Category: Featured Articles

by: Bob Gray II

On June 26, 2015, our Supreme Court took a public and final step across the line of biblical abomination in the sight of God.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled, “The Fourteenth Amendment requires a State to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-State.”

This decision should make our spirits sadden and hearts heavy, but should not be a shock to our spiritual system.

The Supreme Court has been marching toward this decision slowly but surely since the 1960’s.

• In June 25, 1962, the United States Supreme Court took the Bible and prayer out of the public school system in America.
  • The United States Supreme Court decided in Engel v. Vitale that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in schools violated the First Amendment by constituting an establishment of religion.
• In January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized the killing of babies.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women, as part of their constitutional right to privacy, can terminate a pregnancy during its first two trimesters. Only during the last trimester, when the fetus can survive outside the womb, would states be permitted to regulate abortion of a healthy pregnancy.

When our country decides to have no regard for life and no regard for God, then we should not be shocked when they have no respect for the institution of marriage.

However, where abortion has run under the radar and is not talked about or publicly bragged on by ladies or families – same-gender marriage or sodomy will be thrown in our face on a daily basis.

Where taking the Bible and prayer out of the public schools has not directly impacted the church, but the student – same-gender marriage or sodomy is going to impact the church and how we conduct business.

Same-gender marriage will impact how Child Protective Services qualifies a home. To leave a child in an abusive home is just as negligent as leaving a child in the home of a same-gender marriage.

Same-gender marriage will impact how the IRS looks at tax credits. A same-gender marriage home will now be given the same tax credits that a traditional marriage home will be given; thus, putting more of a tax burden on America.

Same-gender marriage will impact how the church sanctions marriage. The church altar will now be muddied with sodomite marriages and will be sanctioning more than marriage; they will be sanctioning abominations. I have a news flash for this nation, state, and city. Longview Baptist Temple will not be performing same-gender marriages at this altar as long as Bob Gray II is pastor.

Please listen to the words of Thomas Paine that were written in his treatise called the Crisis on December 23, 1776.

THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

If Thomas Paine in 1776, 172 days after they declared their independence, could stand and declare that they were not giving in to tyranny no matter what it cost them, then I wonder under this present pressure that we are facing if 172 days from right now will we have the same resolve against spiritual tyranny as our forefathers had against physical tyranny.

However sad and sickening the state of our nation is right now, I can proudly say, “I still love our country.” I still love:

• Our flag
• Our 50 states
• Our military might
• Our streets and lanes
• Our mom and pop businesses
• Our small towns and tall skyscrapers of the big city
• Our state rights
• Our freedom to worship the Lord
• Our freedom to carry our King James Bible in public
• Our freedom to not only preach about Jesus Christ, but to personally one-on-one tell people about Jesus Christ.

You see, regardless of how embarrassed we are about our administration, we still love the Oval Office. Regardless of how disheartened we are about the lack of morality and integrity exhibited by some of today’s political leaders, we still love and respect the Senate and the House of Representatives. Regardless of how unfair the taxation is right now, we still love and enjoy the most cared for country on the face of the Earth.

You see, true love does not love when things are perfect and palatable. True love is when you see the flaws and imperfections and still choose to love. Because I still love America, I want to be the solution to the problems in our country and not part of the decay of our country.

Romans 12:21 gives a solution to our problem when it says, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” The word “evil” is what best describes the tide in America. We are being overcome with evil.

Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, the verdict has been in on the subject of sodomy for an eternity. Leviticus 18:22 says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 20:13 says, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

Since the top abomination of the Bible has now been legalized in the United States, what are we to do with this evil? We are to overcome this evil with good. Look again at the wording of the Word of God. “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Some would say that it is too late for us to change the tide; however, when you read the Word of God you find out as long as Christians are on the scene we still have a chance to change things. Isaiah 1:9 says, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” God repeats this verse in Romans 9:29, “And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.” Notice that as long as there is a “seed” left in America, there is hope. If you are saved, then you are the “seed.”

Because I still love America, I have chosen to become a part of the solution of good and not a part of being overcome with evil.

There are only two ways I can live: be a part of the solution and do good or be a part of the problem and do evil. If we have been left as the remaining remnant and remaining seed of the Son of God, then let’s start the overcoming process of good.

The decision concerning same-gender marriages is nothing more than the slow and methodical conquering of evil over the past fifty years. If we are going to turn the tide of evil overtaking everything around us, then we must begin the turning the tide at the exact place evil found its start, and that is in the heart of man.

Because I still love America, then I am going to become a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. I am either giving good a helping hand to good or I am giving a helping hand to evil. Evil or good are winning by what I do.

• Evil is winning in my language or good is winning in my language.
• Evil is winning in my relationships or good is winning in my relationships.
• Evil is winning in my marriage or good is winning in my marriage.
• Evil is winning in my entertainment or good is winning in my entertainment.
• Evil is winning in my family or good is winning in my family.

You see, you are the solution to a better country. If every Christian would take personal responsibility for what goes on in their mind, body, home and what they allow around them in their personal space, then we could push back the tide.

The Supreme Court did not make a decision of their own choosing, they made a decision based on what an evil society put before them. However, I still love America and I still believe America stands a chance. Because I still believe that, I am going to do my part with my life and those associated with my life and the world around me every day by doing good.

We need to settle down and simply love our country and realize that we are the solution to the evil. Overcome evil by doing good.

Bob Gray II
Pastor
Longview Baptist Temple
Longview, TX

by: Attorney David Gibbs III

America’s government was intended by our founders to rest on the stable support of a three-legged stool. One of America’s first laws as a new nation, passed in Congress at the exact time the Bill of Rights was being enacted, identified these three legs as religion, morality, and knowledge (education). This law, the Northwest Ordinance of 1789, was adopted to assist in the formation of new states and territories in the west. It declared that “religion, morality, and knowledge” were “necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind.”

In George Washington’s Farewell Address, our nation’s first president warned citizens of the importance of preserving those same three legs of the stool when he alerted them to “with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion… Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge.” For two centuries, our laws, our executive officials, and our courts kept the three legs strong. In the last several decades, however, those legs have started to wobble. Since then, the stool on which our government rests has become ever more unstable. It is beginning to look as though that stool might ultimately collapse if not soon repaired.

Today, in the face of a revisionist history that seeks to hide the truth of America’s Christian heritage, we need to be reminded that the vast majority of those who formed our nation’s government were Bible-believing Christians. We need to be reminded that these men never intended that religious freedom only be limited to the freedom to believe as one wishes; rather, they intended that America would be a land where the freedom of religion meant the freedom to exercise, or live out, what they believed, free from governmental tyranny. We need to be reminded that they knew their very lives and the freedom and future of this new nation depended solely on the benevolent hand of Almighty God.

This month’s free resource from the NCLL, “One Nation Under God,” provides just a glimpse into the profound influence Christianity had in the very early years of this nation. Being reminded of these facts will help us confidently work to restabilize our nation’s three main supports—religion, morality, and education—no one of which can continue to stand without the other two.

Fact: Christopher Columbus, who opened up the New World to the Old, was motivated by his Christian faith to make his difficult voyage.

Today, Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) is a man both praised and vilified, honored and ridiculed. Was he a visionary explorer or just an opportunistic exploiter? We must be careful to avoid both extremes in our assessment. Some today completely denigrate Columbus for all the shameful deeds of those who followed him. Others exalt him as if he were a totally noble character. In reality, Columbus was a flawed man, but he was also a visionary. Most importantly, he had a very strong commitment to the Christian faith. Any reasonable study of his life shows that he was a man who loved the Scriptures and found his motivation in them. Matthew 24:14 was a very important verse to him: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Dr. John Eidsmoe, in his book, Columbus and Cortez, gives us one explanation for the recent revisionist political movement that is attempting to defame this great seafaring visionary. He says: “[S]ome are determined to remake America into a secular or pagan society. To do so, they must move this nation away from its Christian foundations.” If we remove Christianity and its impact on Columbus, we must then remove the man entirely, because without his faith and his belief in God’s call upon his life, it is unlikely he would ever have attempted to sail to the West.

Fact: In 1620, the Pilgrims drafted our nation’s first self-governing document, the Mayflower Compact, which clearly stated that they had come to the New World to glorify God and to advance the Christian faith.

This compact became a forerunner to the U.S. Constitution as the first document providing a system that would govern the new colonists. Written over 100 years before the Declaration of Independence, the Mayflower Compact—a governing document—explains that they came to this country for the glory of God, to advance the Christian faith, and that this agreement was made in the presence of God:

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

—Mayflower Compact (Modern Version)

Fact: Various settlements throughout the early colonies provided refuge for religious dissidents of all faiths.

Wherever the story of freedom is told, Rhode Island’s founder, Roger Williams (1603–1683), must be remembered. He was a true pioneer for Christian liberty. Today, Williams is sometimes represented in American history textbooks as a liberal who rejected Puritan doctrine, a virtual unbeliever. That image is totally false. Roger Williams was a man completely shaped by his faith in Jesus Christ.

Rhode Island, the legacy of freedom Roger Williams created, was a product of Puritanism. If Puritanism means being strict about what you believe, then Roger Williams “out-Puritaned” the Puritans. It was Roger Williams’ own strong biblical views that set him at odds with the Puritan authorities in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Because his views differed in many ways from those of the political leaders of Massachusetts, he was banished from the colony. To avoid deportation back to England, he chose to flee from Massachusetts to an area outside the political control of the Puritans. Williams purchased land from the local Indians and immediately began welcoming settlers of all religious persuasions to Rhode Island, making it a haven of religious freedom for others who did not conform to the prevailing views of their colonies.

While some in the Puritan colonies saw Williams as merely a contrarian—disagreeing just for the sake of disagreeing—God used him to help bring about a higher level of freedom in the United States. Williams was one of those rare people for whom conviction and the freedom to exercise religious conscience was everything. Such people live out their consciences regardless of the consequences.

Roger Williams did not set out to found a new colony; but like Paul and Barnabas in the New Testament, he and the Puritans of Massachusetts had a falling out, one that God used to multiply and expand religious freedom in America. In the providence of God, Rhode Island became a settlement dedicated to religious liberty. Its founder was a gifted man with strong biblical principles and convictions. And its capital is aptly named, “Providence.”

Fact: The education of America’s settlers and founders was uniquely Christian and Bible-based and all America’s early universities—including Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, and Princeton—were biblically Christian in their origins. Rare was the American of 1776 who did not know the Scriptures.

The little colonial student in early America marched off to his one-room schoolhouse and opened his new reading primer, but instead of reading about Jane and Spot, our little colonial friend was taught to read using magnificent truths based on the Word of God. Here is one example:

An Alphabet of Lessons for Youth.
A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure & trouble therewith.
Come unto Christ, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and he will give you rest.

When school children learned their ABC’s during the American colonial era, they also learned sound Bible doctrine. During its first two hundred years, education in America was thoroughly Christian. Our early founders agreed with Martin Luther, who had said a century earlier: “[E]very plowboy should be able to read and interpret the Scripture for himself rather than be bound to follow the interpretation given to him by his priest, for he himself is responsible to God for his own soul.”

Virtually every one of the Founders received a thoroughly-Christian education based on the Bible. In fact, from the very beginning of Christian settlements in this land, a Christian education was a very important part of colonial life for the average child, both in his formative years and later in college, if he attended. A review of biographies of the founders shows that approximately forty percent of the signers of the Declaration of Independence (at least twenty-two of fifty-six) were educated in schools that focused on training for ministry. In fact, eight signers of the Declaration of Independence graduated from Harvard, which, back then, required that every student “be plainly instructed that the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, and to lay up Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.” The motto adopted by Harvard in 1690, translated from the Latin, means “truth for Christ and the Church.” Yale University, in its early years, actually expelled students who persistently denied the authority of the Scriptures as God’s Word or were found guilty of heresy. Sadly, most of our institutions of higher learning in America today are saturated with teachings and philosophies that either utterly denigrate or flat-out deny the biblical Christianity that was once so prominent at these Ivy League schools.

Fact: The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God are the Basis for the Declaration of Independence.

In 21^st century America, the phrase “the laws of nature and of nature’s God,” contained in the Declaration of Independence, is difficult to understand. As understood by our Founders, however, the “laws of nature” refer to God’s unchanging principles established at Creation, while the “laws of nature’s God” refer to the written Word found in the Bible. In declaring their independence from Great Britain, our Founders declared their dependence upon Providence (a favorite word used by the Founders to refer to the God of the Bible). The authors of the Declaration stated:

WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

We think of “nature” as something physical, such as mountains or trees or animals. We also think of “nature” as describing the qualities of a person or thing. However, in the 18^th century, when the Declaration of Independence was written, this phrase, “the laws of nature,” was understood to mean God’s law, obtained through reason and science, and “the laws of nature’s God” to refer to His law revealed to mankind in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. America’s Founding Fathers believed that God, as the author and judge of natural law, formed the basis in creation for our intuitions of right and wrong. They also believed that God is the primary context for our ability to reason and to govern ourselves.

In Thomas Jefferson’s climactic closing to the Declaration of Independence, he appealed “to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions.” Only God could validate the moral correctness of their movement for independence from Great Britain. Only God could grant them success in their historic endeavor, for this small band of patriots was challenging the most powerful nation in the world at that time. Jefferson reinforced this appeal by ending the Declaration with these words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

In 1776, people were very familiar with the term “divine Providence.” It meant God’s care for His people and His superintending control of the world. It was divine Providence that would be required to see them safely through the war. It was their faith in God and their confidence that independence was morally right and was God’s will for America that gave these delegates the courage to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to this cause. They knew that if they were unsuccessful they would indeed have much to lose.

Conclusion

One month after the tragic 1999 shootings at Columbine High School near Denver, Colorado, one of the parents whose daughter had been killed went to Washington, D.C. to testify before Congress. As part of his testimony, Darrell Scott, father of the slain Rachel Scott, expressed his feelings in poetry about the current direction of America. Darrell testified:

Your laws ignore our deepest needs your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage you’ve outlawed simple prayer. 

Now gunshots fill our classrooms and precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere and ask the question “Why?” 

You regulate restrictive laws through legislative creed
And yet you fail to understand that God is what we need. 

Whole generations of Americans growing up today have absolutely no idea that the heritage of this country is based on the Bible. Many today have become convinced that America was founded by a group of separationists whose primary goal was to create an environment where all public places like schools, courts, and government buildings were intended to be “religion-free zones.” Many Americans today live as if they believed that the Founding Fathers intended for us to experience both liberty and licentiousness. Many have been led to believe that our founders would be comfortable with the moral filth and unrighteousness we now live with every day in America. Sometimes it seems that any idea may be expressed in America today except the truth of the Gospel of Jesus.

Sometimes the key to victory in the culture wars lies simply in the willingness to show up for the battle. As we act, we must remember that God is in control. Ultimately, He is the one who will decide America’s fate. We have freedom today in America—but we are losing it, little by little. And if we continue down the road we are headed, one day it may be lost forever. God has not given us, or any nation, any guarantees. Our second president, John Adams, once gave a solemn admonition to us, his posterity, a word from his heart that must be taken seriously in the 21^st century:

“Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it! If you do not, I shall repent it in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it!

The National Center for Life and Liberty
PO Box 270548
Flower Mound, TX 75027-0548
Phone: 888.233.NCLL (6255)
Email: info@NCLL.org
http://NCLL.org

by: David Owens

This is not an article against using some modern technology or an electronic tool, but it is an article against the unwise use of them. I’ve noticed more and more Baptists coming to church without their Bibles and therefore not using a Bible during the service. Yes, they have their smartphone, but they do not have “The Book.” Over 110 times the Scriptures refer to themselves as “the book.” When the preacher preached, he used “the book.” 

Nehemiah 8:8 says, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”

Luke 4:17 says, “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,”

Maybe God is telling us something today in 2014. Let’s consider the following thoughts:

1. We call God’s Word, The Bible; “The Bible” means “The Book.” Should we now call it “The app or the gadget?”

2. We say we respect the KJB, but put it on the same level as an app like Fox News, Drudge Report, AccuWeather, the stock market or some game. Where is the fear that we are losing all respect for God’s Word and God’s Book?

3. The same gadget that has your Bible app displays ungodly advertisements and pictures either by accident or on purpose. Would you feel comfortable with pictures of half-dressed women in your Bible?

4. Bible apps make it too easy to access perverted bibles, false versions and liberal commentaries.

5. Consider this excuse, “I can have the Bible with me all the time, for I always have my phone.” God already addressed that. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” No one has ever not sinned because they have a smartphone with them. Bible apps do not encourage memorization or meditation; in fact, they discourage memorization, for why memorize? The words of God on your smartphone can not replace the words of God in your heart.

6. It becomes too easy to be distracted. While you may have your Bible app open, you also receive notices of texts, updates, your eBay item sold, news and that granny is calling. Doesn’t the Devil provide enough distraction when we read God’s Word why we would make provision for more?

Exodus 24:12 says, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.”

When I was young my mom very wisely did not allow me to bring anything to church except my Bible. No toys in church! No papers to draw and doodle on, no wasting the offering envelopes and playing with the hymn books. When God is talking to you, it is rude to be checking the scores, the news and weather, playing games and responding to text messages. You don’t need to be going online and checking what some liberal commentator says about the subject your pastor is preaching on. It is hard enough to concentrate on truth, so why make it harder on yourself by providing distractions? You don’t need to be distracted by being ready to snap a picture or record a video. When you are reading God’s Word “be there,” when you are listening to preaching, “be there.” God in essence said to Moses, if you will be with me, “be there.”

7. Have you noticed that more and more of God’s people seem to be intimidated by the world and are embarrassed to carry their big old KJB? It seems to be no problem to use your electronic device, for you can now be an undercover Christian. As the world watches you they don’t think you have the Bible on your cellphone; they figure you are playing a game, checking the news or weather, tweeting your thoughts for all the world to know or doing some mobile banking. But, they know who you are and where you stand when you carry and use “The Book!”

8. You say, “It’s more convenient.” Here we go again, “Lord, I can’t live for you unless it is easy, pleasant and I’m never inconvenienced.” How sad that we are so indifferent to the things of God, that unless God entertains us we won’t get involved. Have you noticed that Christians seem to be getting lazier?

9. We somehow believe that if there is an emergency we have to know about it immediately. There is no emergency on Earth that surpasses the emergency of our spiritual needs.

10. What comes next? Prayer apps? A social media site where you can “friend” God, maybe called Godbook? Online church? (Oh, I understand that there’s already an app for that.)

When is an electronic device okay to use? Consider this; if before electronics it was appropriate to use a source outside of The Book, then it is probably okay to use them today even if they are not in book form. Such tools as a concordance, a dictionary a written sermon, Sunday school lessons or study notes, God does not specifically refer to these as being in a book. (I used a concordance app to count how many times God referred to His Words for us as “the book.”)

When you go to church, carry and use The Book, (the Holy Scriptures – your Bible). Put your phone in church mode. TURN IT OFF! Satan has your email address, is your friend on Facebook, has a Twitter account and your phone number on speed dial. He will use it to draw your attention away from the LORD. When you have your family devotions, use the Book. When you do your personal study, open the Book and read the Book. When you go soul winning, use your Soul Winners New Testament.

One day all the lost will stand before God and their life will be displayed. God, being God, could very easily make this record suddenly appear on some invisible screen. Can you imagine the data space needed, the size of the hard drives and the external backups needed to record all of the works of every man? This is not counting the names of every person who ever lived. Open your Bible, the real one, and read Revelation 20:12-15 where God does not even use some electronic storage in the cloud.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

If God keeps His records of us in literal books, should we not keep and use His record to us in a literal Book? We are not against technology, inventions or making life easier, but we ought to be against doing those things our way and not God’s way. God describes the Scriptures as “the book.”

David Owens
Pastor
Westside Baptist Church
Pacifica, CA

by: Mark Eaton

Luke 22:31 – 34 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.”

When I look back at my Christian life, I see many mistakes and failures. If I could go back and put into my life the ingredient of the focus of this message, I am sure I would have fewer failures and mistakes. The ingredient we will focus on is a key in helping weak Christians become strong and helping strong Christians remain strong.

Peter was not strong, but he thought that he was. Jesus was about to give Peter a great blessing. It was something that would help him become strong. Without it, Peter would have never accomplished much for Christ. Jesus was saying in essence, “Peter, you are not strong. I am going to help you get strong. After you are strong, THEN there is something I want you to do.”

Peter disagreed with the Lord concerning his lack of strength and said, “I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.”

This blessing that Christ was about to give Peter we desperately need in our lives. We parents need to be sure to give this blessing to our children. As Christians, we can give this blessing to each other.

Luke 22:59 – 62 “And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”

Christ gave Peter accountability. Christ wanted to move Peter from weakness to strength, so He gave him accountability. Accountability is the state of being liable to answer for one’s conduct. Peter had denied the Lord three times. Christ had already told him that it would happen. Peter said, “No, I’m strong.” Jesus said, “Satan hath desired you. I prayed for you. When you are converted, then in your strength you will be able to strengthen the brethren.”

All of us are at different stages in our Christian life and growth. The stronger we are; the more God can use us. Praise God He is able to use even the weak, but He can do more with the strong.

After Peter’s denial, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter; immediately, Peter remembered Christ’s words of warning. Christ did not say a word. He did not have to. Praise God for accountability. Peter’s life was never the same.

This accountability that Christ gave to Peter was a key ingredient that helped him move from weakness to strength. There is nothing wrong with being weak, but everything is wrong with staying weak! Being strong is having the strength to stand for God and not turn back. Standing for God means standing for right and doing right when everyone else is doing wrong. Peter thought he was strong, but he was weak.

Strength is the ability not to turn back no matter what anybody else says or does. Weakness is the possibility and the probability of turning back. God told Joshua, “You all get over that river, engage the enemy, conquer that land. There is no turning back. You must stay strong.” I am not saying that we can be perfect. I am not saying that we can move beyond backsliding. I am saying that we can move from weakness and the probability of turning back to strength and the resolve never to go back. Too many Christians go back! Too many church members go back! Too many preachers go back!! Too many husbands – too many wives! The world does not have one thing to offer us – not one thing!

Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Real friends tell the truth even if that truth hurts. Peter did not want to hear the words. When Christ looked upon Peter, just that look broke this man to the point that he went out and wept bitterly. David experienced this when Nathan said, “Thou art the man.” Those words cut David to the heart, but David, who fell in weakness, repented and forsook his sin and had the joy of his salvation restored.

Sometimes we need our feet held to the fire. I need that! Peter needed that! David needed that! Accountability after sin helps us get right; but if accountability is woven throughout our lives, that will help us avoid the sin altogether. God will hold every man accountable at one of the judgments.

Matthew 12:36 “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” God is going to hold us accountable.

Romans 14:12 “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Some people live like there is no accounting for sin – they are wrong. God is going to hold each of us accountable for every word, every deed, every thought, everything. Nothing will be left out. Nothing will be overlooked. Nothing will be forgotten. But this accountability deals with sin in the past. There is an accountability that can keep us from future sin.

Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” One of the blessings of real friends is an added level of accountability. Accountability reminds us that our actions have consequences. The person here with the least accountability has the least reminders that their actions have consequences. Many children – precious, innocent children – are raised without any accountability and have no idea about the consequences of sin only to wake up to the reality after tasting the bitter fruit of their sin.

Number 1, Let’s be accountable to our Bible convictions. If you will be accountable to your convictions, this will help you move from weakness to strength. There are other levels and forms of accountability, but this is the foundation for them all. The Bible is truth. The Bible is steadfast. The Bible is without error. The Bible is the only infallible form of accountability on this earth. There is nothing else that I can hold and see and touch upon this earth that is without error. The Bible must be the basis for our accountability, and against the Bible all other accountability must be weighed. If the Bible says it is right – it is right. If the Bible says it is wrong – it is wrong. This point is not a take-it or leave-it point. If you leave it, then chances are you will leave the faith someday.

Romans, chapter 4, speaking of Abraham says, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Too many people are staggering through life. The next verse says that Abraham was “fully persuaded.” Each and every one of us must become “fully persuaded” concerning the truth, power, and necessity of the Word of God. May God, through His Holy Spirit, right now bear witness with our spirits and grant us holy discernment in this area!

We will make a mess of our lives by neglecting Bible convictions. The truth is most of us know what the Bible teaches about many things. We know about absolutes. Many things are absolutely right or absolutely wrong. Many things are always wrong. Many things are always right. Most of us will admit that there have been times that we knew something was absolutely wrong, and we did it anyway. When we do that, we are refusing to be accountable to Bible convictions. When we do that, we know what is right, but we willfully choose wrong over right. Never, never does this end well! People say, “Well, I feel…” Your feeling will get you into trouble. People say, “I deserve…” You deserve hell. I deserve hell. People say, “I think…” It does not matter what you say. I want to know what God says. And we have all been there.

Bible convictions do not change because the Bible does not change. Your convictions might change, but the Bible has not. Allow the eternal, everlasting, innocent, complete, perfect will of God hold you accountable.

Number 2, Let’s be accountable to Godly Company. I love church because that is where my friends are. I really believe that the more accountability we have, the better off we will be. We start with the Bible and convictions, but then we allow people who God has placed in our lives to hold us accountable. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”

Peter was not in the battle alone. Jesus Christ was praying for him. Jesus was holding him accountable. In Bible convictions, we have a fundamental accountability. In good, Godly company we find an accountability that encourages us to do right. Good accountability comes from good company. You will not find accountability in the wrong crowd.

My children need me to hold them accountable. My children need their mother to hold them accountable. Children need a mother and a father. Your children need responsibilities and then you need to hold them accountable. This is for our children, but it is also for me. I need my wife to hold me accountable. A husband comes home. His wife asks him where he has been, and he blurts out, “None of your business.” He is an idiot! It is my wife’s business where I have been. It is my wife’s business who I have been talking to. It is my wife’s business what I have been doing.

Ephesians 5:21, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” When you got married, God took two lives and joined them together. It is not two, it is one.

Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” It is not his life and her life, it’s their life. A man gets off the phone and his wife asks, “Who was that?” Praise the Lord for accountability. Accountability is safe. My wife has all my computer passwords, and she is welcome to them. My wife is welcome to my phone anytime. There is a reason some people are so protective of their cell phones. I will tell you a good philosophy to adopt at your house – NO SECRETS. Secrets will get you into trouble. Secrets are a tool of the devil.

Young men need a godly man to hold them accountable. Young ladies need a godly lady to hold them accountable. I have heard of pastors who got into some trouble and said something like, “I don’t answer to anyone but God.” STUPID – no wonder you messed up! Pornography is more common than we would like to think. One of the keys to victory over that lust is accountability. It is good and wise to have an accountability partner—someone you trust. You have to trust them because you have to let them get close enough to you to help you.

Secrets that are hidden can fester and grow and spread until they are serious infections. People usually do not get into deep sin overnight. Marriages usually are not ruined overnight. It happens over weeks and months and sometimes years. During those weeks and months of backsliding, there are many opportunities for accountability if there was just one friend who would ask the hard question.

Fellowship with God’s people provides accountability. The teaching and preaching of God’s Word provides accountability. A good pastor can provide accountability. A Godly man several years my senior sat in my office this week and asked me to hold him accountable concerning his life, his children, and his wife. I do not take that responsibility lightly. Who is it that you are accountable to? Someone thinks to himself, “I’m accountable to myself.” I would not trade places with you for a million dollars.

Number 3, Let’s be accountable to the Cross of Calvary. I Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” The cross is powerful. You and I, sinners bent towards sin, need something powerful to keep us in check. Think about what your sin cost Christ. Think about the suffering He endured for you.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The cross was a cross of shame. I know that our culture has adopted the cross as a decoration, but the Bible says Christ despised the shame. He hung on that cross naked, in shame, fully exposed for all to see – that was shameful. I know that our culture glorifies nakedness, but Christ was ashamed. My sin put Him on that cross. My sin caused Him to suffer, bleed, and die.

The cross helps me. Convictions are the foundation for accountability. Good company encourages me to do right. The cross motivates me.

The cross moves me. John 19:16-18 “Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”

The thought of the cross moves me. Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Christ died on that cross. They took His lifeless body and placed it in the tomb. And for three days, His body lay dead in that tomb. He is not on the cross! He is not in the tomb! He is alive and forever more will be. What motivation we have – the cross. The ultimate accountability begins when you bare your soul to God and trust Christ as your Savior.

Mark Eaton
Pastor
Central Baptist Church
Mount Vernon, KY

by: Jason Williams

What is your favorite junk food? Pizza? (I like ham and pineapple.) Mountain Dew? Hot dogs? Cookies? Candy?

I have to admit, I like junk food a little too much, (evidenced by my growing shirt size). So, recently I took up running to help me get back into shape.

After several months of hard training, I decided I would try my first half marathon. I woke up one morning and set out to try running the marathon; however, since I woke up late, I discovered I missed breakfast. No problem, I thought to myself, I will just get a triple shot espresso.

Two miles in and I felt like I was Usain Bolt.

Four miles in and I felt more like Sid the Sloth.

I learned something that day. Coffee isn’t bad for you, but it doesn’t really help you run a marathon.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The Bible makes some clear points.

1.  The Christian life is meant to be lived on the move.

2.  We all have a race unique to us.

3.  Weights are not sins, but they don’t help us run.

So often we find ourselves asking, “Is this really a sin?” But, the Bible makes a clear distinction between sins and weights (things that don’t help us run the race God has for us).

Galatians 5:7 puts it this way, “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

In this verse we see that there are relationships that while they may not be bad, they are also not good; thus, they need to be removed.

It is time that we stop asking whether something is a sin and start asking ourselves, “Does this help me run the race God has for me?”

Jason Williams
Assistant Pastor
High Street Baptist Church
Columbus, OH

by: Dr. Bruce Goddard

Though Eli failed in so many ways, Hannah still believed God and prayed. When Saul turned to a witch for guidance and let folks down, truth did not change. God was still real and the Bible was still David’s guide. When Abraham accepted Hagar as a wife and brought about the child Ishmael, God was still real. Peter cursed and refused to stand for Jesus; John Mark quit and returned home; Paul and Barnabas fussed over Mark and split up; Paul had to publicly rebuke Peter – all these things happened, but the Bible was no less true and God no less real. Leaders let you down.

I am a little frustrated by wimpy, young preachers who are reevaluating their faith because their leader has let them down. Did a man let them down or did their Bible let them down? Are they so shallow as to get their faith from a man? Were they so much like sheep that their convictions were moved by the piece of dirt behind a pulpit? I might understand that instability if it were an average church member, but not when it is a preacher. If one is called of God, it might be wise to get one’s convictions from the Bible rather than frail men.

I believe a woman should keep her thighs covered because of the Bible. I believe a woman should not wear pants because God says there are things that pertain to a man. It matters not if my leader becomes a drunk or a pimp; my Bible is why I believe what I believe. Long hair on a man was condemned in the Bible before I met a preacher. When I cultivated an intimate relationship with my Bible, attendance at parties and hanging around the worldly influences in my life ceased. Preachers inspired me, but the Bible guided me.

I believe in separation because God says, “…come out from among them, and be ye separate…” I believe booze is wrong because God’s Word says it is wrong. I believe worldly fashions in dress, hair, music and lifestyle are wrong because my Bible says so. My spiritual “mentor” may end up in jail or a drunk, but my Bible still says the same thing. (I really do not like the word mentor, it is new on the fundamental scene and not in my Bible anywhere. If that offends you, then you probably have too many issues for me to help you anyway.)

All I want young preachers to do is follow their Bibles, get off Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and foolish blogs. I would like young preachers to stop getting their spiritual opinions from people who change so often that you need to follow them on Twitter because you are never sure where they will be next. You need not follow me on Twitter, you already know where I will be. I will be straight and old fashioned in my stand, just as I was ten, twenty and thirty years ago. I’m not going the way of Reuben, “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.”

So you found out men are flesh. Had you been reading your Bible you would have known that, sissy! Cry, hurt, throw a doctrinal temper tantrum, kick your fundamental feet. Run around and around like Chicken Little screaming the sky is falling. I read enough Bible before I started Bible college to know men do sinful things. I chose soul winning before I started Bible college. I chose separation and the KJV before I heard the name fundamentalism. I figured out secondary separation from reading my Bible with friends, not from a college teacher. Just where did you get your belief system? Did that come up as you played, Call of Duty, Black Ops? Grow up and play the man, not the video boy!

Men fall; I take warning, and pray for their families. Then I keep doing what I knew was right before I met them. What is the problem?

I don’t mind if these spiritual babies get off the scene and join the carnal, contemporary frauds; let some God-called, young men who walk with God and love their Bibles get to leading folks to Christ and serving in the churches of America. Young men need to quit blaming their baby-bottle Christianity on someone who fell and start standing for God the Bible and right. Who cares who sins, it has been going on since the Garden of Eden.

Someone let you down and now you do not know what to believe? Well, you little sissy, when you get out of Kindergarten call me and we will try to find a first grade class for you. But until you grow up and become a man, do not mess up any churches by calling yourself a preacher. Let a man of God do that – one who reads his Bible and gets his conviction from God.

If you did learn the truth of the Bible from a man of God, the Bible is still the same when that man fails. Live it; stand for it; man up – if your heart breaks, your convictions should not.

Dr. Bruce Goddard
Pastor
Faith Baptist Church
Wildomar, CA
thepreachersfriend.com

by: Rex Fahr

What can God do in just two minutes? It was a Tuesday night, a soul-winning night when our church, Heritage Baptist Church, goes out and knocks on doors. We meet at 6:30 and try to put in an hour from 7:00 to 8:00. I was paired up with Bro. Dave Bishop. We were working along Mines Road, and it was 7:58 pm. We could have quit because it was so close to quitting time. But instead I said, “There is one more house, let’s just finish it.”

It was my turn to do the talking, so when I knocked on the door a young lady answered. I told her who I was and started to talk to her. She was obviously of the Mennonite faith according to her dress attire. I asked her if something were to happen to her was she was 100% sure she would go to Heaven? She asked me to wait and called her husband to the door. Again, I introduced myself and Mr. Bishop. He said his name was Kenny, and he had a young boy in his arms named Tyler. We talked for awhile, and he knew of our church. When I asked him if he knew how to go to Heaven, l got the response of being good and trying to do good. That is the Mennonite Faith (good works). l asked him how many good works do you need to do, and if l don’t have as many as him BUT am a good person, do I still go to Heaven? He wasn’t sure, so I asked him If I could show him some versus and he said I could.

I showed him Titus 3:5 which says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” I told him that salvation is not by works, but by God’s mercy we are saved. I proceeded to tell him the story of Nicodemus who came to Christ in the night to ask him how to go to Heaven and he answered, “Ye must be born again.” Then I showed him John 14:6 which says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” I continued to show he and his wife, Lou, the road to salvation explaining each verse. Then I asked them to pray and ask Christ to be there Saviour with me. They did pray and received Christ as their Saviour. I then explained about being in God’s family and how nothing can change that. Just as they have earthly parents, they now have a heavenly Father and his SON Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Before leaving, I invited them to church as I always do. We left and got back to church 35 minutes late. Kenny, Lou and Tyler came to church that Sunday and have since been baptized and joined the church.

In TWO minutes God allowed two people to be saved. What if I would have said, “It’s close enough, let’s just go home?” If I would have done that a family would not have been saved. I would have missed out on the blessings of that night. Two people belong to God, but to watch those people be baptized brought tears to my eyes. They are now active members of our church. Another blessing! Tell yourself God can do anything even in just two minutes with our lives given to HIM! The next time you want to quit early, I hope you will remember the value of two minutes.

Rex Fahr
Church member
Heritage Baptist Church
Martinsburg, PA

by: Keith Phemister

Genesis 1:22, “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”

Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Isn’t it interesting that right out of the gate God blessed humanity and there is fruit and more fruit as a result. It began in Genesis and continues as Noah came out of the ark.

Genesis 9:1 says, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

It continues over to the church of Jerusalem in the Book of Acts as well. When God truly blessed there was reproduction. What I note out of this is that we are not only to be a reproducer, but a reproducer of a reproducer. The fruit of a Christian should not just be another piece of fruit, but another fruit-bearing tree.

I can have many children, but unless those children reproduce the family name, the family will die. My daughters will not take on the family name. My son can. God can have many children, but unless he has reproducers, the family will die.

It is a shame that most of our churches live by the rule of 80/20. Twenty percent (20%) of Christians do 80% of the work while the 80% do the 20%. I would have to testify that in our churches the percentages that are soul winners and show up for soul winning time are even less than the 20%. Isn’t it a shame that we don’t need a pep rally to get young people to love, marry and raise families? It is something that all young people look forward to! Just preach on the Second Coming to a bunch of college students and see the look of horror on their faces when you proclaim the imminent return of Christ. Tell them you are so sure that He is coming that you are preparing for it even at this very moment, and you will have a bunch of these love struck young people praying for the Lord to tarry His coming until they first get married.

God has commanded reproduction both physically and spiritually. A child born into the family brings an abundance of joy. I mean to tell you, I was so excited at the birth of our first child. I called as many people as I could to rejoice with us. It happens that way spiritually as well. A child born into the family of God brings much joy, first to the soul winner (Luke 10:17) and then to the Lord and the heavenly host (Luke 15:7-10). So, knowing the joy it brings, why would so many testify of no reproduction on the spiritual front? Are we not preaching it? Are our people not seeing the joy that it brings? Perhaps we are spouting all too often of the negativity in soul winning!

There are reasons for non-reproduction both physically and spiritually.

1. People do not want to have children or converts. There could be a myriad of reasons for this, but the bottom line almost always involves selfishness. It could mean the end of a business career for a young lady in the physical realm or it could just mean time that is wanted to spend elsewhere. Whatever the case, the fact of the matter is that no one can make someone reproduce. They must want to!
2. Perhaps there is an illness or disease that would affect reproduction. (See Psalm 51:10-13.) Just as sin will affect our ability to reproduce spiritually, disease could affect reproduction physically. Until we are right with the Lord, there will be no reproduction in the spiritual sense.
3. There is a lack of maturity. A young girl cannot reproduce until there is physical maturity in the same way a Christian cannot reproduce until there is spiritual maturity. I am thankful I went to a Baptist college that saw the need of soul winning in a Christian’s life and how it can mature him. I grew more in the early days of my Christian life while going soul winning than I did when I was in the classroom. I remember coming home and looking for the answers to give to someone next time I confronted a lost sinner who had the same excuses that I just encountered. Soul winning will mature you and bringing fruit is a sign of maturing as a Christian.

A Church that is growing is a church that has maturing believers. Maturing believers are soul winners and reproducers of reproducers. I have been the pastor of a church where much growth was a result of adoption. What I mean by that is there were church transfers. I have learned it can make for a very unhappy family. The biblical model is to win souls and train them to win souls. Reproducing reproducers is the way to go.

2 Timothy 2:2 states, “An the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

The church of Jerusalem started with a prayer meeting of 120 and blossomed to 3000 (Acts 2:41), and then to 5000 (Acts 4:4) and continued with multiplied disciples (Acts 6:1).

I want the blessings of God on my life and to obey the spiritual commandment to be fruitful and multiply.

Keith Phemister, Pastor
Lighthouse Baptist Church
Hudson, NH

by: Attorney David Gibbs III
National Center for Life and Liberty

In 1947, the United States Supreme Court took a sharp left turn in its interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as it was applied to public schools in America. Since then, students, teachers, school officials, parents, and local religious leaders have been struggling to understand the parameters of the Establishment Clause as it relates to religious expression in public schools.

The decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1 (1947), was the first time the United States Supreme Court held that the Establishment Clause restrained individual states and all other governmental entities from establishing or officially sponsoring religion. When Congress enacted the Bill of Rights in 1789, the Establishment Clause was intended to restrain only the conduct of the federal government. At that point in our nation’s history, states were left to establish a state religion if they wished. Therefore, since public schools were creatures of state and local governments, local governing bodies, such as school boards, could include the dominant religious beliefs of the community in the local school curriculum.

In the Everson case, the Court upheld a New Jersey statute permitting the state to reimburse Catholic parents for the expense of busing their children to and from parochial schools. However, in doing so, the Court ruled for the first time that the Establishment Clause prohibited all governmental entities, not just the federal government, from establishing religion. Many of the early American colonies had established dominant religious institutions. Although these state churches had fallen out of favor over time, the Everson decision constitutionally required all other governmental bodies to also abandon the practice. It was primarily this extension of the Establishment Clause to all governmental entities, including public schools, which became the source of today’s controversies regarding prayer and religious education in taxpayer-supported schools.

The Everson Court held that New Jersey’s transportation legislation did no more than provide a general program to help parents, regardless of their religion, to safely and efficiently transport their children to school. Therefore, the Court said, this law did not breach the “high and impregnable” wall of separation between church and state. The Everson decision was the first time the United States Supreme Court imposed Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” word picture as a governing principle in America’s constitutional law.

The “wall of separation” was a phrase used by President Thomas Jefferson in a letter he wrote to the Danbury Baptist Convention in 1801. In response to a letter from the Convention expressing concern that the Constitution permitted the federal government to interfere in matters of religion, Jefferson assured this Connecticut church body that it had no need to fear intervention from the federal government because a “wall of separation” had been constitutionally erected between church and state.

The Court’s majority decision in the Everson case, written by Justice Hugo Black, held that it was constitutional for New Jersey public school districts to transport Catholic school students to their parochial schools, but then went on to state:

The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach. New Jersey has not breached it here.

This unprecedented conclusion followed a strong statement by the Court several pages earlier that specifically spelled out what the “high and impregnable” wall implied:

Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another…. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion.

The Everson Court’s application of the Establishment Clause to state and local governments, including school boards, and its elevation of Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” comment to a constitutional principle continue even today to provide the legal bases for the exclusion of prayer and other official religious activities from public schools even against the wishes of the electorate and the parents.

While it does not appear that outlawing religion in public schools was the intent of the founders, nor was it the practice in America before 1947, the Everson decision set the stage for other challenges to religious practices in public schools. Daily prayer and Bible reading were challenged and dismissed from public schools in the early 1960s. Other forms of official religious expression became legally unwelcome in public schools with the elimination of graduation prayers in 1992 and prayers before football games in 2000. All religious limitations in public schools are based on the 1947 Court-imposed interpretation of the Establishment Clause as requiring a complete “separation of church and state” in all federal, state, and local governments. Interestingly, however, some courts continue to permit the teaching of non-Christian religions in public schools under the guise that such instruction is “cultural” and not religious.” This, too, is a double standard being imposed by modern courts on our nation’s public schools.

There is good news, however. Despite the Establishment Clause’s limitation on official religious expression in public schools, the First Amendment’s Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses continue to protect most student religious speech in public schools. Most courts also adopt a reasonable approach to religious instruction in public schools. Even while the Establishment Clause, since the mid-Twentieth Century, has prohibited devotional and proselytizing religious speech by public school teachers and other school officials, teachers may still teach about religion in public schools if such teaching is objective, neutral, and academic. Court decisions in the last half century have also continued to protect at least some religious outreach activities in public schools by community religious leaders.

Making Sense of Religion in America’s Public Schools is intended to assist families, students, teachers, school officials and community leaders in sorting through the current legal maze of religious expression in America’s public schools. We want to encourage the free exercise of every available legal right of speech and religious expression in order to be faithful to the intent of America’s founders and to the successful education of today’s public school students.

May students include religion in school assignments?

When teachers give their students a choice of subject matter for an assignment, the students may express their own beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork, or other written and oral assignments, as long as the assignment otherwise meets the teacher’s academic objectives and requirements. Teachers must then judge homework and classroom work containing religious expression by using the same ordinary academic standards they would apply to non-religious expression.

The Supreme Court has stated that if a government school prohibits religious speech or activities, it would be demonstrating not neutrality, but an unconstitutional hostility toward religion. The Establishment Clause does not permit the government, including public schools, to treat religion and those who practice it differently or in any negative way that would subject the religious student to unique disabilities.

Students may give speeches, choose show-and-tell displays, present talent show selections, or do artwork using religious themes as long as the teacher has given the student a choice in topic selection and the student is careful to follow other general assignment instructions. Generally, school officials may only censor student speech for obscenity, promoting drugs, or for general lack of civility. Therefore, any time students are given a choice of subject matter in an assignment, a religious choice must be permitted; however, the choice should not be devotional or proselytizing. Some examples include the following: choosing to read a Christian book when other students are permitted to choose books for making a report, choosing a religious show-and-tell item, choosing a religious topic for a speech, choosing a religious topic for a writing assignment, or choosing a religious theme for an art project or talent show presentation. Religious artwork may be displayed alongside secular artwork where it is obvious that the choice of subject matter was the student’s choice. To prohibit such choices would be viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment rights of free speech and would demonstrate an unconstitutional hostility toward religion and toward religious students.

Students may write book reports or English themes or do discretionary assignments about religious subjects. However, such reports must closely follow all academic assignment instructions because a teacher may reject a religious assignment when it is not considered appropriate for that particular pedagogical exercise. For example, one teacher legally refused to allow a child to show a video of herself singing a Christian song because the purpose of the class assignment had been to increase the students’ communication skills by requiring a “live” classroom presentation by the student on a subject of the student’s choosing.

When the choice to use a religious topic is the student’s and not the teacher’s, there is no violation of the Establishment Clause, since students, as consumers rather than providers of government services, are not able to violate the Establishment Clause. Only teachers or other school officials are able to violate the Establishment Clause. The teacher can explain to the rest of the class that the topic choice is the student’s and that the viewpoint expressed is that of the student. Therefore, speeches with non- devotional and non-proselytizing religious content may be given in class to other students and student artwork with a religious theme may be hung in a classroom, as long as it is clear to the hearer or to the observer that the religious choice and viewpoint was the student’s. Students who would not want to hear a religious presentation that would violate their own religious beliefs could be excused from the classroom for the duration of the presentation upon a written request from the student’s parents.

In most cases where courts have not supported a student’s right to choose a religious topic for an assignment, the courts have determined that the student did not meet the teacher’s pedagogical requirements or that the student’s religious choice appeared to have official school endorsement. Where the assignment otherwise meets the teacher’s academic requirements and the use of the assignment does not appear to have official school endorsement, there is no constitutional violation in such individual student choices. If a teacher does not wish to permit a student to make a religious choice in completing an assignment, the teacher should not permit any of the students to have a free choice in the assignment topic.

The federal government has said that public schools must treat religion with fairness and respect and must vigorously protect student religious expression, as well as the religious consciences of all students. This directive pertains to religious speech both inside and outside the classroom. Many teachers would find it very interesting, for instance, to have a Muslim student explain his beliefs and customs in a classroom speech. That same teacher may not then prohibit a Christian student from also explaining his Christian beliefs and practices. Insofar as Islam is a cultural as well as a religious topic, the same is also true of Christianity; and the two should be treated exactly alike in school. The teacher should assume that hearing about the beliefs and customs of a Christian student is no more proselytizing or inappropriate than hearing about the beliefs and customs of a Muslim student. Both can have educational value for the rest of the class and both can be used by the teacher to encourage a respect for all viewpoints, including those with which the student disagrees. The American experiment encourages persuasive and open debate about all topics.

For a much more in-depth discussion of the legality of religious expressions in America’s public schools, pick up a copy or download Making Sense of Religion In America’s Public Schools.

The National Center for Life and Liberty
PO Box 270548
Flower Mound, TX 75027-0548
Phone: 888.233.NCLL (6255)
Email: info@NCLL.org
Web: www.NCLL.org

by: Dr. Bruce Goddard

Romans 12:9, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

Everyone likes preaching on love. We all are sure that loving, kind words are right next to godliness. But it appears that a love that is not fake, a love “without dissimulation” is tied directly to some things rarely mentioned in Christian circles today. Things that make us uncomfortable.

Yes, I am headed for some hard-nosed, narrow ideas here. Do you remember what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:9, “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”

We all know we ought to be loving towards the brethren. We don’t need to write about that. What we need instruction on is staying right! So look at these three phrases together.

Love without dissimulation
Abhor evil
Cleave to good

These are connected to one another. You cannot love right and act as though wrong is acceptable. It is difficult to keep the balance between kindness, grace and abhorring evil, but it must be sought after. If we do not know what to abhor, we will love what we should not love. Likewise, if we do not cleave to good, we will not be able to stand properly against evil. Paul said in another passage that we are to “overcome evil with good.” We must so fill our lives with good that we are able to overcome evil. We must abhor evil in order to love right without accepting wrong. If we do not abhor evil, wrong will move into our life and change our values and lifestyle.

Abhor that which is evil. We are not to be tolerant of evil. We are not to be gracious toward sinful things. Sin brings death and sorrow. We need not exercise charity towards that which causes death.

Psalm 36:4 says, “He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way [that is] not good; he abhorreth not evil.”

Psalm 45:7 says, “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

Psalm 97:10 says, “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil…”

Psalm 119:104 says, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.”

Psalm 119:163 says, “I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.”

Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

Nothing in these verses indicate a patient, understanding view of sin. We all know that without some passion for good, we will slowly drift into evil. But likewise, without a passion against evil, we will tolerate wrong and live in compromise.

God clearly directs His people to hate wrong and love right, and to do so as a pair of emotions intimately tied together. For only when these two are intimate will we have proper judgment in life. Notice the connection made by the Lord in Amos 5:15, “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.”

Without a proper hatred for evil and a strong love for right, we will misjudge things and fall prey to all kinds of foolishness (Just look at the compromise in churches everywhere). Also, national deliverance is tied to a passion for right and hatred of evil.

“…it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.” (Notice our nation’s steady move into bondage.)

The best way to win any fight is to be passionate. Any great athlete is passionate on the field. So we, as preachers, are not to simply avoid bad things, we are to hate them. Pulpits today express an abhorrence for nothing. Modern preaching is so kind and delicate; no offense or passion is shown toward sin or shame. God says to abhor wrong! Make it exceeding sinful!

With all of our heart we ought to fight against that which would draw us from the will of God. Then with every similar emotion, we should tightly cling to good. We should be as passionate against internet within reach of our teenagers as we would be against a deadly spider in a baby bed. Be as passionate and unkind toward TV or porn in your own life, as you would be if a whore approached your junior high boy.

Some people may think Jesus overreacted when he told Peter, “…get thee behind me Satan.” In fact, this kind of abruptness is the only way humans can stay straight in this crooked world. Everyone around us ought to know that we will get real loud, real passionate and real pushy about right and wrong.

We need love without dissimulation, but in order to do so we must abhor evil and cling to good!

Dr. Bruce Goddard
Pastor
Faith Baptist Church
Wildomar, CA