To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine (33 page)

In a single generation, religious expression in the public square has become abnormal. This cultural shift is no accident. The secular Left, first through the media and the schools, then through the courts and now the legislative bodies, have effectively denied people the right of corporate and individual religious expression in public. The following measures will help counter the secular assault on public expression of faith:

Few areas of public policy stir passion like the life issue does. Listed first of the three unalienable rights of the Declaration, the Founders clearly intended the federal government’s chief priority to be protecting life. People of faith have brought the issue of life—not limited to abortion—to the forefront time and again. At a minimum, we must acknowledge that life is a precious gift from God.

Americans, more than most other nations, place life in high cultural regard. Anytime a child is lost, a hiker is stuck on a mountain, or people are in harm’s way, we move mountain and earth to save life. Valuing life from beginning to end is central to a healthy culture. To uphold life we should:

In 1954, when then-Senator Lyndon Johnson wanted to silence opposition from some non-profit groups, he attached an amendment to a bill that prohibited non-profits from engaging in political activities. The bill passed. Since then, the secularists have used that law to convince churches and their leaders that they cannot be involved in politics. So for over four decades, many churches have been silent and uninvolved.

Before 1954, Christian clergy and other religious leaders were a dominant influence upon the culture, the issues, and political campaigns. It was the pastors in colonial times who were speaking about rights coming from God, long before Jefferson used that concept in the Declaration of Independence. It was the sermons preached by George Whitefield, an English evangelist who made seven tours in the colonies during the first Great Awakening, that helped spark a rebellion that led to the American Revolution. It was pastors that founded the great learning institutions of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, William and Mary, and others for one specific reason: they understood the importance of an educated and moral citizenry to the survival of a free society. And after America
became a country, abolitionism was a religiously inspired movement led from the pulpit.

Pastors for most of America’s history were the thought and opinion leaders of the nation. But today, too many have confined themselves and their cultural influence within the walls of their churches. That must end.

There are three centers of influence in America today—economic, political, and spiritual. Wall Street will not restore America’s foundations. Politicians mostly reflect the culture that keeps them in office. That leaves pastors, priests, and rabbis as the last best hope for renewing freedom.

But where do churches start? What can they do? What should they do and not do?

All good questions. Here are some answers.

Churches are uniquely deemed non-profit by definition. Every election year, the secular advocacy group People United for the Separation of Church and State sends letters to pastors warning them their not-for-profit status could be revoked if they talk about political issues or get involved in elections. But that letter is pure intimidation that stands on thin legal precedent. No church in America has ever lost its non-profit status. Not one.

There are many ways churches and pastors can address the issues of our day. The idea is not to make churches and their leaders into political operations. That is not the purpose of a church. But if churches don’t provide moral leadership to the citizens in their pews and apply their teachings to today’s issues, they are doing a major disservice to their congregations and their communities. There is a lot of ground to make up if we are to reverse our cultural decay.

Here are some basic, fully legal forms of church engagement:

If every church and synagogue did these things, it would be very difficult for the secular Left to get their candidates elected. The secular socialists know this. That’s why they work so hard to intimidate churches from getting involved. But does it really make sense for people of faith not to be involved when the secularists are working overtime?

There are nearly 65 million evangelical Christians in the United States who are eligible to vote. But in some areas, nearly half are not registered, and up to half of those who register don’t bother to vote. That’s almost 45 million Americans who sit out some elections. If only 10 percent of those voted in every election, the secular-socialist Left would be in dire straits. They’re terrified people of faith will wake up one day and decide never to sit out the process again. But it is up to the faith leaders to mobilize them.

A couple precautions: under current law, churches cannot endorse candidates but pastors can, if done correctly. Politicians can speak to the congregation but they cannot ask people to vote for them. To find out what churches can and cannot do legally, contact either Liberty Council (
www.lc.org
) or the Alliance Defense Fund (
www.alliancedefensefund.org
). If a church is threatened, these groups can provide the legal defense, usually pro bono.

The Founders who declared our independence and created a government based upon their understanding of God’s principles were committed to the idea of a federal government with limited power. Because of their success, our government today is now the oldest government on earth. The best way to ensure its continuation and to secure religious liberty is to further limit federal powers and maintain the right of redress articulated in the Declaration of Independence:

Remember Jefferson’s great insight: “The God who gave us life gave us liberty.” Religious liberty is much too precious to allow it to be further eroded. People of faith must educate themselves, get involved, and encourage others to do the same. For too long the secularist campaign against religious freedom has gone unanswered. But to change that we need only reflect on Psalm 11:3 (NIV): “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

There is a great deal we can do. And when we do it we will not be without God’s help. Our national motto says it all: “In God we trust.”

With
Lisa Graham Keegan—Advisor, American
Solutions Learning Project

 

Nancy Sinnott Dwight—Advisor, American
Solutions Learning Project

 

Fred Asbell—American Solutions
Education Policy Director

 

 

 

N
o American should underestimate the continuing crisis in our educational system or the threat that crisis poses to our nation.

This is not a new problem. More than a quarter century ago, in 1983, the Reagan administration released “A Nation at Risk.” That devastating critique of our education bureaucracy declared that if a foreign power were doing as much damage to our children as our unionized, bureaucratic, government schools, we would consider it an act of war.

Nearly a decade ago, in March 2001, the Hart-Rudman Commission on National Security—the most comprehensive review of national security requirements since 1947—warned the second greatest threat to America was the failure of math and science
education and the failure to sustain our scientific investments. It argued this failure was a greater threat than any conceivable conventional war.

Today, any American can go to
2mmillion.com
and see Bob Compton’s remarkable documentary film
2 Million Minutes
, which compares two Indian, two Chinese, and two American high school students. Even though the Americans are from a “high-performing” high school, they simply cannot compete with their Chinese and Indian peers. Compton has since filmed a movie on the Basis School in Tucson, Arizona, which he asserts is the best high school in the world. He upholds the school as proof Americans can perform and compete when the system is changed from bureaucratic mediocrity into a learning-oriented, high-standards model that both challenges and reinforces students.