advocating white superiority.

Slavery was not the cause of the war

Summary: Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment and congressional resolutions prove the North was willing to preserve slavery to save the Union.

Evidence: Weaver reads the proposed amendment text and the July 1861 resolution stating the war was not to interfere with state institutions.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a strategic war measure

Summary: It freed no slaves in Union-controlled areas and aimed to prevent foreign intervention and incite rebellion, not to end slavery.

Evidence: Weaver states Lincoln's cabinet saw it as a war measure and notes it did not apply to Northern slave states.

The battle flag's design is intentionally Christian

Summary: The St. Andrew's Cross was chosen to display faith in God, and the flag was called a 'sacred emblem' by contemporaries.

Evidence: Weaver cites General Beauregard's adoption of the design and Judge Roman's 1883 speech calling it a 'sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism.'

Attacking the flag is an attack on truth and liberty

Summary: The flag represents resistance to unlimited government, and its removal is part of a broader effort to erase Southern Christian heritage.

Evidence: Weaver argues that the flag's international use against tyranny and its threat to socialists explain why it must be attacked.

Scripture References

Numbers 1:52

Context: Introduction to the importance of standards; Israelites pitched by their own standard.

Numbers 2:2

Context: Every man pitched by his own standard with the ensign of his father's house.

Numbers 2:10

Context: Standard of the camp of Reuben on the south side.

Numbers 2:17

Context: Every man in his place by their standards.

Numbers 2:25

Context: Standard of the camp of Dan on the north side.

Numbers 2:31

Context: They shall go hindmost with their standards.

Numbers 2:34

Context: Children of Israel pitched by their standards according to their families.

Psalm 20:5

Context: We will set up our banners in the name of our God; banners have religious significance.

Psalm 60:4

Context: God gives a banner to be displayed because of the truth.

Exodus 17:14-15

Context: Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah Nissi (the Lord our banner); God is the banner of His people.

Isaiah 59:19

Context: When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him.

Isaiah 11:10

Context: Christ stands as an ensign of the people; the standard lifted is Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 6:16

Context: Stand in the ways and ask for the old paths; call to return to heritage and truth.

Historical References

Confederate Flags (Bonnie Blue, Stars and Bars, Stainless Banner, Third National, Battle Flag)

Context: Weaver describes the various flags of the Confederacy to distinguish the battle flag and note its unique criticism.

Ku Klux Klan and hate groups' use of flags

Context: Weaver argues that if the Confederate flag is racist by association, the U.S. and Christian flags must be too, as hate groups use them.

Darlington 400 and Rebel Raceway

Context: Used as an example of the Confederate flag's non-racist use in popular culture.

Jack Crawford's website statement

Context: Quoted to show extreme anti-flag sentiment calling for violence against those who fly it.

1994 Harris Poll on black Americans and the Confederate flag

Context: Cited to show that two-thirds of black Americans had no problem with the flag.

John F. Harris, black Mississippi legislator, 1890 speech

Context: Harris, a former slave who wore Confederate gray, spoke in favor of a Confederate monument, demonstrating black support.

Abraham Lincoln's August 14, 1862 address to black leaders

Context: Lincoln advocated colonization and stated racial inequality, used to show Northern racism.

Lincoln's 1858 Charleston, Illinois speech

Context: Lincoln expressed opposition to racial equality and intermarriage, affirming white superiority.

Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment (March 1861)

Context: Would have permanently protected slavery; used to argue the war was not about slavery.

Congressional resolution of July 23, 1861

Context: Stated the war was to defend the Union, not to interfere with slavery.

Important Quotes

The Confederate flag is a well-recognized international symbol of racism, slavery, hatred, murder, and white supremacy. It should be outlawed, not just banned. Anyone flying it should be corrected in a manner that is usually reserved for overseers, slave masters, and leaders of lynch mobs responsible for the murder of children. Am I clear?

Significance: Weaver quotes this extreme anti-flag statement to illustrate the venom and violence directed at the flag, which he then refutes.

I'm a black man who is not offended by the flying of the Confederate flag beside the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. The Confederate flag is as much a part of my history as of any white person's.

Significance: Used to show that many black Americans do not view the flag as racist and consider it part of their heritage.

If hate had been the prevailing emotion between the races, then it is a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never been born.

Significance: Black journalist W. Earl Douglas argues that racial harmony, not hatred, characterized the antebellum South.

the two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are, number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two, that it was fought by the North for the purpose of freeing the slaves.

Significance: Douglas's statement supports Weaver's central argument that the war was not about slavery.

I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore. We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet.

Significance: Black legislator John F. Harris's testimony of fighting for the Confederacy, used to counter the racism charge.

If I could save the Union without freeing any of the slaves, I would do it.

Significance: Lincoln's statement is used to prove that the war was about preserving the Union, not ending slavery.

In the name of General Beauregard, under whose eyes you first went under fire at Manassas, I have the honor to present to you this sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism.

Significance: Judge Roman's 1883 speech is cited to show that the flag was historically viewed as a sacred, patriotic symbol, not a racist one.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical teaching on banners and standards shape our understanding of national or cultural flags today?

Context: Weaver spends significant time on Numbers, Psalms, and Exodus to establish the religious importance of flags.

If a symbol is used by hate groups, does that inherently make the symbol hateful? How should we evaluate such associations?

Context: Weaver argues that the KKK uses the U.S. flag, yet it is not condemned, challenging guilt by association.

What does the testimony of black Confederates like John F. Harris reveal about the complexity of race relations in the 19th-century South?

Context: Weaver quotes Harris's speech to show black support for the Confederacy.

How do Abraham Lincoln's views on race challenge the common narrative that the North fought for racial equality?

Context: Weaver reads Lincoln's statements advocating white supremacy and colonization.

If Lincoln proposed a constitutional amendment to protect slavery, what does that imply about the true causes of the Civil War?

Context: Weaver presents the proposed 13th Amendment as evidence the war was not about slavery.

In what ways can a flag be a 'Christian symbol,' and is the Confederate battle flag an appropriate one?

Context: Weaver details the St. Andrew's Cross design and its adoption to display faith in God.

Why do you think the Confederate flag has been used internationally as a symbol of liberty, and what does that suggest about its meaning?

Context: Weaver mentions its use at the Berlin Wall and in Eastern Europe.

How should Christians balance preserving cultural heritage with avoiding offense, especially regarding controversial symbols?

Context: Weaver argues that attacks on the flag are attacks on truth and calls for standing for heritage.

Applications

Study history from primary sources

Summary: Weaver urges listeners to read the official records of the war to discover the truth, rather than relying on modern textbooks.

Evidence: He says, 'you go down to the library, and you get the official volumes on the War of Rebellion... and you read them for yourself.'

Defend Christian and cultural symbols

Summary: Believers should not be ashamed of the Confederate flag or Southern heritage, but should stand for truth against political correctness.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'I'm not ashamed of that battle flag. I'm not ashamed of our history and our heritage.'

Return to biblical and historical foundations

Summary: The lecture calls for a return to the 'old paths' of morality, character, and Christianity as exemplified in the antebellum South.

Evidence: Weaver cites Jeremiah 6:16 and expresses preference for the society and morality of the 1860s South.

Resist unlimited government

Summary: The Confederate flag represents opposition to governmental overreach, and Christians should uphold constitutional limitations.

Evidence: Weaver says the flag 'stands against everything that you now see in Washington, D.C.' and represents God-given rights.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:31:37Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:55:19Z

Clean Transcript

The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

The following presentation by Pastor John Weaver points out only a few of the facts our modern history books ignore concerning the war between the states. It is intended to spark interest in the true heritage of the South and expose the efforts of the politically correct to slander the noble and heroic stand of Southerners, both black and white, against the tyranny of unconstitutional usurpation of power by the federal government. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight, to the book of Numbers, chapter 1. Numbers, chapter 1. And we'll read some verses there and then in chapter 2 as well. Numbers, chapter 1. I'm going to bring a message tonight in defense of the flag, and I think you'll see why before I finish. Numbers, chapter 1. Notice, if you would please, verse 52.
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The Bible says, "...and the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard throughout their host." Note that phrase, "every man by his own standard throughout their host."
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Now look in chapter 2, beginning with verse 2. "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah." Notice, if you would please, in verse 10. "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur." Note, "on the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben." Look in verse 17. "Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud."
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Then verse 25, "The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai." And then verse 31, "And they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards." Then verse 34, "...and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers."
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Let me begin by asking a simple question. Why in the world is there so much fuss over a flag? Is a standard, is a banner or a flag worth fighting about? Everyone knows that a flag is a symbol. It represents something. But what is it a symbol of and what does it represent? If you will study your Bible, you will find that our English word "flag" does not occur in our Bibles except to represent reeds or properly the paper plant that grows by the riverside. But if you will take the time to go through a concordance, you will find that the word "banner," the word "standard," the word "ensign" occurs frequently over and over. I want you to see by way of introduction tonight the importance of a flag or the importance of a standard. You see, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wilderness, they kept everyone under their own standard.
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And do you realize that they were centered around that tabernacle according to their standards as well? If you look back in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 2 and verse 2, note this statement. "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard." So evidently every tribe had its own standard, but go on, "with the ensign of their father's house." So there were not only tribal standards, there were also family standards, so usually then each family carried two banners, one for their tribe and one for their father's house. And of course all of these families in Israel, all of these tribes then, were centered around that tabernacle, and they marched when they marched according to the order that God gave. Now, there were four leading tribes. There was the tribe of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan. Now, according to tradition, the standard of the tribe of Judah had a lion on it. Hence, we know Christ as the lion of the tribe of Judah. That of the tribe of Reuben had the likeness of a man's head.
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That of the tribe of Ephraim had the figure of an ox, and that of the tribe of Dan had the symbol of an eagle. If you'll study the book of Ezekiel, you'll find the four living creatures there that Ezekiel saw had the faces of these four standards that are mentioned here in the book of Numbers, chapter 2.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, very quickly, to Psalm 20 and verse 5. Psalm 20 and verse 5, just trying to show you the importance of a standard. In Psalm 20 and verse 5, the Word of God says this. Note carefully, Psalm 20, verse 5, "...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions." Note, "...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners." So banners, or flags then, have a religious significance. Here's the importance of a banner. We set it up in the name of our God. It represents our theology. It represents our Christianity. Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 60 and verse 4. Psalm 60 and verse 4. Note, if you would, how plain the Bible is here, Psalm 60, verse 4. The Word of God says, "Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth."
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So God then gives us a banner that we might display that banner. Why? Because of the truth. Not because of error, not because of anything else, but because of the truth.
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Now I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 17 and verse 15. And you're going to be surprised when you find one of the names of God mentioned here in the Bible. Exodus chapter 17 and verse 15. The children of Israel had fought against the Amalekites and had won. God had given them the victory. And let's begin reading there with verse 14. Note what God tells Moses. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua."
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"For I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi: For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." Now note, Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. Jehovah Nissi means "the Lord our banner." In other words, God is the banner of His people. The name of God is associated with the warfare of His people. So a flag, then, is not just given to us for the truth, but God Himself is said to be our flag, our banner.
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I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 59, verse 19. Here's a very powerful verse. Look in Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 19. Note, if you would, this verse, Isaiah 59, verse 19. "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."
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Did you hear what I just read? "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, then the Spirit," that is the third person of the Trinity, "then the Holy Spirit shall lift up a standard against him."
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Now, let me ask you a question. If the Holy Spirit is lifting up a banner, if He's lifting up a standard against the enemies of God and the enemies of God's people, what standard or what banner is He lifting up? Well, look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10, and you will find out. Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10. Note, if you would please, Isaiah 11 and verse 10, the Word of God says concerning Christ, "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people."
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"And to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious." So when the enemies of the Lord come in like a flood, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard against them, and that standard is Jesus Christ. So God the Father is said in the Scripture to be our banner. God the Son is said in the Scripture to be our banner. I don't know about you, but I believe God places a great deal of importance upon banners and flags and ensigns in the Word of God. No one can deny the importance based upon the Word of God.
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But what about the Confederate flag? Is the Confederate flag a Christian symbol? Is the Confederate flag a Christian flag? Interestingly, when one mentions the Confederate flag, usually what comes up in someone's mind is the battle flag as we see right here. I want you to know tonight that there were numerous Confederate flags. This is the battle flag. Let me just point out the fact there were five major flags.
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There were many, many more. But their first flag, that I want to point out, was the Bonnie Blue Flag, which was a solid blue flag with a single star right in the middle. Now, the Bonnie Blue Flag was the unofficial flag of the Confederate States of America. It was never officially adopted, but it was an extremely popular flag, and there's a song written about it from that period on the Bonnie Blue Flag. Then, secondly, there is what is known as the first national flag, which is sometimes called the Stars and Bars. Now, there was a problem, and I'm going to deal with it just a little bit later, but the Stars and Bars looked a lot like the Stars and Stripes. And there's a conflict because of that. But there was the Stars and Bars of the first national flag. Then secondly, or thirdly, I should say, there was the second national flag, which is referred to as the Stainless Banner.
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It just had this symbol in the upper left-hand corner, and then it was pure white. It was silver. The only problem with the Stainless Banner was, when the wind was not blowing and it was folded, it sometimes looked like a flag of truce or a flag of surrender. And then thirdly, we have the third national flag, and that was the same Stainless Banner, but with a solid red bar all the way down it. And that's the one that is usually flying today, the third national flag.
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It was officially adopted, but very few of them were issued. And then of course we have the Confederate battle flag as we know it. Interestingly enough, the first four flags are very rarely spoken against because most people don't even know about their existence, and they're totally absolutely ignorant of them, and so consequently, it is the battle flag that catches most of the flack. So let me begin tonight with some negatives. I want to tell you what the Confederate battle flag does not represent. I want to tell you what it does not symbolize. And I want you to hear me very carefully, because I'm going to give you the historical proof for what I'm going to say. First of all, the Confederate battle flag is not a racist flag. I can hear it now, though, "But Brother Weaver, don't you know that the KKK uses a Confederate flag? And don't you know the white supremacist groups use the Confederate flag? And don't you know the hate groups use the Confederate flag?" Yes. But I also know that they use the Stars and Stripes, and I also know they even use the Christian flag as well.
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Let me ask you a question. Why are not the Stars and the Stripes and the Christian flag considered racist flags as well? I mean, if someone is going to be guilty by association, or if something is going to be guilty by association, I can show you pictures of the Ku Klux Klan marching in Washington, D.C., and there is not one Confederate flag amongst them. They're all carrying the Stars and Stripes, the U.S. flag. If we're going to condemn a flag because the KKK and the white supremacist groups and the hate groups use it, let's condemn all the flags. Be consistent. Condemn the Stars and Stripes, condemn the Christian flag. Let me ask you another question just to show you the certainty of this position. Do you realize that the Darlington 400 for years used a picture of the Confederate flag on its billboard and advertised itself as the Rebel Raceway? Does that mean, therefore, that all those Winston Cup drivers are racists? Does that mean that anyone who attends the Darlington 400 is a racist?
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What about the Scottish soldiers? I'll explain this a little bit later. Even today, Scottish soldiers who are in the British Army wear the cross of St. Andrew. Does that mean that all Scottish soldiers are racist as well? Let me show you the enmity and the hatred and the venom that is being spoken against this flag. And I'm going to tell you why before I close tonight. But I got a website. And the name of the website was basically "The Confederate Flag Must Go."
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It was put there by Jack Crawford, who evidently is a black man, based upon his other writings. And here is what he said. I'm quoting him verbatim. I took it off his website. He says this, quote, "The Confederate flag is a well-recognized international symbol of racism, slavery, hatred, murder, and white supremacy. It should be outlawed, not just banned. Anyone flying it should be corrected in a manner that is usually reserved for overseers, slave masters, and leaders of lynch mobs responsible for the murder of children. Am I clear?" So what does Mr. Jack Crawford say? He says anyone who flies this flag ought to be killed.
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That's basically what he's saying. What would you do to a murderer who formed a lynch mob and hung a child? Well, very clearly, you would see that he got the death penalty. Well, that's what he's saying.
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Now, let me just tell you very quickly, Mr. Crawford's statement is unhistorical, it is unconstitutional, and it is untrue. Do you realize that most attackers of the flag are either motivated by historical ignorance or pure, unadulterated malice toward the South, its symbol, its heritage, and its people? In 1994, a Harris poll found that two-thirds of black Americans have no problem with the Confederate flag. No problem at all. Why in the world make the flag an issue? In fact, there are numerous black Americans that speak out for the Confederate flag.
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Let me give you one of them. R.J. Wilkins of Miami, Florida, had this to say. "They were flying the Confederate flag at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, and he wrote this, 'I'm a black man who is not offended by the flying of the Confederate flag beside the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. The Confederate flag is as much a part of my history as of any white person's.'"
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"It may not represent the best of my race or be held by some as a contribution to this country's greatness, but it does to me. My great grandparents were a part of the plantations. They worked the cotton fields, cleaned the big houses, and in many ways supported the development of American society. We should let the Confederate flag fly as a reminder of our American history, both black and white."
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But let me tell you something. You want to hear a black man speak out and speak the truth? Let me give you a quote that W. Earl Douglas gave. He was a black journalist. Charleston, South Carolina. He's now dead, but here is what he said concerning the Confederate flag. Now listen carefully. Quote, "If hate had been the prevailing emotion between the races, then it is a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never been born."
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Now let me just stop there. Did you hear what he said? "If hate had been the prevailing emotions between the blacks and the whites in the South," he is saying, "it's a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never, ever been born." I continue. "Fortunately," he says, "there was love, understanding, and compassion." Now, listen to what this black man says. "And the two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are, number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two, that it was fought by the North for the purpose of freeing the slaves."
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"The Negro was merely used as the excuse for that war, while the real reason for it is reflected in every area of our lives, where the tentacles of government form the bars of a new slavery. No, don't hurl that Confederate battle flag. Let it wave all across the South to remind Americans that there exists here a yearning for liberty, freedom, and independence that will not be denied."
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"Let it fly as a testimonial to real men and real women who would rather work and fight than shed tears and beg for governmental charity." Amen. He understood, folks. He had more sense and more knowledge than most people today. You see, the Confederate battle flag is not a racist symbol, and it never has been. One of my favorite stories is about a black representative, John F. Harris, who was a legislator in Washington County, Mississippi.
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And he had the opportunity to vote for Senate Bill No. 25, which was a bill to erect a Confederate monument on the Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi. Now, the bill did pass. And Mr. Harris, who was sick and got out of his bed to give his speech before the Senate, did so. And of course, on February the 23rd, 1890, the Daily Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi printed his speech in full.
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Let me read a portion of it to you. He says, "Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to ask for a few words on the bill. I have come from a sick bed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come. But sir, I could not sit quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County. I am sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead. And sir, I am convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines in the seven days fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor, he would not have made that speech."
#32 | 19:47 to 20:35 | cleaned
"When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed, and they made no requests for monuments. But they died, and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore. We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions. When my mother died, I was a boy. Who, sir, then acted a part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old missus?"
#33 | 20:36 to 21:12 | cleaned
"Were she living now, or could speak to me from those high realms where are gathered the sainted dead, she would tell me to vote for this bill, and, sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of a bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead." End quote. Here was a man, a black man, who wore the Confederate gray, and he understood the war was not a racist war. Now, let me tell you, the Confederate flag is not a racist flag. But now wait. If you want racism, if you want hatred, if you want white supremacy, I will tell you where to find it.
#34 | 21:13 to 21:53 | cleaned
Under the Stars and Stripes. Not under the Confederate flag. Do you realize the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863? On August 14, 1862, less than five months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Abraham Lincoln invited a number of leading blacks to the White House to give them his words of wisdom and to demonstrate to them why he was attempting to colonize them back in Africa. By the way, Lincoln's Negro policy was to send them all back to Africa. That was his policy.
#35 | 21:53 to 22:34 | cleaned
William Seward, William Stanton, all of them, same thing. And so he invited these Negroes to come to the White House to hear his words of wisdom, and I'm quoting verbatim what Lincoln said. Listen carefully. He says, "Why should people of your race be colonized and where? Why should they leave this country? This is perhaps the first question for proper consideration. You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races."
#36 | 22:34 to 23:06 | cleaned
"Whether it is right or wrong, I need not discuss. But this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think. Your race suffers very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffers from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this is admitted, it affords a reason, at least, why we should be separated. You are freemen here, I suppose."
#37 | 23:07 to 23:31 | cleaned
"Perhaps you have been long free all of your lives. Your race is suffering, in my judgment, the greatest wrong inflicted on any people. But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race. The aspiration of men is to enjoy equality with the best when free. But on this broad continent, not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single man of our race." Abraham Lincoln. Let me translate that. Blacks aren't equal to whites. Never will be.
#38 | 23:32 to 24:09 | cleaned
That's what he got through saying. Listen to what Lincoln said in a speech in Charleston, Illinois, 1858. Lincoln said, "I am not now nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or the political equality of a white and black race. I am not now nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and black races, which will forever forbid the two races from living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man." Abraham Lincoln.
#39 | 24:09 to 24:53 | cleaned
You see, the Confederate flag has never stood as a racist symbol. If you want racism, you go to the Stars and Stripes. In the South, although there was separation, the blacks respected the whites and the whites respected the blacks. And I'll tell you this, there was no trouble in the South back then, nor in the 1960s, until the North came down and started stirring up trouble. So the Confederate flag is not a racist flag. The Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery. It does not represent slavery.
#40 | 24:53 to 25:29 | cleaned
Are you listening to me tonight? There is not one slave ever brought into this country under the Confederate flag. Every slave that was brought into this country was brought in by northern ships under the Stars and Stripes. There was not even a slave brought into this country on a southern vessel. The slaves were brought into this country on northern vessels under the Stars and Stripes. Did you know, out of the 224 years in this country that slavery was legal—and by the way, there were slaves in this country in 1620—the 224 years that slavery was legal in this country, only four of those years did the Confederate battle flag fly. One flag flew over the country more than any other flag during those 224 years. It was the Stars and Stripes. It wasn't the Confederate battle flag. It was the Stars and Stripes. Why hate and attack the Confederate flag? I mean, if you want to hate a flag of slavery, then you ought to hate the Stars and Stripes. That was the one that brought the slaves over.
#41 | 25:30 to 26:45 | cleaned
And if you want to hate another flag of slavery, why not hate the British flag? Did you know that England was responsible for taking five million blacks from Africa and selling them to every country under the sun? If you want to hate a flag, why not hate the Dutch flag, or the Portuguese flag, or the Spanish flag? They sold slaves. And if you want to hate a flag even then, how about hating the Muslim flags? Because even they, the Muslims, are still involved in slavery.
#42 | 26:46 to 27:17 | cleaned
I mean, let's be honest. Now, if you want to believe that the war of 1861 to 1865 was over slavery, I can show you two things that ought to forever correct your thinking in that area. The war was not over slavery. Slavery has only been made an issue by the liberal revisionists. It was not an issue. Let me prove to you just by two simple statements. I'll give you more. But let me prove to you that the war was not fought over slavery. And therefore, this flag could never, ever have represented slavery.
#43 | 27:18 to 27:55 | cleaned
You see, Abraham Lincoln proposed a 13th Amendment to the Constitution. He proposed that 13th Amendment in March of 1861. It is the only proposed constitutional amendment that was signed by a sitting president. It bears Abraham Lincoln's signature. Here was Abraham Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment. Quote, "No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give Congress the power to abolish or interfere within any state with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said state." Did you hear that? Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment said, "Congress shall not have the power to interfere with any institutions within any state, including those held to labor or service by the laws of that state." In other words, what Abraham Lincoln was saying to the South, "If you will accept this proposed 13th Amendment, you may forever keep slaves."
#44 | 27:55 to 29:12 | cleaned
Folks, Beauregard never fired on Fort Sumter until April the 9th. This was in March of 1861. If the war had been about slavery and if the South wanted just to keep slaves and that was it, why fire a gun? Why fire a shot? Just simply accept this proposed 13th Amendment and it would all be over. Let me read to you. This resolution was passed unanimously by Congress on July the 23rd, 1861. You may read it for yourself in the congressional record. Here's what this resolution says.
#45 | 29:12 to 29:49 | cleaned
"The war is waged by the government of the United States, not in the spirit of conquest or subjection, nor for the purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or institutions of the states, but to defend and protect the Union." Congress said the war is not about slavery. Lincoln said, "The war's not about slavery. I will even give you a 13th Amendment that will allow you to make slavery permanent."
#46 | 29:50 to 30:15 | cleaned
You see, what was happening was this. There's a lot of issues, and I can't cover them all tonight. But one of the issues was an economic issue. Do you realize the South, before the war, was extremely wealthy? And the South, before the war, funded probably 75 to 80 percent of all the taxes. But the North wanted a 40% tariff. The South said, "No, the most we will ever agree to is a 10% tariff."
#47 | 30:16 to 30:50 | cleaned
And what Lincoln and the Radical Republicans were doing was this. They were saying, "We will give you the 13th Amendment. We will let you keep your slaves if that's what you want. You just let us keep our tariffs." In other words, the North was willing to sell the blacks out for money, for higher taxes. They weren't interested in the slaves. They could care less. You see, Hapgood's book, Abraham Lincoln, The Man of the People, on page 273, quotes Abraham Lincoln as saying, "If I could save the Union without freeing any of the slaves, I would do it." Abraham Lincoln later said that slaves are property.
#48 | 30:50 to 31:32 | cleaned
And if freed, they should be paid for. Later on, Lincoln said, "I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." Now here, Lincoln is acknowledging that he has no lawful right to interfere with slavery. Slavery, by the way, was constitutional. All 13 colonies agreed on it, and by the way, in 1776, all 13 colonies held slaves.
#49 | 31:33 to 32:06 | cleaned
Not just the South, all of them. Lincoln said, "I have no lawful right to interfere, nor," he says, "do I have an inclination to do so." In a letter to Alexander Stephens, who happened to be later the Vice President of the Confederacy, Lincoln wrote Alexander Hamilton Stephens and says this, "Do the people of the South really entertain fear that a Republican administration would directly or indirectly interfere with their slaves, or with them about their slaves?"
#50 | 32:07 to 32:32 | cleaned
"If they do, I wish to assure you that once as a friend, and still, I hope, not an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears. The South would be in no more danger in this respect than it was in the days of Washington." So once again, Lincoln is saying, "It's not over slavery." You say, "But Brother Weaver, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves." No, it didn't. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free one slave. Do you know what Abraham Lincoln tried to do with the Emancipation Proclamation?
#51 | 32:32 to 33:10 | cleaned
In fact, he says so himself, and so do other men in his cabinet. They say that the Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure. Lincoln, number one, wanted to keep England specifically, and the rest of Europe particularly, from joining in with or recognizing the Confederate States of America. That was his first goal in that Emancipation Proclamation. His second goal was a war measure, another war measure, in the sense he was hoping that the blacks in the South would rise up in rebellion against their white masters and their white people.
#52 | 33:11 to 33:50 | cleaned
Let me tell you something. Just to show you there was no trouble in the South. There was not one rebellion during that war of black folks. Do you realize a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have emptied the Confederate armies? Because the men would have gone home to protect their families. And Lincoln knew that. You see, what Lincoln did was this. Now listen to me. Lincoln tried to free the slaves in the South where he had absolutely no authority, and he refused to release the slaves in the North where he did have authority. Did you know that in the Northern armies, even when they were fighting the South, there were over 300,000 slaveholders in the Northern armies? Did you know that General Robert E. Lee, before the war ever began, when he inherited some slaves, freed them. General Ulysses S. Grant, who was the main general of the North and afterwards became president, even after the war was over, he kept his slaves.
#53 | 33:50 to 34:59 | cleaned
And he did so with this excuse. "Good help is hard to find." You see, the truth of the matter is this. The Emancipation Proclamation was not only unconstitutional, and everybody recognized it. It cost the Republicans a lot of elections. There were five northern states that refused after that to elect Republicans to Congress. And moreover, there were a lot of Union soldiers that deserted because of it and refused to fight.
#54 | 35:00 to 35:32 | cleaned
Slavery was not the issue. Slavery has never been the issue until recently, until political revisionists and the politically correct people wanted to make it the issue. There have been numerous warnings down through history concerning our flag and concerning our heritage and our culture. One of those warnings came from General Patrick Cleburne. And I want to read to you what General Patrick Cleburne said in January of 1864.
#55 | 35:33 to 36:02 | cleaned
And he was warning the South in regards to subjugation. And you're talking about a prophet? Listen carefully. General Cleburne said this, "If the South lost, it means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy, that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers, will learn from Northern school books their version of the war, will be impressed by all of the influences of history and
#56 | 36:02 to 36:30 | cleaned
education to regard our gallant dead as traitors and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision." Folks, let me tell you, that is exactly what has happened in this country. You pick up any textbook that you want to pick up, and it'll just simply say, "The war was over slavery, the North was right, the South was wrong." And most folks believe that junk. They've been taught it. The war was not over slavery. Not over slavery at all.
#57 | 36:30 to 37:01 | cleaned
One of my favorite stories is about a reconstructed Southerner, who ran into Mildred Lewis Rutherford. Mildred Lewis Rutherford was one of the finest Southern historians that you could ever come across. I believe she died in 1928. But this one reconstructed Southerner said to Mrs. Rutherford, he said, "My father was a Confederate soldier, but had he lived, I'm sure he would have regretted having fought for the wrong side." To which Mrs. Rutherford replied, "Far more probably, he would have regretted having a son so disloyal to the principles for which he was willing to give his life." The Confederate flag is not a racist flag. The Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery.
#58 | 37:02 to 37:47 | cleaned
Here's the third thing I want to teach you tonight. I want you to listen carefully. The Confederate flag is a Christian flag and it represents freedom from tyranny. The Confederate battle flag as we know it really did not come into existence, or I should say into full-blown presence, until after First Manassas, July 21, 1861. Most of you know, or at least you should know, that the South and the North call their battles by different names, so it's either First Manassas or First Bull Run, depending on what section of the country you're from. But during that battle, the Confederate battle flag was the Stars and Bars. And the Stars and Bars was very easily confused with the Stars and Stripes, not only at a distance, but especially under battle conditions.
#59 | 37:48 to 38:43 | cleaned
And you've got to remember all of the smoke that those black powder rifles and cannon made at that particular time. It was during this battle that General Beauregard was observing the battle, and he sees a large body of troops moving toward the Union right flank. And Beauregard tried and tried to make out the flag and to see if it was a northern flag or a southern flag and he just simply could not make it out. So he called some of his young lieutenants up and he said, "Tell me, is that our flag or is that their flag?" They could not make it out either. And so he stood there very cautiously, trying to determine whose flag it was, what group was there.
#60 | 38:43 to 39:26 | cleaned
And all of a sudden, a little puff of wind came, and it unfurled, and he could see that it was Stars and Bars, and he cried, "The day is ours! Attack! Attack!" And with that, of course, they won the day, and the Yankees literally threw down their weapons and ran all the way back to Washington, D.C. Later, Beauregard wrote, and here's what he said, "At the Battle of Manassas, I found it difficult to distinguish our then-Confederate flag from the United States flag, the two being so much alike, especially when General Jubal Early made the flank movement who decided the fate of the day." So Beauregard said, "I couldn't tell if it's ours or theirs." Then he wrote, "I resolved to have our flag changed or to adopt for my command a battle flag which would be entirely different from any state or federal flag." Beauregard later said, after the war, "After the battle it was found that many persons in both armies firmly believed that each side had used as a stratagem the flags of his opponent."
#61 | 39:26 to 40:31 | cleaned
It was General Miles who proposed this battle flag with the Saint Andrew's cross on it. Now, you've got to remember that Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus Christ. Now, why in the world is this battle flag carrying what is known as the Saint Andrew's cross? Well, Andrew, not only being the first disciple of Jesus Christ, was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and he faithfully preached and taught the Word of God. He taught and preached not only in Asiatic nations, but also in what is in Russia today. Andrew was crucified around 69 A.D. in Patras, Greece. And Andrew persuaded his persecutor, prosecutor, whatever you want to call him, he persuaded him not to crucify him on a Latin cross, but to crucify him on an X-shaped cross. And the reason he did not want to be crucified on a Latin cross was because that was the way Christ was crucified, and he did not believe himself worthy to be crucified like Christ. Secondly, he convinced his persecutor to not to nail him to that X-shaped cross, but literally to tie his feet and to tie his legs there.
#62 | 40:32 to 41:52 | cleaned
Because, once again, he did not believe that he was worthy to be crucified in the same manner that Jesus Christ was crucified. And you've got to remember that when this was occurring, Andrew was approximately 90 years of age. And Andrew knew that once he was tied to this cross, being tied would prolong the agony and the pain. Not ease it, but prolong it. And so Andrew remained alive, tied to that cross, and preached to everyone that came by for three days.
#63 | 41:52 to 42:30 | cleaned
Finally, after the third day, many of the people believed his preaching, and some were so moved they went to the persecutor and asked him to have Andrew cut down from the cross. He consented, and they went and cut him down, and when they did, he fell to the earth absolutely dead as a martyr for Jesus Christ. Andrew became the patron saint of Russia and of Scotland.
#64 | 42:31 to 43:01 | cleaned
Now you say, "Why is that important?" Did you know that according to the census, two-thirds of the Americans living in the 1860s were either Scotch or Scotch-Irish? See, many of them already had St. Andrew's crosses on their flags as such, because they were Scotch people. The cross of St. Andrew is a symbol of the Christian faith and of the heritage of the Celtic race. The Confederate battle flag is based upon the national flag of Scotland. In fact, another name for the Confederate battle flag is the Southern Cross. And this flag was adopted by General Miles and General Beauregard and men of the South deliberately, consciously, premeditatingly in order to display their faith in the sovereign God of heaven and earth. They realized that God is the God of providence, that God is the God of history, that God is the God of salvation. Let me read to you a letter that General Miles received from Samuel Barrett of Washington, Georgia. He wrote on May the 23rd, 1861, and forwarded a letter to South Carolina.
#65 | 43:01 to 44:18 | cleaned
It was Congressman William Porcher Miles. Miles was head of the Congressional Committee tasked with adopting a flag for the Confederacy. Barrett said the flag should be "a token of humble acknowledgment of God and be a public testimony to the world that our trust is in the Lord our God." You see, Colonel Walton wanted to have the Latin cross. Colonel Miles said, "No, we'll use the St. Andrew's cross."
#66 | 44:19 to 44:45 | cleaned
And that's basically what General Beauregard adopted. And this is a Christian flag. It is a Christian symbol. And it was chosen to display faith in the sovereign God. Why should it not? Did you know that the Confederate Constitution acknowledged the sovereignty and the almighty power of God? Let me just read you the preamble. By the way, if you don't know it, the Confederate Constitution was the first constitution that outlawed slavery. The Confederate Constitution said, basically, after the then living slaves died out, there would be no more slaves imported into the South. So it's the first constitution to outlaw slavery. But here's the preamble. Listen to it. "We the people of the Confederate States, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America." Even the Confederate States motto was Deo Vindice, which means "the Lord is our Vindicator."
#67 | 44:45 to 46:00 | cleaned
Let me tell you something else. This Southern Cross, this St. Andrew's Cross, is also the Greek letter Chi, which has historically been used to represent Christ because Chi happens to be the first two letters of the word Christ. Moreover, let me show you this. I realize a lot of people say, "Well, we're against people sending out cards saying, 'Merry Xmas.'" But that X was that St. Andrew's Cross. Historically, it meant Christ. Moreover, let me tell you this. Uneducated and educated people understood the St. Andrew's Cross. They understood the Chi. They understood the importance of it. Because even on legal documents, a man who was uneducated and could not write made his what? His X. Because it was the first two letters of the name of Christ. And it was made in faith and recognition before God as the sovereign God and the God of providence. And he was giving an oath as he made his X that he would keep his word and do what he had signed.
#68 | 46:01 to 47:18 | cleaned
So the Confederate battle flag, dear friend, is indeed a Christian flag. Now, let me ask you, what does it mean to attack the battle flag? It means that you're attacking the sovereignty, majesty, and might of Jesus Christ and His divine role in our history, culture, and life. To attack the battle flag is to attack Christ because it's a Christian flag. Moreover, let me show you something. This flag stands for the heroic efforts and courageous acts of our Confederate dead. Did you know that General Beauregard got one of the first of the first three original battle flags? And on May the 28th, 1883, Beauregard donated his battle flag to the Louisiana Washington Artillery. Colonel Walton was there to accept the flag, and Judge Alfred Roman was presenting it, and here's what the judge said. Listen carefully. "In the name of General Beauregard, under whose eyes you first went under fire at Manassas, I have the honor to present to you this sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." Did you hear that? "This sacred emblem," the flag, "of Southern valor and patriotism," said Judge Alfred Roman.
#69 | 47:19 to 48:39 | cleaned
"Its colors are yet as fresh as when it received its parting look of its fair maker. Its value is enhanced by the fact that the upper portion of its staff is made of a piece of the flagstaff of Fort Sumter, shot down by the Confederate gunners in April 1861." Gunners, by the way, who were under the command of General Beauregard. "Unsullied though it be by the smoke of the battle, it was nonetheless born in war, and the breeze first kissed it in the tinted field."
#70 | 48:39 to 49:05 | cleaned
"It is the genuine model of the glorious flag all around which all of us fought, and so many of us bled, and so many of us died." What did the judge say? "Here's an emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." He didn't say "here's an emblem of racism and our fight for our slaves." No. He said "here's the emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." Why attack the Confederate flag? Why attack Confederate monuments? Why attack the Confederate South? To attack the Confederate South, its flag and its monuments, is an attack on truth. Are you listening? The South was fighting for independence. The South was fighting for states' rights. The South was fighting for the Tenth Amendment that you and I know. Did you know that the South threw up a petition against Congress and against the United States government exactly like the Declaration of Independence? They only changed the names and made it reflect exactly what the North was doing, how they were acting exactly like George III.
#71 | 49:06 to 50:27 | cleaned
It may surprise you to know that some Southerners wanted to keep the Stars and Stripes. You know why they wanted to keep the Stars and Stripes? They said, "It's not we who have left the Constitution, it's the North. Let them get another flag. We're the ones that are fighting for truth." You see, to attack the Confederate flag is an attack on political incorrectness. If you want to be politically correct today, if you want to be liberal and pink today, then you attack the Confederate flag. You attack the Confederate monuments. The flag, the Confederate flag, represents all of those who are opposed to unlimited government. The North wants to have unlimited government. Washington, D.C. wants unlimited government. Unhappily, most of our state capitals want unlimited government. The Confederate flag says, "Oh no, there is a limitation. There is a Constitution."
#72 | 50:28 to 51:22 | cleaned
We have God-given rights. We are not going to surrender them. And this attack, to attack the flag, is to attack the truth. Let me tell you something. The Confederate flag stands against everything that you now see in Washington, D.C. 250,000 Confederates gave their lives to prevent what we have today, the intrusion of government into every area of our lives. The Confederate battle flag stands for truth. It stands for freedom from tyranny. It stands for states' rights. It stands for liberty and freedom. But not only that, it stands even more so for liberty against tyranny and freedom against tyranny. Do you realize that the Confederate battle flag is indeed an international symbol, but not an international symbol of racism, white supremacy, hatred, and murder. It's an international symbol, all right.
#73 | 51:22 to 52:23 | cleaned
Some of you here remember when the Berlin Wall was torn down. We watched it on TV, but I'll bet you've forgotten what was waving on that Berlin Wall—Confederate battle flag. Victory over tyranny. Did you know that the Confederate battle flag has been adopted and used by the people of Poland, Hungary, the Ukraine, Lithuania, and East Germany as they were victorious over the Union of Soviets? Did you realize that even Quebec used the battle flag in trying to secede from Canada just a few years ago?
#74 | 52:24 to 52:55 | cleaned
Yes, I can assure you. The battle flag is an international symbol, but it's an international symbol for liberty and freedom and independence against tyranny. The Confederate battle flag represents truth against error, freedom against tyranny, light against darkness, and the kingdom of Christ against the kingdom of darkness. You know, what we have forgotten is this. The War of 1861 and 1865 was not just simply a war that involved politics and economics, it was indeed a cultural war and a religious war.
#75 | 52:56 to 53:30 | cleaned
The North was predominantly Unitarian and humanist to the core, while the South was predominantly Christian. And it was a war to wipe out Southern heritage and Southern culture and Southern Christianity. And as Greg said earlier, public schools were only forced upon the South after the South lost the war of northern aggression.
#76 | 53:31 to 53:57 | cleaned
Now, why must the flag be attacked? Let's ask that question again. Why must the flag be attacked? Why must all Confederate monuments be attacked? Why must the Confederate dead be libeled and slandered? Let me tell you why. Because if we keep our symbols and we see them constantly, we might just begin to inquire as to their origin and their meaning. And in doing so, begin to question the myths and the propaganda that have been promulgated down through these years, and beginning to question those myths and propagandas, we begin to see the truth. And all of a sudden, we begin to stand for the very things that our forefathers stood for, believed in, and died for. Let me tell you, that flag is a threat to the socialists, to the communists, to those who hate God and hate Christ and hate liberty and hate freedom. It's a threat, and they want it taken out of sight. Let me tell you something, dear friend. We better say, "Lord, let that flag wave."
#77 | 53:58 to 55:09 | cleaned
When that flag goes down, don't think that's going to be the end of it. It'll just be the beginning, because they'll want to take everything else, until our heritage, our culture, everything is totally destroyed. Please, if you don't remember anything else tonight, remember this. In order to keep a people enslaved, and in order to keep your slaves content, you must destroy their past. The people who have no past have no future. One of these days, the South is going to awaken again. And we're going to see that we have sacrificed our children too long on the altar of humanistic and northern appeasement. We've got to come back and say, "We have a heritage, we have a culture, we have a life." I remember when I was in college, I had a class, voice and diction.
#78 | 55:09 to 56:11 | cleaned
My teacher, unhappily, was a Yankee. But he told me, he said, "Mr. Weaver, you still have that Southern drawl." And I said, "Sir, do you know why I have that Southern drawl?" He said, "Why?" I said, "Because I was born in the South, I'm living in the South, and bless God, I plan on keeping my Southern drawl. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed of that battle flag. I'm not ashamed of our history and our heritage, and I want to challenge you."
#79 | 56:11 to 56:40 | cleaned
If you don't believe what I'm saying, you go down to the library, and you get the official volumes on the War of Rebellion, and you get the official records like I did, and you read them for yourself, and you will find what I'm saying is absolutely true. I want you to turn to one last verse tonight. I want you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 6. Here we are. Jeremiah chapter 6. I want you to see verse 16. Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16, look at what the Word of God says. "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein." But look what he said. "Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein."
#80 | 56:41 to 57:45 | cleaned
Let me tell you something. If I had a choice today, if I could choose to have the society that we have today, or the society that existed in the South before the war of northern aggression, I can assure you I would take the society that existed in the South before the war of northern aggression. If I had a choice as to whether I would take the morality of the day or the morality of the South in the 1860s, I would take the morality of the South in the 1860s. If I had a choice as to whether I could take the character, or I should say the lack of character today, or the character that was around in the 1860s in the South, I would take the character in the 1860s in the South.
#81 | 57:45 to 58:27 | cleaned
A man's word was still his bond back then. I know there were some criminals. But generally speaking, a man's word was his bond. Let me tell you something, folks. It's time we get back to our history. It's time we get back to our heritage. It's time we get back to our culture. It's time we get back to truth. It's time we get back to Christ. And we need to do exactly what Jeremiah says. We need to stand in the ways and ask for the old path.
#82 | 58:28 to 58:53 | cleaned
wherein is the good way, and walk therein. And long may that Christian Confederate battle flag wave. It's a symbol of Christ and Christianity and patriotism and valor and courage and independence and freedom. Father, we bow to Thee this night. We thank Thee for Jesus Christ. We thank Thee that He is the true banner that in Him and in Him alone is salvation. And I pray, Father, in the name of Christ, You would move on our hearts, stir our souls. May we not give up. May we not give in. May we not give out. May we fight for Thy truth, for Thy honor and the honor of Thy people. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:31:37Z

The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver argues that the Confederate battle flag is a Christian symbol representing freedom from tyranny, not racism or slavery. He uses biblical teachings on banners and standards to establish the importance of flags, then presents historical evidence to counter modern criticisms. The lecture asserts that the War Between the States was fought over states' rights and economic issues, not slavery, and that attacks on the flag are attacks on Christian heritage and truth.

Introduction: The Biblical Importance of Flags and Standards

Weaver introduces the topic by reading from Numbers 1-2 about the Israelites' standards and argues that flags have religious significance, citing Psalms and Exodus to show God Himself is a banner.

The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"...and the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard throughout their host."

Note that phrase,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"every man by his own standard throughout their host."

Now look in chapter 2, beginning with verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah."

Notice, if you would please, in verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur."

Note, "on the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben." Look in verse 17.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 2:2

"Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 20:5

"...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions."

Note,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 20:5

"...we will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners."

So God then gives us a banner that we might display that banner. Why? Because of the truth. Not because of error, not because of anything else, but because of the truth.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 17:14-15

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 11:10

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people."

Overview of Confederate Flags

Weaver describes the various Confederate flags, noting that the battle flag is the most criticized, and lists the Bonnie Blue Flag, Stars and Bars, Stainless Banner, and third national flag.

The Confederate Battle Flag Is Not a Racist Flag

Weaver refutes the claim that the flag is racist by noting that hate groups also use the U.S. and Christian flags, and cites polls and black voices supporting the flag.

Historical Testimony from Black Confederates

Weaver shares quotes from black journalist W. Earl Douglas and black legislator John F. Harris, who defended the Confederate flag and monument, emphasizing their personal experiences.

Racism Under the Stars and Stripes

Weaver contrasts the Confederate flag with the U.S. flag, quoting Abraham Lincoln's racist statements and arguing that slavery and racism were perpetuated under the Stars and Stripes.

The Confederate Flag Is Not a Flag of Slavery

Weaver argues that no slaves were brought to America under the Confederate flag, and that slavery existed under the U.S. flag for 224 years, with the Confederacy only four years.

The War Was Not Fought Over Slavery

Weaver presents Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment and congressional resolutions to prove the war was about preserving the Union and economic issues, not slavery.

The Emancipation Proclamation as a War Measure

Weaver explains that the Emancipation Proclamation freed no slaves in the North and was a strategic move to prevent European recognition of the Confederacy and incite slave rebellion.

The Confederate Flag Is a Christian Flag

Weaver details the flag's design as the St. Andrew's Cross, a Christian symbol, and its adoption to display faith in God, citing the Confederate Constitution's invocation of Almighty God.

The Flag Represents Freedom from Tyranny

Weaver argues the flag symbolizes states' rights, limited government, and resistance to tyranny, and has been used internationally as a symbol of liberty.

Why the Flag Must Be Attacked

Weaver contends that attacks on the flag aim to erase Southern heritage and prevent inquiry into truth, and that preserving symbols is essential for future freedom.

Conclusion: Return to the Old Paths

Weaver calls for a return to Southern heritage, morality, and Christianity, citing Jeremiah 6:16, and prays for the continued waving of the Christian Confederate battle flag.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 6:16

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein."

But look what he said.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 6:16

"Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein."

The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1220517550
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-01-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	83

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Biblical Importance of Flags and Standards: Weaver introduces the topic by reading from Numbers 1-2 about the Israelites' standards and argues that flags have religious significance, citing Psalms and Exodus to show God Himself is a banner.
Overview of Confederate Flags: Weaver describes the various Confederate flags, noting that the battle flag is the most criticized, and lists the Bonnie Blue Flag, Stars and Bars, Stainless Banner, and third national flag.
The Confederate Battle Flag Is Not a Racist Flag: Weaver refutes the claim that the flag is racist by noting that hate groups also use the U.S. and Christian flags, and cites polls and black voices supporting the flag.
Historical Testimony from Black Confederates: Weaver shares quotes from black journalist W. Earl Douglas and black legislator John F. Harris, who defended the Confederate flag and monument, emphasizing their personal experiences.
Racism Under the Stars and Stripes: Weaver contrasts the Confederate flag with the U.S. flag, quoting Abraham Lincoln's racist statements and arguing that slavery and racism were perpetuated under the Stars and Stripes.
The Confederate Flag Is Not a Flag of Slavery: Weaver argues that no slaves were brought to America under the Confederate flag, and that slavery existed under the U.S. flag for 224 years, with the Confederacy only four years.
The War Was Not Fought Over Slavery: Weaver presents Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment and congressional resolutions to prove the war was about preserving the Union and economic issues, not slavery.
The Emancipation Proclamation as a War Measure: Weaver explains that the Emancipation Proclamation freed no slaves in the North and was a strategic move to prevent European recognition of the Confederacy and incite slave rebellion.
The Confederate Flag Is a Christian Flag: Weaver details the flag's design as the St. Andrew's Cross, a Christian symbol, and its adoption to display faith in God, citing the Confederate Constitution's invocation of Almighty God.
The Flag Represents Freedom from Tyranny: Weaver argues the flag symbolizes states' rights, limited government, and resistance to tyranny, and has been used internationally as a symbol of liberty.
Why the Flag Must Be Attacked: Weaver contends that attacks on the flag aim to erase Southern heritage and prevent inquiry into truth, and that preserving symbols is essential for future freedom.
Conclusion: Return to the Old Paths: Weaver calls for a return to Southern heritage, morality, and Christianity, citing Jeremiah 6:16, and prays for the continued waving of the Christian Confederate battle flag.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The Bible elevates flags as religious symbols

Scripture shows that banners and standards are set up in God's name and represent truth, making the Confederate flag's Christian symbolism biblically grounded.

Weaver reads Psalm 20:5 ('in the name of our God we will set up our banners') and Psalm 60:4 ('a banner... displayed because of the truth'), and identifies God as Jehovah Nissi.

The Confederate flag is not racist; its critics are inconsistent

If the flag is racist because hate groups use it, then the U.S. and Christian flags must also be condemned, but they are not.

Weaver points out that the KKK marches with U.S. flags and that the Darlington 400 uses the Confederate flag without being called racist.

Black Americans historically supported the Confederacy

Quotes from black leaders show that many saw the flag as part of their heritage and fought for the South, disproving the racism charge.

Weaver quotes R.J. Wilkins, W. Earl Douglas, and John F. Harris, a black legislator who wore Confederate gray and voted for a monument.

Abraham Lincoln and the North were the true racists

Lincoln's own words reveal his belief in white supremacy and colonization, contrasting with the South's relative racial harmony.

Weaver quotes Lincoln's 1862 address to black leaders and his 1858 Charleston speech advocating white superiority.

Slavery was not the cause of the war

Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment and congressional resolutions prove the North was willing to preserve slavery to save the Union.

Weaver reads the proposed amendment text and the July 1861 resolution stating the war was not to interfere with state institutions.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a strategic war measure

It freed no slaves in Union-controlled areas and aimed to prevent foreign intervention and incite rebellion, not to end slavery.

Weaver states Lincoln's cabinet saw it as a war measure and notes it did not apply to Northern slave states.

The battle flag's design is intentionally Christian

The St. Andrew's Cross was chosen to display faith in God, and the flag was called a 'sacred emblem' by contemporaries.

Weaver cites General Beauregard's adoption of the design and Judge Roman's 1883 speech calling it a 'sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism.'

Attacking the flag is an attack on truth and liberty

The flag represents resistance to unlimited government, and its removal is part of a broader effort to erase Southern Christian heritage.

Weaver argues that the flag's international use against tyranny and its threat to socialists explain why it must be attacked.

Scripture References

Numbers 1:52: Introduction to the importance of standards; Israelites pitched by their own standard.
Numbers 2:2: Every man pitched by his own standard with the ensign of his father's house.
Numbers 2:10: Standard of the camp of Reuben on the south side.
Numbers 2:17: Every man in his place by their standards.
Numbers 2:25: Standard of the camp of Dan on the north side.
Numbers 2:31: They shall go hindmost with their standards.
Numbers 2:34: Children of Israel pitched by their standards according to their families.
Psalm 20:5: We will set up our banners in the name of our God; banners have religious significance.
Psalm 60:4: God gives a banner to be displayed because of the truth.
Exodus 17:14-15: Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah Nissi (the Lord our banner); God is the banner of His people.
Isaiah 59:19: When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him.
Isaiah 11:10: Christ stands as an ensign of the people; the standard lifted is Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 6:16: Stand in the ways and ask for the old paths; call to return to heritage and truth.

Historical References

Confederate Flags (Bonnie Blue, Stars and Bars, Stainless Banner, Third National, Battle Flag): Weaver describes the various flags of the Confederacy to distinguish the battle flag and note its unique criticism.
Ku Klux Klan and hate groups' use of flags: Weaver argues that if the Confederate flag is racist by association, the U.S. and Christian flags must be too, as hate groups use them.
Darlington 400 and Rebel Raceway: Used as an example of the Confederate flag's non-racist use in popular culture.
Jack Crawford's website statement: Quoted to show extreme anti-flag sentiment calling for violence against those who fly it.
1994 Harris Poll on black Americans and the Confederate flag: Cited to show that two-thirds of black Americans had no problem with the flag.
John F. Harris, black Mississippi legislator, 1890 speech: Harris, a former slave who wore Confederate gray, spoke in favor of a Confederate monument, demonstrating black support.
Abraham Lincoln's August 14, 1862 address to black leaders: Lincoln advocated colonization and stated racial inequality, used to show Northern racism.
Lincoln's 1858 Charleston, Illinois speech: Lincoln expressed opposition to racial equality and intermarriage, affirming white superiority.
Lincoln's proposed 13th Amendment (March 1861): Would have permanently protected slavery; used to argue the war was not about slavery.
Congressional resolution of July 23, 1861: Stated the war was to defend the Union, not to interfere with slavery.

Important Quotes

The Confederate flag is a well-recognized international symbol of racism, slavery, hatred, murder, and white supremacy. It should be outlawed, not just banned. Anyone flying it should be corrected in a manner that is usually reserved for overseers, slave masters, and leaders of lynch mobs responsible for the murder of children. Am I clear?

Weaver quotes this extreme anti-flag statement to illustrate the venom and violence directed at the flag, which he then refutes.

I'm a black man who is not offended by the flying of the Confederate flag beside the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. The Confederate flag is as much a part of my history as of any white person's.

Used to show that many black Americans do not view the flag as racist and consider it part of their heritage.

If hate had been the prevailing emotion between the races, then it is a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never been born.

Black journalist W. Earl Douglas argues that racial harmony, not hatred, characterized the antebellum South.

the two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are, number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two, that it was fought by the North for the purpose of freeing the slaves.

Douglas's statement supports Weaver's central argument that the war was not about slavery.

I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore. We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet.

Black legislator John F. Harris's testimony of fighting for the Confederacy, used to counter the racism charge.

If I could save the Union without freeing any of the slaves, I would do it.

Lincoln's statement is used to prove that the war was about preserving the Union, not ending slavery.

In the name of General Beauregard, under whose eyes you first went under fire at Manassas, I have the honor to present to you this sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism.

Judge Roman's 1883 speech is cited to show that the flag was historically viewed as a sacred, patriotic symbol, not a racist one.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical teaching on banners and standards shape our understanding of national or cultural flags today?

[Context]

Weaver spends significant time on Numbers, Psalms, and Exodus to establish the religious importance of flags.

[Question]

If a symbol is used by hate groups, does that inherently make the symbol hateful? How should we evaluate such associations?

[Context]

Weaver argues that the KKK uses the U.S. flag, yet it is not condemned, challenging guilt by association.

[Question]

What does the testimony of black Confederates like John F. Harris reveal about the complexity of race relations in the 19th-century South?

[Context]

Weaver quotes Harris's speech to show black support for the Confederacy.

[Question]

How do Abraham Lincoln's views on race challenge the common narrative that the North fought for racial equality?

[Context]

Weaver reads Lincoln's statements advocating white supremacy and colonization.

[Question]

If Lincoln proposed a constitutional amendment to protect slavery, what does that imply about the true causes of the Civil War?

[Context]

Weaver presents the proposed 13th Amendment as evidence the war was not about slavery.

[Question]

In what ways can a flag be a 'Christian symbol,' and is the Confederate battle flag an appropriate one?

[Context]

Weaver details the St. Andrew's Cross design and its adoption to display faith in God.

[Question]

Why do you think the Confederate flag has been used internationally as a symbol of liberty, and what does that suggest about its meaning?

[Context]

Weaver mentions its use at the Berlin Wall and in Eastern Europe.

[Question]

How should Christians balance preserving cultural heritage with avoiding offense, especially regarding controversial symbols?

[Context]

Weaver argues that attacks on the flag are attacks on truth and calls for standing for heritage.

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