“The (Hebrew) midwives feared God and did not do as the King of Egypt commanded, but saved the baby boys alive.” (Exodus 1:17)
“We serve only God. Therefore, we will serve no other gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to King Nebuchadnezzar: Daniel 3:17-18)
“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Jesus: Mt. 22:21)
“You be the judge. In the sight of God, is it right that we should listen to you more than to Him? … However, as for us, we will obey God rather than man.” (Peter and John: Acts 4:19)
“Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that (compels us) to participate in abortions, to bless immoral sexual partnerships or treat them as marriages, (or) to refrain from proclaiming the truth as we know it. 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.” (The Manhattan Declaration: 2009)
A Question of Authority
Who’s in charge, and who decides what is right and what is wrong?
That seems to be the question of the day because, in the maelstrom of competing authorities, no one seems to know for sure. Is it the government, is it the church, is it our parents, or – if none of these – is it all up to us and how we feel on any given day?
Or could there also be a transcendent authority who stands above all of this as the Creator of the universe and as the ultimate Lawgiver who has given us very clear direction for what is Right and what is Wrong?
A Question of Civil Government
If we accept God as that transcendent authority in our lives and whose moral law is absolute, as most of us do, it still begs the question about the proper role of civil government. Where does it fit?
Romans 13 helps answer that question by recognizing government not only as a minister of God for those who do good but also, and perhaps more importantly, as a law enforcer with a sword of justice and wrath against evil men who would do us harm.
A Question of Conscience
Therein lies the rub. What happens when God and the Government appear to be at cross purposes with each other about what is Good and what is Evil? And what happens when Caesar issues edicts that conflict with the Word and the Will of God?
That is precisely what many people face today in America, including florists, bakers, photographers, printers, entertainers, school personnel, military personnel, elected officials, non-profit Christian organizations, and yes, even pastors and lay leaders.
It’s a real problem because, instead of protecting us from those who would do us harm, our own Government has in too many cases joined our attackers, including LGBT activists, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and leaders of the Democratic Party.
In the Crosshairs: A Modern Day Daniel
Among the many modern day heroes who are under attack for their beliefs, like those mentioned above, one stands out – Kim Davis, Clerk of the Court in Rowan County, Kentucky.
That’s because she refused to sign marriage certificates for same-sex couples as a result of her Bible-based belief that marriage is designed by God as between only one man and one woman. Nothing else qualifies.
Despite that, she was prepared to let others sign the certificate in her place as required by law. However, that didn’t satisfy her LGBT attackers and their government “enforcers”. They wanted her scalp even more than the certificate as an example for anyone else who would dare to stand in their way.
As a result, she was thrown into jail for six days and freed only after a huge public outcry and the outstanding legal defense provided by Horatio Mihet, VP of Liberty Counsel. (On a side note, the Forum was pleased to host Mr. Mihet as our keynote speaker at our annual dinner last spring as well as to honor Kim Davis in person with our annual Daniel Award presentation.)
Her courage in standing up to enormous political pressure and to legal prosecution, along with that of many other heroes today and throughout history, is reflected in a song written in 1873 by Philip Bliss:
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God’s command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel’s band!
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
Breaking News! A District Court Judge has just dismissed all charges against Kim Davis! Thanks to the great work of groups like Liberty Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, Liberty Institute, and the Family Research Institute, the fight for freedom continues to achieve great victories. Laus Deo!
Crossroads: Why You Can’t Stay Silent
That’s the background for what Rita Dunaway and I will be discussing this weekend on Crossroads: Where Faith and Culture Meet and which will air on the following Valley stations:
— WBTX (1470) at 4:30 p.m. today (Saturday) and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA (550) and WSVA/FM (92.1) at 8:30; and WNLR (1150) at 11:30. You can also listen online to this and to earlier programs HERE anytime.
Crossroads is entirely listener supported. Therefore, if you would like to help, please send your check to Crossroads at PO Box 881, Harrisonburg, 22803. All donations are tax-deductible.
Thank You, for God and Country,
Dean