“God does His greatest work when the hour is darkest.” So says Paul Blair, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, and leader of Reclaiming America for Christ, founded by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy. And indeed, in America the hour is dark. But what to do?
The annual conference of Reclaiming America for Christ might be a start. Scheduled for July 24-25 at First Baptist Church in Moore, Oklahoma, the gathering promises practical applications for Americans who are fed up with a federal government gone off the rails. Quite simply, the purpose is to teach Christian apologetics and a biblical worldview to those who want to better understand how Christians should approach civil government, and to learn how to reclaim their country.
As the name implies, the theme of this year’s conference, “Restoring the Foundations,” emphasizes the importance of restoring the family, the church, and finally, civil government.
“With American Christians you have to start at the beginning.” With that statement, Blair was off and running in an interview with The New American. He explained,
The modern view [of American Christianity], which is almost gnostic, is that the church exists to deal only with getting us to heaven, and [that we are] not to soil ourselves with things of the world. That’s just not biblical. We’ve tried to pull Christians out of the world, but we are in the world! We’re to be in the world, just not of it.
So we have to understand Scripture and live every facet of our lives according to the gospel, including how we approach civil government. We haven’t done that, and as a consequence our civil government is now godless.
Blair continued,
The Christian faith is not emotional, or based on how we feel about things; it is fact-based. Apologetics simply means understanding that, knowing what’s true, why it’s true, and learning how to apply it every day.
Blair explained that he wanted to teach Christians a godly understanding of civil affairs:
The Founders believed in the laws of nature and nature’s God. They didn’t think of themselves as rebels; it was the king [of England] who was in rebellion — against God!
They sought to restore the proper balance of government, with God in His proper sovereign place. And pastors were the political experts of the day. Why would God call pastors to be biblical experts on everything else, but not on the affairs of civil government?
Though the Moore, Oklahoma, conference serves as an annual rally, is also a teaching tool for Christians, aiming to advance the cause of “restoring the foundations.” Each speaker provides an introduction for those just beginning their grasp of a biblical worldview, but even those who are far down the path of understanding will find something new. Each year’s crop of speakers provides opportunities for attendees to hear someone they’ve never heard before, to be exposed to different ways of thinking, and to learn about new resources.
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The three guest speakers at this year’s event are constitutional heavyweights and devout Christians. Author Josh McDowell, a leader in Christian apologetics, will address the need for Christians to be able to defend their faith, especially in the political arena.
McDowell is joined by Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, a non-profit organization providing pro bono representation on issues related to religious freedom, sanctity of life, and other topics. Staver is described as a bold Christian attorney who will speak on state sovereignty, informing churches on their roles in these matters.
Finally, constitutional attorney KrisAnne Hall will speak on state sovereignty and the genealogy of the U.S. Constitution. Hall’s remarkable personal story should give hope to all who fear that liberals may never see the light and become conservatives.
Blair continued,
We encourage folks to remember the Apostle Paul in Acts 17:11 when he spoke to the church in Berea. “They examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” And everyone should do that with the teaching about Christian apologetics and our Constitution. Study the documents and confirm [the truth] for yourself.
Next, Blair mentioned the constitutionally sound acts of nullification and interposition. The New American’s Joe Wolverton defines nullification as follows:
Nullification is not the right of states to nullify any federal act. Rather, it is the right to choose to not enforce any federal act that fails to conform to the constitutionally established limits on its authority.
Interposition is the right of a state to “interpose” itself between its citizens and the fedeal government in order to keep the federal government from enforcing laws that the state deems unconstitutional.
Blair observed:
Regarding nullification and interposition, we don’t forget about that, as we believe it’s the rightful remedy — certainly considering the efforts we’ve launched since the Obergefell [Supreme Court same-sex marriage] decision. To those who say it’s impossible, we remind them that it’s being done! Consider “sanctuary cities,” which have declared federal immigration law as” null and void” and refuse to recognize or enforce federal immigration law. These cities have been effectively nullifying federal law since the 1980s.
And then there are the four states and the District of Columbia that have declared “null and void” federal drug laws and have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
Finally, in 2011, the federal Department of Justice declared “null and void” the Defense of Marriage Act and chose to stop enforcing that federal law. This was a federal agency nullifying the law of another federal agency!
So we believe wholeheartedly in nullification, and will be actively encouraging the state of Oklahoma to nullify the Obergefell decision, which dovetails with our effort to nullify Roe v. Wade in Oklahoma. And we’ll encourage our legislators that we’re behind them every step of the way.
Blair will deliver the conference’s closing charge, based on Romans 13, in which he’ll examine the proper role of civil government, then will press for the state of Oklahoma to ignore the Obergefell decision, not forgetting the organization’s original focus on Roe v. Wade.
As always, this year’s convocation is free and open to the public. For a deliberative and substantive study of how Christians can gain a solid constitutional understanding, it’s the only place in town.
Image: screenshot from reclaimamericaforchrist.org
