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Sep–Oct 2013 September/October 2013 • $3.95 FrontLine BRINGING THE TRUTH HOME Should We Legislate Morality? Joel Arnold An Urgent Matter Jonathan Threlfall What Can We Do? Keith Hamblen September/October 2013 | VOLUME 23 | NUMBER 5 Religious Liberty 10 18 8 FEATURES Should We Legislate Morality? Because It Is October—Breast 3 Joel Arnold 22 Cancer Awareness Month Do we try to legislate morality, or do we Marci Baker accept people’s choices as they are? A Calling Is the Best Career Facing Religious Persecution in a 27 Roy A. Barnes 8 Free Country Jason Armstrong DEPARTMENTS Why must citizens of a free country have to fight for a right that their country’s In Loving Memory Constitution guarantees? 5 On the Home Front An Urgent Matter 20 10 Jonathan Threlfall Wit & Wisdom Our gravest danger is that we either discard 25 David Atkinson our beliefs or swap our mission. 26 Alaska Regional Fellowship Prospects for Religious Liberty in the Earl Barnett United States 12 At a Glance David Shumate 28 Learning from a Converted Lesbian Questions we are (or ought to be) asking Layton Talbert A Voice Long Silent Speaks for Today Newsworthy 17 Brian Collins 31 Robert Condict The original idea of separation of church and state was to bar the state from meddling in Deployment the church, not the converse. 36 Michael D. Sproul What Can We Do? Getting Back to the Basics, 18 Keith Hamblen 38 Part 1 As believers feel increasingly marginalized Jerry Sivnksty in our secular culture, it’s tempting to simply withdraw. We would like to thank Dr. Joel Arnold for coordinating this issue. 2 Joel Arnold Should We Legislate Morality? That’s because legal mandates exist not For years I have been only to protect us from each other but perplexed when it comes also from ourselves. Sin is so ravaging, to religious liberty. Should gay so potent, so awful, that human societies would tear themselves apart were it not marriage be illegal? Definitely. What about for God’s goodness and grace. He lov- adultery? Not so sure. No question in my ingly instituted rulers as “God’s minis- mind that heroin should be illegal. But ters” (Rom. 13:3–6) in order to help fallen should we outlaw alcohol too? humanity survive on this sin-ridden planet. One over-worn stock phrase is that “you And even the fact that we institute these can’t legislate morality.” And in fact, histo- laws manifests the common grace of God. ry demonstrates that people won’t become Disparate societies all over the world dis- more obedient to God’s Word just because play God’s image by establishing moral disobedience is illegal. So do we try to laws to restrain their sin-natures from run- legislate morality, or do we accept people’s ning out of control. This is God’s morality, choices as they are? manifest in our consciences, enshrined in Laws Are Inherently Moral legal mandates, and testifying to His wis- dom and grace. But we also foolishly resist. All legislation is fundamentally moral. In fact, the only way to really avoid leg- Laws Are a Moral Indicator for islating morality is not to legislate. Even Society if the moral basis is unstated, every legal Legislation always reflects moral val- mandate must contain underlying ethical ues, but not all legislation reflects God’s judgments. This is fairly obvious with laws values. This is yet another reason that “not against murder or theft—these actions legislating morality” is utterly vacuous— wouldn’t be illegal unless killing people or both legal constraint and legal inaction are taking their property was wrong. Nor can moral judgments. Make abortions illegal I do whatever I want as long as it doesn’t and you’ve asserted that killing infants is hurt other people. Even if a group decided wrong. Make them available and you’ve to privately harm themselves or commit asserted that it’s okay. suicide, it would still be wrong, and in And many societies have done just that. most societies it is rightfully illegal. Continued on page 6 Visit us on the Web at www.fbfi.org 3 4 eaders of FrontLine are life lessons. From that time on Brenda and I would write InRno doubtLoving familiar with Memory back and forth. When our family would come through the ministry and recent Greenville, she would make it a point to try to see us if her tragedy in the lives of FBFI health would allow. We would exchange prayer requests, Board Vice Chairman Dr. heartaches, praises, and joys through our long-distance Chuck Phelps and his dear friendship. She once told me how she always wanted wife, Linda. We want to to visit Spain and enjoyed looking through my pictures. make sure that our readers While she was never able to visit in person, she was here have the opportunity to see Chad and Courtney Phelps with me in my prayers and thoughts. She was my Titus 2 the following words from mentor, and I thank the Lord for her. the Phelpses that were posted very soon after the bus crash Ester Johnson, Rota, Spain in Indianapolis that impacted so many families. Please join us in continued prayer support of the Phelps family and John and Brenda came to speak at our church one the Colonial Hills Baptist Church as their powerful testi- Sunday, probably around 2001 or 2002, and we had the monies continue to shine forth to the glory of God. pleasure of inviting them to our home for lunch rather Linda and I have not been able to answer all of the calls, unexpectedly. [We] had a wonderful time around the e-mails, text-messages, and postings that have been table sharing, laughing, and joking along with our pastor, sent our way. We do, however, want you to know that Kyle Paisley. We then had to drive them forty-five miles to we thank every single one that has reached out. Most the train station so they could catch their train to London importantly, we thank God for your prayers. They are to meet their next engagement, but with little time to make sustaining us in ways inexplicable and undeniable. it, I drove them as fast as I could, . and dashed onto the There are those who will say, “They were so station, just as the guard was blowing his whistle. We young; they had such potential.” It’s true. But yanked open the train door, pushed them on, shouted Chad and Courtney lived the truth of Philippians goodbye, and the train pulled out . phew! We have 1:20—“According to my earnest expectation and my laughed with John and Brenda about that journey since hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that as it will always stay in our memories. Brenda was such with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall a sweet lady and remains close to us in our hearts for the be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by friendship she showed my wife, Julie, and me. death.” We are already discovering that God is being Nigel, Julie, and Abigail Tompsett magnified in amazing ways through their deaths and Lowestoft, England so we are comforted that the prayers of our sweet chil- dren are being answered in ways that we could have Pastor and Mrs. Vaughn came to Japan in 2004 and we never known and would never have chosen—but now were privileged to have them to the church I just started to would never change. pastor. On the way back to where they stayed, we stopped . near Tokyo Bay, called Odaiba. They looked very happy, walking hand in hand. I am sure she was very tired after a long trip, but she was willing to ride two hours renda Vaughn, wife of FBFI President with us one way. It was such an encouragement BDr. John Vaughn, was a dear and per- to have both Pastor and Mrs. Vaughn in Japan. sonal friend to so many. She “never knew a Yoichi Izu, Japan stranger” and was loved by people all over the world as evidenced by the response from I have many precious memories, but proba- thousands after hearing of her homegoing bly the most special one was two about months on September 2, 2013. Below is just a sam- before the fire, they were visiting our home in pling of stories people shared with the fam- Myrtle Beach, and she said that she was willing ily in loving memory of our friend, Brenda. for God to do whatever He had to in order for Malinda Duvall, Managing Editor her to be used of Him. We loved to hear her sing that song “To Be Used of God.” We had no I had the privilege of getting to know idea what God had in mind. Brenda during a small Sunday school class Linda Harper, North Carolina our church had for pastors’ wives and wives of husbands going into the ministry. It ended up only being five of us In April of 1991 the Lord called my husband into the in the class. I remember sitting in the office we met in, feel- military chaplaincy. The Vaughns came to Pensacola ing I had plopped down into the middle of the Heroes of to the church we were attending for special services. It Faith for my generation. During those few short weeks I sat at the feet of my new mentors and gleaned important Continued on page 34 FrontLine • September/October 2013 5 Should We Legislate Morality? But these distortions of truth, justice, and equity are an (Continued from page 3) ongoing reminder that the present world is broken.
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