If we desire a more perfect union, then we need to read the Constitution -Mike Huckabee

There are what I call “three C’s” that have made America great: Christianity, capitalism, and the Constitution. These are the three pillars upon which our nation was founded and on which it stands today. Remove any one of these three and America will likely collapse.

A critical part of what sets America apart from its contemporaries is the incredibly unique document that broadly defines our laws and our rights: the Constitution. As we observe Constitution Day on Friday, Sept. 17, now is a timely opportunity to reflect on the document that has governed our nation since its inception.

The Constitution is not divinely inspired in the manner of the Bible, which is God-breathed, inerrant, and infallible. But our Constitution’s sheer brilliance as our government’s founding document reveals God’s blessing upon it.

A stunningly powerful part of the genius of our Constitution is that it can be changed. Our Founding Fathers recognized their imperfections, and they didn't claim to have created a perfect union, but rather a government striving toward “a more perfect union.” They empowered future generations to expand and codify into law liberties unforeseen in 1789.

But they also constructed boundaries around the Constitution that prevented detrimental change due to rash decisions or shifting cultural winds that may not fully represent who we are as a nation.

Our Constitution, especially the first ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights, does not in any instance empower the government and restrict the liberty of citizens. In every case, power is considered an inherent asset of the people, not the politicians. The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to explicitly enumerate the rights that were solely the property of the people and then to limit the government in its power.

What has made America great is this document that restricts the government and empowers the citizens. The Constitution does not give you a set of “do's and don'ts.” Instead, it acts as a boundary for the government.

The government cannot keep you from practicing or abstaining from religion as you see fit. And despite what the governors of California, Michigan, Virginia, or New York say, the government cannot restrict you from meeting, worshiping, or even singing.

The government cannot restrict freedom of speech, even if what you say is offensive or outrageous.

The government cannot prohibit you from owning weapons to protect yourself, your family, or your property.

The government cannot take away your private property unless they need it for a public purpose, and then they have to pay you for it.

The government cannot send police into your home just to look around without probable cause because they are required to have a search warrant signed by a judge.

The government cannot deprive you of life or liberty without due process, which ought to stop abortion in its tracks if politicians will only express the courage to believe in the personhood of every individual.

And the federal government must leave decisions to the state government unless otherwise expressly written in the Constitution. That fact should end a lot of what Washington does because the Constitution simply does not give Congress that much power: the Constitution grants that power to us, the citizens.

What does this mean for the votes we cast? The Constitution grants the states the power to set voting requirements. But Democrats in Congress are working hard to strip us of that power by enacting dangerous legislation called “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act” (H.R. 4). This legislation provides bureaucrats in the Department of Justice (DOJ) with nearly limitless power through preclearance to veto new election laws in every state.

As a concerned citizen and as the Honorary Chairman of My Faith Votes, an organization that equips and motivates millions of Christians to vote in every election, I see that type of election “reform” as a threat to the very foundation of our Constitutional republic.

The title deed to our freedom is in this extraordinary document called the Constitution. In our current political climate, I am confident that many of our judges and members of Congress have not even read the contents of that deed.

But that's no excuse for us.

So as we commemorate Constitution Day, I encourage you to read through this incredible document. Let it motivate you to be an engaged and informed citizen. And may it remind you of your love for the country upon which it was built.

For more commentary from Mike Huckabee please visit MikeHuckabee.com

This article is also featured in Newsweek.

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My Faith Votes— is a ministry that motivates, equips, and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. An estimated 25 million Christians who are registered to vote, fail to vote in presidential elections. My Faith Votes is on a mission to change this statistic by helping Christians act on their faith and vote in every election. When we pray unceasingly for our nation, think biblically about the issues, and vote consistently in every election the impact of Christians taking action from the local to the state and federal level will be unprecedented.

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