Getting In Touch With My Inner Betsy Ross.

One of the things that ties a movement together is a recognizable symbol; something that folks can quickly understand as representing this or that, and that those in that movement can easily identify with. Americans didn't win their revolution by waving copies of the Declaration of Independence when we went into battle - no, we waved the Stars and Stripes, which symbolized that Declaration and our support of it. If you see someone today waving a rainbow flag, or a poster with a peace sign, or wearing a hat with a red star on it, you've got a pretty good idea what they are on about.

Today orthodox and traditional Anglicans have an alphabet soup of groups and networks - ACN, FIF, AMiA, CANA, GAFCON - and they all of have some sort of logo or symbol. But there is nothing that says "this is who I am" for all of us. We will never galvanize into anything if we do not have something that can be easily identified as Orthodox Anglican.

I say we need a flag.

It should be a simple design. Simplicity is clarity, and therefore easily recognizable. Plus it becomes easy to reproduce.

To begin with, any design should symbolize the infinity of God's creation and his equal love for us. So therefore the design should not have a "top", or "bottom", or "sides". A square will do nicely. And it should be a color folks equate with infinity - the deep blue of the night sky.

Of course it needs to recognize that we are Christians, so a cross must be the primary symbology. I recommend two together - the first is the Jerusalem Cross, which symbolizes our place of origin as a Faith, our willingness to defend that Faith, and GAFCON's Jerusalem Declaration which restates anew the core of our Faith. The second cross is the Cross of Saint George, acknowledging our common roots as Anglicans.

Which would give you something like this:



Not a spork or a 'color of sunrise' to be found. I think I'll call it the 'Great Emission Flag'.

Happy Lambeth!