In a recent article titled, “The Supreme Court’s War on Life, the Universe and Everything” (WSJ-7/5/22), Gerard Baker wrote, “we can draw an important lesson from this strikingly uniform reaction to a historic court term: 50 years or more of judicial activism have immunized an entire generation of journalists, progressive politicians and social-policy advocates against any understanding of the idea of judges as neutral arbiters of the law.”
By design, the Constitution institutes checks and balances that make it hard to get things done in government, particularly at the federal level. The three branches: Legislative, Executive and Judicial, check and balance each other as they stay in their respective lanes. Mr. Baker suggests that the Supreme Court used rulings during the most recent term to convey clear lanes, or constitutional boundaries for the Judicial branch.
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. – 1Peter 2:1-3a. Peter warns the Church that the truth will be under attack. “Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.” If it were a sudden attack, the people would recognize it and rebuke it. But Peter says the false teachers were “among the people.” The infiltration of unbelievers that compromise or twist the word of God can be subtle. The checks and balances in church are grounded in truth and grace. The charge is to emulate Jesus' walk in the tension of truth with grace. But the religious will push truth and compromise grace. The secular will push grace and compromise truth. The danger is that after years of compromised truth, we have a generation of small ‘c’ Christians that have no understanding of the idea of absolute truth as the arbiter for life.
Tips for Family Checks and Balances:
- Be grounded in a Biblical worldview by reading scripture. A chapter a day is a good goal and Paul’s letter to the Romans is a good starting point;
- Read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States as a family;
- Pray daily on your own, with your wife and with the kids;
- Discuss the pastor’s sermon and scriptural references as a family during the week;
- Initiate spiritual discussion between Sundays around current events in the world;
- Lead discussions about evil and the demonic worldview that focuses on self and pleasure;
- Point to God’s design for mankind, Genesis 1:27 and 2:24, and reference His word, the absolute truth as the arbiter for life.
Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for Your word as the arbiter for life in this world. I confess that I have minimized truth when it got in the way of my feelings about situations and relationships. Forgive me. Strengthen me as Your representative in family, to provide necessary checks and balances. I want to emulate Jesus’ walk in the tension of truth with grace against worldly influences in my life, in marriage, and in the lives of the children You have blessed me with. Help me lead with the absolute truth as the arbiter for life. That is the dad You call me to be and that is the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father leads with the absolute truth as the arbiter for life.
In a recent article titled, “The Supreme Court’s War on Life, the Universe and Everything” (WSJ-7/5/22), Gerard Baker wrote, “we can draw an important lesson from this strikingly uniform reaction to a historic court term: 50 years or more of judicial activism have immunized an entire generation of journalists, progressive politicians and social-policy advocates against any understanding of the idea of judges as neutral arbiters of the law.”
