A confession: Summer Vacation Bible Schools led me to a life of crime

By Karen Wood

Guest View
July-August 2006

When I was a little girl, I went every summer to Southern Baptist Vacation Bible Schools across the Texas South. There, I first learned to pledge allegiance to the American and Christian flags. The pledges came during opening assemblies before we broke up into groups to do whatever it was little ones do during Vacation Bible Schools.

Truthfully, I don't recall much about the "whatever it was" part. I'm sure it was helpful, meaningful and developmental with regard to leading me down the path to eternal salvation of my sinful soul. I suppose I didn't master "whatever it was" very well. Because every year, I had to go again.

But I do remember some things about those opening assemblies. We started out offering up allegiances—holding our hands over our hearts and reciting pledges to both flags. I never did get the words straight to the pledge for the Christian flag. I got flabbergasted by that flag.

I seem to recall pledging allegiance to the Bible, too, but for the life of me (or maybe the soul of me), I can't remember. But it seems the Bible made it in there somewhere, either before, after, or in between the flags.

I didn't think much about all that pledging at the time. It was just something one did if one were to play along and follow the leader. But since then, times have changed. And along with them, my attitude. If they handed out grades today, I'm pretty sure I'd flunk Baptist Vacation Bible School.

Because I don't do it any more.

I don't hold my hand over my heart. I don't recite. I don't pledge. And I even cringe when I hear the "under God" part.

Handcuff me now. I'm awaitin' the pledgewatching Flag Police. I have my affairs in order. I'm ready to face my fate.

If they'd allow me, first, my day in court, here's what I'd say:

• "They" taught me to pledge allegiance to the U.S. Flag, propped right up there in church, and then the same people taught me how critical it is to keep the state separate from the church.
• "They" taught me to "render unto Caesar" what is Caesar's, and to "render unto God" what is God's, but they also told me stories about how Jesus got really mad about "money changers" doing their business in the church house. So it seems to me that when you render unto Caesar, you're supposed to do it at Caesar's place, and when you render unto God, you're supposed to do it at God's place.
• "They" taught me my sole allegiance should be to God, so I got mixed up trying to figure out how "sole" could mean anything other than that. If "sole" stretched out to include flags and the Bible, then next thing I know, I might be asked to include the U.S. Constitution or the Ten Commandments or the National Anthem or "God Bless America" or "Just as I Am" in the definition. The word "sole" kept creeping back and poking me in the heart, right where my hand was supposed to be.
• I really do like flags and feel privileged and humbled to fly one on special days like Memorial Day, or Flag Day, or the Fourth of July. It gives me chills with pride. But I put it on a flagpole slot on my porch column—not in my church. I appreciate what it symbolizes, and I respect and honor and grieve for those who gave their lives for the sake of our republic. But appreciation, respect, honor and grief, to me, don't equal allegiance.

Better stop with my self-defense. If I go further, I'll find myself citing other stuff like prayers at secular sports and other secular events; Ten Commandments on courthouse lawns; governors signing abortion-related legislation into law inside a church building; and other such examples that'll earn me additional punishments by the Flag Police and admonishments from my former Vacation Bible School leaders.

And those are all red flags (pardon the pun) that truly don't deserve my allegiance.

Karen Wood is a freelance writer from Waco, Texas. A former newspaper writer, she has worked for Baptist institutions in Texas and Alabama as a public relations professional and lobbyist. This article first appeared in the Waco Tribune-Herald.