A Note to North American CEC Members
July 4th has like many of our National Holidays has become a day for BBQ’s, Family Gatherings, and the like. This particular day will be marked with Firework Displays. It is a good thing that we gather with those we love and mark this important day. But like many of our National Holidays many, many Americans have forgotten what the day is really about.
Let me quote the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truth to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This is perhaps the most sweeping protection of human rights ever written by man.
Yet, at the confirmation hearings Elana Kagan, who will be seated on the Supreme Court, she refused to recognize the Declaration of Independence as a document upon which to interpret the Constitution. Instead, she held that the Constitution defines the Constitution. In other words, like our French counterparts, she believes it is man and government that grant “rights”. And, if man and government grant rights it is man and government that can take rights away. This is not only a denial of our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage it is a denial of the role God and faith played in the founding of Country. This position is far more frightening than her positions on partial birth abortion, military recruiting on college campus’, or gun control.
Virtually every signer of the United States Constitution was a member of a Christian denomination. Twenty-nine were Anglicans, sixteen to eighteen were Calvinists, two were Methodists, two were Lutherans, two were Roman Catholics, one was a lapsed Quaker, and one an open Deist.
It is not insignificant that the Presidents of the United States take their oath to defend the Constitution by placing their hand on a Bible.
George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” John Adams said, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” Benjamin Franklin wrote, “A nation of well-informed men who have been taught to know the price of rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved.”
Belief in God and Natural Law was at the forefront of every Civil Rights struggle in America. Abraham Lincoln used the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution, to end the horror of slavery. The basis of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950’s and 60’s was the Declaration of Independence.
It is interesting the Elena Kagan also advocates the use of International Courts, changing cultural trends, and other factors to interpret the Constitution but not the Declaration of Independence. What concerns me is that few have picked up on her position – even the Conservative media.
Why would Elena Kagan reject the Declaration of Independence as an interpretive document? Because it comes from her strong belief in the centrality of government in determining and controlling the lives of individuals. One can respect her believing in the Rule of Law. But on what does she base her understanding of Law. Is it merely the vote of nine men and women sitting on the Supreme Court? Most often their position is not unanimous but a simply majority of five.
The founders recognized that our Republic would always have political tensions. From the beginning there were those who leaned towards a strong central government while others favored the decentralization of government and more authority going to the States. This tension brought our nation to the battlefields of the War Between the States. The founders not only recognized but also participated in intense and often hostile political discussions and campaigns. These same tensions exist today. As recent as the Civil Rights Movement their were those who advocated Federal involvement in ending segregation while others advocated from “States Rights.” And, Christians like others in our society differ on many of the political issues of the day. I would even conclude that the political discourse is what makes our nation great.
America is not a theocracy. In fact, one of the great foundations of our nation is the freedom of religion and the correct interpretation of Thomas Jefferson’s understanding of the separation of Church and State – both the establishment clause and the free exercise clause. We are a nation of religious tolerance unlike many Middle Eastern nations that forbid the free exercise of religion. Yet, America is a “religious” nation and has always recognized the Creator who gives us all men and women, not just Americans, their rights.
This Independence Day let us celebrate the greatness of our Nation. Though my first loyalty will be the Kingdom of God that knows no national boundaries, I am none the less proud to be an American. I am proud to be a citizen of a nation that has certainly made mistakes and continues to make mistakes yet always corrects herself in favor of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” As our nation ended slavery, ended discrimination against women, rejected segregation, ended child labor laws, opened public education for all children, rejected bigotry against legal immigrants during the various migrations, and has opened the door for working men and women to live better lives, our nation will also eventually end the horror of abortion. We will however fail as a nation if we reject the moral and ethical foundation given to us through Holy Scripture and Natural Law.
This Independence Day we remember the men and women who sacrificially gave their lives to defend our God given rights. Most of these men and women were young, many merely in their late teens or early twenties. These men and women sacrificed the joy of marriage, children, and grandchildren. The fought in the great battles and the fought in smaller skirmishes many of which most do not remember. They fought not to conquer or dominate. They weren’t fighting to possess a nation or enslave a people. They fought rather to protect or advance the God given rights outlined in the words of the Declaration of Independence.
This Independence Day let us remember the men and women of our Armed Services who daily place their lives on the line that we can enjoy our God given rights. Let us remember our Chaplains who minister to these young men and women and bring them the comfort and peace of our Creator, Lord, and Savior.
As the Patriarch of the ICCEC it is not my task to take political positions. Over my thirty years of ministry there are few who know my political leanings. And, most are surprised when they discover where I stand on various political issues. Yet, as Patriarch I call us to be vocal and strong in our support of the Declaration of Independence for it is not only a political document it is a moral imperative for men and women.
May you enjoy this Fourth of July. You continue in my prayers.
Under His mercy,
Patriarch
