The nation was shaken yet again [Sunday] morning by another act of pure, unadulterated evil. The tranquility of a Sunday morning in Baton Rouge was shattered as three men dressed in black and clad in body armor ambushed city police officers and sheriff’s deputies. The news of this tragic event reached me as I was preparing to open the morning worship service at my home church in Baton Rouge. The news was especially unsettling to our congregation because it is the church home to a number of law enforcement officers.

But should we really be surprised by this escalating violence toward the police? This violence is not the result of the shooting death of Alton Sterling by police two weeks ago, rather it is the result of the seeds of distrust and division that the Obama administration have repeatedly sown over the last 7 years. President Obama first jumped to a divisive conclusion back in July of 2009 when Harvard professor Henry Gates was arrested by police during a burglary investigation. The pattern continued in Ferguson and elsewhere, fueling division in communities across the country.

As a former police officer, who actually served with both the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge City Police, I am well aware that there has been and will be cases of police misconduct, but they are the exception and not the norm. Furthermore, in all but the rarest of cases, the misconduct can be and should be handled at the state and local levels. By interjecting himself and his administration into primarily local matters of crime and attempting to make them alleged cases of civil rights violations, the president is dividing our nation.

The president’s actions have brought our nation to a point of crisis. I addressed this last week when I added the following language to the Republican platform:

“The next president must restore the public’s trust in law enforcement and civil order, by first adhering to the rule of law himself. Additionally, the next president must cease sowing seeds of division and distrust between the police and the people they have sworn to serve and protect. The Republican Party, a party of law and order, must make clear in both words and actions that every human life matters.”

After praying for the unfolding tragedy [Sunday] morning in our worship service, we went forward with our scheduled baptism of a young boy who had recently accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior. It was fitting that he was the son of a Baton Rouge police officer, a friend of mine and a member of our church. Fitting because as individuals, as families as communities, and as a nation, we can all find hope and peace in the cross of Christ.

Originally published here.

It’s Official — GOP Approves Platform

One of the first orders of business for the 2016 Republican National Convention was to adopt the platform that delegates from the state and territories crafted last week in advance of all the delegates arriving for the Convention. The platform has been described as the most conservative in history. As a delegate from Louisiana, I was able to take an active part in shaping the document with the assistance of my team at FRC Action. Here are just a few highlights of the platform as it was adopted [yesterday]:

National Defense

“We believe that our nation is most secure when the president and the administration prioritize readiness, recruitment, and retention, rather than using the military to advance a social or political agenda. Military readiness must not be sacrificed on the altar of politically correct social agendas, which this administration has done.”

Economic Growth

“Republican budgets will prioritize thrift over extravagance and put taxpayers first. We support the following test: Is a particular expenditure within the constitutional scope of the federal government? Of not, stop it.”

Marriage

“The American family is the foundation of civil society and the cornerstone is marriage, the union of one man and one woman…we do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal, whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the States.”

Health Care

“Any honest agenda for improving health care must start with repeal of the dishonestly named Affordable Care Act of 2010: Obamacare. It weighs like the dead hand of the past upon American medicine.”

Protecting Human Life

“The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can "be deprived of life, liberty or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth. We oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood.“

Title IX

"We emphatically support the original, authentic meaning of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It affirmed that "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” That language opened up for girls and women a world of opportunities that had too often been denied to them. That same provision of law is now being used by bureaucrats – and by the current president of the United States – to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation, or other categories. The agenda has nothing to do with individual rights; it has everything to do with power. They are determined to reshape our schools — or entire society — to fit the mold of an ideology alien to America’s history and traditions. Their edict to the States concerning restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities is at once illegal, dangerous, and ignores privacy issues. We salute the several States which have filed suit against it.“

Now that we have a solidly conservative party platform, let’s use it to encourage elected officials to stand strong in defense of truth and the constitutional principles that made America successful. At the time of publishing, the RNC had not posted the 2016 Platform, but we will include it in Tuesday’s Update.

Originally published here.