A visual guide to the elected officials who fly Christian nationalist flags at the Capitol – Baptist News Global

Earlier this month I attended the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Advocacy in Action in Washington, D.C. On the fourth day of the gathering we headed to Capitol Hill to meet with our various representatives.

On the walk to the six buildings in which every U.S. senator and House representative offices, CBF’s director of advocacy, Jennifer Hawks, casually mentioned to me that — given my interest in Christian nationalism — I might be interested in seeing the Christian nationalist flags some of these politicos choose to fly alongside the American flag outside their offices.

Of course I was interested.

This is how I ended up spending six hours walking a total of 19 miles through the six office buildings at the Capitol. I walked by every single elected official’s office to document exactly which of them fly these flags.

Symbols and their changing meanings

According to Merriam-Webster, the very first definition of a symbol is “an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine: creed.”

Yet because symbols are referents and stand in for something else, the meanings of symbols change over time. The most obvious example of this is the swastika.

For nearly 7,000 years, the swastika symbolized “good fortune” and “well-being” across multiple cultures including those in India, China, Africa, native America and Europe. But after Adolf Hitler adopted the symbol for the Nazi flag, the meaning of the symbol changed.

It’s interesting to note how Americans responded to the changing nature of the swastika during and after World War II. An archived article from The New York Times dated June 11, 1938, announced that New York Hospital was removing two swastikas from its 335-foot chimney and replacing them with crosses because the symbol no longer pointed toward well-being.

“Sometimes the meaning behind a symbol becomes so horrifying that the symbol must be retired from use.”

“More than 100 anonymous donors contributed $1,000 for the alteration, which is being made in response to numerous complaints that the swastika has taken on a new meaning since the pre-Hitler days when the chimney was designed and constructed,” the article explained. “The two swastikas, which were built into the east and west faces of the chimney as age-old symbols of human welfare, are being converted into Greek crosses to conform with those on the north and south faces.”

The $1,000 necessary to remove the swastikas in 1938 was the equivalent of about $22,500 today. And each individual $100 donation made to that cause equals about $2,250 today. Various “religious and national groups” raised and delivered the equivalent of $22,500 quickly during the Great Depression and work began less than four months later to replace the swastikas on the building.

Those we know as The Greatest Generation who came of age during World War II understood that sometimes the meaning behind a symbol becomes so horrifying that the symbol must be retired from use.

They didn’t fight the changing meaning of the symbol or complain that its erasure from the building was somehow an erasure of their identity. They valued unity and human decency above ego.

The flags: From history to January 6

The day after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in 2021, journalists Anne Quito and Amanda Shendruk published an article documenting some of the flags and other symbols seen during the attempted insurrection the previous day.

Many others followed suit, including the creators of the website Uncivil Religion (a collaboration of the University of Alabama’s Department of Religious Studies and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History) a digital resource documenting that day.

Here is one of many images from January 6 that show some of the flags carried that day by rioters as they stormed the Capitol and beat police officers.

The flags flown on January 6 included:

• 

  An “Appeal to Heaven” flag is seen outside of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) office on Capitol Hill on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

  The “Appeal to Heaven” flag originated in the Revolutionary War when, in 1775, George Washington outfitted six schooners with them as they fought British troops. The flag fell into obscurity until right-wing extremist and New Apostolic Reformation front-man Dutch Sheets resurrected it in 2014 and recast its symbolic meaning. Since then, Sheets has urged Christian nationalist politicians to display the flag at their offices as a sign of their commitment to upending the Constitution’s separation of church and state and their adherence to the Dominionist worldview. Those who fly the he flag today adhere to an apocalyptic vision of reality that justifies religious violence.

• The Gadsden flag (aka The “Don’t Tread On Me” flag) was created in 1751 by Ben Franklin as a meme of sorts to taunt the British before the Revolutionary War. Like the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, the Gadsden Flag fell into obscurity. In the 1970s it reemerged in Libertarian circles and grew in popularity after the September 11 attacks. Since then, the flag’s symbolism has shifted to represent anti-government sentiment and was especially directed at America’s first African American president.
• The “Come And Take It” flag came on the scene during Texas’ battle for independence from Mexico in 1835. It originally pictured a cannon, but in the 1990s the flag made a comeback with an assault rifle replacing it. Since then, the flag has been tied with expanding gun rights and anti-government sentiment (including taking up arms against the government).
• The “Thin Blue Line” flag was first a slogan inspired by the British 93rd Regiment of Foot during the 1854 Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. Their “Thin Red Line” battle formation held ground against the Imperial Russian Army. In the early 1900s the original slogan morphed to “Thin Blue Line” to occasionally speak of police. The phrase became popular in the 1950s when the notoriously racist L.A. police chief, William H. Parker, began deploying it to describe police efforts in opposition to communities of color. The phrase then began informing police culture shaping policing into the more militarized “us vs. them” paradigm we are familiar with today. In 2014, Thin Blue Line flags began appearing in support of police officers and gained in popularity as a visual representation of the opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. In the wake of January 6, The New York Times reports: “When the nation saw that flag held aloft by the rioters who attacked the Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone (he says they literally beat him with it), the Thin Blue Line flag has become increasingly controversial among police officers. In 2023, the Los Angeles Police Department banned its public display on the job. In an email explaining his decision to his officers, Chief Michel Moore lamented that ‘extremist groups’ had ‘hijacked’ the flag.”
• The Christian flag came out of the ecumenical American Sunday School Union established in 1824 to help “Christianize” the nation. The most active Protestant denominations in the Union were Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian. In 1887, Charles C. Overton, a Congregationalist Sunday school superintendent in Coney Island, N.Y., designed the flag to represent the Union. In 1907, Overton teamed up with Ralph Diffendorfer (the secretary of the Methodist Young People’s Missionary Movement) to create and promote the current design, which was officially adopted in 1942 by the Federal Council of Churches — the precursor to today’s National Council of Churches. However, its prominent display during the attempted insurrection on January 6 demonstrates its symbolism has evolved. Rather than pointing toward an allegiance to Christ, it now refers to an allegiance to turning America into a “Christian nation.”

While I have not found any evidence that the Jerusalem Cross was employed on January 6, similar imagery from the Medieval period was present and employed to promote a militant, apocalyptic white Christianity. From the tattoos and clothing of the Q-Anon Shaman (Jacob Chansley) to T-shirts with the Crusader cross and a flag with the same image and the phrase “Deus Vult,” Medieval Christian imagery was present throughout the event.

My 19-mile walk to see our politicians’ walk of shame

Given the recent history of above symbols — especially their prolific representation on January 6 and their adoption by militant extremist groups — we must all ask why it is that some politicians in our nation’s Capitol choose to fly them prominently.

Even more curious is why some fly more than one of these flags or embellish the outside of their offices with other extremist signs and slogans.

Unlike those of the Greatest Generation who accepted that the swastika had become so tainted by violence that it had to be retired, these politicians continue to ask the general public to pretend their use of these symbols is not connected with the broader cultural meaning today.

This kind of forced make-believe is gaslighting at its finest.

Politicians with pro-Trump signs

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., is back in the House after retiring in 2016 in the midst of a House ethics probe into his use of campaign funds for a family vacation. Now, he’s embraced Trump’s campaign slogan. Stutzman’s committee assignments include (rather ironically):

• Member of the House Committee on Financial Services
• Member of the House Budget Committee

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, is one of the 147 Republicans who — hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6 — voted against certifying the 2020 election results. He wasn’t flying any of the flags but has gone all-in on the Orwellian-like renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. Williams’ committee assignments include:

• Chairman of the House Small Business Committee
• Member of the Committee on Financial Services

Politicians who fly the Come and Take It flag

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, flies not only a Come and Take It flag but also has a poster outside her office pushing the narrative that there is an invasion at our southern border. Her committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Agriculture
• Member of the House Committee on Financial Services

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, whose committees include:

• Member of the House Judiciary Committee
• Member of the House Rules Committee
• Member of the House Committee on the Budget 

Politicians who fly the Thin Blue Line flag

Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., flies both the Thin Blue Line flag and the Thin Red Line flag indicating support for both police and firefighters. However, hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6 she voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Cammack’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Member of the House Committee on Agriculture

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is, in theory, a more moderate Republican than his Trump-backed predecessor whom he defeated for his seat in 2022. He also is one of the few Republicans to face their constituents in recent town hall meetings (and got booed). If his use of the Thin Blue Line flag is truly in support of the police as opposed to signaling his extremist views, he should find other ways to show that support like posting one of the many signs others have posted thanking the Capitol Police. Edwards’ committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Appropriations
• Member of the House Committee on the Budget

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., flies both the Thin Blue Line flag as well as posting a sign thanking the Capitol Police. While one might consider that a signal that he supports police, he also has declared himself a member of the Three Percenters (a right-wing, anti-government militia group) and has appeared at events with them and with the Oath Keepers (another militia group). He is a retired military police officer and from 2004 to 2007 was a civilian police officer, resigning before facing charges of using excessive force against a suspect and lying about it. Hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, he voted against certifying the 2020 election results and in 2024 he defended those who were arrested for the attempted insurrection (including those who assaulted police) by saying they had been “entrapped.” Higgins’ committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Armed Services Committee
• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
• Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security

Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., is a moderate Republican who is newly elected to the district once occupied by Rep. Lauren Boebert (more on her below). He is one of the few Republicans who has broken ranks to speak out against the January 6 pardons. Given his Thin Blue Line flag stands alongside a POW flag, I’m inclined to interpret his use of it in more generous terms. His constituents should encourage him to find other ways to support police officers besides flying a flag that’s been coopted by extremists. Hurd’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Natural Resources Committee
• Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
• Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., flies a variation of the Thin Blue Line flag. She also tries to play the role of both extremist and friend to police officers. For example, in the months between the 2020 election and Inauguration Day, she joined some of her Republican colleagues in spreading the lie that the election was stolen from Donald Trump. And hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6 she voted against certifying the 2020 election results. She voted against opening a House investigation into January 6 but more recently has spoken out against President Trump’s pardoning of the rioters who were convicted of assaulting police officers (although she was just fine with the other pardons he issued). Malliotakis’ committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Ways and Means
• Assistant Whip for the House Republican Conference 

Politicians who fly the Appeal to Heaven flag

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., whose committee assignments include:

• Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
• Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (which, incidentally, is involved in managing Congress but also establishes federal election laws)

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, took to X in 2024 to defend Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife for flying an Appeal to Heaven flag. Now, he’s flying his own. Sen. Lee’s committee assignments include:

• Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary (which, incidentally, oversees the Department of Justice, including portions of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security)
• Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
• Member of the Senate Committee on the Budget

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was a major player in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results and also was one of the 147 Republicans who — hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6 — voted against certifying the 2020 election results. In 2024 he told an Associated Press reporter that regarding the Appeal to Heaven flag’s changed symbolism and its ties to Christian nationalist views: “I just think it’s nonsense. It’s part of our history. We don’t remove statues and we don’t cover up things that are so essential to who we are as a country. I mean, I think the controversy is contrived. It has nothing to do with how I’ve seen or used the flag.”

Speaker Johnson’s ties to Christian nationalism and the desire to reestablish the country as a Christian nation are well-documented. His committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary
• Member of the House Armed Services Committee

Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., flies not only the Appeal to Heaven flag but also the Christian flag — both of which were carried by rioters on January 6. He’s written on X of being proud to do so and is connected to Sean Feucht, the controversial musician connected with the New Apostolic Reformation movement who recently purchased property a few blocks from the Capitol to serve as his “rallying point for the Hill.” Brecheen’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security
• Member of the House Committee on the Budget

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., clings to the argument that the Appeal to Heaven flag is a part of American history. I wonder what he thinks of the swastika’s changing symbolism? Burlison’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (which, incidentally, is responsible for holding the government and all its agencies accountable to the American people)
• Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, flies the Appeal to Heaven flag and has this explanatory sign alongside it. He is one of the 147 Republicans who — hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6 — voted against certifying the 2020 election results. He also is connected to Sean Feucht, the controversial musician connected with the New Apostolic Reformation movement. Cloud’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Appropriations Committee
• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Davidson’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Member of the House Committee on Financial Services

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., has previously ignored questions about and calls to remove the flag from his own constituents. Grothman’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
• Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce
• Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary
• Member of the House Committee on the Budget

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Hours before a New York jury was due to issue the verdict against Donald Trump, Moore tweeted a photo of the flag. Later that same day he commented on his use of the flag clinging to the argument that it’s a part of history (ignoring the fact that the swastika is as well). Moore is connected to Sean Feucht, the controversial musician connected with the New Apostolic Reformation movement. Moore’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Agriculture
• Member of the House Judiciary Committee

Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Given that vote, it is ironic that in addition to the Appeal to Heaven flag he’s also posted a sign thanking the Capitol Police. Palmer’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Rouzer’s committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
• Member of the House Committee on Agriculture
• Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. His committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
• Member of the House Committee on Financial Services

Politicians who fly the Don’t Tread on Me flag

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. He serves as the chairman of several sub-committees within the House Committee on Appropriations.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., flies three of the flags tied to right-wing extremism: the Don’t Tread on Me flag, the Thin Blue Line flag and the Appeal to Heaven flag. She is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. She also is connected to Sean Feucht. Boebert is unabashedly a Christian nationalist and a Q-Anon follower who denies that the U.S. Constitution provides for the separation of church and state. Her committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources
• Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Politicians who fly the Christian and Jerusalem Cross flags

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., is one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. His committee assignments include:

• Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services
• Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
• Member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., famously said on Jan. 5, 2021, at a Moms for America Rally in support of Trump: “This is a battle. … Hitler was right on one thing: He said, ‘Whoever has the youth, has the future.’” The next day, after rioters stormed the Capitol, she was one of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Miller is an unabashed Christian nationalist who has called for Christianity to be inserted into public schools. The day after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Miller appeared at a rally with Trump saying “President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday.” Miller not only flies the Christian flag outside her office, but she also displays a very large photo from the moment after the attempted assassination attempt on Trump. Her committee assignments include:

• Member of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce
• Member of the House Committee on Agriculture

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., flies a flag with the Jerusalem Cross. He is new to Congress this term, but just three days after being sworn in he appeared on the right-wing Breitbart News Daily to assure listeners that: “This is going to move very, very aggressively and as quickly as possible. … We are going to shut down the border, we’re going to get this country under control, we’re going to give the Trump administration all of the tools necessary to start deporting people as quickly as possible, get these people out of our country, and make America great again.”

Moore is assigned to the House Committee on Appropriations.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., flies the Christian flag while also displaying a “Wanted” poster for “Known Get-Trump Judicial Activists.” These “activist” judges that this “Christian” representative is attempting to get Congress to impeach include:

• District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, Southern District of New York, who, on Feb. 8 issued a temporary restraining order preventing the government from granting Elon Musk’s DOGE team unfettered access to the Treasury Department’s data systems. The next day, Musk called for Judge Engelmayer to be impeached and the House complied. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., drew up impeachment orders with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., signed on as a co-sponsor. The House resolution accuses Judge Engelmayer of “high crimes and misdemeanors” and is currently under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.
• District Judge John D. Bates, District of Columbia, who, on Feb. 11 ordered federal health agencies to restore pages they had removed from their websites to comply with Trump’s executive order on “gender ideology.” Rep. Ogles drew up impeachment orders accusing Judge Bates of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene signed on as a co-sponsor and the resolution is currently under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.
• District Judge Amir Ali, District of Columbia, who, on Feb. 13 ordered the Trump administration to release the previously Congressionally approved funds to the USAID programs around the world. USAID was the first program Musk’s DOGE team attacked. Rep. Ogles drew up impeachment orders accusing Judge Alie of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, signed on as co-sponsors and the resolution is currently under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.
• Chief Judge John McConnell, District of Rhode Island, who, on Jan. 31 and again on March 6 blocked the Trump administration from freezing payments for previously Congressionally approved grants and government programs. Rep. Andrew S. Clyde, R-Ga., drew up impeachment orders accusing Chief Judge McConnell of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The resolution, which has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, is co-sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Rep. Elijah Crane, R-Ariz., Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. Clyde, Greene, Gosar, Harris and Perry all voted against certifying the 2020 election hours after the attacks on January 6.

The rest of the judges on Ogles’ “Wanted” poster have yet to have impeachment orders drawn up against them. But they each are in right-wing House Representatives’ crosshairs for blocking Trump’s illegal executive orders.

The politicians above are not the only ones linked with extremist militia groups, Christian nationalism and a revisionist history of January 6. They’re just the ones unafraid to openly fly the flags linked to these movements.

 

Mara Richards Bim serves as a Clemons Fellow with BNG and as program director at Faith Commons. She is a spiritual director and a recent master of divinity degree graduate from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. She also is an award-winning theater artist and founder of the nationally acclaimed Cry Havoc Theater Company which operated in Dallas from 2014 to 2023.