“Those windows won’t remain in their current place in their current context”
NBC4 Washington DC reports (video and text) that the National Cathedral has changed its timetable for making a decision on the fate of stain-glass windows honoring Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. A decision their fate had been two years away. The windows were a gift of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and were installed in the 1950s.
The Confederate battle flag in the windows was replaced with plain blue glass after the killings in Charleston, SC.
A decision is expected “soon.”
Follow the link to view the report.
The Cathedral’s page on the windows is here. At the time of this writing, the last post on that page is about a panel discussion March 2017.
The National Cathedral is expected to move two stained glass windows memorializing confederate generals. https://t.co/O9LXBYhhYf
— Eun Yang (@eunyangnbc) August 24, 2017
Image source: National Cathedral – Photo taken before Confederate battle flag replaced with blue glass.
All Content © 2017 Episcopal Café
Their legacy is treason against the United States, fighting against American soldiers, and fighting for slavery. Those who with tortured reasoning attempt to devise arguments for maintaining these tributes invariably fail to ask how they make people of color feel when seeing them. As a white person, I can't imagine the pain it causes African Americans in the 21st century to see these men so honored. Take out the windows - the sooner the better.
I partially agree with Becky (above). Even as flawed creatures, redemption is part of our story, too. And one can make the argument that Robert E. Lee's actions and behavior following the Civil War showed God softening the hardness of his heart. (Jackson was killed during the war). However, Lee's treason was real. It is possible to celebrate redemptive acts in the last years of his life only because he recognized he was a sinner saved by Grace, and that upholding slavery was part of that sinful nature...At least that's what I come a way with when I view his life as a whole...
Kurt Hill
Brooklyn, NY
The only guideline that stained glass windows images should be judged by is whether or not they were religious and performed Christian acts. Stained glass windows came about to tell Bible stories and Christian acts to people who couldn't read, write or understand Latin. Stonewall Jackson taught Sunday School lessons to black children while at VMI, and probably at his grandfather's farm in West Virginia. I'm sure something can be found about Robert E. Lee. Therefore, I think they should stay. Lincoln already addressed this. These men did many things and their entire lives should be considered before tearing down any images. They are therefore Christian role models. At one time, the Civil War was seen with the utmost charity-to accept Confederates as countrymen. Forgiveness is being forgotten today.
Along the lines of "If a tree falls in the forest ...", if a Confederacy tribute exists in a church and nobody pays much attention to it, should it be removed?
I suspect a great many churches have such windows and, in many cases, aren't even all that aware that they do. For instance, my last parish, Grace Church in Alexandria VA, has a depiction of Robert E Lee in the huge West window. Being up in the choir loft, I doubt most even know it's there.