Friday Focus: Communist China Flag Raising Over The Cradle Of Liberty?

 

 

 I received an e-mail yesterday from Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) in which
 he expressed his deep concern over the city of Philadelphia's decision to raise
 the flag of the Peoples' Republic of China at City Hall this past Tuesday. 

Image courtesy/The National Review

 

"No American city, least of all one with Philadelphia's proud history, should allow
 itself to be used as a stage for authoritarian propaganda," he said in his letter to
 the city's Mayor Cherelle Parker. The display of the PRC flag at City Hall hands 
 Beijing a symbolic victory while diminishing the values of liberty, independence,
 and self-government that Philadelphia itself represents."

  Meanwhile, the "City of Brotherly Love" defended their decision to hold the
   flag-raising ceremony for China to" honor" that nation's cultural heritage,
  claiming their actions represent the city's Chinese immigrant community
 rather than the Communist Chinese government.

Did they ever stop to think that members of the Chinese immigrant community
living there fled their repressive homeland and are now proud American citizens,
 who do not appreciate being reminded of the tyranny of the past?

According to The Epoch Times, the concerns of and protests by human rights
activists were ignored by city officials. As one local group asserted, "The red flag
of the Chinese Communist Party is not a symbol of culture, it is an emblem of
a brutal, totalitarian regime."

 

Iconic image of the defiant "Tank Man" also known as
the "Unknown Protester" who stood in front of four
 tanks during the student protest in Tiananmen Square
in Beijing China on June 5, 1989

 

Furthermore, the PRC flag waving over the city known as the Cradle of Liberty
is a slap in the face to all American soldiers and veterans, past and present, who
have defended our nation in order to keep us a free and independent people. 
This includes Mayor Parker's grandfather, a disabled Navy veteran, who took 
her into his home to live after her mother died when she was eleven years old. 

My recent bulletin from the Voice of the Martyrs tells of the enduring legacy
of the Christian faith in China despite the increasing crackdowns 
on the believers in Jesus Christ there. 

As VOM reports, "Communism is founded explicitly on the rejection of God's
 sovereignty. The system is not only inherently flawed, but also inherently evil,
 as the ministry's founder, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, (who languished for
14 years in an underground Communist prison in Romania,)
 pointed out so well throughout his life and ministry."

Unfortunately, Marxist ideology is continuing to rise around the world,
and according to VOM, "its influence is even more widespread than is 
readily seen...the Chinese Communist Party is advancing the ideology 
quietly, patiently, and with great effect." 

In China, however, despite the threats of retaliation from the government, 
 the powerful message of the Gospel is spreading like wildfire!

I wish I could say the same about the city of Philadelphia these days.

How Chinese Christians Persevere 
Through Persecution
CBN News
(July 24, 2025)