Pastor's Corner

23 Sep
Screen Shot 2020 09 23 at 8.42.42 PM

Mid-Week Challenge

I spent a few moments this morning watching the ceremony for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as her casket was being placed at the Supreme Court building.  Later she will become the first woman in history to lie in state at the US Capitol. No one can deny the influence of Justice Ginsburg on our judicial system and culture.  How many people do you know that can be recognized by only their initials?  I have always respected her accomplishments, but I had never taken the time to learn more about Justice Ginsburg until after his passing this past Friday.  Over the past few days I have been reading articles on her, her impact and the life she lived before her appointment to the High Court.  I knew that there was not a lot politically we agreed on, but I was surprised to discover that I agreed with a lot of things she had to say early on in her life.  

I ran across an article by Jim Denison where he mentions something she said at the age of 13.  Published in the bulletin of her local Jewish Center, she writes “There can be a happy world and there will be once again, when men create a strong bond towards one another, a bond unbreakable by a studied prejudice or a passing circumstance. Then and only then shall we have a world built on the foundation of the Fatherhood of God and whose structure is the Brotherhood of Man.” https://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/denison-forum/the-privilege-of-declaring-and-defending-biblical-truth.html 

She did not have an ideal early life.  When she was fourteen months old, her older sister died of meningitis at the age of six. When she was in high school her mother died of cancer at 48.  She was one of only nine women in her class at Harvard Law School, with over 500 graduating.  Her accomplishments after graduation are too numerous to mention.  She was well respected by her more conservative peers on the Court.  She is indeed worthy of all the recognition this country will give to her in the days to come.  With all I have learned about her in the past few days I can’t help but come away respectfully thinking what a different country this could be if she would have maintained the thoughts she had at 13. She is marked as a “a crucial defender of abortion rights.” https://prochoice.org/naf-mourns-death-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg/ And perhaps the greatest disagreement I have with her approach to the law and life is said best by her good friend and colleague Justice Antonin Scalia.  In an NPR interview in 2015 he said, "what's not to like — except her views on the law."  Justice Ginsburg viewed the law as changing with the culture, it evolved over time.  Justice Scalia correctly pointed out that this view caused radical changes in the moment that have unintended side effects in the future.  https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/02/13/386085342/justice-ginsberg-admits-to-being-tipsy-during-state-of-the-union-nap

I know that change is part of life, but things that are true cannot change. Our opinions can change but that does not change what is true.  The Founders recognized that change would come and we would need a group of leaders that hold us accountable to the truth so that when culture threatened, the truth would stand.  Given the time we live in today, I guess Pilate asked it best, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)  It’s too bad that personal politics have been allowed to permeate every office in the land and public pressure can now sway judicial outcomes to such a degree.  For the Christian, we must be reminded that our Foundation is God. Jesus said that everyone who listens to His voice belongs to the truth.  What voice are you listening to today?  Where do you discover truth? That’s your foundation.  Does it hold true, or is it constantly changing?  This could explain a lot of what’s going on in your life right now.   

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. Malachi 3:6

Serving the Savior,

Bro. Jonathan

By: Dr. Jonathan Richerson

Comments (0)

    No one has commented on this page yet.

Leave a Comment

You cannot post comments until you have logged in. Login Here.