Constitution

Dispute, Deny, Distort, Discard: The Constitution in the Crosshairs

By Brian Tonnell

Satan tried it first. Dispute: “Did God really say?” Deny: He didn’t really say that. “You will not certainly die.” Distort: Here’s the real truth. “God knows that when you eat from it … you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” And the final result? Adam and Eve discarded God’s words. Dispute, deny, distort, discard.

Once Adam and Eve were no longer grounded in God’s ideas, what did they have to fall back on? Their own wisdom. They did what was right in their own eyes. And history continually reminds us that this is a recipe for disaster.

Surely, we would never fall into that trap!

The Erosion: From Biblical Principles to Moral Relativism

Even the casual observer will recognize that our culture is losing—more likely, has lost—its basis for Truth. There can be no doubt that our country was founded on biblical principles. During the early days of our country, the preponderance of America was Christian. Even if not all were religious, there was at least a pervading belief in the rightness of biblical principles. This foundation in biblical principles helped steer our culture down the morally right path, whether in government, the courts, the public square, business, or private homes.

While our descent from biblical principles to human wisdom could take up volumes, suffice it to say that we have lost our founding principles. We have lost our basis for Truth. If so, what indicators might we see of this loss? We would expect to see laws and court decisions that fly in the face of biblical principles.

Did God really say that we should not murder? He did not. What he really meant was that we should not execute criminals. The real truth is that this mandate does not apply to the unborn. After all, the unborn are not human. Dispute, deny, distort. Hence, God’s principle that protects unborn children has been discarded.

Did God really say that homosexuality is a sin? He did not. What he really meant was that homosexual acts of lust are sinful. The real truth is that monogamous, loving, homosexual relationships are pleasing to God. Dispute, deny, distort. Hence, God’s mandate against sexual immorality has been discarded.

So, our biblical foundations have been discarded. What now? What do we fall back on to guide us through life? Perhaps our founding documents? Yes, those will guide us in our decision making! The founding documents will be our final authority and all will be well.

The Slippery Slope Is Real

The insidious, slippery departure from biblical principles has brought with it an unintended consequence. When we discarded God’s Word, not only did we eliminate His precepts, but we also abandoned the idea that man answers to a higher authority. The idea that there is a Truth higher than our own, that man is not the final authority was thrown under the bus.

If we can discard the standard upon which our Constitution was written, what is the next logical step? What will stop us from discarding the standard that remains, in order to live by our own wisdom? We have discarded the Bible, so why not also discard the Constitution? After all, the latter was built on the former. Of course, we would not expect to hear anyone advocating the abandonment of our Constitution. Then again, we would not have expected to hear anyone advocating the abandonment of the Bible. The process of discarding our Constitution is occurring in the same manner that Adam and Eve discarded God’s words.

Do our founding documents really acknowledge a right to life, the free exercise of religion, the right to pursue happiness, the freedom of speech? They do not. Hence, we can legalize abortion because “right to life” really means that biological parents have the right to responsibility-free life.

When Elane Photography in Albuquerque refuses to photograph a gay dedication ceremony, thereby exercising their religion, they should be forced to photograph these events in the future or face jail time. This suppression of religious freedom is the “price of citizenship” (says the New Mexico Supreme Court Justice). And when North Carolina’s Love Wins Ministries is distributing food to the homeless in a public park, they should be forced to cease and desist or face jail time. After all, “religious freedom” really only applies in the church building, not in the public square.

If a child in California or New Jersey struggles with gender confusion issues, the government now says it is illegal for a professional counselor to attempt to restore peace in that child’s soul. After all, pursuing happiness is really only valid if your definition of happiness agrees with the one outlined by the government.

The Department of Justice can distribute an internal memo directing employees to verbally acknowledge homosexuality as a valid lifestyle, because “silence” on the matter “will be interpreted as disapproval.” And an Army Chaplain’s Aid, as well as an Air Force Senior Master Sergeant can be threatened with discharge because they made the unconstitutional mistake of speaking their opinion on the gay marriage issue. After all, free speech really only applies if it conforms to cultural norms.

Dispute, Deny, Distort

Dispute, deny, distort. And now, even our Constitution is in the crosshairs, ready to be discarded.

The recipe is tried, tested, and successful. Unfortunately, the success of this recipe spells disaster.

We have abandoned our biblical foundations by disputing, denying, distorting, and finally discarding God’s principles. We have fallen back on our own founding documents as the yardstick by which to measure right and wrong. In the interim, we have also succumbed to the attractive idea that man is the ultimate authority, autonomously knowing good and evil. Hence, we are now disputing, denying, distorting, and finally discarding our own founding documents. What is left for us to fall back on now? Our own wisdom? Unfortunately, yes. But how many times throughout history has man done what was right in his own eyes?

The Fight for Truth: Can America Be Saved?

Can we reverse this trend? Yes. My theory is this: at some point in the near future, the increasingly outrageous anti-biblical and anti-constitutional incidents occurring in our country will force Christians out of their complacent woodwork and into the spotlight. When the number of blatantly blasphemous events (laws, court decisions, and so on) reaches its climax, the content citizenry will become discontent. Then, the public outcry will drown out the immoral minority. In addition to this, I firmly believe homeschoolers will be a significant influencing factor in the reversal of this trend. Our children will be the ones on the front lines, standing for Truth, for biblical principle, and for constitutional adherence.

We must continue teaching God’s principles to our students day and night, when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down, and when we get up. We must persevere so they will be girded with the belt of truth, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit. The battle they will face is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil. Fortunately, we know our enemy, and his tactics have not changed since the beginning of time. Our biblical foundation has already been discarded, and the sooner we recognize that our Constitution is now in the crosshairs, the more ready we will be for this next battle. Battle by battle and with God’s help, we will regain the ground we have lost and win the war!

Enjoy “9 Resources for Learning About the U.S. Constitution” and other blogs on the Constitution.

This article was previously published by Classical Conversations®.

looking through a magnifying glass lens at the first words of the Declaration of Independence, "We the People"

9 Resources for Learning About the U.S. Constitution

By Lauren Gideon

There has been a revival among conservatives to improve our functional U.S. Constitutional literacy. It’s only natural when things devolve into disorder and chaos to wonder, 

“What happened?” 

“How did we get here?”

“Where did we get off course?” 

To answer these questions, one would have to learn what the course was and where the course came from before one could assess the deviation from that course. This curiosity to rediscover the “course” is a good thing. The human experience is full of good things, and like all good things, achieving or acquiring them requires of us the same weighty virtues of ownership and discipline that Classical Conversations® highlights for students in the Challenge programs. 

Thus, before proceeding to the following list, heed this disclaimer: 

If you want a “quick fix” for improving your U.S. Constitutional literacy…. this is NOT the list for you. 

The U.S. Constitution

When learning about something, one should always start with the thing itself. It’s interesting that when you finally meet someone that you have heard much about ahead of time, you can’t ever really unhear those things or unknow them. 

For better or for worse, you will (at least initially) always see that new person through the lens of what you heard about them. The same is true of ideas and documents. This is one of the reasons why classical educators are so passionate about reading source texts before we turn to functional summaries or commentaries. 

Webster’s Dictionary 1828

Inevitably, you will run into words that are outside our modern vernacular. Look them up! And look them up in a dictionary completed in close chronological proximity to the document itself. 

While you are at it, pick up a good biography of Noah Webster for a fascinating window into how unique and essential this dictionary was for the formation of American culture.

The Declaration of Independence

After reading the U.S. Constitution thoroughly, you might be disappointed. Let me explain. No one gets through reading the rules of Monopoly and says to themselves, “Wow, that was profoundly inspiring!” Rule books, by nature, are quite dry and boring. The point of the rule book is not the rule book itself, but the rules allow you to play the game! The game of Monopoly is enjoyed by many families for something other than the excitement of the rule book. 

The U.S. Constitution is merely the rule book. The Declaration of Independence articulates so beautifully the “why.” These documents are so intertwined that they ought never to be divorced. The U.S. Constitution is the manifestation, the conduit, and the protection of the truth claims spelled out in the Declaration of Independence.

The Articles of Confederation

It is important to remember that the U.S. Constitution was a “do-over.” It was not the first attempt to make manifest the principles of the Declaration of Independence. However, there was enough unfavorable public sentiment surrounding the Articles of Confederation and the perception that they had missed the mark, to tolerate what was called the Second American Revolution. 

The new form of government created was literally illegal under the Articles of Confederation. 

While this may cause internal conflict for those with warm affection for the rule of law under the U.S. Constitution, it is something worthwhile to wrestle with. It’s important to remember that things haven’t always been the way they are, nor is there any assurance that they will stay this way if the public perception and sentiment wills otherwise.

Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787

In modern America, there is debate on whether we can know what the Constitutional Convention meant by the words and phrases they used. This question is only tolerated by those ignorant of James Madison’s exhaustive notes on every conversation that transpired. 

What was included, what wasn’t included, why did they choose the words they chose; all this and much more give us the conversational context to every element debated. The fewer the debates, the more unanimously certain positions were held by the convention. 

Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers

Beyond the internal debate, a national debate transpired as well. The Federalist Papers argued for the U.S. Constitution, while the Anti-Federalists opposed ratification. More important than the sides men took are the ideas they unpacked. Often, these papers hospitably acknowledge the weakness of their positions while confessing the limitations of a free society.  

By reading these papers, we can deeply dive into the comparison, circumstance, relationship, and testimony of these ideas.

Discourses Concerning Government—Algernon Sidney

Like people, ideas have family trees and ancestors. While the ideas that shaped the U.S. Constitution are as old as time itself, curious observers have done their part to articulate what previously lived outside of the body of human discovery. 

Algernon Sidney was one of those discoverers. His thoughts ultimately cost him his very life when his own unpublished writing was used against him as a second witness to convict him of treason. Sidney’s writings, though written about 100 years before the American Revolution, were so influential that Thomas Jefferson had this to say about them in a letter to Henry Lee:

Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration—John Locke 

The other modern author named by Jefferson was John Locke. His Two Treatises of Government was published around the same time that Sidney was alive. These two men pioneered ideas such as “just power being derived through the consent of the governed,” which flew in the face of the Divine Rights Theory. So, it is plain to see how the Declaration of Independence did not invent any new ideas. The Declaration merely served as an inventory of collective sentiment shaped by the ideas discovered and shared by brave men who gave their lives for the transcendental ideals enumerated in our Declaration and consequently informed and transformed our form of government, the U.S. Constitution.

The Bible

It cannot go without saying that the U.S. Constitution is not divinely inspired. Only one text can make that claim. So, when looking at anything else in the created order, we must consider the authority of Scripture. 

We began this conversation considering “the course” or “how things ought to be.” While the Scriptures may not explicitly say how humans ought to form a good human state, it does teach us about spheres of authority, the principle of justice, the idea of having multiple witnesses, the image-bearing nature of humanity, and other building blocks. 

While we may often wish for a cookie-cutter example that we could cut and paste, there is no quick fix for searching out the mysteries of Scripture either. Let us remember Proverbs 25:2 (ESV), “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” 

It is our joy and responsibility to bring everything under the dominion of Christ’s authority: to discover, to name, to identify, to compare, to understand, to inform, to discern. In this discernment of revelation through Scripture and the created order, we, too, can wisely participate in this enduring classical conversation. 

Read other articles by Lauren here.

Lauren Gideon is the Director of Public Relations for Classical Conversations.  She has been a home educator since her first student was born 18 years ago. She came to Classical Conversations for support when the student count in their home grew beyond what she thought she could navigate on her own. In addition to homeschooling her seven children, she co-leads community classes that unpack our nation’s founding documents and civic responsibility. However, she is happiest at home, preferably outside, with her husband of 18 years, tackling their newest adventure of building a modern homestead.