Veritas Rex

The Biblical Role of Government - Day Three

From On Christian Citizenship

by Curt Smith

In understanding government’s role to foster the conditions that promote human flourishing for the proclamation of the Gospel, another key passage is found at 1 Peter 2:14-15.  Both this day’s devotional and the following one are drawn from this passage.

Carefully read the passage. The Apostle Peter—impetuous, son-of-thunder Peter—writes precisely what Paul wrote about submitting to government.  But along with the “what” we are to do, God also provides the “why” in relation to government, denoted by both kings and governors in this passage  As we submit, government can punish evildoers and praise well-doers (as we’ll discuss later).

As noted earlier, one way government punishes evildoers is by taking their lives for the shedding of innocent blood.  One of the two thieves who perish with Christ on the day of His crucifixion acknowledges the justness of the death penalty even as he undergoes it (Luke 23:41). Government is clearly empowered to do this in Scripture.

Now, for those who do not favor capital punishment, we agree it is a wholly different question whether government should do that in modern times with secure prisons and sufficient resources to house prisoners during their natural lives.  And it is a still vastly different question whether the justice system in a particular nation or jurisdiction is competent to find guilt or innocence and carry out this ultimate sanction without mistake.

On a broad scale, this power—the taking of life for shedding innocent blood—is also the basis of the “just war” theory pioneered by St. Augustine, the bishop of Hippo, in circa 400 A.D.  Believed by many to be the most influential theologian outside of Bible writers, Augustine developed a doctrine that said that when justice is lacking in extreme measure, war is the path best able to establish it. This makes war the lesser of two evils.  Augustine’s thinking remains very influential, and is cited 1,600 years later in contemporary debates as nations discuss and vote on military actions against other nations.

Government’s power to imprison wrongdoers and impose fines is acknowledged throughout Scripture as well.  Potiphar imprisons Joseph for sexually assaulting his wife (a false allegation, we know), just as Pharaoh had imprisoned the cup bearer and the baker in the same prison.  Paul is routinely imprisoned for various offenses, and other Apostles suffer imprisonment or exile as well.  In 1 Kings 20:39, a fine of a talent of silver or the soldier’s life is demanded if the prisoner he guards escapes. In the Book of Philemon, Paul offers to pay the penalty (or fine) for the runaway slave Onesimus to his master, Philemon.

Politics too messy for Christians?...San Diego Pastor might have a different opinion.

Fox News is reporting that San Diego, California Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.  According to the report:

"On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county." David Jones told FOX News.

"We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all," Jones said.

A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited "unlawful use of land," ordering them to either "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.

But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over.

If spiritually mature Believers were on that San Diego County Council would this even be an issue?  Of course not.  The problem is that too many of us believe that politics is too divisive for us.  We have been tricked into believing that if we really want to serve God we need only involve ourselves with certain "sacred" things like serving our local church, taking a mission trip or working at a soup kitchen.  Those outlets for service are great, but we must not limit the body of Christ to those alone. 

The institutions that are the darkest need Believers to shine the Light of Christ all the more.  Christ did not come for the healthy.  He came to redeem the sick...including sick institutions.  The more spiritually mature Believers take on the call to public service the more citizens will be able to enjoy a quite and peaceable life. 

Thought ("Hate") Crimes Bill Would Protect Pedophiles, But Not Veterans

This is incredible.  Under the Thought ("Hate") Crimes bill that passed the U.S. House (I mentioned this last week), my grandma would get less protection from certain crimes than a homosexual activist.  Now we learn that this ridiculous bill would protect pedophiles, but not America's veterans.

*Update*

For more on the lunacy of the Thought Crimes bill check out Matt Barber's latest column.

U.S. House Passes Thought Crime Bill

Does this seem right to you?:

My grandma, wearing a Ronald Reagan t-shirt, gets beat up because the criminal in question...let's call him Pat...believes she is a conservative.  Pat then beats up a man with a rainbow shirt...let's call him Perez Hilton...because Pat believes Perez's rainbow shirt might indicate that he is gay.  Shouldn't the criminal, Pat, get equal punishment for each crime? 

Not according to the Thought Crime Police, formerly known as the U.S. House of Representatives.  The Thought Crimes bill passed the U.S. House by a vote of 249-175.  If passed by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Obama (which seems likely) this bill would give my grandma less justice and Perez Hilton more justice.

Sorry grandma.  Apparently, to some members of Congress, you are not as important as the perception that someone may or may not be gay. 

Here are how Indiana's Representative's voted:

Voting for injustice:

Hill (D)

Visclosky (D)

Carson (D)

Voting for grandma:

Pence (R)

Souder (R)

Burton (R)

Buyer (R)

Ellsworth (D)

Donnelly (D)

Take Action: 'Hate-Crimes' Bill Headed for a Vote

Here is the latest on the federal "hate crimes" legislation.  Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and reportedly said he is not hearing from family advocates on this issue. Please e-mail and/or call your U.S. representative and request a vote against the hate-crimes bill (H.R. 1913). You can find contact information through FOTF's Action Center.

by Jennifer Mesko, editor of Citizenlink

'In order to crack down on hateful behavior, thoughts and expression must also be targeted.'

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Thursday on legislation that would create a new class of crimes based on the victim's "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity."

Under "hate-crimes" laws like H.R. 1913, pastors could be prosecuted for preaching the biblical view of homosexuality. Similar laws have been used to prosecute religious speech in the U.S. at the state level and abroad.

"The homosexual activists' mantra is no longer tolerance — it's embrace and promote," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst at Focus on the Family Action. "Anything less will be silenced. Christians must speak up."

John Whitehead, founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, said the legislation is riddled with problems.

"The problem, which few want to acknowledge for fear of being labeled politically incorrect, or worse homophobic, is that in order to crack down on hateful behavior ... thoughts and expression must also be targeted — which runs diametrically counter to the First Amendment's protections for free speech and expression," he wrote in a commentary today.

The legislation is also unnecessary.

Whitehead cites FBI stats showing that of the nearly 1.5 million violent crimes in the U.S. in 2007, just 1,460 were reportedly based on "sexual orientation."

"Hate-crime laws are redundant," he writes. "There are already a host of stiff penalties on the books for those who commit acts of unspeakable horror."

Bob's Grand Ideas for ... just who are we gambling for, again?

Bob Grand is the head of the Capital Improvement Board of Indianapolis and former state legislator who is now a leading advocate for the expansion of gambling around Indiana. In today's edition of Inside Indiana Business, Mr. Grand is now pushing for a casino right in downtown Indianapolis "because of a budget shortfall."

"All options are on the table right now," says Mr. Grand, regarding the list of revenue generation ideas the the CIB is considering.

Mr. Grand and the CIB should take this options off the table. For years, Mitch Daniels and Micky Maurer have chanted and re-chanted about how Indiana has lost economic development deals in the past due to health care issues. They said we need to smoke less, eat better and trim down in order to drive down health care costs and thus help attract more and bigger deals to come to Indiana.

Thankfully, that is happening, and the voters overwhelmingly thanked team Daniels in last year's election. But why, then, are we entertaining notions of expanded gambling, which makes poor people poorer, adds no material value to the economy, and has a proven track record for turning a community into an arm pit?

Can anybody really defend gambling as a tool for economic AND community development? This is not the protest of some moralizing, finger-waving nanny. Gambling is just a stupid economic development option, at best, and at worst, an evil scheme that fools people into hopes of easy money while delivering mostly spent paychecks and all the social pathologies that we hate.

If the state continues to lobby for expanded gambling, then we're effectively telling prospective economic deals, "hey, look at our better lungs, thinner guts, leaner diets, emptier wallets, indebted fathers, and growth in prostitution. It's a great deal in Indiana."

Central Indiana should rise up and oppose gambling expansion wherever it rears its ugly head.

Ruth Malhotra's Persecution

When I was at CPAC I had the privilege of meeting Ruth Malhotra.  When I met her, I didn't know her story.  She was pleasant to get to know and, after reading more about her story after seeing her receive an award, she's clearly someone I'd like to get to know more.

From time to time discussion gets pretty heated on this blog.  I don't like it.  However, Ruth Malhotra's experiences make me thankful I didn't end up in her situation.

Check out the 2007 article about her travails in FrontPage Mag.  Here's a bit of the article:

This past February, while other Georgia Tech students were exchanging flirtatious Valentine’s Day notes, Ruth Malhotra received an anonymous letter whose message was anything but amorous:

This Valentine’s Day, you cannot attack gay marriage. It is about love and you are about hate.

This Valentine’s Day, you cannot condemn a woman’s choice. It is about love and you are about hate.

This Valentine’ Day, you cannot protest the Vagina Monologues. It is about love and you are about hate.

No, this Valentine’s Day, you will be Raped. Sex is about love and through it you will experience hate. I cannot wait.

To find a rape threat in her mailbox was almost a relief to Malhotra after months of receiving death threats. (One of the most charitable, from a fellow student, said, "I really want to choke you, bitch.") As with all the other letters, she turned the vicious Valentine over to the campus police, which added it to the "ongoing investigation" that so far has yielded nothing.

Malhotra can’t help believing that a university that claims to be more committed to "civility" than any other school in the country and routinely initiates proceedings against students who commit such offenses as smoking in the dorms would certainly have immediately sprung heroically into action if she had been a black, Hispanic, lesbian, or almost any other woman receiving such messages. But she is a conservative activist and almost by definition a thorn in Georgia Tech’s side. So the school’s administration, beginning with president Wayne Clough and working downward to various assistant deans, has sat on its hands while Malhotra endures what her attorney David French calls "a persecution."

Updates On The Conservative Movement

Here is an interesting video containing an interview with Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family.  He talks about the status of conservative movement in light of liberals taking over Congress and the Presidency.  It's important, perhaps now more than ever, for conservatives to stick together and look for solutions. 

Planned Parenthood Defunding Update

Monica Boyer, with Indiana Voice for the Family, sent this email out yesterday evening.  It's a good update on the effort to stop taxpayer money from going to Planned Parenthood of Indiana.  It boggles my mind why my tax dollars should be going to an abortion group that covers up instances of statutory rape. 
 

Urgent Alert ... This just in...
  
     I don't usually send two emails out in one day, but I wanted to let you know what happened with the Planned Parenthood Amendment.  State Representative Jackie Walorski offered an amendment to House Bill 1653 moments ago which would have prevented your tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood which is under investigation and scrutiny for allegedly undermining Indiana's laws concerning abortion notification and sexual misconduct with a minor.
 
     Speaker Pat Bauer ruled State Representative Jackie Walorski's de-funding of Planned Parenthood "out of order".  Indiana Democrats have OFFICIALLY sided with Planned Parenthood (50-47) thus standing with this organization who is willing to hide Statutory RAPE AND NOT for the protection of young women and children. Sadly, not a single Democrat stood up to the Speaker of the House on this issue; not even those who have stood for the right to life and claim to support family values.   The amendment failed on a party-line vote, with every Republican voting for the defunding amendment and every Democrat voting to not to allow it into the bill.

By voting against Representative Walorski's amendments, they are sending a message that it is ok for this illegal inappropriate behavior to occur subsidized by Hoosier Taxpayers. 
 
     As the state of Indiana faces declining tax revenues as a result of the state's declining economic situation, legislators are going to have to make tough budget decisions this session. Cutting off funding to an organization that has exhibited a flagrant disregard for the law in the past would have been be a wise attempt to save taxpayer dollars. 
 
     Contrary to what Planned Parenthood lobbyists are saying, this is not about preventing low-income Hoosier women from being able to access the health care that they need. This is about making sure that Planned Parenthood and other organizations understand that you cannot become complicit in the heinous crimes of statutory rape and child molestation and escape penalties. Hoosier women and girls deserve to know that when the go seek help, they will not find an organization acting to cover up the actions of those that abused them.
 
     The crimes of statutory rape and child molestation often occur in the dark, behind the scenes and in abusive relationships. Unless organizations and health care providers like Planned Parenthood adhere to state reporting requirements, those who perpetrate these vile crimes will be able to continue to pursue their evil course. In order for law enforcement authorities to adequately learn about these crimes, there must be proper reporting of suspicious and suspected behavior of this sort.
 
The Indiana Voice for the Family commends Representative Walorski and the 47 legislators who stood for life and fiscal responsibilty with this noble effort!
 
Here is a list of the names of the legislators who are more concerned about protecting an organization's image, than they are protecting Hoosier Women.

Austin, Delaney, Michael Smith, V Avery, Dembowski, Moses, Stemler
Bardon, Dobis, Niezgodski, Stevenson, Barnes, Dvorak, Oxley, Stilwell
Bartlett ,Fry ,Pearson, Sullivan, Battles, GiaQuinta ,Pelath, Summers
Bischoff, Goodin, Pflum, Tincher,Blanton, Grubb, Pierce, Tyler
Brown,C Harris, E Porter, VanDenburg Candelaria Reardon, Herrell, Pryor, VanHaaften,Cheatham, Kersey, Reske, Welch
Crawford ,Klinker, Riecken,Day, Lawson, L Robertson

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State Contact Information

Indiana House of Representatives ~ 317-232-9600 or 800-382-9842
Indiana Senate ~ 317-232-9400 or 800-382.9467

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More Planned Parenthood crimes

Live Action Films just released another undercover film showing Planned Parenthood breaking the law, this time in Arizona.  It the video below Planned Parenthood attempts to cover up the statutory rape of a 15 year old girl.  In Indiana, we are still awaiting whether Planned Parenthood will be indicted by a grand jury in Marion County for similar allegations. 

Part of Planned Parenthood of Indiana's mission statement states that they "Choose to support those who need us most – without bias or judgment, without fear, without fail."  I guess "those who need [them] most" are statutory rapists.