The people have spoken. The 1894 Mississippi flag continues to wave in the Southern breeze. I voted for the new flag. My side lost. I accept that. But one issue still disturbs me. 

In debate over the flag, proponents of the 1894 flag claimed that the cross in the Confederate flag represents the cross of the apostle Saint Andrew. Presumably this claim was intended to invest the 1894 flag with a kind of holiness dating back to St. Andrew. The proponents imply that removing the X-cross from the flag would constitute disrespect for Christian faith and Christian symbols. The truth is that use of the "X" form as St. Andrew's cross cannot be traced back farther than the thirteenth century - that is, thirteen hundred years after St. Andrew had died. 

In Holy Scripture, saints are viewed as "a cloud of witnesses" to the love, goodness, faithfulness, compassion, mercy, and sacrifice of God - attributes which all people of God are to imitate. Saints are also seen as persons with outstretched hands invoking God's blessing on the whole body of God's children. Andrew was this kind of saint. I doubt that he would have approved of a cross bearing his name being used on a battle flag or on any other flag that might keep God's children divided. 

An apostle of Jesus Christ, and brother of the apostle Peter, Andrew draws little notice in the Gospels. Andrew was sent by Jesus to call his brother Peter to be a disciple of Jesus. Andrew was the one who told Jesus, "There's a youngster here with loaves and fishes," which Jesus used to feed the multitude. After the Ascension of Jesus, Andrew became an apostle to the Gentiles. According to legend, Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross, because he felt unworthy to be crucified on the same style cross as Jesus. 

Andrew is credited with founding the Church in Russia and is viewed by some as the patron saint of Russia. He is generally acknowledged as the patron saint of Scotland. Scotland's national flag consists of a blue background with a white X-shaped cross reaching from comer to comer diagonally - the true St. Andrew's cross. The shield of St. Andrew also has a blue background with a white X- shaped cross. The color of the true St. Andrew's cross, white on a blue background, is significant, because the same X-shaped cross, but in different colors, symbolizes other saints. St. Alban's X-cross is gold on a blue background. St. Osmond's X-cross is black on a gold back- ground. St. Patrick's X-cross is red on a white background. Incidentally, none of them includes stars in the cross. 

The Confederate banner in the Mississippi flag has a blue cross on a white background and white stars on the cross. Obviously the Confederate flag, and particularly the color configuration of its cross, has no connection with St. Andrew or any of the saints. I can only conclude that proponents of the old flag misused St. Andrew's name and his cross to garnish votes. 

Finally, some churches have set aside special days to commemorate various saints. For example, the Episcopal Church remembers St. Andrew on November 30, in a service with readings from Holy Scripture about St. Andrew. If those devoted to the 1894 flag and the Confederate banner still believe that both contain the cross of St. Andrew, surely they will want to attend such a service. St. Andrew would be, highly pleased to have the overwhelming majority of Mississippians attend a service in which he is remembered. I can hardly wait for November 30, to see the modern cloud of witnesses" as they file into churches by the thousands to honor St. Andrew. Or, since we no longer need to use his name, have we already forgotten St. Andrew? 

Gene⁺