A historic church will remove plaques honoring George Washington and Robert E. Lee, but it shouldn’t
< < Go Back
The plaques on the walls of Christ Church in Alexandria, Va., commemorate famous Americans who at one time called the Episcopal parish their own: George Washington and Robert E. Lee.
As a church historian, I believe the vestry’s recent decision to remove the memorials — as well as their forebears’ decision to put them up in the first place — disregards the true purpose of Christians’ commemoration of the dead.
Both Washington and Lee were committed Episcopalians … just as the decision to add the plaques focused on Washington and Lee’s patriotism, the deliberation over removing them has focused on political correctness. In conversations driven by cultural forces, no one is treating these men as sinners saved by grace.
More From The Washington Post:
Rss Feed