When, in 1938, in Erie Railroad v. Thompkins, the United States Supreme Court denied the existence of any transcendent authority and the possibility of any fundamental law, it was bound to go wrong, and it did. Its damnable arrogance in relation to the transcendent creator God reached full flower in 2015 when it took back the transcendent authority it had earlier said belonged to the states. Will our state elected officials say to the Supreme Court, “Enough!”

A couple of weeks ago, the story of the Incarnation celebrated on Christmas day finally became “larger than life” for me. I realized I had such a “little” view of the Incarnation.  Only a “BIG” incarnation makes Christmas truly merry. 

I can only answer the question posed by this week’s commentary headline for me and the organization I help lead, but the answer is a resounding “Yes.” The “new” for me is the predicate for the new organizationally. And that new will result in something new being offered to pastors and politicians during the upcoming legislative session.

In 2015, then Governor Haslam began to administer a law in Tennessee without constitutional authority, contrary its plain language. He began a practice in our state that necessarily repudiates the the whole foundation for the Christmas story. What Haslam began Governor Lee has continued. Here is the problem, why it is so great, and how it can be fixed.

On October 13th, the full import of a provision in the Tennessee Code that I have been reading for the last six years hit home. The realization proved just how uncritical my thinking has been. What the statute says is truly damnable, and believe it or not, is a practical repudiation of the Christmas story I talked about last week. 

Three weeks from today will be Christmas Day. Until about weeks ago I would have called myself a heretic for saying the most fundamental point of Christmas story—the events told in Luke Chapter 2 about the night Jesus was born—is not God sending His Son to earth so “believers” could be forgiven of their sins and go to Heaven. If you’ve been told that salvation is the fundamental point of the story or believe that, as I did, then I encourage you to read on.