Oct. 04, 2016 | Freedom to Believe

This is a message from Dr. Anthony George's Wednesday night Bible study. Here's the link to the audio message from FBA's website. My notes are only meant to be a guide to assist in your Bible study. Enjoy! :)

  Acts 16:19-24  Vs 23, Roman law ensured that its citizens would not be punished without a trial. Yet Paul was beaten and his rights were violated. This was religious persecution. Even so, God brought good from this by saving the jailer and his family-- Romans 8:28 Don't look at the bad things as if it is from God, because he does not condone it; look at it as how God can bring good from bad.   America symbolizes freedom.

• Our founding fathers struggled with defining religious rights
• When the Constitution was drafted, the number one complaint included the belief that the constitution did not have a clear distinction of rights of its people. Bill of Rights were made.
• First amendment: freedom of religion, freedom to worship.
• Christians aught to stand for our freedom to worship God.
• We're the ones who benefit the most from this amendment
• Semantics are important. Religious tolerance vs religious freedom
  • Religious tolerance is when a government acts as a jury for issuing or denying permission for a religion to be practiced.
  • Religious liberty is when government protects the inherent right of each citizen to practice freely the religion of his choosing according to his personal conscience and beliefs, or to practice none at all.
  • Our founding fathers chose religious liberty. They believed it was not the government's role to grant permission for a religion, but to freely express your religion. 
  • Right to religious influence. 
• We are in the post-denominational era. 
  • Search the history of the baptist denomination.
  • Baptists have historically been known to stand for religous freedom, not just for Christians, but for all.
  • Believer's baptism. 
  • Believer membership
  • A free church in a free state. 
    • Methodists and Catholics have hierarchies 
    • No hierarchies in baptist churches: we answer to God alone.  
    • Martin Luther believed in a state church. Calvin believed in theological by the sword

Lies we believe

1. The separation of church and state is about keeping the religion out of the state.
   • When the state is involved, the church is made to be subject to the state.
2. Loving your country means loving your government.
   • Government is not an entity capable of recieving love.
   • It is prone to the corruption of those who run it.
   • As a Christian, I love America, but I do not love our government
3. Being a Christian requires you to remain silent when your rights are violated.
   • Acts 16:35
   • Power can corrupt a person. 
   • Christians must be stand for justice and truth.
4. Your spiritual life and your view of citizenship are mutually exclusive.
   • How can what you believe have have nothing to do with how you live?
   • If this were true, the abolitionist movement never would have happened.
5. The more a government provides for its citizens the freer those citizens become.
6. The more as government mandates, the safer the society will be.
   • The more mandates, the more liberties are at stake.
7. It is the government's role to insure equality in outcomes.
   • Equality in opportunity, but not equality in outcomes.
   • Even God doesn't work that way. 
8. The government's job is to protect people from getting their feelings hurt. 

Encroachments against the first amendment freedom of religion and freedom of expression must be seen as a fundamental violation of rights.

• It's not just what you do in church, but also what we do at work and home.

Encroachments on freedom of thought constitute a tyrannical side into ideological fascism.