Paul Blair is pastor of the Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma; leader of Reclaiming America for Christ (RA4C); and former Chicago Bears offensive tackle. He recently spoke with The New American about RA4C’s call to pastors to stand up for righteousness following the Obergefell case. Obergefell v. Hodges is the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court opined that the fundamental right to “marry” is guaranteed to same-sex couples.

Blair explained America’s biblical heritage and the necessity for pastors to take the lead in persuading lawmakers that nullification is the rightful remedy, and in supporting them in that decision. Blair’s plan is to launch national resistance beginning in Oklahoma, with hopes that the Sooner State will serve as a model for other states, starting with its neighbors Kansas and Texas. Pastor Blair is already in discussions with lawmakers in those states.

The New American: What do you perceive to be the real problem in America that led to Obergefell and other unconstitutional decisions?

Paul Blair: America is not 320 million individuals ruled by five non-elected attorneys. We all know this, it’s just been too long since we put it into practice. We’re a union of sovereign states who delegated few and defined powers to the government now residing in the District of Columbia. Our Constitution begins with “We the People” not “They the Powerbrokers.”

The federal courts have a very limited scope of jurisdiction according to Article III of the U.S. Constitution. We need to remember that and encourage states to ignore federal court decisions that are outside the proper rule of law as defined in the Constitution.

The redefinition of marriage is a blatant, unlawful attack by the federal government on the states, the consent of the governed, and Christianity in general. This has done more to awaken the masses than any action since 1973. We (RA4C) are actively reaching out and joining hands with hundreds of pastors and legislators, along with tens of thousands of the good citizens across the State of Oklahoma. We’re reminding them of what the rules [Constitution and Declaration] actually say. And we’re honestly asking the question, “Why aren’t we following what the law says rather than what judges want it to say?” Other states need to be doing the same thing.

Everyone is familiar with the term “American exceptionalism,” but why was America, at one time, exceptional? First, recognize that America was never perfect and never will be. However, America was different and exceptional because of two fundamental truths laid out in our country’s birth certificate — the Declaration of Independence.

Fundamental Truth #1: God grants rights, not government. In fact, man has unalienable rights that include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Blackstone’s Commentaries defines it thus: the right to walk in God’s revealed will and thus find happiness). The purpose of civil government is to secure those rights, and if any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, the people have the right to alter it, abolish it, or throw it off — which they did with the tyranny of Great Britain in 1776.

Fundamental Truth #2: God establishes what truth is. Truth is not arbitrary or determined by a dictator or majority vote. Our Creator established right and wrong. Our Creator determined truth. Truth is “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” No human law should contradict God’s law.

For nearly 200 years, America was proud of its biblical worldview and Christian heritage. In 1962 and 1963, the Supreme Court illegally removed the Bible and prayer from public education — which it had no constitutional authority to do.

As a consequence, if there is no God, then “government” becomes the “god,” as it becomes the supreme authority. If there is no God, then there is no “law of God,” therefore no fixed truth. Truth “evolves” as people do. So we removed God and a biblical worldview as the foundation of American education and replaced Him with Marxism (“government is god”) and Darwinism (“truth evolves”).

The church should have risen up in 1963 and demanded the states reject these unlawful Supreme Court actions. However, we sat quietly and are now reaping the fruit of several generations raised on Marxist Darwinism.

TNA: What do you see to be the solution?

Blair: Christians need to be trained in how to live as Christians. The modern church doesn’t do a very good job of discipleship.

Obviously, there’s nothing more important that trusting Jesus Christ as Savior. But somehow we fail to recognize that when we accept His gift of salvation, we’re also surrendering our lives to His lordship. There’s a reason God doesn’t take us to heaven the moment we get saved. We’re called to bear witness as followers of Jesus and serve as His ambassadors.

The Barna Group [a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans] conducted a survey by actually testing professing Christians about their worldview. Only nine percent of those who identified as born-again believers actually had a biblical worldview. The majority were post-modernists. This shouldn’t be a surprise because we have removed God from our educational system in America, so are taught to depend on an all-powerful government rather than an all-powerful God.

Actually, every issue America faces is dealt with biblically and has been assigned to one of four realms of government: self-government, church government, family government, and civil government.

For example, it’s up to the individual to decide what size soda to buy, not the civil government. It’s up to the church to oversee charity. It’s up to the family to provide for loved ones and to oversee the education of the children. According to the Bible, the purpose of civil government is to punish evil and protect the good.

However, we’ve been taught to look to the all-powerful government to oversee everything from education to healthcare to welfare. Karl Marx would be proud; however, our Founding Fathers would be spinning in their graves.

TNA: How did you come to see Reclaiming America for Christ as part of the solution?

Blair: When Jesus becomes Lord of your life, that means more than just the Lord of Sunday mornings. As a follower of Christ, I should parent differently. I should be a better husband. I should be a better employee and a better employer. As a Christian, my business practices should reflect Christ. And as a Christian, I should be an outstanding citizen and maintain a biblical worldview when it comes to civil government.

As I travel the country speaking, I see three major problems in the average American church. First, the average church has abandoned the exclusivity of salvation by Christ alone (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). Second, as mentioned earlier, the average church fails in discipleship and establishing a biblical worldview in its members. Finally, the average church has abandoned the intellectuality of Christianity. We don’t have blind faith, but the truth. Unfortunately, most Christians today operate by feelings rather than facts.

Reclaiming America for Christ is an organization whose goal is to reintroduce biblical truths to all who attend and how to put those truths into practice in their lives. At our annual conference, we focus on teaching Christian apologetics and biblical worldview; plus, we reaffirm the truth of Christianity’s influence on our country’s founding and framing.

For example, in 1859, the historian John Pelfrey wrote in his work The History of New England, “The Puritan searched the Bible, not only for principles and rules, but for mandates — and, when he could find none of these, for analogies — to guide him in precise arrangements of public administration, and in the minutest points of individual conduct.”

America’s success has not been by accident, but by design. The laws and rights that we take for granted in America are largely unique to America. The reason we’re different was the devoted biblical worldview of our Founding Fathers, and the influence the Bible had over our political thought.

Recognizing the role of Christians in our country’s birth, we wish to awaken the body of Christ in hopes of returning to the moorings from which we’ve drifted. With our conferences and continuing education, we hope to educate, motivate, and activate the body of Christ.

TNA: Explain how pastors can be encouraged and mobilized.

Blair: The country is huge. It becomes so overwhelming that an individual can feel helpless. We encourage pastors to apply the “Nehemiah Strategy.” Nehemiah led rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in a miraculous 52 days. His successful strategy was for each family to focus on their own section of the wall.

We encourage pastors to focus on their own congregations (or, sections of the wall) and do three things: (1) Be faithful to preach the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to their congregations. (2) Make sure members are trained and able to share their faith in Christ with others. (3) Teach their congregations a complete biblical worldview. Make disciples!

Individual churches can transform neighborhoods. Working together, churches can transform a city. Together, transformed cities and communities can transform a state. The sovereign states have the ability to rein in an out-of-control federal government.

TNA: How can other states be encouraged, and brought alongside Oklahoma’s effort?

Blair: We’ve been trained to focus on Washington, D.C. We raise millions of dollars for organizations inside the beltway or “the party.” When is the last time Washington ever fixed anything? Washington is generally the cause of our problems, not the solution. In fact, Washington doesn’t think it’s broken, because those inside the beltway are doing quite well.

In 1787, the sovereign states designed a limited “general government” to handle the “general welfare” of those states working in union. The states delegated “few and defined” powers to this general government — such as negotiating treaties with foreign countries, establishing a navy, coining money, and creating a postal system. What took place inside the borders of the sovereign states was not the business of the general government. Nowhere did we the people of the United States delegate to Washington the authority to redefine marriage! Come to think of it, we didn’t delegate the authority to make us abort babies, control our education, mandate healthcare, or a lot of other things, either. Washington does not have unlimited power and they certainly don’t have the authority to determine the limits of their own power.

The hero of progressivism, Woodrow Wilson, wrote an article in 1887 published in the Political Science Quarterly. To summarize his strategy to transform America, he believed that what one generation would resist, but eventually accept, the next generation would accept because their parents did, then future generations would assume that it’s always been that way.

We’ve been trained to function as if the states were merely subsidiaries of the federal government and ruled by a supreme leader and a Supreme Court. We must recognize that we’re not ruled by men, but by the consent of the governed in accordance to the law.

People keep wanting to amend the Constitution. Why? Washington doesn’t follow the one we have now. Why do we think they’d follow a new amendment? Who’s going to make them obey it? Ultimately, the states have to say “no” when Washington tries to act outside the Constitution. We all point to the 10th Amendment without realizing that the 10th Amendment is not going to enforce itself! The states have incredible political power if only they have the will to use it.

I shake my head when I hear people say that nullification won’t work. They don’t seem to realize that there are some 150 cities that have already successfully nullified federal immigration law and declared themselves “sanctuary cities.” Four states, plus the District of Columbia, have nullified federal drug law and legalized recreational marijuana. In 2011, the Department of Justice nullified the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) stating it wasn’t constitutional, in their opinion — that was one federal agency nullifying the act of another agency! If so many are using nullification for bad things, why don’t we use it to save natural marriage and stop abortion?

Oklahoma lawfully amended its state Constitution in 2004 to incorporate God’s definition of marriage. There’s no place in the U.S. Constitution where we delegated to Washington the authority to redefine marriage in our state. In fact, according to the 10th Amendment (which is part of the U.S. Constitution) that authority clearly remains with us. Our governor, attorney general, and legislators have all sworn oaths to uphold the Constitutions of the State of Oklahoma and the United States. We call upon them to uphold their oaths of office and ignore the U.S. Supreme Court’s unlawful Obergefell opinion. In fact, we want Oklahoma to be a “sanctuary state” for marriage, life, and the Constitution.

TNA: What do you have to say to pastors who still refrain from discussing “politics” from the pulpit?

Blair: According to Genesis 9, Romans 13, 1 Timothy 2, and 1 Peter 2, the institution of civil government was God’s idea and His purpose for establishing it was to punish evildoers and protect those who do well, that we may live peaceably in all godliness. I call upon pastors to preach the whole counsel of God.

Every pastor recognizes that God had a will and design for the family and for the church. Even though we all know that children are to obey their parents and pastors are to lead their flocks, we understand the condition of that leadership being “in the Lord.” If a father becomes perverted and commands his children to do drugs or commit illicit acts, the children are not under the obligation of unlimited submission. Likewise, if a pastor decided to keep the church building fund for himself or began to teach heresy, the congregation is not under the obligation of “unlimited submission.”

Our Founding Fathers recognized that if a government becomes perverse and tyrannical, then the people had no obligation to submit unconditionally. In fact, Jefferson stated that if any government ceases to protect the unalienable God-given rights of man and instead becomes destructive and tyrannical, the people have the unalienable right to alter, abolish, and replace it.

As we saw in the Nuremburg trials, a person who doesn’t resist an evil action becomes complicit with the evil action. Therefore, our Founding Fathers believed that just as the Hebrew midwives did in Exodus 1, the three Hebrews in Daniel 3 and Peter and John in Acts 5, “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.”

TNA: What can you say to pastors who are truly looking for answers?

Blair: Call me! I’ll be glad to give counsel and share experiences. I also encourage you to visit our website at RA4C.org and watch our videos on worldview. We have lots of books and resources for you and your congregation.

TNA: Speak to the family in the pew — what can families do?

Blair: Start by educating your family, club, friends, Sunday School class, or small group. We have worldview training ranging from creation to civil government on our RA4C website. Make use of it.

I’m also a fan of “The Truth Project” produced by Focus on the Family several years ago. It’s a great introduction to begin looking at all the world from a biblical perspective.

If several upstanding families in a church respectfully approach their pastor, they can introduce him to these materials and encourage him. If your pastor refuses to engage, quit supporting a dead church with your attendance and money. Find a church that teaches all of the Bible and applies it to today’s living.

TNA: Does RA4C’s effort to nullify Obergefell reach across denominational lines?

Blair: Yes! We have pastors from at least eight to 10 different denominational backgrounds who’ve worked together for several years, and agree on three essential points. One, salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Two, the Bible is the holy, inerrant, plenary Word of God. Three, if we don’t experience another great awakening, our country is in deep trouble. I personally have great working relationships with many Orthodox Jews, as we share a Judeo-Christian worldview. However, every citizen who desires true liberty will enjoy the fruit of our labor.

The home is the basic building block of society. Procreation is the biological means of the continuation of humanity to future generations, and sociologists acknowledge that the ideal environment for children is to be raised in a loving home by the birth parents. While we wholeheartedly support adoption and support single moms and dads doing their best to raise their kids, and we pray for homes that are starting over after experiencing divorce or death, we should still strive for and promote that which is ideal — God’s design.

The Supreme Court’s ruling was wrong in many ways. First, the ruling itself was illegitimate as Justices Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were far from unbiased, having officiated same-sex unions in the past and even while they were considering the Obergefell case. Any justice who had respect for the law would have recused himself.

Second, the result itself was unconstitutional. There is no place in the U.S. Constitution where the states delegated to Washington the authority to redefine marriage. Two years ago, in the Windsor case, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion declaring DOMA unconstitutional because marriage was a states’ rights issue, and not under federal jurisdiction. This year in Obergefell, Kennedy reversed course and nullified the state constitutions claiming supremacy of the U.S. Constitution. That is pure hypocrisy. To add further insult to injury, he claimed that same-sex “marriage” was secured in the Fifth and 14th Amendments. However, that claim was ludicrous — when both amendments were ratified, homosexuality was illegal in all states.

Third, the decision violates the foundation upon which our country exists — the laws of nature and nature’s God. Alexander Hamilton was one of many Founders who clearly stated that no human law was of any validity if contrary to the law of God. No one is required to be a Christian to live in America; however, the freedoms available for all to enjoy in our country come from the biblical worldview held by the Founders and Framers.

Finally, the decision itself celebrates immoral conduct. According to the Bible, God created male and female — not the 56 (and growing) gender identities recognized by Facebook. By design, God created us as sexual beings and gave us the gift of intimacy to be held sacred within the union of marriage between a husband and wife (Hebrews 13:4). According to the Bible, there is natural sexuality and sexuality which goes “against nature” (Romans 1:26-27).

All people are created equal, but not all behavior is equal. If a person chooses to practice dangerous, immoral behavior in privacy, that’s his business, and he alone will be accountable both with consequential medical issues and before God. However, Obergefell is an attempt to force everyone to celebrate a behavior that violates conscience and the Holy Scriptures, and to force the acceptance of that behavior on our children through public education.

The Williams Institute at UCLA conducted a study in 2011 that concluded only 1.7 percent of the American population is homosexual. When 1.7 percent practice a certain behavior, it is not considered “the norm,” as 98.3 percent abstain. It is by definition an abnormal and perverse behavior.

As Christians, we are our brother’s keeper. It’s far more loving to speak the truth in hopes of saving someone’s life or soul rather than simply “tolerating” self-destruction.

TNA: How has The John Birch Society played a part in this?

Blair: JBS has faithfully stood in defense of our Constitution and teaching the true history of our country. In so doing, they’ve produced some wonderful materials. For example, we’ve included the 30-minute DVD Overview of America as part of our biblical worldview training package under the topic of “Civil Government” on the RA4C website. It is a must watch and the first lesson in that section of training.

I was most impressed with The New American when they did an article on me six years ago. I had stated a number in my interview, but was off by one percentage point. Before publishing the article, they fact-checked it and informed me of the correction that they were making. I was amazed at their dedication to being 100-percent factually accurate. From that experience, I have had great confidence in trusting the news they report.

Oklahoma hopes to be the first of many states that will join together and reject this unlawful opinion offered by the court, rein in Washington, and save our union under the Constitution. Legally we can. Morally we must. I invite everyone to visit our websites: www.protectlifeandmarriage.com and www.ra4c.org.

May God bless America, and may America be worthy of God’s blessings!!