We enjoyed having Matt Clark with the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty join us in the studio to discuss spiritual and legal issues. The Alabama Center for Law and Liberty is the litigation arm of the Alabama Policy Institute. Matt Clark and his team apply Biblical principles to the legal arena, helping people fight injustices and reclaim their spiritual liberties.
Why are our religious liberties being threatened?
America’s constitution was based on the idea that there is a higher law (God’s) above manmade laws. The constitution was supposed to be read through this spiritual lens, but in recent years, that hasn’t been the case and many religious liberties have come under fire because of it. Simple misunderstandings have become the basis for entire policy changes. For example, many people have taken Thomas Jefferson’s phrase “wall of separation of church and state” (which isn’t even in the Constitution) out of context and slapped it onto anything spiritual happening in a public arena. This has led to all sorts of cutting of activities and censorship. Things as harmless as nativity scenes at the mall or prayer before football games have been challenged by anti-Christian groups.
How have people strayed so far from a Biblical perspective?
“People come up with some crazy ideas just to try to make themselves feel better… They want to live the way they want to live and not be held accountable for it one day.”
-Greg Davis
Matt Clark asserts the trajectory we see our country on today is directly linked to a disconnect from Scripture and a denial of the authority of God. Because of sin, our minds and our ability to reason are flawed, Matt explains. He quotes Romans 1:28, “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.” The Bible answers the questions we have about the world and how we should live, but we as a society have pushed that wisdom away. When we deny our Creator and His laws like this, we’re bound to skew the laws (which were loosely founded on Biblical principles) of our country too.
In what ways did our freedoms come under attack during the pandemic?
We can blame our loss of freedoms during the pandemic on a misinterpretation of laws, lack of accountability, lack of common sense, and just general power-hungriness. Matt says despite the checks and balances that should have been in place, decisions were often being made by one person, which directly opposes how our country was intended to be run.
The result? Small businesses had to follow rules that hurt them more than larger businesses. Inconsistencies abounded, such as the case of a small, family-oriented putt-putt joint losing business while wealthy golf courses continued to operate. Additionally, churches were put in tough positions and had a hard time saying “no” to the demands of the government. They had to jump through hoop after hoop in order to continue ministering to their congregations because they were deemed unessential while higher-ups declared Home Depot essential. We saw birthday and wedding guest lists limited only to see hundreds of people browsing Walmart at the same time. These types of inconsistencies and injustices are what Matt Clark and the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty specialize in.