This free online series entitled “Biblical Citizenship in Modern America” is offered by Patriot Academy. It is an inspiring opportunity to rendezvous with our Founding Fathers and learn more of their Biblical knowledge that informs our country’s Constitution, it’s ‘original intent,’ and our role as Biblical citizens.
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Biblical Citizenship
Many Americans — including Christians — are no longer familiar with the incredibly rich Christian heritage of this country. Many of our young people have been convinced through increasingly hostile secular education that America is not, and has never been, a Christian nation. Many have forgotten, or perhaps never knew, how reliant our Founding Fathers were on the wisdom and inspiration of the Bible in authoring the Declaration of Independence and framing our Constitution. God’s fingerprints are found all over our nation’s struggle for independence, its formative documents, and its subsequent history to this very day.
This tremendous course will help re-connect those dots in the heart and mind of all who take the time to complete it.
- Take the course individually from home
- Take the course along with a group of fellow church members or neighbors, either all remotely or meeting to view the classes together
- Incorporate the material into small-group or Sunday School study
We are not aware of anyone who has taken this course that has not come away with a renewed awe and gratitude for God’s hand of protection, mercy, and grace upon our great nation.
Learn more by visiting Patriot Academy by clicking the link, or visiting our Resources page.
]]>For more information on the different ways Virginia voters can cast their ballot, visit our Ways to Vote page here in the Citizens Portal.
Voting on Election Day?
The date and times for the next Election Day are posted on the Prince William County Office of Elections web site.
Voting Early?
If you choose to participate in early voting, you will not be casting your ballot at the local precinct where you typically vote on Election Day.
During the early voting period, a handful of convenient locations (i.e. DMV, library, etc.) are selected across the county so that no voter will have to travel very far to visit one.
Those locations, and the times at which they will be open, are also posted on the Prince William County Office of Elections web site.
Choose your method and your time, and go vote!
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The Framers of the Constitution recognized the need for separation of powers within government because they acknowledged the biblical principle of “the depravity of man.” Governments consist of flawed human beings whose nature is described in Jeremiah 17:9, and therefore governments that do not have internal safeguards and restraints that account for the “depravity of man” will eventually become selfish, corrupt, oppressive, and then tyrannical.
John Adams pointed this out:
“To expect self-denial from men when they have a majority in their favor (and consequently power to gratify themselves) is to disbelieve all history and universal experience—it is to disbelieve [Divine] Revelation and the Word of God, which informs us “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked [Jeremiah 17:9]…There is no man so blind as not to see that to talk of founding a government upon a supposition that nations and great bodies of men, left to themselves, will practice a course of self-denial is either to babble like a new-born infant, or to deceive like an unprincipled imposter.“
Powers of the federal government are separated into three distinct branches:
By design, the legislature (i.e. Congress) is intended to be the branch of government that is closest to the people and most responsive to public needs and opinion.
However, while most people can name the President and Vice President, many Americans cannot name their representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and their two U.S. Senators.
As active participants in this wonderful experiment of self-government, it is important for every citizen to understand the most direct and meaningful way(s) to influence those elected to represent him/her at the national level.
The most direct and meaningful conduit at this level is your local congressional district’s representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and your state’s U.S. Senators.
The Legislative Branch
The U.S. Congress constitutes the legislative branch at the federal level, and is a bi-cameral legislature consisting of two chambers:
- The Senate
- House of Representatives
The U.S. Senate. The Senate is comprised of 100 members, two from each state, each of whom are elected in a statewide election to serve for a term of six years, with no limit on the number of terms a single individual may serve. Since your Senators are elected by and represent the entire state, there are no “districts” for the U.S. Senate.
The U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. House of Representatives is comprised of 435 representatives elected by the citizens of distinct U.S. congressional districts within their respective states. Representatives serve two-year terms, with no limit on the number of terms a single individual may serve.
The Executive Branch
The President. The President of the United States serves as both the head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The president serves for a term of four years and may not serve more than two terms. The Vice President also serves as the President of the United States Senate, where he or she casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie.
The Vice President. The primary responsibility of the Vice President of the United States is to be ready at a moment’s notice to assume the Presidency if the President is unable to perform his or her duties.
The Executive Office of the President. The Executive Office of the President (EOP) is overseen by the White House Chief of Staff. The EOP was created in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in order to provide the President with the support that he or she needs to govern effectively.
The Cabinet. The Cabinet’s role is to advise the President on any subject he or she may require relating to the duties of each member’s respective office.
The Judicial Branch
The U.S. Supreme Court. Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. All Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
It is commonly said that supreme court justices “serve for life,” and that is usually the case. However, according to the Constitution, these justices actually “hold their Offices, during good Behavior” (Article III, Section 1). So justices can be removed from office by impeachment, but barring misconduct rising to that level they may hold their offices as long as they chose.
An interesting historical note: the only Justice to be impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805. The House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment against him, but he was later acquitted by the Senate.
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The state level of government is constructed with the same principles of separation of powers that we see at the national level, with three primary branches of government — the Executive, the Legislative, and Judicial branches.
The Virginia Legislature
The General Assembly. The State Legislature in Virginia is referred to as the General Assembly and consists of a Senate and a House of Delegates.
The Senate. The Senate of Virginia consists of 40 members. Each Senator is elected from a separate and distinct district for a term of four years. All Senators’ terms begin and end at the same time. Every four years the Senate reorganizes after the general election in which Senators are elected. A Senator represents approximately 200,000 citizens of the Commonwealth.
The House of Delegates. The Virginia House of Delegates consists of 100 members. Each Delegate is elected from a separate and distinct district for a term of two years. All Delegates terms begin and end at the same time. Each Delegate represents approximately 80,000 citizens of the Commonwealth.
Virginia’s Executive Office
The Governor. The Governor is chosen in a state-wide election conducted every four years, and is prohibited from serving two consecutive terms (Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 1).
The Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor is elected at the same time and for the same term as the Governor, but there is no limit on the number of terms a Lieutenant Governor may serve (Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 13).
The Attorney General. The attorney general of Virginia is a state-wide elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term. There are no term limits restricting the number of terms someone can serve as attorney general.
Virginia’s Judiciary
The Supreme Court of Virginia. Virginia’s court of last resort, the Supreme Court reviews decisions of the circuit courts and the Court of Appeals when such appeals have been allowed. The justices of the Supreme Court are chosen by majority vote of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly for terms of twelve years (Virginia Constitution, Article VI, Section 7).
PWC County Board of Supervisors. The eight-member Board of County Supervisors makes policy for the administration of the Prince William County government within the framework of the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the County Executive form of government. Seven members are elected from Magisterial Districts, while the Chair is elected at-large. The board adopts local laws, sets policies, adopts a budget and capital improvement program, sets local tax rates, approves local land use decisions and makes appointments to various positions.
PWC County School Board. The Prince William County School Board makes the policies that govern the school division. There are eight members on the School Board, one from each magisterial district and an at-large member who serves as chairman. Prince William County residents elect their School Board representatives, who serve four-year terms.
The policies developed by the School Board for the operation of the school division cover instruction, administration, personnel, students, and other areas. Copies of the policies and regulations are available online and in the School Board office.
PWC Commonwealth Attorney. The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney prosecutes criminal cases within the Thirty First Judicial District, serving Prince William County, the Cities of Manassas, and Manassas Park, and the towns of Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan, and Quantico. The Commonwealth Attorney’s office works with local law enforcement partners to protect and safeguard our community through the prevention and determent of crime. Our mission as public servants is to vigorously enforce our laws, pursue the truth, and deal openly and honestly with the community, law enforcement agencies, and victims of crime.
PWC Sheriff. The Prince William County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with elected leaders, staff and citizens, provides a safe and secure Judicial Complex. Other mandates include service of all civil process, including subpoenas, levies, seizures, and evictions; internal affairs; training; and timely transport for prisoners and patients. The Office serves the citizens of Prince William County, the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, and the towns of Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and Haymarket.
PWC Clerk of Court. The 31st Judicial Circuit Court has general trial court jurisdiction, including acting as an appellate court for the General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts, and is a separate and distinct branch of government. The Circuit Court decides the most serious cases, presiding over criminal, civil, concealed handgun permits, miscellaneous, and other cases. The 31st Judicial Circuit currently has seven full-time judges.
]]>That is why it is critically important for Americans to understand how our government works, from the bottom all the way to the top.
Many Americans are enamored with national politics but have little understanding of what is happening in their own city and county. This is largely a function of the media we consume. The result is that we are all painfully aware of events that are well beyond our immediate ability to effect, but almost ignorant of those that are within easy reach of our collective influence.
In chapter 5 of his masterpiece “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” Neil Postman described an “information age” phenomenon that has resulted “news from nowhere, addressed to no one in particular, crisscrossing the nation,” and laments that “in a sea of information, there is very little of it to use.”
Postman went on to say that swirl of information flow “made the country into ‘one neighborhood,’ but it was a peculiar one, populated by strangers who knew nothing but the most superficial facts about each other.”
“You may get a sense of what is meant by context-free information by asking yourself the following question: How often does it occur that information provided to you on morning radio or television, or in the morning newspaper, causes you to alter your plans for the day, or take some action you would not have taken, or provides insight into some problem you are required to solve?”
Postman holds that “information derives its importance from the possibilities of action.” He observes that “most of our news is inert, consisting of information that gives us something to talk about but cannot lead to any meaningful action,” and the resulting disconnect between information and action has led us into an era of “diminished social and political potency.”
“You may get a sense of what this means by asking yourself another series of questions: what steps do you plan to take to reduce the conflict in the Middle East? Or the rates of inflation, crime, and unemployment? What are your plans for preserving the environment or reducing the risk of nuclear war? What do you plan to do about NATO, OPEC, [or] the CIA?…I shall take the liberty of answering for you: You plan to do nothing about them. You may of course, cast a ballot for someone who claims to have some plans, as well as the power to act. But this you can do only once every two or four years by giving one hour of your time, hardly a satisfying means of expressing the broad range of opinions you hold…The news elicits from you a variety of opinions about which you can do nothing except to offer them as more news, about which you can do nothing…In the information world…[the] sense of potency was lost, precisely because the whole world became the context for news…[W]e were sent information which answered no question we had asked, and which, in any case, did not permit the right of reply.”
Such is the nature of national politics.
BUT at the local/county level, none of that is true IF you are willing to adjust your frequency, learn where and how to pay attention to the things that you and your fellow citizens CAN affect on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
The Call to Action:
See the “Citizen Portal” and the “Pastor Portal” for more details with high information-action ratio regarding how you can do these things.
We have many problems in our nation that seem to defy resolution. However, as Pastor Byron Foxx is fond of saying: “America does not need a red solution or a blue solution. She needs a Bible solution.”
That solution begins when God’s people follow God’s plan for healing:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
America’s restoration will not come through any national political figure. George Washington is revered as the hero of America’s first War for Independence (and rightly so). However, there were almost 250 battles fought during the war; General Washington fought in just 17 of them, and he won only six of those. Victory was won by local people defending their families, friends, neighbors, and homes (often under the direction and organization of their local pastor).
We cannot ignore national politics, but they should not be our focus. As Colonel (Retired) John Mills stated in his book by the same name, secure the county and “the nation will follow.”
]]>Depending on the election the sample ballots may vary, dependent upon the district and candidate contests. The resources available on the Prince William County Offie of Election web site will guide you to the correct sample ballot.
Once sample ballots have been generated, they can be viewed here.
]]>“Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.”
America cannot – she must not – lose that power that resides in her pulpits. Our pastors must not permit themselves to be intimidated into silence and inaction at a time when the truth of God’s Word has never been more needed within our culture.
“Today, the culture has tried to impose on ministers a role that relegates them almost to irrelevance, discouraging them from having any direct visibility or influence on society or the culture; but this modern reduced role is precedented neither by the Bible nor American history. God still needs ‘heroes of hardihood and lofty courage’ to be His voice crying in the modern wilderness – spiritual leaders who will stand at the vanguard to meet any danger head on.”
David Barton, The Black Regiment; The Founders’ Bible (pg. 633)
In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson introduced an amendment to the U.S. tax code that prohibited churches (and other non-profit organizations) from taking a public stand on “political issues.” Now, any who fail to comply risk losing their tax-exempt status. In the decades that followed, virtually every Biblical issue has been politicized, making many of the doctrines and teachings of the Bible itself “off limits,” and limiting the Christian’s “free exercise” of religion outside the four walls of the church.
In his poignant book, “Letter to the American Church,” Eric Metaxas reminds us that religious liberty cannot be understood as the government’s permission to “do as you like in that building at… [designated] hours, but when you come out you must bow to the secular authority of the state.”
In America…we have known that religious liberty means we are not merely able to worship privately…but are guaranteed a ‘free exercise thereof,’ so that our faith must by definition be carried everywhere we go, on every day of the week, and in every place we take ourselves.
Rev Charles Finney, famous minister in the Second Great Awakening, admonished the church of his day not to neglect its duties in the political sphere when the hot topic on which the church was to remain “a-political” was slavery and abolition:
The church must take right ground in regard to politics…the time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics…God cannot sustain this free and blessed country which we love and pray for unless the church will take right ground. Politics are a part of a religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as part of their duty to God. It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation were becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you, He does see it, and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course they take.
Many of the issues of our day are just as important and pressing as those in the days of Charles Finny.
The questions then become:
- What can the church legally do to influence policy and politics?
- How would a pastor or a church even begin to approach the task of being “salt and light” in local, state, and federal governments?
Explore these questions and much more using the links to the left.
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