Alliance for Justice: Goliath and the Son of David

Several evenings ago I took a long journey through the internet looking for a document which I did not find. I had gone from the Facebook page of the Presbyterian Advocacy Committee for Women' Concerns to one of their 'like' pages, the web site of Religious Institute. There I saw this, “We loved this speech from Religious Institute friend Robert Pennoyer, Esq. on religious liberty and reproductive justice www.afj.org/formatted-pennoyer-remarks.pdf We cannot "surrender liberty to the male dominated religions obsessed with doctrines from the middle ages."

I was curious, I wondered what else Robert Pennoyer had said about orthodox Christianity. But the link did not work. And when I used a search engine I still did not find it. As I stated, I never found it, but I did find something that is troubling, something that stands in the valley shouting at the people of God, just as the biblical giant Goliath did.

I went to the organization that had evidently posted the original document, that is Alliance for Justice, an advocacy group made up of more than 100 organizations. AFJ's main focus is maintaining progressive minded justices within the United States judicial system including the Supreme Court. And it was their focus on the courts combined with the purposes of many of the 100 organizations that I found disturbing.

Yes, Planned Parenthood is among the organizations as is the Center for Reproductive Rights, there are several other abortion advocate organizations included. Another organization Center for Inquiry is an organization focused on atheism although that word is not used. This is their purpose statement as found on the AFJ site:

The purpose of the 501(c)(3) Center for Inquiry is to promote and defend reason, science, and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor. The organization encourages evidence-based inquiry into science, pseudoscience, medicine and health, religion, ethics, and secularism through education, research, publishing, and social services. The Center is also interested in providing rational ethical alternatives to the reigning paranormal and religious systems of belief, and in developing communities where like-minded individuals can meet and share experiences.

Compassion & Choices is a right to die organization. Their several focuses include, helping “clients with advance directives, local service referrals, and pain and symptom management” and offering “information on self-determined dying when appropriate ...” The organization helps fight court cases that are about the right to die and even about not calling assisted death suicide.

Another organization, Drug Policy Alliance not only advocates for legal use of marijuana it has some rather heinous views about the addictiveness and affects of cocaine and crack. And of course there are several LGBTQ organizations including, Human Rights Campaign Foundation, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. 

There are also some helpful organizations among this mix of progressives, but the overload of those seeking to shape society into what might be equated with the culture of the ancient Roman Empire is stunning. One abstractly realizes the connection that exists between the culture of death and the culture of immorality, and yet seeing them together under the umbrella of one organization whose main desire is to move the Supreme Court toward a more progressive court is understanding concretely the possible future of orthodox Christians in the United States.

And yet, Goliath, fell before David with his slingshot and the Lord God of Israel. And David was promised that his Son would sit upon an everlasting throne and rule forever:

The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Samuel 7:11b-13)

Yes, the messiah, Jesus, God with us, went through suffering that we might possess abundant and eternal life, and we too are called to suffering. But the eternal reign of Christ is forever and our position, portion and callings are with Jesus Christ, Lord of the church.

Picture by Stephen Larson