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Separation of Church and State Back in Print
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"Since World War II Americans have increasingly come to believe
in separation of church and state, yet the majority also want prayer in
the public schools and a return to traditional religious values. With
limited knowledge of early American history, they assume that the Supreme
Court has been correct in recent church-state cases, when the majority
have decided that the First Amendment demanded a "wall of separation"
between church and state.
Norman De Jong and Jack Van Der Slik challenge those assumptions
and explode the myth that surrounds them. In clear, lucid language they
trace the efforts of the original thirteen states to develop strong bonds
of support between religion and government. Powerful examples from our
American history, well documented, will convince you that our courts
have made serious legal mistakes in trying to impose a "separation wall"
on American practice.
This volume should be required reading for every lawer, judge,
politician, and government leader concerned with the contemporary debate
over religion and politics. |
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THE TRUTH IS DIVISIVE
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"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). Jesus spoke those words, reminding all of us that a choice for truth is always a choice against falsehood. Every idea is either true or false. There are no other logical possibilities. To accept the one is to reject the other. Intellectual ferment is thus inevitable. In this life, peace is only temporary, for Satan and his hosts will always try to distort the truth. We, however, can find the truth in Jesus Christ, the One in whom all things cohere. |
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The Nature of Truth
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Only Jesus could make the claim, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). Our search for truth, no matter what the subject area, must connect somehow with Jesus Christ. Truth is ultimately personal, connected to a person. Truth is tied to integrity. Truth originates in the divine. It comes from God via revelation.
Redeemer Books is committed to such principles. We are in pursuit of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That pursuit winds inevitably through the pages of Holy Writ, no matter what the topic. To secular ears that may sound like nonsense, but to the committed Christian that is comparable to finding our only hope in a cruel cross. There is no truth apart from the Triune God. With the Psalmist we can say, "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). |
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TAKING THOUGHTS CAPTIVE
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The Apostle Paul knew that all of us are involved in intense conflcts for the minds and souls of our fellow men. He reminded his readers, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:3-5). Some call it "the great Antithesis", while others label it "the culture wars", and still others dub it "a daily spiritual battle".
We speak the truth in love. We take thoughts captive and bring them in obedience to Jesus Christ. We proclaim the truth with the prayer that it might take root in the hearts of our enemies. We model our Savior and Lord.
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IS CHRISTIANITY ANTI-INTELLECTUAL?
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The answer is a resounding NO! Some may conclude that a high regard for Scripture produces weak, radical right-wing dummies. Nothing could be further from the truth! |
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