A Pirate’s Prayer for the New Year
Dec 28, 2012 No Comments ›› John EidsmoeChoosing someone to pray for the New Year, a 16th-century pirate would not be the likely choice. But the prayer of Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596) is reverent, eloquent, and inspiring. Calling Drake a pirate might be a little strong; privateer might be a better term. Drake had been commissioned by England to attack and plunder ...
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Who Needs the Star?
Dec 21, 2012 1 Comment ›› John Eidsmoe"Guiding Star, o may we heed thee, May we know we ever need thee, Lead us to our Savior King! Lead us to our Savior King" This 1810 Danish carol by Grundtvig, "Delig Er Den Himmel Bla," retells the Matthew account of the Star of Bethlehem that led the Magi to Bethlehem to worship the Infant King. But what was ...
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Interposition: Lutheran Pastors Under Siege!
Nov 27, 2012 No Comments ›› John EidsmoeAmerica was built on two seemingly-opposite principles: respect for legitimate authority and resistance against tyrants. But these concepts go hand-in-hand. A tyrant is a ruler who has exceeded his legitimate authority and has usurped the higher authority of God and His Law. Resistance against tyrants, the American colonists, said, is obedience to God. The problem is, ...
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Are You a Pilgrim?
Nov 21, 2012 No Comments ›› John EidsmoeBefore returning from our annual Board meeting of the Plymouth Rock Foundation last weekend, I visited the Old Burial Hill and stood at the grave of Governor William Bradford (1590 - 1657), the quintessential pilgrim. At the top of his gravestone is the Hebrew inscription "Jehovah Is My Help." In a sense, Bradford was a pilgrim ...
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THE LAST JEFFERSONIAN — Recommended Reading
Oct 31, 2012 No Comments ›› John EidsmoeAt least once a year, I visit a rural cemetery near Beresford, South Dakota, where my parents, grandparents, and many other Eidsmoes await the Resurrection. Elsewhere in the cemetery is a large monument to William J. Bulow (1869-1960), who served as South Dakota's Governor 1927-31 and U.S. Senator 1931-43. Described as a "Cleveland Democrat," Senator ...
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IS AMERICA EXCEPTIONAL? An Independence Day Meditation
Jul 3, 2012 1 Comment ›› John EidsmoeAmerican Exceptionalism! Today we frequently hear that term in the media and academia, sometimes derisively, seldom defined. It refers to the belief that there is something special about America, something that makes America different from, and perhaps better than, other nations. Americans of older generations have grown up believing America is the greatest, the best, the ...
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No Freedom of Speech From the Pulpit
Jun 29, 2012 No Comments ›› Site AdministratorThe following post was guest-authored by 3rd-year law student Adam Parker, a 2012 summer intern at the Foundation for Moral Law. SHH! Freedom of Speech… As Long as That Speech isn’t Coming from a Pulpit! Most people that are a part of church ministry know of the travesty that is often referred to as the “Johnson Amendment”—if not ...
Continue ReadingOn the Eve of a Landmark Decision
Jun 27, 2012 No Comments ›› John EidsmoeDuring the March 27th oral arguments before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care legislation, swing Justice Anthony Kennedy asked the U.S. Solicitor General a key question. That question was, and is, "whether or not there are any limits on the Commerce Clause." Not only is this the key issue underlying the ...
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Grand Canyon’s Trail of Time: Must Creationists Take a Hike?
Jun 5, 2012 2 Comments ›› John EidsmoeIt's good to be back in the office again! I've just returned from a speaking engagement in Phoenix, Arizona, and a side trip to the Grand Canyon. This is the fourth time I've hiked the Canyon, not counting one mule trip. True, I'm ten years older than I was the last time I hiked it, ...
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The Irony of Courage — Memorial Day Address 2012
May 27, 2012 No Comments ›› John Eidsmoe6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not ...
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