Invoking the Guidance of ...
In his current column, Marvin Olasky cites language from several state constitutions, including Oklahoma's: "Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty ..."
"Notice how often the state constitution writers link God and liberty," Olasky observes. "They did not equate expressions of biblical faith with graspings for theocracy. They knew that an understanding that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory leads to a separation-of-powers system of checks and balances, the opposite of a dictatorship.
"They also knew that if we stopped invoking God's guidance we would look to our own wisdom or to that of a Supreme Court grasping for supremacy, and we'd be in trouble -— as we now are."
"Notice how often the state constitution writers link God and liberty," Olasky observes. "They did not equate expressions of biblical faith with graspings for theocracy. They knew that an understanding that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory leads to a separation-of-powers system of checks and balances, the opposite of a dictatorship.
"They also knew that if we stopped invoking God's guidance we would look to our own wisdom or to that of a Supreme Court grasping for supremacy, and we'd be in trouble -— as we now are."
