Two church pastors in Shelby, NC, have decided to create a visible reminder of their priorities when it comes to God and country: They’re flying the Christian flag above the flag of the USA:

On Sunday, Pastor Rit Varriale will raise the Christian flag above the American flag in front of Elizabeth Baptist Church…

“When you stop and think about it, it should be our commitment to God first, then our commitment to country,” Varriale said.

The controversial move is one that Varriale noticed his fellow pastor, Walter Wilson, doing down the road a few months ago at Focus Missionary Baptist Church.

In an interesting twist, Pastor Varriale of Elizabeth Baptist Church seems to be taking a page from the playbook of the LGBT movement, which has tried to appropriate the rainbow as its flag:

Varriale tells WBTV he believes Christians need to stand up just as the LGBT community has been doing recently.

“The reality is, they have been willing to sacrifice more and be more bold for their cause than the church of Jesus Christ for serving God, and that’s got to change,” Varriale said.

The move does violate the US Flag Code, which is technically US law. That’s caveated with “technically” because the US Flag Code is generally understood to be unenforceable, and thus isn’t enforced — whether for those who burn or otherwise desecrate the flag, or for those who appropriate it for the homosexual movement.

Pastor Varriale is calling his action “God Before Government,” which was also the subject of his July 5th sermon. It’s an interesting perspective, and certainly one that will inspire debate — particularly given the fact Christians believe God installs and removes governments, and the Bible instructs Christians to “be subject to the governing authorities.”

Also at the Beaufort Observer.

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