{"id":37,"date":"2008-09-04T13:02:45","date_gmt":"2008-09-04T13:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/09\/god-bless-you-and-god-bless-am.html"},"modified":"2008-09-04T13:02:45","modified_gmt":"2008-09-04T13:02:45","slug":"god-bless-you-and-god-bless-am","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/09\/god-bless-you-and-god-bless-am.html","title":{"rendered":"God Bless You and God Bless America!"},"content":{"rendered":"

No matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat, no one can deny the fact that Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska and now the Republican Nominee for Vice President of the United States, gave a phenomenal speech at the Republican National Convention.  <\/span>I was at the convention and felt the electricity in the room when she spoke.  <\/span>I always tell our lawyers to never underestimate your adversaries.  <\/span>Sen. Joe Biden will have his hands full in debating Sarah Palin.  <\/span>Not only was her speech delivered flawlessly, but the tone and the content showed a deep understanding of major issues facing the United States.  <\/span>Her depth of understanding of the energy issue will play out significantly in this campaign.  <\/span>Her understanding of the nature of the threat we are under as a country and her support for the top of the ticket, Sen. John McCain, struck the perfect chord in her acceptance speech <\/a>for the Vice Presidential nomination.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

There’s also no doubt that Sarah Palin has a personality and delivery style that touches Americans coast to coast.  <\/span>The media continues to raise criticism of her, and even after her phenomenal speech, I expect that will not change.  <\/span>However, she has shown herself to be a tough woman who understands the challenges and responsibilities ahead.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

What is also encouraging to me is the fact that Sarah Palin does not shy away from her Christian beliefs and faith.  <\/span>In a recent interview<\/a> with Time – just two weeks before her selection as VP nominee — <\/font>she described herself as a “Bible-believing Christian.”  <\/span>For those who don’t know, this means that she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and would ascribe to an evangelical form of theology.  <\/span>It’s also been reported that she attends a nondenominational church.  <\/span>And in 2006, the Anchorage Daily News <\/a>reported that her faith began at an early age. <\/span><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

“Palin’s parents say they are not political and don’t know how she decided to turn her ambition and work ethic toward politics. Her Christian faith, they say, came from her mother, who took her children to area Bible churches as they were growing up (Sarah is the third of four siblings). They say her faith has been steady since high school, when she led the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and grew stronger as she sought out believers in her college years.”<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Americans are by and large a religious people. It was Justice William O. Douglas of the Supreme Court of the United States who said that “[w]e are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.”  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Sarah Palin has a deep faith in God.  <\/span>In her speech, she talked about how evil is overcome by good, and how people can endure even a difficult task of serving as a prisoner of war by the grace of God.  <\/span>These unifying statements are principles that she personally believes in and should be welcome in the marketplace of ideas.  <\/span>It does not mean that everybody else who is listening has to agree with her position, but it should not be dismissed simply because it’s religious. <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

It is interesting to note how Gov. Palin described the importance of her faith to Time just a couple of weeks ago:  <\/span>“I knew early on that the smartest thing for me to do was to work hard, do the best that I can, make wise decisions based on good information in front of me,” she told Time.  <\/span>“And then put my life, get myself on a path that could be dedicated to God and ask Him what I should next. That will be the position I will be in as long as I’m on earth — that is, seeking the right path that God would have laid out for me.”<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Like millions of Americans, Sarah Palin’s reliance upon God to direct and to help her make decisions that matter is no different than our Founding Fathers’ reliance upon “Divine Providence.”  <\/span>And it is not unlike millions of other Americans who ask for God’s wisdom every day of their lives on issues that are large and some that are small. <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Sarah Palin did not make a religious speech last night; she did not make one focusing on the cultural issues either.  <\/span>Instead, she focused on her life story, her guiding principles, her concern about energy and defeating radical Islamists.  <\/span>She gave a fantastic speech!  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

She will serve as a worthy opponent to Sen. Biden and she will be a force to be reckoned with.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat, no one can deny the fact that Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska and now the Republican Nominee for Vice President of the United States, gave a phenomenal speech at the Republican National Convention.  I was at the convention and felt the electricity in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-election-08"],"yoast_head":"\nGod Bless You and God Bless America! - 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\/37","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=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}