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Old 12-19-2007, 05:33 PM
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Wall of Misconception - Peter Lillback

Has anyone seen this book or have an opinion on it?
Westminster Bookstore - Reformed Books - Low Prices - $5 Shipping - Wall of Misconception: Does the Separation of Church and State mean the Separation of God and Government? (Hardcover) by Peter A. Lillback 9780978605233



How often have you heard it stated on TV, in the press, or at the water cooler that "the wall of separation between church and state" are words taken right out of the US Constitution? In fact, the First Amendment to the Constitution - what is popularly referred to as "the establishment clause," the only part of the US Constitution that even deals with religion and faith - contains no reference whatsoever to a "wall of separation," or, for that matter, any sort of wording including the phrase "separation of church and state." the only words in the US Constitution concerning this topic are found in the First Amendment, where it is written, "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." That's it. Yet these sixteen words have been elaborately interpreted by some as having a meaning that has no basis in the founders' intentions or historic records.

Where then has this mountain of contention come from, resulting in a "wall of misconception" between church and state, and indeed between God and government? The phrase "wall of separation" was coined by Thomas Jefferson in his private 1802 letter of response to the Danbury Baptist Association, wherein he reaffirmed the federal government's intention to protect the public's rights of conscience to believe and practice their faith without fear of interference from government.

Several prominent citizens' rights organizations will contend that this purported wall is being routinely breached by people of faith, yet others will assert that any action by the government to impede an individual's right to pray in school or at a public event, to display a Christmas tree in public, or to say "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is itself a Violation of the First Amendment.

US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote in a court opinion that "The 'wall of separation between church and state' is a metaphor based on bad history... It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned."

"Dr. Lillback is to be commended . . . This is an important book and a must read."
-Judge Charles W. Pickering, Sr., Retired, US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Peter Lillback has done a magnificent job . . ."
-Herbert W. titus, Former ACLU Attorney; Professor of Constitutional Law
This is an important and well-documented piece of scholarship . . ."
-Bryon Johnson, Professor of Sociology, Baylor University
"Calling Wall of Misconception just a book is like calling Niagara just a waterfall. It is a powerful piece of intellectual ammunition . . ."
-Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Rabbinic Scholar and Author
". . . Wall of Misconception makes for fascinating and informative reading"
-John J. DiIulio, Jr., Founding Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
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Vera theologia non theoretica, sed practica est; Finis siquidem eius agere est hoc est vitam vivere deiformem. - Martin Bucer
""True theology is not theoretical, but practical. The end of it is living, that is to live a godly life."
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Old 12-19-2007, 05:46 PM
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