2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
And, in verse 4, we read:
4 The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.
We can pray for justice and righteousness to be established in our land. And, the people of God have a critical role, according to 2nd Chronicles 7, which tells us that if God's people, called by His name will do 4 things: humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, then He would hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal our land. We are a nation in need of healing today, but God has given us His promises and He is faithful to His people. If we are dissatisfied with the course of our nation, we can take those steps and expect God to move on the hearts of people who are not following in His ways.
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In Psalm 33, we see a passage that addresses God's authority:
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, has come and gone, and while for many it was a time to celebrate our great nation and the freedoms that have been fought for by brave men and women throughout the years, freedoms that were written into our founding documents, for others it was a time to eat or to enjoy recreation or fireworks, or even to party for no specific purpose.
Just days after the U.S. Supreme Court attempted to create a new category of freedom in the U.S. Constitution, a study measured just how familiar that some Americans were with the freedoms that are enunciated in the bill of rights. This study, conducted by the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center in partnership with USA Today, found that that one-third of Americans can't name any of the rights that the First Amendment guarantees. According to the story on the USA Today website, less than two-thirds of survey respondents – 57% vs. 68% a year ago -- were able to cite freedom of speech as one protected by the amendment. Only 19% were able to cite the freedom of religion, down from 29%.
More on freedom of religion later...but back to the court ruling. I have had a variety of conversations featured on The Meeting House radio program about that topic. There have been numerous concerns expressed by Christian leaders and commentators. One of the leading ones is the attempt to redefine an institution that has been established by God Himself, and it is very clear - marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Period. So, despite the opinions of 5 Supreme Court justices, that iron-clad definition has not and will not change.
Another area is the override of the democratic process. Voters in some 30 states had authorized their state constitutions to include an amendment defining marriage consistent with the Scriptural view. As Emily Belz reported in her story for WORLD Magazine, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “Just who do we think we are?” He declared: “This is a court, not a legislature.”
Yet, another area of concern relates to what I mentioned earlier - the creation of a new so-called "right" - you could call it "sexual rights." Several months ago, Dr. Jerry Johnson, President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, wrote this, in correlation with a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in this gay marriage case: “There is no way a constitutional right to homosexual, so-called, ‘marriage’ can be invented by the courts and enforced without using the police power of the state to impose cooperation by its citizens, and that is in violation of the 1st Amendment.” He added: “For those who think sexual liberty trumps religious liberty, they need to be reminded that the free exercise of religion is explicitly framed into the Constitution. The same is not so for sexual rights, especially not a revolutionary redefinition of marriage."
And, moving forward, there is concern about the threat to one of our fundamental rights, built in to the First Amendment - the freedom of religion. I do think it's telling that in that survey I mentioned earlier, less than a fifth of respondents identified religious freedom as one that is protected by the Amendment. And, there has been analysis on my radio show about the use of the phrase "freedom to worship," implying a practice inside the church walls, as opposed to "freedom of religion," which would describe living out that faith in the public square. This contrast is seen in the justice's opinions - Kennedy gave a tip of the hat to religious principles, when he said, according to Belz,
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, has come and gone, and while for many it was a time to celebrate our great nation and the freedoms that have been fought for by brave men and women throughout the years, freedoms that were written into our founding documents, for others it was a time to eat or to enjoy recreation or fireworks, or even to party for no specific purpose.
Just days after the U.S. Supreme Court attempted to create a new category of freedom in the U.S. Constitution, a study measured just how familiar that some Americans were with the freedoms that are enunciated in the bill of rights. This study, conducted by the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center in partnership with USA Today, found that that one-third of Americans can't name any of the rights that the First Amendment guarantees. According to the story on the USA Today website, less than two-thirds of survey respondents – 57% vs. 68% a year ago -- were able to cite freedom of speech as one protected by the amendment. Only 19% were able to cite the freedom of religion, down from 29%.
More on freedom of religion later...but back to the court ruling. I have had a variety of conversations featured on The Meeting House radio program about that topic. There have been numerous concerns expressed by Christian leaders and commentators. One of the leading ones is the attempt to redefine an institution that has been established by God Himself, and it is very clear - marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Period. So, despite the opinions of 5 Supreme Court justices, that iron-clad definition has not and will not change.
Another area is the override of the democratic process. Voters in some 30 states had authorized their state constitutions to include an amendment defining marriage consistent with the Scriptural view. As Emily Belz reported in her story for WORLD Magazine, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “Just who do we think we are?” He declared: “This is a court, not a legislature.”
Yet, another area of concern relates to what I mentioned earlier - the creation of a new so-called "right" - you could call it "sexual rights." Several months ago, Dr. Jerry Johnson, President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, wrote this, in correlation with a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in this gay marriage case: “There is no way a constitutional right to homosexual, so-called, ‘marriage’ can be invented by the courts and enforced without using the police power of the state to impose cooperation by its citizens, and that is in violation of the 1st Amendment.” He added: “For those who think sexual liberty trumps religious liberty, they need to be reminded that the free exercise of religion is explicitly framed into the Constitution. The same is not so for sexual rights, especially not a revolutionary redefinition of marriage."
And, moving forward, there is concern about the threat to one of our fundamental rights, built in to the First Amendment - the freedom of religion. I do think it's telling that in that survey I mentioned earlier, less than a fifth of respondents identified religious freedom as one that is protected by the Amendment. And, there has been analysis on my radio show about the use of the phrase "freedom to worship," implying a practice inside the church walls, as opposed to "freedom of religion," which would describe living out that faith in the public square. This contrast is seen in the justice's opinions - Kennedy gave a tip of the hat to religious principles, when he said, according to Belz,
“The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.”Belz pointed out that Roberts didn’t buy that, writing in his dissent, "The majority graciously suggests that religious believers may continue to ‘advocate’ and ‘teach’ their views of marriage," adding, "The First Amendment guarantees, however, the freedom to ‘exercise’ religion. Ominously, that is not a word the majority uses. … Unfortunately, people of faith can take no comfort in the treatment they receive from the majority today." Alito, referring to some of Kennedy's language, wrote: “It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy,” adding, “In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.”
Guests on the program highlighted how people of faith can respond to this ruling. I will pull together and review some of these principles in the days to come.
I also recommend a piece that ran in newspapers across America yesterday - it was sponsored by Hobby Lobby and was entitled, "In God We Trust." It featured the Scripture verse, Psalm 33:12, which says that, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." You can access and download it here.
It features quotes from a number of notable individuals regarding the role of faith in the history of our nation, including Founding Fathers, Presidents, and even Supreme Court Justices. It quotes one of the original high court members, James Wilson: "Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine...Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."
By ignoring the laws of God and making a decision based on man's fallible reasoning, the U.S. Supreme Court has placed people of faith in a difficult position. But, we can experience God's wisdom and strength as we respond.
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