The Georgia

flag issue. It does matter to me. I'm white, but my color

has nothing to do with it, for or against. I'm the

grandson of a Confederate soldier, but that does not have

anything to do with it. Come to think of it, however, it

may give me more of a right to be heard.

My

grandfather, John Bowen (born 1835), enlisted in the

Confederate States Army through Co. K, the Fifth Regiment

Infantry of Texas. After the war, he moved to Georgia and

made a family. Outliving his first wife, he married my

grandmother and made another family including my mother

who was born in 1911 when he was 79 years old. Wow!

The Georgia

flag offends many of us. And it's time that we correct

some of our forefathers' mistakes. It was not until the

late 1950s that the Georgia Legislature decided to add an

unmistakable part of the Confederate banner to the

Georgia flag. Why? Because it was one big way that

Legislators could protest the growing federal unrest with

discrimination practiced so unapologetically in the

south.

There's a

spiritual issue here. Jesus said if your eye offends you,

pluck it out. If there is something among Christians and

this something offends a goodly portion, then something

should be done. If my approval of the Georgia flag as it

flies now is an offense to some of the Body of Christ,

why should I hesitate one second in changing it. You may

respond, "Well, they-meaning

African-Americans- shouldn't get all upset about

it." Why should they not be upset? If it reminded

you of your grandparents standing on an auction block to

the highest bidder, would that not upset you? If it

reminded you of inferior restroom facilities, separate

and unequal schools, and that your grandparents

always-always-had to walk behind a white

person, would that not upset you?

I'm not

appealing to those who are not of the Judeo-Christian

covenantal community. But I am appealing to people of the

Book, Old or New or both. The Georgia flag needs to

reflect all of Georgia.

But some

have said it's an economic issue. One man said to me,

"Do you know how many millions of dollars it would

take to change the flag, official seals, state

stationary?" Southern plantation owners also asked,

"Do you know how much it would cost us to free all

our slaves?"

I have a

sneaking feeling, however, it is not about money. Nobody

brought that issue up when the state changed the flag in

the 50s. It was prejudice and racism that prompted the

change then, and I fear the same forces keep us from

changing now.

We have a

long way to go to undo the pain and suffering wrought

this country through slavery. It would be a good thing if

the white and black majority of Christian Georgians could

pluck the rebel flag out of our state flag. It would be a

good thing, wouldn't it!

The Rev. Dr. John

Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community Church in

Fayetteville.

<!--##############