Line Upon Line

According to the September 5, 2003 edition of Charisma Online News Service, Federal Judge Thomas Russell recently ruled, that,

"...a Kentucky library's dress code that prevented a Christian employee from wearing a cross necklace was an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights. Kimberly Draper was fired from the library in Logan County in April 2001 after she refused to take off the pendant. She filed a suit in February 2002, challenging a library policy that read: "No clothing depicting religious, political, or potentially offensive decoration is permitted." Judge Thomas Russell said the library policy violated the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment. He noted that Draper's wearing of her cross was "neither disruptive nor controversial until the library dress code made it a source of contention..."

"Way to go, Your Honor!"

Evidently this whole matter went to court because someone was "offended" by Kimberly's cross.

The Constitution or Bill of Rights does not guarantee that we will be protected from anything that might be offensive to us. And certainly, what one finds offensive might be totally acceptable to another. (Hey, I'm offended by most of what I see advertised as ABC Television's new fall program lineup. I choose not to watch, thank you. Oh, and I'm offended that Madonna wears a cross, but I really haven't thought about taking the matter to court.)

Anyway, the case of Kimberly's cross was another reminder that the god of this world doesn't want any us of to think about the One True God, or acknowledge the fact that there even is a God.

The recent dispute and decisions over the display of the Ten Commandments in a federal courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama, also serve to make the point.

That battle is not really about a 5,000 pound stone replica of the Ten Commandments -- it's about removing all traces of God from public life -- so we don't have to think about Him -- so our conscience won't be troubled by the thought that there might be a God to whom we must give an account.

You need to remember that behind most every headline you read, there is a spiritual reality -- and what often appears to be the issue, is not the real issue at all.

I hope you get that.

Cultural commentator Bill O'Reilly gets it.

In his Thursday, August 28, 2003, Talking Points Memo, "What's Really Behind the Controversy in Alabama?" he wrote:

It's not about the commandments monument in the Alabama hallway. This is about a significant power in this country that does not want any mention or reminder of spirituality in public, period.

On the radio today, a guy called me, named Sean from Virginia, and he admitted it. He said it offended him to hear the word "God". And he didn't care if it were attached to any religion or not. He just didn't want to hear the word.

So that's what this dispute in Alabama is all about. But if you look deeper, there's another reason why people like Sean want to banish God. The secularists in America have an agenda. They want total personal freedom. That means no judgments about anyone's behavior...

The agenda goes on and on, but the message is that the USA should be a place where all non-criminal conduct is permitted and moral judgments about right and wrong should never be made.

If you take the God factor out of the country, that agenda is easier to impose. But that would lead to social chaos…

In my upcoming book, Who's Looking Out for You?, I prove that the Founding Fathers (search) wanted a spiritual presence in the public arena for a very practical reason. They understood the new government did not have the power to control behavior. They rightly figured that a God-fearing people would behave better than people with no moral boundaries.

So in every debate about the Constitution, God was mentioned. I have all the letters written between [James] Madison and [Thomas] Jefferson in my home library. There's no question those two men, who forged the Constitution, wanted God on the minds of Americans.

But now we have powerful judges and politicians who reject the intentions of the framers. And that is what we are seeing in the Ten Commandments debate. Those slabs in Alabama do not establish any religion, nor do they intrude on any sane person's sensibilities. They are simply a reminder that our laws are based on Judeo-Christian philosophy. And the Alabama debate is a reminder that our freedoms and traditions are under assault by secular forces.

Bill's right.

There are those in our country who'd like to think God does not exist -- that there is no higher power to which we must answer or moral law by which we will be judged.

This is just another of the many fields upon which a spiritual battle is being waged for the hearts and minds of people.

This struggle can also be seen in the confirmation process of federal judicial nominees.

Take the case of Miguel Estrada, who was nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Recommended for appointment by President Bush, his confirmation was stonewalled by a handful of Senators who were concerned about Mr. Estrada's view of abortion. This week, an otherwise highly qualified individual withdrew himself from further consideration. He'd had enough.

The abortion issue has become "the test" as to whether or not any particular nominee is "qualified" for the bench. This has been true in regard to the Supreme Court for some time -- but now it is increasingly being seen as the measure by which any candidate to the federal court is judged, also.

We could speak more about these things, but we need to ask,

“What we can do to turn this rising tide?”

Well, I'll tell you this, the battle is not going to be won by picketing, shouting, protesting, chaining ourselves together, boycotting, or demanding our "rights."

(Think here, "What Would Jesus Do?")

No, if things are going to change, we need to begin by praying and asking God to forgive us for forgetting Him, for sinning against Him, and for violating His law.

We need to understand the nature of the battle and who the enemy is.

We need to exhibit the character of Christ in our personal lives.

We need to be salt and light in the world.

We need to remember that God didn’t send us to condemn the world, but to show people the love of God and demonstrate His righteousness.

We also need to elect God-fearing men and women to state and federal government positions.

We need to know that those who serve in the Senate and House of Representatives have a respect for God and for the law of God – people of integrity who will support legislation and pass laws based on the truth and morality of God’s law -- and when called upon, will approve men and women to the courts who will judge righteous judgment.

You see, to a great degree the course of this nation -- including our freedom to worship and serve God without interference from government -- lies in the hands of the nation's judges -- many of whom are appointed and approved by our elected officials.

This is a battle that must be fought and won -- for the sake of the Gospel of Christ, and for our children and their children.

The worst thing we could do is to choose not to fight.

We must count the cost of doing nothing -- or, of doing the wrong thing.

May God grant us wisdom in the critical hour.


think on these things…

Francis Frangipane writes...

Beloved, in powerful and amazing ways, the Spirit of God is raising up true followers of Jesus Christ. He is choosing ordinary people with extraordinary callings. Indeed, the Lord is transforming men and women so He can transform cities and nations.

To fulfill this eternal mandate, the Holy Spirit is guiding the church back to the simplicity and purity of conformity to Christ. Whether your desire is to see your family transformed or your nation in revival, today is not the time to despair, but to prepare. There were many terrible problems in the world when Jesus began His ministry, but Christ knew a great harvest was coming. Thus, Matthew tells us that, 'when [Jesus] saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He began to teach them' (Matthew 5:1-2).

Jesus saw the multitudes and, in response, began to train His disciples. They would not only represent Him in a theological sense, they would actually represent Him in the fullness of His power, character and message; everywhere they went, they transformed the world around them.

// posted by theChurchGuy @ 9/06/2003