turning point of the church toward the worldly power of empire happened when Roman Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity. Constantine was the first to carry a Christian symbol into battle by ordering that the cross be painted on the shields of his soldiers.

American flags displayed in churches reinforce the myth that God favors the United States over other nations, that America is a force for good in a holy war against "evildoers," that we are a "light on a hill" for the rest of the world.

Whenever the powers of state use religion to seek God's blessings on their endeavors, religion is profaned.

Churches should be sanctuaries for people of every race, culture, and way of life. National flags exclude.

The Rev. Rich BroderickCambridge, N.Y.

In response to the recent pieceon flags in churches: For me, Ms. Akers's piece illustrated the reality that Christianity in the United States is drifting toward a civic religion, similar to that of the Roman Empire, where faith in the gods was seen as part of one's civic duties.

Ironically, it was Christianity's failure to accept this social contract that brought it into conflict with the empire.

Sandy FergusonInvermere, British Columbia

Regarding the recent piece on flags in churches: Many Americans, enraptured by the tinsel of patriotism, allow a government in thrall to the rich, a society based on the inequality of wealth, to make a mockery of the country's democratic pretensions. The ruling elite takes refuge in patriotic banalities, balancing self-interest, avidity for profit, and the will to dominate against the claims of justice and