Archive for the ‘Law’ category

The Manhattan Declaration-A Call to Conscience or Compromise?

November 25th, 2009

Screen shot 2009-11-25 at 12.39.57 PMThe Manhattan Declaration is a formal “call to arms” to all Christians asking us to engage in the major issues that are shaping our modern society. Following is the summary of this declaration.

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are (1) the sanctity of human life, (2) the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and (3) the rights of conscience and religious liberty. Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Human Life

The lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are ever more threatened. While public opinion has moved in a pro-life direction, powerful and determined forces are working to expand abortion, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. Although the protection of the weak and vulnerable is the first obligation of government, the power of government is today often enlisted in the cause of promoting what Pope John Paul II called “the culture of death.” We pledge to work unceasingly for the equal protection of every innocent human being at every stage of development and in every condition. We will refuse to permit ourselves or our institutions to be implicated in the taking of human life and we will support in every possible way those who, in conscience, take the same stand.

Marriage

The institution of marriage, already wounded by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is at risk of being redefined and thus subverted. Marriage is the original and most important institution for sustaining the health, education, and welfare of all. Where marriage erodes, social pathologies rise. The impulse to redefine marriage is a symptom, rather than the cause, of the erosion of the marriage culture. It reflects a loss of understanding of the meaning of marriage as embodied in our civil law as well as our religious traditions. Yet it is critical that the impulse be resisted, for yielding to it would mean abandoning the possibility of restoring a sound understanding of marriage and, with it, the hope of rebuilding a healthy marriage culture. It would lock into place the false and destructive belief that marriage is all about romance and other adult satisfactions, and not, in any intrinsic way, about the unique character and value of acts and relationships whose meaning is shaped by their aptness for the generation, promotion and protection of life. Marriage is not a “social construction,” but is rather an objective reality—the covenantal union of husband and wife—that it is the duty of the law to recognize, honor, and protect.

Religious Liberty

Freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized. The threat to these fundamental principles of justice is evident in efforts to weaken or eliminate conscience protections for healthcare institutions and professionals, and in anti- discrimination statutes that are used as weapons to force religious institutions, charities, businesses, and service providers either to accept (and even facilitate) activities and relationships they judge to be immoral, or go out of business. Attacks on religious liberty are dire threats not only to individuals, but also to the institutions of civil society including families, charities, and religious communities. The health and well-being of such institutions provide an indispensable buffer against the overweening power of government and is essential to the flourishing of every other institution—including government itself—on which society depends.

Unjust Laws

As Christians, we believe in law and we respect the authority of earthly rulers. We count it as a special privilege to live in a democratic society where the moral claims of the law on us are even stronger in virtue of the rights of all citizens to participate in the political process. Yet even in a democratic regime, laws can be unjust. And from the beginning, our faith has taught that civil disobedience is required in the face of gravely unjust laws or laws that purport to require us to do what is unjust or otherwise immoral. Such laws lack the power to bind in conscience because they can claim no authority beyond that of sheer human will.

Therefore, let it be known that we will not comply with any edict that compels us or the institutions we lead to participate in or facilitate abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or any other act that violates the principle of the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every member of the human family.

Further, let it be known that we will not bend to any rule forcing us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality, marriage, and the family.

Further, let it be known that we will not be intimidated into silence or acquiescence or the violation of our consciences by any power on earth, be it cultural or political, regardless of the consequences to ourselves.

We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.

I have not yet read the entire declaration available for download from their website, but I hope to get to it soon.

Who Signed It

There are literally hundreds of thousands of signers to this Declaration, but below are a few names I recognized from the main list of supporters.

Randy Alcorn
 Founder and Director, Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM) (Sandy, OR)
Kay Arthur
CEO and Co-founder, Precept Ministries International (Chattanooga, TN)
Gary Bauer
President, American Values; Chairman, Campaign for Working Families (Washington D.C.)
Ken Boa
President, Reflections Ministries (Atlanta, GA)
Timothy Clinton
President, American Association of Christian Counselors (Forest, VA)
Chuck Colson
Founder, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, VA)
Rev. Daniel Delgado
Board of Directors, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference & Pastor, Third Day Missions Church (Staten Island, NY)
Dr. James Dobson
Founder, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO)
Dinesh D’Souza
Writer & Speaker (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)
Dr. Wayne Grudem
Research Professor of Theological and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary (Phoenix, AZ)
Rev. Ken Hutcherson
Pastor, Antioch Bible Church (Kirkland, WA)
Rev. Tim Keller
Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York, NY)
Dr. Richard Land
President, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC (Washington, DC)
Josh McDowell
Founder, Josh McDowell Ministries (Plano, TX)
Dr. Tom Oden
Theologian, United Methodist Minister and Professor, Drew University (Madison, NJ)
Marvin Olasky
Editor-in-Chief, World Magazine and provost, The Kings College (New York City, NY)
Dr. J.I. Packer
Board of GovernorsÕ Professor of Theology, Regent College (Canada)
Dr. Ron Sider
Director, Evangelicals for Social Action (Wynnewood, PA)
Joni Eareckson Tada
Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center (Agoura Hills, CA)
Paul Young
COO & Executive VP, Christian Research Institute (Charlotte, NC)
Ravi Zacharias
Founder and Chairman of the board, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Norcross, GA)

Here are my questions:

  • What do you think of this declaration?  Is it a genuine call to engage the Christian conscience or a compromise of our faith?
  • Will you sign the declaration? Why or why not?
  • If you sign it, would you really follow through with the call to civil disobedience and risk imprisonment?
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Posted in Culture, Discipleship, Epistemology, Law, Leadership, Politics, Religion, Social Justice

The Home is No Place for Church

May 30th, 2009

Here is an interesting story out of Communist China (ooops, I mean San Diego County, California USA).  

A San Diego pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a county official and warned they will face escalating fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home.

The couple, whose names are being withheld until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf, told their attorney a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people.

“Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home? Do you sing? Do you say ‘amen’?” the official reportedly asked. “Do you say, ‘Praise the Lord’?”

The pastor’s wife answered yes.

She says she was then told, however, that she must stop holding “religious assemblies” until she and her husband obtain a Major Use Permit from the county, a permit that often involves traffic and environmental studies, compliance with parking and sidewalk regulations and costs that top tens of thousands of dollars.

And if they fail to pay for the MUP, the county official reportedly warned, the couple will be charged escalating fines beginning at $100, then $200, $500, $1000, “and then it will get ugly.”

For my brothers and sisters in Christ who are involved in the house church movement, or for any church that promotes home group ministry, this could become a barrier.

Broyles confirmed the county official followed through on his threat. The pastor and his wife received a written warning ordering the couple to “cease/stop religious assembly on parcel or obtain a major use permit.”

“The Western Center for Law and Policy is troubled by this draconian move to suppress home Bible studies,” said the law center in a statement. “If the current trends in our nation continue, churches may be forced underground. If that happens, believers will once again be forced to meet in homes. If homes are already closed by the government to assembly and worship, where then will Christians meet?”

On a personal note, Broyles added, “I’ve been leading Bible studies in my home for 13 years in San Diego County, and I personally believe that home fellowship Bible studies are the past and future of the church. … If you look at China, the church grew from home Bible studies. I’m deeply concerned that if in the U.S. we are not able to meet in our homes and freely practice our religion, then we may be worse off than China.”

Broyles also explained to WND that oppressive governments, such as communist China or Nazi Germany, worked to repress home fellowships, labeling them the “underground church” or “subversive groups,” legally compelling Christians to meet only in sanctioned, government-controlled “official” churches.

“Therein lies my concern,” Broyles said. “If people can’t practice their religious beliefs in the privacy of their own homes with a few of their friends, that’s an egregious First Amendment violation.”

WND contacted a spokeswoman for San Diego County, who acknowledged the description of the incident seemed “bizarre,” but who was unable to locate the details of the account. She simply could not provide comment yet, she said, until she could become familiar with the case.

No matter how this turns out, I want to encourage my church-Family not to fear.  Look at China, they are hindered by the law, imprisoned, beaten, and killed…. yet the church under Communist oppression has grown faster than in any other nation.  Yes, we must be aware of how Government seeks to constrain our Faith, but we should not fear it, but trust in Jesus!

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Posted in Culture, Ecclesiology, Law, Religion

What do Communist Chinese and American Secularists have in Common?

March 5th, 2009

What do the Communist Chinese and American Secularists have in common?

Read these two news stories and you will see it.
First, lets look at the state of things in Communist China.

Tibetan Monks Protest New Year Prayer Ban

Defiant Buddhist monks banned from marking a key Tibetan New Year prayer festival marched in protest in China’s southwest, rights groups said. It was the latest resistance to Chinese rule ahead of sensitive anniversaries in Tibet…

The latest protest began Sunday morning — the second day of Monlam — when Chinese officials stopped the monks at the Sey monastery in Sichuan province as they gathered to pray, the International Campaign for Tibet said, citing unidentified sources. The monks left the prayer hall and started walking toward the main town, shouting to be allowed to pray, ICT said.

A few minutes later, armed security officials arrived and the monks returned to their lamasery…

Now lets look at the state of things in a Secular (post-Christian) America.

Supreme Court Lets Ban on Type of School Prayer Stand

Coach Marcus Borden used to bow his head and drop to one knee when his football team prayed. But the Supreme Court ended that tradition on Monday when it refused to hear the high school coach’s appeal of a school district ban on employees joining a student-led prayer…

Judge D. Michael Fisher, writing for the Philadelphia appeals court, said Borden’s past action of leading the prayers made his head-bowing seem inappropriate. “A reasonable observer would conclude that he is continuing to endorse religion when he bows his head during the pre-meal grace and takes a knee with his team in the locker room while they pray,” Fisher said.

What is the common thread between these stories?  Both the Communists and Secularists are ruled by fear.  Here is my opinion?

  • Secularists fear religion because it robs them of power; power to control other people.
  • Secularists fear the public expression of faith, because they are intellectually weak and cannot win in the public arena of ideas.
  • Secularists fear religion of any kind, because they are psychologically weak; seeing other people pray creates self-doubt and anxiety.
  • Secularists fear prayer, because it reminds them of the emptiness and vanity of their own existence.

What is the commonality?  Both the Communists and Secularists rule through fear!

  • Secularists create fear by using the Government’s power to suppress those with religious beliefs.
  • Secularists create fear by putting in prison those who does not share their belief in a godless society.
  • Secularists create fear using legal-violence against those who protest their rule.
  • Secularists create fear through intimidation; including the loss of a job for anyone who does not check their faith at the door into the public arena.

So what do you say?  Given these, and the many other stories in today’s news, what do the Communist Chinese and American Secularists have in common?

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Posted in Culture, Law, Politics, Religion

Classic Me: Gun Tottin’ Pastors

December 8th, 2008

According to a recent court decision , Kentucky clergy fearful of armed robbers stealing the collection money can now carry concealed guns in church. Ministers and priests of rural churches lobbied state lawmakers to allow them to carry concealed guns after the clergy was left out of a 1996 law allowing concealed weapons in Kentucky. The amendment recently passed in the House by 76-9 and is due to be signed into law by Gov. Paul Patton April 15.

As I read this story, I could hardly believe what I was reading. I find it hard to imagine that Paul would instruct the early church to defend their wealth by killing people. I was always under the impression that our job was to spread the gospel of salvation, not kill the people who need to hear it.

If carrying a gun is required to be an effective pastor, then I am sadly unprepared. They never taught me this in seminary? Is this really what being a pastor is all about? I don’t even own a gun!!

Talk show hosts are already poking fun at the image this creates. Even Jay Lenno can see the inherent contradiction in this policy, why can’t those who are supposed to be lead by God’s spirit???
Let us consider some of the consequences if this becomes church policy:

I wonder if this will help create a new market for clergy-wear? Maybe pastors will carry specially anointed holsters with little crosses on them that say, 

“God forgives, Pastors pack heat!” 

“For God so loved the World, he gave us guns.”"

I wonder if there will be a special blessing which pastors can offer the thief as he pumps lead into him? Some possible blessings might be,

“God created us to have fellowship, now its time to meet your maker!” 

“Faith comes by hearing, but its too late for you”

- With this new law, l have no doubt there will have to be special warning signs on the entrance to the Church? Here are a few suggestions that these churches might want to consider,

“God can’t protect us all, that is why we have Smith & Wesson!”

“We preach the gospel according to Colt 45″

-The above is not just fodder for the joke machines, but hopefully spurs us to think of the message we teach by the actions we take. We as the Body of Christ must ask ourselves what kind of theology produces a pastor that needs the power of the pistol over the power of the Gospel. 

Do we no longer believe that God is able to protect us against the wrath of the world? When God said we preach a gospel of peace, maybe He did not take into account what our world would be like today? Certainly this is a radically defective view of God and his sovereignty. Has God brought the sinner to the church for salvation or damnation?

As Americans we certainly have a right to bear arms, but maybe if pastors and congregations would spend more time on their knees, they would not have to spend so much time on the firing range?

—–
I wrote the above post more than 10 years ago. Some parts I dislike and some parts I still dig. For better, or worse, I share with you this glimpse into my past and into my journey of faith in Christ Jesus.
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Posted in Culture, Humor, Law, Missiology