Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe Once the Supreme Court has ruled, that’s it. Case closed. Right? Not necessarily. Last week (10/8/15) a group of scholars issued a “Statement Calling For Constitutional Resistance To Obergefell V. Hodges” in reference to the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision. The statement begins: “We are scholars and informed citizens deeply […]
Author Archive | Jerry Newcombe
The Christian and Civil Disobedience
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe Recent events have called into question the issue of obeying the government in all ways—even in all circumstances. In the 13th chapter of Romans, Paul says that God has given us the government as a minister of righteousness. It is our duty to obey it. But we also see in […]
Is Work a Curse or a Gift?
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe As another Labor Day approaches, how are we doing when it comes to work? Millions of Americans are perpetually unemployed. Writing for Pew Reports (11/14/14), Drew DeSilver notes, “…more than 92 million Americans —37% of the civilian population aged 16 and over—are neither employed nor unemployed, but fall in the […]
Seven Questions for Abortion Supporters in Light of the Planned Parenthood Scandal
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe Unless you’ve been in a cave the last few days or you only get your news from the mainstream media, I am sure you are well aware of the Planned Parenthood scandal exposed by a secret videotape. Over dinner and a glass of wine, a Planned Parenthood doctor casually explains […]
So Much for the Constitution
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe In 1819, Jefferson spoke out against judicial activism, saying: “The Constitution is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” Recently we have seen judicial activism on steroids at the Supreme Court. That is especially true […]
What Good Is the Right of Free Speech if You Can’t Exercise It?
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe By now, gallons of ink have been spilled on the recent meeting (over the May 2-3 weekend) in the Dallas area where the contest was held on who could draw the best picture of Mohammed. Anti-jihadist blogger Pamela Geller of New York organized the contest. Two American jihadists drove hundreds […]
The Advent of Controversy
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe Another Christmas season begins. Get ready to read the headlines of the new lawsuits by the “civil libertarians” ready to throw the baby-in-the-manger out with the bathwater. I remember years ago when somebody called the Christmas season, “The Advent of Controversy.” Why is Christmas such a big deal? Let’s put […]
God and the Constitution
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe Some skeptics today like to argue that the founding fathers purposefully left God out of the Constitution. They say that a “Godless Constitution” was the intended design of the document—and they’re wrong. First of all, the authors of the Constitution not only mention God, they even mention that Jesus is […]
Maria Von Trapp, RIP
Guest Essay by Jerry Newcombe Earlier this year, an event happened that did not receive wide notice. The last of the Von Trapp Family Singers, the last of the children—the real ones—died. Her name was Maria—not to be confused with the lady played by Julie Andrews, Maria Augusta Trapp, who died in 1987. Maria Von […]
A Christian Response to Ferguson
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe When will the rioting in Ferguson, MO stop? There has been much mayhem—including the police using tear gas—and much looting in the St. Louis suburb. The media covers this story heavily. Some estimate there may be as many media members as there are protesters. All of this follows the shooting […]
America’s 225th Birthday
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe 225 years ago (April 30, 1789), George Washington, the first president under the Constitution, was sworn in with his hand on a gigantic open Bible. He leaned over and kissed the book. Many today say he was not really a Christian. But what does the evidence show? And why does […]
What Really Ended American Slavery
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe Au Contraire, Jim DeMint Does Know His US History… Recently, I interviewed Jim DeMint for my radio show to discuss his new book, Falling In Love With America Again. Some remarks he made on the show, especially about slavery, have been burning up the blogosphere. Many of the articles imply […]
He is Risen, Indeed!
Guest essay by Jerry Newcombe In the early Church, when one Christian would greet another, often he would say: “He is risen.” And the other would respond, “He is risen indeed!” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest fact in human history. Yet throughout the centuries to our present time, skeptics have argued against […]
The Non-Jesus Religion
Guest Essay by Jerry Newcombe The Supreme Court has heard arguments this week about whether prayers at government meetings, for example, a town council, can include the name of Jesus. The case is Galloway v. City of Greece (which is a suburb of Rochester, NY), and it will likely be decided in the summer (or […]
“And I Won’t Forget the Men Who Died”
By Jerry Newcombe On November 21, 1864, President Lincoln wrote to a Mrs. Bixby of Massachusetts, who had lost five sons in the Civil War. He wrote her, “I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But […]