2018 – By the Numbers
500,000+ Number of people SLG equipped to engage the culture on radio and social media – For a sampling click here
7,000,000 – The amount of a potential fine we stopped for a Christian business owner who exercised his freedom of religion by refusing to allow his company to participate in abortion
4 – Number of Christian crosses for which SLG fought when government authorities deemed them unconstitutional
2/week – Number of SLG training lectures, seminars, and conferences equipping thousands with the heart of Jesus through the lens of His Word
100+ Number of people and churches SLG counselled on preserving and protecting a Christian Worldview
40+ Number of legislators SLG counseled on issues relating to family, life, religious conscience, and good governance
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Because Jesus calls us to be Salt and Light in the world….
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Salt & Light Global shines the healing light of Christ into dark places. We season the public dialogue with the Truth of God’s Word. We rebuild the ancient ruins, and equip others to do the same. We do this by helping Christian people understand the importance of seeing everything with the heart of Jesus, and through the lens of His Word.
Implementing the Vision 2018 Equip. Engage.
Equip
Salt & Light Global’s academy equipped the church and citizenry to engage and transform the culture. For someone who truly gives their life to Jesus, it changes the way they live their life and the purpose for which their life is given. It involves a whole new way of thinking… thinking according to what the Scriptures teach us. Our religious life is much more than Sunday worship. God’s Word should influence every waking and sleeping hour of our week. It is a higher purpose that guides us as we raise our children, operate our business, go to school, or govern our nation. It is a way of life.
Program: S&L Lectures, Conferences, Seminars and Symposia – Equipping the Christian Citizenry and Engaging the Cultural Worldview of the Day
Salt & Light Global hosted stirring lectures on law, public policy, and constitutional governance from a Biblical worldview perspective. These addresses, known as the Salt & Light Global Lectures, were presented in a wide variety of international, national, state, and local forums. The audience for the Lectures included lay individuals, students, business owners, and executive, legislative, and judicial leaders. SLG sponsored academies and seminars debating worldview issues related to law, public policy, and constitutional governance. These programs often included internationally prominent Christian presenters from the highest levels of government, business, civic society, academia, and elsewhere. Click here for a sampling!
Program: S&L Worldviews Collide Course – Providing Preeminent Biblical Worldview Education Focused on Law, Policy, and Constitutional Good Governance
Equipping the universal church, Salt & Light Global provided intensive Biblical worldview instruction focused on law, policy, and good governance. During the courses, students learned how and why colliding worldviews impact liberty and the rule of law. Designed to educate and equip Christians for citizen statesmanship, these courses teach the faithful how to understand and respond to impending threats to their freedom. Salt & Light Global provides this instruction all around the world through courses that range in length from one day to two weeks.
Program: S&L Strategic Council – Connecting Distinguished Scholars and Policy Experts
Salt & Light Global built relationships with academic
institutions, scholars, and policy experts from around the world. The network
forms the Strategic Council – a group of individuals who aid Salt & Light
Global in strategically witnessing and defending Permanent Principles through
independent research, writing, teaching, and speaking via a Christian
Worldview. The scholarship produced from this research works toward eradicating
the “living constitution” jurisprudence, entering Academia’s marketplace of
ideas, credibly and persuasively competing there.
Program: S&L Wilberforce Fellowship – Training up Disciples Who Engage the Culture
The SLG Academy hosts a discipleship program that provides in-depth teaching on Permanent Principles and long-term mentoring to aid participants in applying their knowledge to law, policy, and governance. Coupled with the teaching and mentoring components, the SLG Wilberforce Fellowship requires students to actively engage the culture by, among other things: serving the needy; monitoring government actions affecting unalienable liberty; informing the public of current threats to religious conscience; or assisting those speaking for the persecuted. Upon successfully completing the discipleship program, three participants this year became SLG Wilberforce Fellows – named in honor of William Wilberforce, the Christian member of the British Parliament who successfully spearheaded the abolition of the slave trade.
Program: S&L Publishing – Providing quality books and other publications for His Glory
Salt & Light Global published textbooks, workbooks, and other teaching materials for self-study or for use by educational institutions desiring to teach law, policy, and constitutional good governance from a Biblical natural law worldview.[
Program: S&L Witness – Engaging the Culture and Equipping Christians through Social, National, and International Media
SLG regularly commented on the positive impact of Christianity on the culture. Because Truth needs a witness, SLG also commented on deteriorating cultural developments and abuses of government power. Affiliated academic scholars and policy experts regularly tweeted, blogged, podcasted, and provided interviews to TV, Radio, and print media. SLG always produces its media programs with an eye toward preserving and shining inalienable Truth and Christian love in the culture for God’s glory. By strategically employing a wide variety of media, Salt & Light Global enhances and expands its ability to inform and engage the culture.
Importantly, SLG Witness shines light on the devious use of the illusionary “living constitution” approach to law and governance, (e.g., persuasively engaging the culture on the issues of abortion, marriage, and opposite sex access to your child’s public school bathroom and shower – as well as the proper role of the judiciary in constitutional governance
Engage
Salt & Light Global and our Justice Center speak of Jesus in the pubic square. We strategically work to preserve environments where the next generation may share the Good News of Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission, free of persecution. Shining the healing light of Christ into dark places, we season the public dialog with Truth. Without fear or favor to any political party, and all for the Glory of God, we address:
- Supreme Courts and other Judicial Bodies;
- Parliaments and Legislatures;
- Businesses and Civic Institutions;
- Churches and Charities.
As the culture grows increasingly dark and callous, Jesus calls each of us to shine the light of Truth into the darkness and to resist conforming to the world. It is time to awaken the hearts of the faithful. The blessings of liberty and prosperity come with responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required. Every Christian inherits a distinct calling to “love thy neighbor.” And each generation of Christians inherits a special trust to ensure the preservation of liberty and the moral administration of justice. In a time of dark cultural decline, God called Isaiah, asking, “Whom shall I send, who will go for us?” May his response be ours: “Here am I, send me.”
Program: S&L Concerned Christians – Converting Ideas into Action
To ensure SLG’s educational programs equip Christians to impact the culture, a Practical Application accompanied each SLG educational program. The Practical Application showed Christians how to apply the lessons learned to their personal and professional lives.
SLG provided opportunities for Christians to independently serve their communities, especially those in need (e.g., widows, orphans, the persecuted, the homeless, the hungry, etc).
Finally, SLG also provided opportunities for Christians to independently engage the cultural worldviews of the day, especially in the realm of law, policy, and governance.
Program: S&L Consulting – Rebuilding on a Foundation of Permanent Principles
SLG provided Christian worldview consulting to community, church, and institutional leaders interested in rebuilding cultural walls on the foundation of Permanent Principles. In areas of cultural decline, we informed the cultural worldview of the day, allowing Christ’s love and truth to restore cultural foundations, one person, one family, one church, and one community at a time.
Program: S&L Prayer Points – Interceding on behalf of our communities and nations
We know that the first level of engagement is prayer. To facilitate individual and corporate intercession, we distributed weekly prayer requests outlining specific needs that impact upon Permanent Principles, in all spheres, but especially in the realm of law, policy, and good governance.
Program: S&L John 17 Unity – Uniting the Church to Better Serve our Communities
We actively promoted cooperation with other groups, ministries, corporations, etc. that seek to uphold the truth of God’s Word in our society. John 17 Unity strives to build unity and synergy within the Body of Christ by intentionally networking the SLG/ GLJC audience with various organizations.
Program: S&L Guard – Monitoring International and Diplomatic Threats to Christians
SLG monitored international and diplomatic threats to Christians. Because U.S. Courts and regulatory regimes increasingly rely on transnational law, we are especially concerned with transnational initiatives impacting the family, the sanctity of life, and the freedoms of religious conscience and expression. (In the future, we hope to engage the culture through NGO consultative activities at International and Diplomatic Forums).
Program: S&L Democracy and Good Governance / Rule of Law Assistance – Promoting Good Governance across the Globe
Upon invitation, SLG provided democracy and good governance/ rule of law assistance to other countries. Specifically, this year we sponsored and participated in activities designed to establish good governance practices that sustain integrity and preserve liberty of religious conscience. Whether helping to build a developing democracy or providing refresher courses on good governance practices, we use unalienable Truth as our guide. Using these Permanent Principles, our consulting activities include:
- building government infrastructure;
- implementing anti-corruption strategies;
- promoting democracy and good governance under the rule of law to preserve unalienable liberty (e.g., freedom of religious conscience).
Program: Litigation – Defending Truth. Protecting Liberty. (Litigation)
The primary focus of our litigation program is to strategically chip away at, and ultimately eradicate, the illusionary “living constitution” jurisprudence as a legitimate foundation for law and liberty. This year, from a local township board, to federal and state trial courts, we championed the cause of the defenseless and oppressed through pro bono litigation and legal representation.
Program: Supreme Court/ Appellate Practice – Defending Truth. Protecting Liberty (Appeals)
We spoke truth on behalf of the persecuted and most vulnerable in the
highest and most influential courts. We submitted well-reasoned appellate
briefs before appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Each
of these strategically filed briefs convincingly demonstrate the illegitimacy
of “living constitution” social engineering arguments… that undermine freedom
of religious conscience.
Program: S&L Sentinel – Monitoring Domestic Policy
We engaged the culture through legal representation and other activities at local, state and national forums. (e.g., Federal Executive Branch Departments and Agencies) This year the GLJC Sentinel program:
- drafted proposed regulatory and statutory language for local, state, and national governments on initiatives impacting the family, the sanctity of life, and the freedoms of religious conscience and expression;
- represented or supported persecuted Christians in local, state, and national public forums;
- provided expert non-partisan testimony and comments on proposed initiatives impacting the family, the sanctity of life, and the freedoms of religious conscience and expression
Program: S&L Policy and Issue Analysis – Analyzing Domestic Policy Initiatives
We provided preeminent expert policy and issue analysis. From a local government, to state and federal legislative and regulatory regimes, we provided Issue Briefs on proposed law and policy impacting the family, the sanctity of life, and the freedoms of religious conscience and expression. This non-partisan analysis on proposed local, state, and national governmental actions educates the universal church on matters that affect its ability to share the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission.
Program: Watchdog Fact Checking – Exposing Dishonesties in Opposition Analysis and Commentary
In a more informal way this year than in the past, we exposed mischaracterizations, misrepresentations, and untruths in propaganda produced by those opposing religious liberty, freedom of expression, the protection of human life, etc.
Thus, when government acts without constitutional authority or uses “living constitution” ideas to infringe upon God-given unalienable liberty, we held government accountable and work to ensure that freedom endures. Without fear or favor to any political party, we boldly proclaim and defend truth in love.
T
Appendix
Timeless moral Truths, rooted in divine, natural, and common law traditions, form the fundamental foundation of good governance and the preservation of liberty. These self-evident Truths, written on each of our hearts, provide a moral compass with which to guide personal and institutional decision-making. Endowed by our Creator, these Permanent Principles provide moral points of reference against which a culture measures right from wrong, good from bad, just from unjust.
Chipping away (and replacing) our nation’s moral constitutional foundation, is a deceptive philosophical approach to law and governance known as the “living constitution.” This illusory jurisprudential approach empowers unelected judges and regulators to engage in social engineering with impunity and with no political accountability. Deviously using the “living constitution” approach, American courts first legitimized slavery of humans based on race. In in modern times, courts and regulatory agencies evolved it to legalize abortion, deviant sexual conduct, same-sex marriage, and opposite sex access to your child’s public school bathroom and shower. Under this approach to constitutional governance, government authorities and secular institutions increasingly forbid morality from informing the policy-making process, or even being part of the marketplace of ideas. Ironically, as government prohibits moral truth from informing its governance, the desperate needs of the hungry, homeless, widows, orphans, and others continue to exponentially expand; liberty is attacked, freedom is restricted, and government power grows exponentially.
SLG directly challenges, and ultimately seeks to eradicate, the illusory “living constitution” approach to governing. By destroying the legal/philosophical foundation to law and governance that empowers unelected judges and regulators to advance personal political agendas (without any political accountability), the social engineering built on that jurisprudential foundation also falls.
Understanding Permanent Principles Grounded in Self-Evident Truth. It is imperative to the mission of preserving and shining truth in the culture that the Christian community embraces Permanent Principles. Grounded in self-evident Truth, Permanent Principles are the foundational principles underlying good governance and the rule of law. The most fundamental Permanent Principles impacting law, policy and governance include:
- Good Governance
and the Rule of Law
- Existence and Role of Moral Absolutes
- Integrity under the Rule of Law – No One is Above the Law
- Abuse of Power (e.g. Judicial Activism, Overstepping Authority, etc.)
- Implication of Failing to Uphold the Rule of Law
- The Inherent
Value of Human Life
- Understand the Source of Human Life and its Value
- Define Inherent Value/Dignity of Human Life
- Worthiness of Governmental Protection
- The Inalienable
Liberties of Religious Conscience, Expression, and Property
- Significance Generally and as a Limitation on Government Power
- What are they? How are they manifested?
- When can they be limited or interfered with by other parties?
- How have they been redefined? What implications have resulted?
- The Inalienable
Right of a Man and Woman to Marry, Procreate, and Control and Direct the
Upbringing of their Children
- Understand the Purpose for these Inalienable Rights
- Understand the Definition for these Inalienable Rights
- Understand the Consequences of Eliminating or Altering these Inalienable Rights
The educational programs of Salt & Light Global systematically examine the:
- Biblical Authority for Permanent Principles
- Conflicting “Principles” of Contrary Worldviews
- Relevant Applications and Examples for Permanent Principles
- Differences between the American and International Approach to Handling Issues Related to Permanent Principles
- Various Ways and Means for Promoting and Defending Permanent Principles, as well as Responding to Conflicting Principles
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