Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

It Now Seems So Long, Long Ago…

“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”

– NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio explaining his decision in late April to send police to break up the funeral of revered Hasidic Rabbi Chaim Mertz, attended by 2500 mourners (coronavirus restrictions allowed for funeral attendances of 10).

Religious Liberty Vigilance – “A Stricter Standard?”

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise 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.” – 1st Amendment
“…nor shall any state…deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” – 14th Amendment (1868)

Protest Gatherings – Yes!
Funeral Gatherings – No!

“Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out at Hasidic residents of the Williamsburg section in Brooklyn late Tuesday night after personally overseeing the dispersal of a crowd of hundreds of mourners who had gathered for the funeral of a rabbi who died of the coronavirus.” – The New York Times, April 28

Hizzoner dispatched the police Hong-Kong-style to break up the gathering.

“Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,” the mayor said in one post. “When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.”

At this point let me be very clear: I fully support lawful, peaceful protests in the wake of the horrible murder of George Floyd.

But any common-sense assessment of local government responses to recent large crowds would have to wonder, “What has happened to all the concern about the spread of the coronavirus, that once led to government clamp-downs on large gatherings, most extremely seen in de Blazio’s actions in New York?”

Any honest examination of coronavirus statistics (featured prominently in my local newspaper every day) shows that the cases have risen somewhat in recent weeks. They are no longer declining.

And whatever happened to “Science-driven social policy”?

Just a few days ago, Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves, was literally accusing President Trump of “genocide” for not taking stronger measure to contain Covid-19. Today, he signed the “protests against racism are more important than stopping the spread of Covid-19” letter. – David Bernstein, “What Happened to the Public Health Emergency?” The Volokh Conspiracy, June 3, 2020

Local governments are in a lose-lose position. If coronavirus cases and deaths increase, they will have themselves to blame for allowing large crowds to assemble with little protections and precautions. If the cases and deaths don’t increase because of large crowds gathering, their tight and sometimes heavy-handed limits on religious gatherings (which they regard as equal to crowds at sports and entertainment venues) are unnecessary and excessive.

Three principles of Constitutional Law are being mauled today:

(1) Viewpoint Neutrality – the First Amendment’s freedom of speech provision forbids the government from giving advantage or disadvantage to any person or group based on the content of what is being expressed.

(2) Equality before the Law – the Fourteenth Amendment forbids the government from preferring one group or individual above another in the administration of justice.

(3) Free Exercise of Religion – While religious gatherings need to submit to neutral laws of general applicability, they must not be placed at a disadvantage compared to others.

Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s.”

Jesus didn’t have Caesar’s Palace (right) in mind with those words, of course. He taught that people have a duty to Caesar (civil authority) and to God (ultimate authority).

Just imagine there are two large rooms. One is used by worshippers as a church. The other is used by gamblers as a casino. In the first room, people sing and pray and read their Bibles and hear a sermon. In the second room, people drink and cheer and play the tables.

Which is the greater health risk? What would “science-driven policy” require?

Well, in Nevada, the casinos are open for business. At 50% capacity, to be sure, and with safeguards. The churches, however, deemed more dangerous than casinos, are limited to 50 people maximum. So Alliance Defending Freedom is suing the state in behalf of the churches.

The discrimination against religion is incredible, when you consider how, in Los Angeles, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels can only admit 100 worshippers into a sanctuary that seats 3,000.

ON CAUSES YOU MAY WISH TO SUPPORT

1. The mail or email appeal you received—is it legitimate? Check on it independently of the email. Never give support via the email if you don’t know for sure.
2. The organization you may think is worthy of your support—check its Mission Statement and Objectives and Positions. What it appears to be on the surface may be quite different from what you find when you dig into the details. What do other fair sources say about it?

Bible Insight –
An Old Testament Prophet
Laments in 2020

2020 has not been a good year—pandemic, deaths, quarantine, plummeting economy, joblessness, food shortages, killing, riots and pillage. What’s next? Earthquakes and fires and floods? A scripture began to run through my mind—the Book of Joel. In fine Hebrew poetry it graphically depicts what’s happening and what people should do in response.

Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.

What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
– Joel 1:2-4

Some think the prophet had literal infestations in view. Others see symbols of oppressing armies. Whichever. I looked up old sermon notes and saw I taught it one way once and another way years later. The key point is God’s providence has allowed a string of afflictions to come upon the land.

Our challenge is to ponder how we should respond to the calamities God has permitted. The answer is especially for the church, but also for all to ponder.

(1) Repentance throughout the land. We repent of sins known and unknown, sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of violence against persons and property, greed, theft, murder, standing by in the face of evil (Proverbs 24:10-12), racism and more.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
– Joel 2:12-14

(2) Intense prayer by God’s people gathered together. The communities that worship God should intentionally gather and, under their leaders, engage in profound intercession.

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.

Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
– Joel 2:15-17

God gives a promise to the obedient. Yes, I know that America is not God’s biblical covenant nation, but we have a long historical and modern acknowledgement (however imperfect) of the monotheistic God of the Bible—a God of benevolence and justice. We have been singularly blessed of God and to whom much is given much is required.

The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.
– Joel 2:19 (see 18-27)

Finally, Joel prophesies a great outpouring of God’s Spirit.

“And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
– Joel 2:28-29

The church today must strive to have an impact on the world, because it has been empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to do so, as Joel prophesied and as was experienced on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 16-21).

We must be the reconciling presence of God to our broken world.
(Take a few minutes to read this compelling, brief book of the Bible—just three chapters.)

Available: Edited Copy of Supreme Court’s recent decision on Same-Sex/Transsexual Discrimination (Bostock v. Clayton)

Constitutional law professor Josh Blackman helpfully reduces the 120 pages of Bostock v. Clayton to 30 very readable pages. Download it here:

https://bit.ly/BostockEdited

Back the Badge – Psalm 106:3
“Blessed are those
who maintain justice.”

The Bad Cop

No one resents a bad cop more than good cops. And there are many more good officers than bad ones. But the bad, sadly, are a reality and have an impact well beyond their numbers.

My wife and I moved to California in 1970. Shortly thereafter we met an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer. He told us he worked the night shift in Watts and loved his job (if you don’t remember or can’t place that location, Watts was the hotpoint of riots in 1965 and again in 1992).

It didn’t take long for us to realize that this officer treated the locals as if they were animals. He said he’d at times pull a black driver over and ask him when he had last taken a bath.

My wife and I left the encounter emotionally shaken. We had come from the Midwest, where law enforcement officers were held in high regard and viewed as exemplary. Sometimes it was almost like Mayberry, with a couple of officers and one police car in town.

We realized that this officer was not a bad, racist officer all alone. He reflected something deeper, something systemic—at the very least in his own precinct.

That day my idealism melted away and then solidified into realism. Still, I highly regard those in law enforcement who are dedicated to their oaths and put their lives on the line (as of June 20, 109 officers have died in the line of duty in 2020, 24 by gunfire).

I believe the Bible sets a standard and calls for both respect and respectability.

He is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. – Romans 13:4 ESV

The tragic incident that cost George Floyd his life will, I pray, work much good and justice. Officers are trained to use no more force than is reasonable to carry out their duties, including overcoming resistance. Officers also have the “duty to intercede” if they observe excessive force by another officer. Officers are to be accountable on both points.

Both “reasonable (appropriate) force” and “duty to intercede” are biblical concepts. “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death… If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this’, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? …and will he not repay man according to his work?” – Proverbs 24:10-12

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is binding on all officers. The entire code can be seen at: www.theiacp.org/resources/law-enforcement-code-of-ethics

Like any code of ethics for a profession, it can be recited but is not automatically inculcated and observed. It must be held up as a disciplinary standard, regularly reviewed, and become part of the ethos of every law enforcement agency and part of the law enforcement DNA of every officer.

Here is how it begins:

As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality and justice.

And with these words it concludes:

“I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession . . . law enforcement.”

I want to be protected by that kind of officer!

July 4, 1776
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” – The Declaration of Independence
The ideals of the Declaration of Independence were embraced and established by imperfect people who themselves would often fall short. Yet, the ideals aren’t annulled by the sins of the Founders. They survive and continue to influence us because they convey universal truth and morals.

The Northwest Territory was created by Congress in 1787. At that time, slavery was legal in every one of the thirteen states.

This reality makes all the more poignant the fact that the Northwest Territory, larger than all thirteen original colonies put together, was declared a “free” territory. No slavery or indentured servitude in the NW Territory!

Ohio was the first part of the NW Territory to become a state—in 1803. Ohio became a slave-free state by only one vote in its new legislature. Ohio would become part of the “Underground Railway” as slaves escaped from Virginia (below the Ohio River) through Ohio to Canada across Lake Eire.

In our day of historical deconstruction, let’s remember to judge previous generations of national leaders by the standards of their day, not ours. For indeed, we don’t want our successor generations to treat us any less fairly.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” – Jesus

Disclosure: I grew up in Ohio and was a resident there until I was 21.
Recommended Reading: The Pioneers by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2019)

Charis Fellowship Response to the Death of George Floyd

My Christian denomination, the Charis Fellowship (known to many as the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches) issued this statement through our Executive Director, Phil Sparling. I appreciated the opportunity to give input to the leadership team.

As leaders and representatives of Charis Fellowship, we affirm our belief in a God who has created all persons in His image and who commands that all persons are to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their social, economic, or ethnic background. We grieve the violent and lawless death of George Floyd and we call for justice on his behalf as prescribed within our US Constitution and judicial system. We recognize this problem extends far beyond this single heinous act, whatever its motivation, yet it has resurfaced the fault-line of racism within our midst. Charis Fellowship condemns racism in any form.

We affirm and respect God’s ordained agency of law enforcement. We honor those engaged in this noble profession. Yet we appeal to those agencies to root out any actions and attitudes that manifest the evils of racism, which include both crimes of commission and omission. And we believe that officers who participate in or allow the use of excessive or inappropriate force should be called to account. (Romans 13:1-7)

We affirm the First Amendment right of protesters to peacefully assemble. Yet we denounce rioting, arson, and looting as completely unacceptable activities. Regretfully, these actions often shift the focus away from the underlying causes of injustice. Such activities also harm the very people who need our support, including inner-city business owners, employees, and residents who depend on these businesses. (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)

We affirm our commitment to the Biblical truth that God cares deeply about issues of justice and human dignity. Yet we recognize that our society continues to struggle with injustice and inequality toward minorities and we grieve with those who suffer the consequences. We believe followers of Jesus cannot remain passive or silent and must embrace our responsibility to “stop doing wrong; learn to do right; seek justice; and defend the oppressed” (Isaiah 1:16-17).

Toward that end, we commit ourselves to join a common quest for God-honoring solutions to end all racial inequity and ensure equal access to justice and opportunity for all. We commit ourselves to be part of the national self-assessment and to pursue the actions now needed to bring about racial harmony, justice, and unity in our land. We call upon all who form the Charis Fellowship to pray for our nation, its leaders, and all who are part of our judicial system. We call upon our churches and leaders to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, the true and sole source of racial harmony. We also call upon our entire Charis family to proactively engage in ethnically diverse dialogue, education, and interactions that will collectively move us toward God’s desire for racial unity and harmony.

Remembering July, 1945 – 75 years ago

The Potsdam Conference (in Germany)
July 17 – August 2

President Roosevelt had died in April, deprived sadly of the satisfaction of living to see Germany’s defeat. Harry Truman was now president and represented the US at the Potsdam Conference, there to be sized up by Joseph Stalin. Truman would be no pushover and was not like Roosevelt, who thought he could win Stalin over with his personality.

Clement Atlee was there as Great Britain’s new prime minister, since Winston Churchill’s party had resoundingly lost a parliamentary election shortly after the Potsdam Conference began.

At the conference Truman confided to Stalin that the US had a “powerful new weapon.” Stalin acknowledged the news, though it was not news to him. He already knew of the atomic bomb through spies connected to the project.

Ironically, President Roosevelt had kept his own vice president in the dark about the development of the atomic bomb. Truman only learned of it after Roosevelt’s death (less than four months before the bomb was used).

The three powers at Potsdam decided many issues that would govern post-war Europe, such as the division of Germany and Berlin, Austria and Vienna. They agreed that many freedoms were to exist in the liberated nations—freedom of religion, the press, speech. And the freedom to form trade unions. In the lands that would fall under Soviet domination, it was not to be.

Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com
Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net