Stonewall Was Right

David Alan Black

In a remarkable scene in the movie “Gods and Generals,” Confederate General Stonewall Jackson reminds us of the importance of courage in the face of tremendous odds. “Duty is ours; consequences are God’s,” he says. And he is right.

That’s why I am still committed to doing what I can to promote the restoration of a constitutional republic – a republic founded on the ideals of the United States Constitution and rooted in biblical law. Millions of Americans have died to protect and preserve these ideals – which include the right of every citizen to demand that our government respect and defend the Constitution.

Today in America we have become what our Founders feared most – a government-controlled society. When asked after the Constitutional Convention what type of government America was to have, Benjamin Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” We have not kept it.

Ideas have consequences, wrote Richard Weaver. And what are the ideas prevalent among our politicians? Our current leaders in Washington are intent, it seems to me, on selling out the American Constitution and its republican form of government. In fact, it can be argued that the sellout has already taken place. The result is an ever-expanding federal bureaucracy, and the ultimate result will be the loss of the individual rights of every single American. It is obvious that neither of the major political parties intends to return America to the principles of self-government. Even many so-called conservative politicians pay less attention to the Constitution than you and I do to our junk mail. Even more tragically, there is little evidence that America can or even desires to be saved from the fate that awaits her. A major collision between the true church of Jesus Christ and the secular, anti-Christian state seems inevitable.

The role of lawful government is not open to question or debate. This is clear to anyone who will take the time to read our historical documents. They will see that the role of government is to defend the Constitution and to oppose any and all enactments that violate the supreme law of the land. This explains why so many of us who believe in limited constitutional government have questioned the legitimacy of an Iraqi invasion. Our opposition is not based on a belief in theological pacifism but on our conviction that the only constitutional basis of foreign policy is to serve the interests of the United States, not to police the world. Constitutionally, American troops cannot participate in foreign wars unless U.S. national security is clearly at stake and the constitutional war-granting powers of the Congress are respected.

What, then, is our duty as Christian citizens in the face of this abrogation of power?

1. First and foremost, we need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Where necessary, we need to repent of any known sins in our lives, for God will not bless the cause of the proud and haughty.
2. Second, we need to pray for our leaders as the Bible commands.
3. Third, we need to hold our leaders strictly accountable to the Constitution they swore to uphold. If they forsake faithfulness to this oath, then we must decide not to vote for them again – be they “compassionate conservatives,” “Republicans,” “Christians,” or whatever they may call themselves.
4. Finally, we need to get personally involved in the fight for freedom. We must let our voice be heard on taxation, abortion, cloning, federal gun laws – and why it is important that America returns to a limited constitutional government. We must remind our elected officials that when government steals from one citizen to pay for the “needs” of another, such theft is not only unconstitutional but immoral. We must remind them that big government is always bad government. And we must let them know that we will not tolerate the denial of our freedoms in the name of “security.”

General Jackson was right – it’s all about personal responsibility. I fervently pray that all Christians, especially our pastors and other church leaders, will have the courage to “do their duty,” as Stonewall said. If we do so, we can leave the consequences with God. If we don’t, then the demise of our nation will fall squarely on our own shoulders.

January 21, 2006

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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