A Clear Vision | Heritage Briefs - Episode # 10
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💬 Show Notes:
In this episode of the Morning Star Heritage Briefs, we delve into the historical relationship between the Church and the State in America. Chuck Christie presents insights from Rick Joyner on the Founding Fathers' original intentions regarding religious freedom and the Constitution. Discover how the separation of Church and State has been misinterpreted and the implications of judicial overreach on American liberties.
Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of our nation's heritage and the ongoing struggle for constitutional rights.
🗣️ Quotes from Rick Joyner
"The Constitution only forbade Congress from establishing religion."
"The Constitution only forbade Congress from establishing religion."
"The Church is called to be the bride of Christ alone."
"If our republic is to be preserved, we must recognize that the Supreme Court is not the supreme law of the land."
📝 Blog Post Body:
In the latest episode of the Morning Star Heritage Briefs, we embark on a journey through the historical relationship between the Church and the State in America. Hosted by Chuck Christie, this episode draws on the insights of Rick Joyner, who emphasizes the Founding Fathers' original intentions regarding religious freedom and the Constitution.
One of the key points discussed is the common misconception that the Constitution mandates a strict separation between Church and State. In reality, the Constitution states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. This clause was designed to protect individual freedoms and ensure that the federal government does not interfere with religious practices. However, it did not prevent states from establishing their own recognized religions, many of which were established in the early years of the Republic.
The episode also delves into the dark history of the Inquisition, where millions suffered persecution due to the wrongful union of Church and State in Europe. This historical context is crucial in understanding why the founders were adamant about keeping the government out of religious affairs. They wanted to create a nation where individuals could practice their faith freely, without fear of persecution or government intervention.
As we explore the implications of judicial overreach, Chuck Christie raises important questions about the current state of our constitutional rights. He argues that the Supreme Court has strayed from its intended role, leading to decisions that violate the First Amendment and restrict the free exercise of religion. This departure from the Constitution poses a significant threat to the very foundation of our Republic.
Listeners are encouraged to reflect on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and the importance of holding our government accountable to the Constitution. The episode serves as a reminder that the people are the true sovereigns in this nation, and it is our responsibility to demand that our rights be upheld.
Join us for this enlightening discussion and gain a deeper understanding of the principles that shaped America. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn about our heritage and the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice.
✍️ Episode References
Morningstar Ministries
Fox's Book of Martyrs
Haley's Bible Handbook
Automatic Show Notes
Chapters
Long Summary
In this segment of the Morningstar Heritage Briefs, Chuck Christie presents "A Clear Vision," Heritage Brief 10 by Rick Joyner. The discussion centers on the interpretation of the United States Constitution regarding the relationship between church and state. Joyner highlights that the Constitution does not explicitly mandate a separation between these entities, as is commonly believed. Instead, it specifies that Congress cannot establish a religion or restrict the free practice of one, suggesting that states retained the right to establish recognized religions if they chose to do so, as evidenced by historical practices in various states requiring voters to adhere to certain Protestant doctrines or attend church services.
The lecture moves on to explore the implications of these constitutional interpretations, using historical examples to illustrate how some states enacted religious test laws. Joyner acknowledges that while such laws were technically within the bounds of the Constitution at the time, their moral implications led to widespread conflict and division, underscoring the wisdom of balancing church and state matters at the state level rather than allowing federal overreach. He argues that the federal government's encroachment on states' rights and individual freedoms has led to social unrest and division, suggesting that only a return to constitutional limits will alleviate these pressures.
Joyner employs a metaphor to clarify the appropriate relationship between the church and state, likening it to a friendship rather than a marriage. He posits that the church should retain its primary allegiance to Christ, while the state acts as a protector of the church without establishing a deeper union. The dark historical consequences of a close church-state relationship are examined, with Joyner referencing the Inquisition as a cautionary example of what can occur when these spheres become improperly intertwined. He notes the profound persecution inflicted upon nonconformist Christians and Jews during this time, contextualizing it within the American founders' resolve to prevent such abuses from recurring in the new republic.
The lecture emphasizes the founders' commitment to religious freedom, a principle born out of their personal experiences with persecution. Joyner discusses how the American government was structured to protect religious liberty by distinctly separating church affairs from state governance. He addresses the troubling trend of judicial decisions that seem to infringe upon religious expression, raising concerns about the judiciary's expanding influence at the expense of constitutional law. Joyner argues that the Constitution, rather than the Supreme Court's interpretations, should be viewed as the definitive legal framework guiding the nation.
In concluding remarks, Joyner stresses the urgency of restoring a constitutional understanding to preserve the republic, warning that failure to do so may lead to unforeseeable damage to the nation. He invokes James Madison, reminding listeners of the preamble's intentions to ensure justice and liberty for all citizens. The brief serves as a call to action for individuals to demand adherence to constitutional principles to secure their rights and establish a more harmonious society. The episode promises to delve deeper into the ramifications of constitutional violations in future discussions, underscoring the ongoing struggle to balance power and protect individual liberties in American governance.
Brief Summary
In this lecture, Chuck Christie presents Rick Joyner's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution regarding the church-state relationship. Joyner argues that the Constitution permits states to recognize religions, citing historical examples of religious-test laws. He emphasizes the need for a balance between church and state, warning against federal overreach and the dangers of a close relationship between the two. Joyner underscores the importance of religious freedom as envisioned by the founders and calls for adherence to constitutional principles to protect individual liberties.
Transcript
[0:09] A Clear Vision, Heritage Brief 10
[0:00] Hello again, this is Chuck Christie, bringing you another segment of the Morningstar Heritage Briefs. This episode is entitled A Clear Vision, Heritage Brief 10, by Rick Joyner. Following up on the fact that nowhere in the United States Constitution does it state that there must be a separation between the church and the state, it only states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Because Congress was the federal government, this did not prohibit the states from establishing a recognized religion if they chose to, and many of them did. For example, a couple of states required voters to be of the Protestant faith.
[0:55] Others required church attendance to vote. This did not make these laws right, and eventually they were all repealed. But that this was allowed proved that the states had authority to do such things under the Constitution. The Constitution only forbade Congress from establishing religion; these religious-test laws in some states were constitutional, but they were not right, and they did cause problems. The wisdom of how these matters could be worked out by the states, while the whole country was not subjected to the turmoil they caused, proved to be genius. It has only been when the federal government began to exceed the authority granted to it by the Constitution, thereby encroaching on the rights of the states and the people, that the turmoil and divisions it has caused became national and threatened to tear the nation apart. These unnecessary pressures will continue to grow until the federal government returns to its constitutional boundaries and the rights of the states and the people it has usurped are restored to them.
[2:08] Church and State: Friends, Not Married
[2:08] Concerning the proper and constitutional relationship between the church and the state.
[2:14] We have all likely witnessed men and women who were good friends ruin that friendship by getting married. It is a worthy goal for those who are married to be friends, but love as friends may not work well within the more committed bonds of marriage. This is why many languages have different words for these two types of affection—friendship and romantic love.
[2:40] The point is that the church and the state should have a relationship as friends, but not marriage. The church is called to be the bride of Christ alone. In relation to the bride of Christ, the state is called to be like the eunuchs who provided security for the king and his bride. They defend her if necessary, but they can have no relationship with her beyond this. When the relationship between church and state went beyond what it is supposed to be, it brought upon the earth the darkest of times, the dark ages.
[3:20] The abuses of the wrongful union of the church to the state were deeply impressed on the early Americans. Many had been witnesses to or victims of the horrible corruption that came from this wrongful union of the church and state in Europe, which culminated in the worst persecution in human history, the Inquisition. The Inquisition was the persecution of Christians by other Christians and by Jews. It was only possible because the institutional church was married to the state at that time. Christians and Jews who would not conform to the dogma of the institutional church of the time were slaughtered on an incomprehensible scale. Halley's Bible Handbook estimates that up to 50 million of these nonconformist Christians and Jews were tortured and killed in the Inquisition. This number is corroborated by other historians. We can read in such works as Fox's Book of Martyrs the kind of demented and diabolical tortures used by the Inquisition. This was truly one of mankind's darkest hours, and done in the name of Christ by the harlot church that had wrongfully married the state.
[4:38] The Dark Legacy of Church and State
[4:39] With many of the first colonists being victims of this persecution and the leaders of the independence movement in America knowing their stories well, when the British imposed a law on the colonies that no minister of the gospel could be licensed except through the Church of England, it was intolerable to the colonists. The founders of the American Republic were resolute in ensuring that such a thing would never happen in America. To do this, they established the government first and foremost on the principle of freedom of religion, resolving to keep the federal government out of religion while serving as a protector of religious freedom. As the Jews of Europe were persecuted along with the Protestants and other Christian movements, they also fled to America to escape. They were both welcomed and honored by their Christian fellow colonists.
[5:34] Those of other religions, or no religion, also found in America the tolerance and freedom they had not found anywhere else in the world.
[5:49] America's Founding Principles on Religion
[5:44] America was born as a haven for religiously persecuted people. The American founders were resolved to keep the church and state as separate entities, but it was clearly to keep the state out of the church's business, not the other way around. We must then ask, how did the Supreme Court and many lower courts issue so many decisions prohibiting the free exercise of religion by blatantly violating the Constitution and the First Amendment?
[6:17] The leadership of Congress was too weak or inept to confront this tyrannical abuse by the judiciary. If our republic is to be preserved, we must recover the fact that the Supreme
[6:33] The Role of the Supreme Court
[6:30] The Court is not the supreme law of the land. The Constitution is. The Supreme Court has made many unconstitutional decisions in its history, some of which were later reversed, but many have not.
[6:47] In recent times, it has been piling them up almost yearly because it has now strayed so far from the lane the Constitution gave the judiciary. If this is not corrected, it will soon cause the destruction of the Republic, just as Jefferson and other founders warned.
[7:07] We will cover these violations of the Constitution in more detail in future briefs, along with their devastating impact on the nation. The judicial branch may have been the biggest culprit in this, but all three branches are guilty of deviating from the clear, limited authority granted to the federal government by the Constitution. The stress this has put on the entire country has us at the breaking point.
[7:40] Sovereignty of the People
[7:36] Under the Constitution, the people are the sovereign. The longer we wait to demand that our federal government obey the Constitution, the greater the cost of saving our republic will be.
I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. James Madison, author of the Constitution and fifth President of the United States.
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Preamble to the United States Constitution.
Copyright 2020 by Rick Joyner. All rights reserved.
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