What kind of allegiance does a flag demand?

While Rit Varriale has come in for some mockery among the left, I for one don’t think he’s all wrong. After holding a special ceremony at which his church raised the Christian flag above the U.S. one, the Baptist pastor had this to say to the press: “If you stop and think about it, [flag etiquette] is inconsistent with what the Bible teaches us. We are first and foremost Christians who are called to serve the living God."

Well, yes! And this isn’t an over-the-top, “revolutionary action.” It’s not even a crime. So take the question in isolation—given that we’re going to identify our church’s allegiances with these two flags, which one should be higher?—and I absolutely agree with Varriale that it should be the Christian one.

But the question didn't arise in isolation, of course. And the specifics here are a lot less admirable than a theological claim for God over country, for at least two main reasons.