The Write Place

I had an interaction a few days ago concerning a young man in Kentucky who gave an unapproved evangelistic message in his valedictorian speech. The man in question said because it was not approved the discipline was correct. His diploma was first denied then given.

I doubt he thought it through, but the core question to all things is “what is the authority?” Without answering this, you cannot know who is the God in any time or place.

So….

What authority is higher than God’s?

Is the school in question?

I said there was no way it could be. The law in the matter was not and could not be justified in punishing him or limiting him in talking about “his faith.” Sure enough some “1st amendment” zealot who doesn’t understand it, told me to keep my faith to myself. The old secularism (particularly secular humanism) he is a part of believes complete freedom to practice religion means limits to practice religion, at least the one. The myth of neutrality is as weak as it obvious, and always fights for itself (how neutral).

Thomas Jefferson’s words of a separation of church and state for example, were a reference to Roger William’s, Baptist minister and founder Rhode Island. In his letter he was promising the Danbury Baptist congregation that like Roger William’s idea, the wall was for the protection of religion. There would be no Federal state church, this at a time where nine states had state churches. The inverting was a later re-invention. You can see this in how all ten of the amendments that form the bill of rights limit the federal government, and the phrase “Church and State” refers to institutions, not anything like religion in itself.

I asked him if he believes in religious freedom why can’t I practice mine, and what grounds does he have to call a law unjust if it derives from man? On what grounds can you rebel? On his basis all authority is merely from man, rights are from government, and no government of course will ever let you dissent let alone rebel.

Secularism likes to pretend it isn’t a religion. It likes to pretend it is a check on tyranny and gives you freedom to believe. It likes to pretend it is recent and modern. It is none of these things.

Though secularism is dying, it is both an old and new trick that remains.

In Rome worship of the state meant believe anything you want, but worship Caesar who embodies the state.

In China (Chapter 2, Article 36 of their constitution) and North Korea freedom of religion is guaranteed. Religion however, is defined as what you can think between your ears.

This sounds just like what the secularist, and to some extant the mantra of the neo-pagan today will tell you doesn’t it?

Under their rules you really free then to believe? Of course not, religion merely becomes a personal escapism, an icing to the state reality where power is really concentrated. If you can’t follow in action, you are not free to believe at all.

As any law of nature, the abandoning of Christianity has not brought us to a third way (intentional shot at Tim Keller’s winsome apostate making crowd) but right back to the old decrepit paganism of the ancient world. This man I spoke with was an old secularist, but in the end he could see he had no legs to stand on.

All he was left with was the mob, and a new tyranny of “neutral” that sends it’s opponents to a gulag all it’s own. The vacuum it created simply made the way for the state centered system that has absorbed the big state Democratic party, and is filtering its way through society at large.

Increasingly I am seeing that secularism die as the Christianity it fed off of die away. We are really back in Rome, having brough back the Roman “secularism” of keep your God between your ears we have arrived at the “bow the knee to a Caesar.” That Caesar may be a person or an idea (like Queerness) but it is here and forming.

Let’s stop pretending we can have our “Secular” Caesar and the Prince of Peace too.

⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon^[a] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called^[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

¹⁰ Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
¹² Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2:10-12

Jesus tells us because he has received all authority, go and make disciples. Let me leave you again with the question, what authority therefore can tell you to stop?

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:19-20