The Third Way, Revisited (pt. 2)

The Third Way, Revisited (pt. 2)

 

In our last treatise, we discussed the inevitable pain being created by our society's struggle to artificially separate church and state. Understanding clearly that men and women of God formed our government, and that our sacred institutions give American life its structure and meaning, it should come as no surprise that any attempt to re-invent either is met with much consternation.

 

And those wounds run even deeper than the roots of the American experiment. The Biblical covenant of marriage, for example, is not directly addressed in our foundational documents, but its ongoing presence in, and steadying influence upon our society, was undoubtedly something our forefathers assumed, and counted upon. Lifelong, exclusive and monogamous marriage between a man and a woman stabilized our young nation, and helped it grow in size and character.

 

The 10 Commandments continue to provide a core set of absolutes for American justice. The Abrahamic Covenant is the model for contract law. The book of Daniel contains the blueprint for our balanced branches of government. And the vivid images of Scripture are so pervasive in our language and culture that 98% of English teachers, recently polled by George Gallup, believe that public classroom instruction in the Bible would be of great benefit to American students.

 

With religion so inextricably intrinsic to the American way of life--past, present, and future--political and moral liberals should, by now, expect and respect the kind of furor coming from the “religious right” and other conservatives (or, if I may "preservatives"). Where the protection of marriage, the fight against judicial activism, the defense of the sanctity of life, and the battle against the artificial separation of church and state are concerned, people of faith must remain resolute.

 

The only end of complete and unrestricted personal freedom is survival of the fittest; the only ends of such natural selection can be monarchy or anarchy. When the only ways available are too much government, too little government, or a minimal government, setting boundaries for a moral and religious people--America's faithful must always seek after that third way.