Separation of Church & State? Where is It?

The Lord is our judge

The Lord is our lawgiver

The Lord is our king

- Isaiah 33:22

On May 22, Dr. Andy Woods blessed us with a lesson on the often touted non-existent Constitutional statement regarding the wall of separation between church and state.

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free expression thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So, where is the separation of church and state clause? It's in the USSR Constitution, not ours. Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to a Baptist church to assure the elders that the government would not interfere with church doctrine. He'd turn over in his grave if he knew how his reassurance to a church has been twisted and corrupted to ban Christianity.

The two cases (1962 & 1963), which illegalized Biblical and Christian teachings in public schools, failed to cite a single precedent. In fact, no court has cited precedent prior to 1947, censoring our history between the founding of this country and the post WWII era. And the courts selectively applied their rulings to only Christians. Militant secularization is pushing America away from its Judeo-Christian roots. Humanism and other pagan practices are permitted in schools, but don't try to read a verse from the Psalms.

The proponents of Roe v. Wade also cited no precedent, but used a "penumbra," a shadow that lurks behind the wording, dependant on which way the sun shines on the particular document. The law itself is unconstitutional because it gives the federal government license to interfere with the laws of each sovereign state. The courts have usurped their power by recreating the Constitution instead of interpreting it. In Isaiah 33:22, God established three separate branches of government:

1. Judicial - interpret the law (The LORD is our judge)
2. Legislature - create law (The LORD is our lawgiver)
3. Executive - to enforce the law (The LORD is our king)

The U.S. Supreme Court has pursued and claimed legislative powers. Their motto has become, "With five votes, we can do anything."

Here's my opinion:

How did this happen? It's the frog in heated water syndrome. We let it happen while we were distracted by other issues that seemed important at the time. Can we change it back? Perhaps. But it will take years of appealing, and only then if we elect public servants who know what the Constitution says.

Get your pocket-sized copy of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution by visiting http://www.constitutionfacts.com/ Study it, learn it... and the next time someone says you can't pray in public because of "separation of church and state," tell them this isn't the Soviet Union! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Andy Woods, B.A., Th.M., J.D., Ph.D, Professor of Bible and Theology at the College of Biblical Studies, adjust professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, author and Senior Pastor at Sugarland Bible Church in Sugarland, TX.

My apologies for the weird formatting. I can't seem to convince blogspot that I don't want the extra spacing. Maybe it's feeling overly generous. I'm techno-challenged.