My 2024 Appeal to Heaven - "Lord Help Us"

How Christian Nationalists Co-opted the “Appeal to Heaven” Flag to Make Tyranny Great Again

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that I’ve changed over the past 10 years. At first the changes were gradual and I hardly knew my convictions were being challenged by the world around me. It wasn’t until 2020 when the previous election cycle began, Covid hit and Ahmaud Arbery, Brianna Taylor and George Floyd were murdered, that those horrific events outside my personal vantage point caught my attention and caused my focus to shift too.

Like many Americans, when 2020 hit like a tidal wave, I paid attention. It didn’t take long to see that the shock and disillusionment I was experiencing as I watched hatred, division and death course through our nation was actually the birth of a new social awareness that accelerated my much needed transformation, and it surprised me.

As I reflect on what’s happened in me, I need to be clear that the reason for this change has everything to do with my love for Jesus and His Kingdom here on earth. Over the past 10 years, I’ve grown stronger in my faith and more convicted that Jesus’ Great Commission (Go into all the world and make disciples) and His Greatest Commandments (Love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself) are the churches blueprints for living the Christian life.

My convictions are what leads me to say that during these past years, my faith in Jesus has never wavered.

But it’s my faith in His church that has.

Since we’ve seen our Supreme Court making news, highlighting Justice Alito and the “Appeal to Heaven” flag has caught our attention, I’d like to share a bit of personal reflection about his flag that was originally designed during the American Revolution as a symbol that God would deliver the colonists from the tyranny of England (which included escaping from religious rule) and how it impacts the American church and my personal transformation today.

Prior to the above mentioned events of 2020, I knew the flag and followed the teachings of the man who made the Appeal to Heaven flag popular in Christian circles again. His name is Dutch Sheets. He wrote a book on prayer years ago and as one who was studying intercessory prayer, who believes in the powerful connection God invites us into through intercession, I read every word and considered Mr. Sheets an expert.

Over time I learned Dutch Sheets was deeply connected to the New Apostolic Reformation movement and his ministries were significantly aligned with Lance Wallnau, a leading NAR personality who promotes the “7 Mountain Mandate” (he wrote the book Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate with Bill Johnson, of Bethel Church in Redding, CA). The book suggests it’s Gods plan that America be a Christian nation leading the world as a shining light of morality and faith. The 7 Mountain Mandate instructs Christians that in order to do that, Christians are to take dominion over the 7 mountains of culture, which are government, education, finance, family, religion, entertainment and media.

At first the teachings of NAR churches were about expanding God’s kingdom which seemed to embrace the Great Commission and Greatest Commandments which aligned with my hearts desire to share the “good news” of Jesus Christ in our world. But as time has shown, the “expanding of God’s Kingdom” in the NAR movement has less to do with “loving our neighbor” in relationship through discipleship and more to do with controlling power, removing freedoms and taking dominion through legislating laws requiring all Americans adhere to their beliefs, which is quite plainly “Christian nationalism.”

To help clarify why this troubles a devout Christian like myself, it’s important to know there’s nothing I’d want more than for everyone to know Jesus’ love as I have and to experience His saving grace and healing in this life and the next. What I cannot get behind is that the NAR movement and other Christian nationalists want to create laws that mandate Christianity and force everyone to bend their knee to their version of what it means to be Christian. So far, what I see of their brand and how they interpret the Christian lifestyle is to be pro-fascism, anti-democracy, pro-gun, anti-reproductive rights, pro-mass deportation of immigrants, anti-refugee, just to name a few. This is NOT the way of Jesus and it is not my interpretation of Jesus’ instruction.

A life of faith in Jesus Christ is by invitation. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus states, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” God created us with a will and it’s His desire that we choose Him. Jesus instructed His followers in how to make disciples. Ruling them like Caesar was NOT what He taught.

The Christian nationalist movement is anti-Jesus Christ. Let’s not make tyranny great again!