WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 Subscribe to Intersect

In this week's Intersect, read about:

• Sweeping New Vaccine Mandates for 100 Million Americans
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom Beats Back GOP-led Recall
• Texas' Election Integrity Bill Is Now Law
• If We Desire a More Perfect Union, Then We Need to Read the Constitution

---

---

Sweeping New Vaccine Mandates for 100 Million Americans

“In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans — private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors — in an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant. Speaking at the White House, Biden sharply criticized the tens of millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives. ‘We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,’ he said, all but biting off his words. The unvaccinated minority ‘can cause a lot of damage, and they are.’ Republican leaders — and some union chiefs, too — said Biden was going too far in trying to muscle private companies and workers, a certain sign of legal challenges to come.” read more at the Associated Press

THINK.

When the decree of one man in the government can potentially impact the employment status of millions of workers in the private sector, we see why the Founding Fathers intended the federal government to have specific jurisdiction limited to the Constitution, leaving all other powers up to the states or the people (Tenth Amendment). Ilya Shapiro, Vice President of the Cato Institute, called Biden’s mandate “a Constitutional Triple Threat” to the separation of federal powers, the powers of the state governments, and the decisions of private businesses. A weekend survey of likely voters conducted by Convention of States Action and The Trafalgar Group revealed that “When it comes to constitutional authority, only 29.7% of Americans think Biden is allowed to mandate employee vaccination as he outlined last week, while 58.6% say POTUS has no authority to do so.” Newsweek notes that the 1905 Supreme Court decision upholding a vaccine mandate, which has been cited in defense of President Biden’s action, dealt with a state law--not a federal law, much less an executive order. The Court’s decision, which has never been reversed, included a key insight into the definition of individual liberty: “...liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States to every person within its jurisdiction does not import an absolute right in each person to be, at all times and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint.” The question is, what form of restraint on what actions and who has the authority to execute such restraint? Jason Yates, CEO of My Faith Votes, stated his alarm in a press release: “Directing regulators through executive order on health policies that affect the free labor force of America is totalitarianism at its worst...Government overreach has hit the tipping point. For decades, President Biden has been linking arms with far-left leaders who have zero concern about the 100% death rate of abortion, yet now show concern over a virus with a 99% life rate. President Biden has disregarded the Constitution and shaken our nation's foundation by stealing our freedoms out from under us." Several Republican governors have stated their intentions to file lawsuits against the mandate, as has the Republican National Committee. Yesterday, the state of Arizona became the first to file suit. AZ Attorney General Mark Brnovich accused Biden of overreaching, saying “Under our Constitution, the President is not a king who can exercise this sort of unbridled power unilaterally. And even George III wouldn’t have dreamed that he could enact such sweeping policies by royal decree alone.”

PRAY.

Pray, first of all, for our federal, state, and local governing authorities to recognize their proper authority and limitations. Pray that more citizens will learn, understand, and defend our Constitution, to protect our God-given rights and stem the tide of an overreaching government.

ACT.

Alliance Defending Freedom provides a Summary Guidance for Religious Accommodations and Exemptions from COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates and FAQs which you can download to help answer questions regarding your rights. It is located here.

---

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Beats Back GOP-led Recall

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday emphatically defeated a recall aimed at kicking him out of office early, a contest the Democrat framed as part of a national battle for his party’s values in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and continued threats from ‘Trumpism.’ Newsom bolted to a quick victory boosted by healthy turnout in the overwhelmingly Democratic state. He cast it as a win for science, women’s rights and other liberal issues, and it ensures the nation’s most populous state will remain in Democratic control as a laboratory for progressive policies. ‘”No” is not the only thing that was expressed tonight,’ Newsom said. ‘I want to focus on what we said “yes” to as a state: We said yes to science, we said yes to vaccines, we said yes to ending this pandemic.’ With an estimated two-thirds of ballots counted, ‘no’ on the question of whether to recall Newsom was ahead by a 30-point margin.” read more at the Associated Press

THINK.

As of press time, 63.9% voted “no”, with over 9.1 million votes counted. The recall was launched in June 2020 due to frustrations by many Californians over the governor’s restrictive response to the coronavirus. The effort was fueled by the state's COVID restrictions on businesses and houses of worship, school shutdowns and even opposition to the state's high taxes. Preliminary exit polls suggested the very issue that recall proponents had hoped would unseat Newsom — the pandemic — was the one that helped propel him to prevail in the recall. Not only did COVID-19 rank as the No. 1 issue on voters’ minds, ahead of homelessness, wildfires, crime and the economy, but just three in 10 California voters said Newsom’s pandemic policies were too strict. In 2018, the former San Francisco mayor was elected governor with 62 percent of the vote, the largest Democratic landslide in state history. Nearly three years later, 57 percent of Californians still approve of his performance in office, according to a recent CBS News poll. Democratic voters outnumber Republican voters statewide by nearly 2 to 1. Newsom now faces re-election in 2022. Regardless of who holds an office, God is still in control and looking for people to be faithful to His call in Matthew 28 which says, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

PRAY.

The function of government is to restrain evil and to protect and promote the good. Given this function, the Christian understands that government is ordained of God. Romans 13:3–7 and 1 Peter 2:13–14 provide the most thorough treatment of a government’s purpose. Although God has ordained government and its purposes, it does not have the solutions for all the problems and troubles in society. Those who govern are fallible people just like us, needing God’s wisdom just as much as we do. That is why those who serve the people need our prayers.

ACT.

Elections never stop. It remains that 4 out of 10 church members do not consistently vote, with numbers in state and local elections even lower. We at My Faith Votes are hosting our third annual "National Voter Registration Sunday," Sept. 26, an annual event for churches across the nation to encourage their congregations to engage civically and register to vote. It is a non-partisan effort that does not endorse any candidate or political party. Instead, National Voter Registration Sunday is about encouraging Christians to bring the solutions of their faith into the ballot box. We’ve created a toolkit with free resources to get your church involved and equipped here.

---

Texas' Election Integrity Bill Is Now Law

“Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed a comprehensive voting reform bill into law on Tuesday. ‘Senate Bill 1 will solidify trust and confidence in the outcome of our elections by making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.’... ‘Election integrity is now law in the state of Texas,’ Abbott said while signing the legislation into law on Tuesday. Democrat critics say that the bill elevates ‘voter suppression’ and harms voters of color. Texas Democrats in the state legislature recently fled the state in protest of debate and votes on the bill, but their stunt was unsuccessful. The bill ramps up voter identification requirements for in-person and mail-in voting, bans unsolicited mail-in ballots from being sent out, implements more voter roll oversight, and empowers poll watchers, among other provisions.” read more at Townhall

THINK.

Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, wrote a summary of many important aspects of SB1. Some of the law’s provisions include extending early voting hours, verifying that a person who applies for a voter registration card is a U.S. citizen, penalizing a registrar who fails to follow the law, installing surveillance cameras in rooms where votes are counted in large counties, enabling poll watchers to do their job without hindrance, and, for the first time, giving absentee voters a chance to correct errors on their ballot. It also requires absentee voters to verify their identity through the number on their driver’s license, free election ID card, or Social Security number. Keep in mind that 4 in 5 Americans support voter ID laws. However, the liberal organization Brennan Center for Justice and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund have filed a lawsuit against Governor Abbott challenging SB1, the election integrity law. The plaintiffs they are representing include a Baptist church--affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention--and Texas Impact, an interfaith organization that advocates for social justice. The lawsuit alleges that, among other things, SB1 infringes on the voting rights of minorities and people with disabilities. A candid analysis of the law, however, makes it apparent that the provisions do not hinder voting, but apply necessary safeguards against political operatives who take advantage of voters under the guise of “assistance”. With so much misinformation about election integrity laws, we need to seek and speak the truth. Remember that the purpose of election integrity is ultimately for the voters, not just the political candidates. Our vote is our voice in a representative government. If our vote is neutralized due to fraud, we essentially lose our voice. Therefore, as we have said all along, we must support laws that both protect against fraud while ensuring the opportunity for every eligible voter to vote. We can do both.

PRAY.

Pray for the electoral process to be fair, impartial, and free of manipulation. God established government and delegates this authority to mankind to accomplish His will on earth. As Scripture says, “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28).

ACT.

The latest attempt by Congress on "election reform" is dangerous legislation called “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.” The House version (H.R.4) that passed 219-212 would give the Department of Justice nearly limitless power to veto new election integrity laws in every single state. Visit Election Integrity Now to urge your Senator to vote against this legislation. You will also learn how to further protect election integrity (and our freedom) in your community and state.

---

If We Desire a More Perfect Union, Then We Need to Read the Constitution

“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.” read more by Mike Huckabee at My Faith Votes

THINK.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” These are the beginning words to our Constitution. For most people that word brings to mind the image of an old, fragile piece of parchment. But what does “constitution” really mean? “Constitution” can simply refer to the makeup or composition of something, how it’s put together. But it also means the most foundational, most indispensable ideas at the heart of how a people agrees to govern itself. Individual freedom, its pursuit and protection, has defined the American experiment. Our country fought for its independence from Britain because its citizens felt their freedoms were being squashed. Once we had secured independence, though, the Founding Fathers faced a put-up-or-shut-up moment: Could the ideals that roused a people to fight a bloody revolution equally rouse them to peacefully govern themselves? After all, fighting nobly for one’s beliefs is relatively easy — living those beliefs consistently is easier said than done. America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, collapsed after less than a decade on the books. The Articles left the central federal government too weak to enforce laws or nationwide standards. Individual states conducted inconsistent foreign policy. The most basic functions of government like trade, taxes, and legislating were arduous or impossible. Many were concerned the American experiment was about to fail. So, America’s early leaders had to try again. This time, they struck genius: the Constitution of the United States, the most remarkable governing document in history. As President Reagan said in his farewell address to the nation, “Almost all the worlds' constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which We the People tell the government what it is allowed to do. We the People are free.”

PRAY.

Did you know there was a prayer that saved the Constitution? Our friend, Pastor Robert Morgan, writes about that interesting part of our American history here. “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.” Psalm 127:1

ACT.

There is tremendous importance in participating in the process of government especially as people of faith. Part of that process is to understand and appreciate America’s government — not the politics of it but the composition of it. There are so many groundbreaking concepts enshrined in the U.S Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As we approach Constitution Day on Friday, take a few moments to read those documents and be grateful for a country that preserves freedom.

---

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.

Website | www.myfaithvotes.org Twitter | @MyFaithVotes Facebook | My Faith Votes

---

React

---

Comments