The Supreme Court v. America (June 26, 2000)

It can be tough to slog through all the legal mumbo-jumbo and references, but here are the actual opinions:
Majority - http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-62.ZS.html
Dissenting - http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-62.ZD.html

The bottom line is that based on this decision, it would be an easy thing for someone to bring suit claiming that the National Anthem is an instance of government establishing a religion and transgressing the first amendment, and playing or performing at ANY PUBLIC or government-sponsored or -associcated event is ILLEGAL. Get ready.

Also keep in mind that of our current SC Justices, ONLY TWO were appointed by a Democratic president. Souter, Kennedy, O'Connor, and Stevens were all appointed by Republicans (Bush, Reagan, Reagan, and Ford). If these appointees had similar legal philospohies to Scalia and Thomas, we'd have a profoundly different set of laws today. So voting Republican is not a very reliable way to get conservative Justices on the court!!

Quotes from the dissenting opinion:

The Court distorts existing precedent to conclude that the school district's student-message program is invalid on its face under the Establishment Clause. But even more disturbing than its holding is the tone of the Court's opinion; it bristles with hostility to all things religious in public life. Neither the holding nor the tone of the opinion is faithful to the meaning of the Establishment Clause, when it is recalled that George Washington himself, at the request of the very Congress which passed the Bill of Rights, proclaimed a day of 'public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God." Presidential Proclamation, 1 Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789--1897, p. 64 (J. Richardson ed. 1897).

...with respect to the policy's purpose, the Court holds that "the simple enactment of this policy, with the purpose and perception of school endorsement of student prayer, was a constitutional violation." Ante, at 24. But the policy itself has plausible secular purposes: "[T]o solemnize the event, to promote good sportsmanship and student safety, and to establish the appropriate environment for the competition." App. 104--105. Where a governmental body "expresses a plausible secular purpose" for an enactment, "courts should generally defer to that stated intent." Wallace, supra, at 74--75 (O'Connor, J., concurring in judgment); see also Mueller v. Allen, 463 U.S. 388, 394--395 (1983) (stressing this Court's "reluctance to attribute unconstitutional motives to States, particularly when a plausible secular purpose for the State's program may be discerned from the face of the statute"). The Court grants no deference to -- and appears openly hostile toward -- the policy's stated purposes, and wastes no time in concluding that they are a sham.

For example, the Court dismisses the secular purpose of solemnization by claiming that it "invites and encourages religious messages." Ante, at 14; Cf. Lynch, 465 U. S, at 693 (O'Connor, J., concurring) (discussing the "legitimate secular purposes of solemnizing public occasions"). The Court so concludes based on its rather strange view that a "religious message is the most obvious means of solemnizing an event." Ante, at 14. But it is easy to think of solemn messages that are not religious in nature, for example urging that a game be fought fairly. And sporting events often begin with a solemn rendition of our national anthem, with its concluding verse "And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' " Under the Court’s logic, a public school that sponsors the singing of the national anthem before football games violates the Establishment Clause. Although the Court apparently believes that solemnizing football games is an illegitimate purpose, the voters in the school district seem to disagree. Nothing in the Establishment Clause prevents them from making this choice.

Creationism and Old Earth Theory

The author of this one is a conservative Bible-believer, who just happens to believe in an "old earth". He uses the world "Creationist" in a very limited sense -- to mean someone who refuses to believe anything that might suggest the earth is older than 10,000 years. But he does of course believe God created the Earth.

http://www.internetmonk.com/creation.htm

Two issues particularly have bothered me. One is the young earth contention that there cannot be such a thing as theistic evolution. For the young earth movement, the teams seems to be young earthers versus atheistic evolutionists. But this is too simplistic. There are many theistic evolutionists in the diverse traditions of Christianity. We may disagree deeply on the evidence for macroevolution, particularly as it applies to human beings, or on various claim about the nature of the Bible, but to say that there is no such possible Christian position as theistic evolution is criminally inaccurate. (For example, the controversial life and work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin should be noted as a significant advocate of such a position. I did extensive research on the life of Charles Darwin during seminary, and Darwin himself was not an atheist, but a Deistic evolutionist.) Theistic evolution may have its problems, but in the opinion of serious confessional theologians, it does not deny anything essential to the Christian faith.

The other issue is the rejection of the astronomical evidence for the "Big Bang." Christians like Fred Hereen and Hugh Ross have taken the evidence of the "Big Bang" and produced powerful arguments for the existence of God. I personally find the evidence compelling and exciting, and very helpful to students in understanding why faith in a creator God is not irrational. Yet the young earthers, fully committed to rejecting any evidence that might challenge their age of the earth, routinely equate the "Big Bang" with atheism. When I refer to the "Big Bang" and what we know about it from the Hubble telescope, I can count on at least one student asking me how I can believe in the "Big Bang" since that is what atheists believe? (Even my own children had to be reeducated on this point.)

Good men, like R.C. Sproul and J. Gresham Machen, are outside of the young earther's definition of orthodoxy on this issue. The Presbyterian Church in America has been painfully divided over this issue, an issue that no creed or confession in classical orthodox Christendom has ever taken sides on. Even if I were impressed with the Biblical or scientific claims of the young earth position, I would hesitate to identify with a movement this uncharitable towards other Christians.

Does God Motivate His People With Rewards?

I believe there is plenty of scripture that supports the idea that God does intend heavenly rewards to be a motivation for Godly behavior while on earth. ( I got these from my favorite Bible search resource, http://bible.gospelcom.net )

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:13-21)

This is the one that I base my teaching on. It's particularly amazing because Jesus himself says it. The clear implication is, it's *not wrong* for the rich man to want to enjoy the riches he has received. But what requires *faith* is to believe God will reward those who use their wealth to serve others in sacrificial and radical ways, after this life has passed away.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)

This is another big one. Moses was looking ahead to his reward!

And there are so many mentions in the New Testament about looking forward to heaven and the blessings we will receive based on our faithfulness, it is clear that this is an idea God doesn't want us to miss. And what you *don't* find in the Bible, or at least I have never seen it, is anyone telling God's people to do what is right without anticipating an ultimate reward in heaven. Yes our motivation is love for God and love for people -- but that is not incompatible with looking forward to what God has promised us.

"You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?" The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (Luke 12:40-44)

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. (1 Corinthians 3:10-14)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:9-12)

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:2-4)

Also do not miss Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Every message to all seven churches includes a promise of specific rewards if His children listen to the warning and do what He is asking. Some of the promised rewards are pretty mind-blowing and may have had specific meaning to those God was talking to.

It's also important to understand that the reward we are talking about it is not necessarily "riches" or "crowns", although those are mentioned. The biggest rewards will be our new closeness with God, the stripping away of the sinful nature, our fellowship with other believers, and the added responsibilities in the "new heaven and new earth" each servant is given based on his/her earthly faithfulness.

So I think the key is not really adding up in our heads how much money we give as gifts unto the Lord, and thinking Jesus will reward us X pounds of gold or whatever. The key is -- how real is heaven to us? Do we long for it? Is our faith in God's unseen promises strong enough to eclipse the earthly riches we can see? How easily distracted are we from God's priorities? Maybe we need to spend more time in study to get a faith picture in our minds of what the goal truly is and how unimaginably awesome it will be....

The Rising (Septemer 11, 2002)

The new Bruce Springsteen album "The Rising" is full of intense lyrics that I wanted to share with everyone. The links below point to web pages that have pictures related to 9/11 interspersed with the lyrics, and although they may be disturbing, I think together they make a small but powerful tribute to the heroes we're celebrating today.

The Psalmist also expressed a lot of other feelings that I share today -- while I believe we have to be extremely careful how we express our anger, I don't think anger in itself is out of place along with all the other emotions that 9/11 has stirred up. May God bring comfort to those who are missing loved ones today, and justice to those who deserve it.


http://candysroom.freeservers.com/bruceweb62.html

http://candysroom.freeservers.com/bruceweb58.html


Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. (John 15:13)


The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

Can't see nothin' in front of me
Can't see nothin' coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile of line

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Left the house this morning
Bells ringing filled the air
I was wearin' the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

There's spirits above and behind me
Faces gone black, eyes burnin' bright
May their precious blood bind me
Lord, as I stand before your fiery light

I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancin' in a sky filled with light

May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mix with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancin' on the end of my line

Sky of blackness and sorrow ( a dream of life)
Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life)
Sky of glory and sadness ( a dream of life)
Sky of mercy, sky of fear ( a dream of life)

Sky of memory and shadow ( a dream of life)
Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight



You're Missing - Bruce Springsteen

Shirts in the closet, shoes in the hall
Mama's in the kitchen, baby and all
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
But you're missing

Coffee cups on the counter, jacket's on the chair
Paper's on the doorstep, but you're not there
EVerything is everything
Everything is everything
But you're missing

Picture's on the nightstand, TV's on in the den
Your house is waiting, your house is waiting
For you to walk in, For you to walk in
But you're missing, you're missing
You're missing, when I shut out the lights
You're missing, when I close my eyes
You're missing, when i see the sun rise
You're missing

Children are asking, if it's allright?
Will you be in our arms tonight?
Morning is morning, the evening falls
I got too much room in my bed
Too many phone calls
How's everything? Eveything?
Everything? Everything?
But you're missing
You're missing

God's drifting in heaven
Devil's in the mailbox
I got dust on my shoes
Nothing but teardrops
You're missing


When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord , open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17)


Psalm 68:28-35

Summon your power, O God ;
show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.
Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring you gifts.
Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may it bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.
Envoys will come from Egypt;
Cush will submit herself to God.

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord,
Selah
to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice.
Proclaim the power of God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies.
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!


Psalm 69

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.

May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the Lord Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.
For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother's sons;
for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.

But I pray to you, O Lord ,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, O Lord , out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Come near and rescue me;
redeem me because of my foes.

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
For they persecute those you wound,
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.

I am in pain and distress;
may your salvation, O God, protect me.

I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.
The poor will see and be glad-
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.

Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.