News broke recently when a pastor raised the Christian flag above the American flag over 4th of July Weekend, reports WBTV.

Pastor Rit Varriale of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina, said, "Our typical flag etiquette is to have the American flag above the Christian flag. But when you stop to think about it, it should be our commitment to God first, then our commitment to country."

It's part of a movement to put "God before government," as outlined in Varriale's Youtube video.

Like much of the debate surrounding how the church should respond to LGBT legislation, responses to Varriale's video, and the God Before Government movement in general, have been polarized (see any comments section just about anywhere to get a taste!).

But other than "yea" or "nay" I saw a third response, "Wait, there's a Christian flag?" which is where I decided to weigh in since it's a historical question in nature.

The flag was not preconceived in the same way as the "Grand Union Flag", the name of the original American Flag (which has been modified some 26 times since). Rather, the Christian flag, according to popular online magazine Christianity Today, finds its beginnings in an impromptu speech by Charles C. Overton, a Sunday school superintendent on Sunday, September 26, 1897 in Coney Island, NY.

Overton took the stage and spoke extemporaneously after the planned speaker failed to show up that Sunday. As Overton spoke, he noticed the American flag on the podium and continued to speak about flags and their significance as symbols.

His speech remained present in his mind throughout the following years, and according to christianity.stackexchange.com, he followed by designing the emblem, formed a group called the Christian Flag Extension society, and made efforts to promote the new Christian flag. The first flags made to his design were manufactured by the Annin Company.

The colors on the Christian flag mirror the American flag: red, white, and blue.

White represents purity and peace, blue indicates fidelity, and red stands for Christ's blood sacrifice. - Christianity Today

The flag was originally intended to be a symbol of unity between all Christians, as it's displayed across many different denominations and locations. It's estimated to be in over 240,000 mostly-protestant churches today, according to Prayerfoundation.org.

After its original design, which remains unchanged today, a pledge was later written by Methodist Pastor Lynn Harold Hough who penned, "I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Savior for whose kingdom it stands; one brotherhood uniting all mankind in service and love."

This has been rewritten in modern churches to say, "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."

The controversy today revolves around the implied links between faith and patriotism, church and state, and the significance or value of the flag's display in our current pluralistic society.

Should the Christian flag be on display on public or private grounds? Take our poll and let us know what you think.

More From News Radio 1310 KLIX