In the early '90s, I attended the first organizing meeting of the Christian Coalition being held in a small evangelical church in a small town near Tulsa. There were about 18 people in attendance. The leader outlined their plan to use the churches to educate parishioners about how to become effective political advocates for the right-wing issues of the Coalition and to train people on how to effectively run for office. At the beginning of the meeting, they saluted the flag and said the pledge of allegiance -- but it wasn't the American flag. It was the Christian flag, and the pledge of allegiance was to Jesus. "I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe." Only after they had established their priorities, did they salute the American flag. I grew up attending in a similar small church as a child, and I had never heard of a Christian pledge of allegiance. I was horrified by the implications.