{"id":111,"date":"2009-01-14T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2009-01-14T09:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/01\/differences-common-ground.html"},"modified":"2009-01-14T09:00:42","modified_gmt":"2009-01-14T09:00:42","slug":"differences-common-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/01\/differences-common-ground.html","title":{"rendered":"Differences & Common Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barry, as you know, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney attracted a wide variety of supporters in his run for the Republican Presidential nomination.  And, as you correctly point out, I supported Governor Romney in my individual capacity.  I believe that his domestic and foreign policy views, along with his proven track record of success in the private sector, would have served this nation well – especially during these challenging economic times.  <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

I do not believe his Mormon faith played a major role in his candidacy.  And that’s the way it should be.  As you know, Barry, the Founding Fathers went to great lengths to ensure that there’s no religious litmus test when it comes to presidential candidates. Article VI, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution is very clear:   <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Focus on the Family is a private organization.  It’s decision to post or not to post an interview with Glenn Beck is its editorial decision.  Yes, there are obviously differences between the Evangelical theology and Mormon theology.  But I do not know what was behind the decision to remove the interview from the website.  <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Even with those theological differences, though, there’s plenty of examples of Evangelicals and Mormons working together for a common cause.  You don’t have to look any further than November’s vote in California – where a diverse group of Californians – including Evangelicals and Mormons – approved Proposition 8 – a validly enacted amendment that upholds the historical definition that marriage is an institution between one man, one woman.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

The California measure, as we discussed in the past<\/a><\/font>, is now before the California Supreme Court.  We’re filing a brief this week asking the state’s high court to uphold the amendment to the California constitution.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Our brief contends that Proposition 8 “does not create far reaching, sweeping, or profound changes in the state’s constitutional scheme.”  “Rather,” the brief asserts, “it merely confirms the historically recognized scope of a single right recognized in the California Constitution – the right to marry – as encompassing only those unions ‘between a man and a woman'” . . .  <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

The fact is that Prop. 8 supporters have been singled out and harassed by those who opposed the marriage amendment.  People of faith –  Evangelicals and Mormons alike – targeted for simply exercising their democratic rights.  <\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barry, as you know, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney attracted a wide variety of supporters in his run for the Republican Presidential nomination.  And, as you correctly point out, I supported Governor Romney in my individual capacity.  I believe that his domestic and foreign policy views, along with his proven track record of success in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-courts","category-religious-freedom"],"yoast_head":"\nDifferences & Common Ground - Lynn v. 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Jay Sekulow has also served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.  As a member of the faculty he instructed Assistant United States Attorneys and investigators in the First Amendment issues associated with prosecution of obscenity. An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Several landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the U.S. Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.  In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses.  In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.  And, most recently, in McConnell v. FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}