A champion for religious liberty

The death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia came as a shock to many, especially at such a critical time in our political cycle. He was a strict constructionist who believed the U.S. Constitution should be read and understood as intended by its framers, which often brought his decisions down on the side of religious liberty.

The Catholic justice’s importance was underscored by Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler who wrote on his blog, “Christians must also remember that Justice Scalia’s understanding of the proper reading of the Constitution as a text is directly relevant to the church’s proper reading of Scripture. The same liberal theorists who propose reading the Constitution as a ‘living’ and ‘evolving’ text also propose that the Bible be liberated from its actual text and from the intention of its authors.”

Scalia’s death on Feb. 13 will affect the outcomes of several upcoming cases for the Court, not to mention debate during the 2016 presidential election. Many of those cases are of concern to conservative Christians, including Whole Women’s Health v. Cole. The case involves a Texas law requiring doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the clinic, and that the clinics have facilities equal to other outpatient surgery centers.

Opponents of the law argue it imposes an undue burden on women seeking abortions. Another such case is Zubik vs. Burwell, which consolidates seven cases including those of East Texas Baptist University and Little Sisters of the Poor, a home for the aged run by Catholic nuns. The groups are arguing against the government healthcare mandate requiring them to provide contraceptive products including abortifacients, which violate their religious beliefs. Southern Seminary, National Association of Evangelicals, and College of the Ozarks have filed friend of the court briefs on their behalf.

Both cases could cast a chill over religious liberty, a topic Scalia was concerned about. In a speech to students at Rhodes College last September, he commented on the Court’s decision which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. “Saying that the Constitution requires that practice, which is contrary to the religious beliefs of many of our citizens,” said Scalia, “I don’t know how you can get more extreme than that…I worry about a Court that’s headed in that direction.”

Scalia was right. We should be concerned about the direction of the Court, and the loss of a great defender of religious liberty. While pundits and politicians argue over the next justice, Christians need to pray a new champion will take Scalia’s place. – LMS