Under God

Seventh edition

William C. Hendricks

Mott Media 1130 Fenway Circle

Fenton, Michigan 48430

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© 1966, 1972, 1976, 1981 by The National Union of Christian Schools (now Christian Schools International) Fifth edition © 1984 by Christian Schools International Sixth edition © 1998 by Mott Media Seventh edition© 2013 by Mott Media

All Scriptures are from the NIV Bible.

Printed by: Dickinson Press, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA Batch #45361, November, 2015

All rights in this book are reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for small portions as needed in reviewing or critiquing the book. For information write: Mott Media, 1130 Fenway Circle, Fenton, Michigan, 48430.

For more information about other Mott Media publications, visit our website at www.mottmedia.com.

Lori Hotton Coeman and Joyce Bohn, editors

ISBN-10: 0-88062-292-X ISBN-13: 978-0-88062-292-9

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Contents

Introduction, xiii Unit one The foundations of government, 1

Chapter 1 Government and authority, 2 Authority, a basic idea of government, 2 Spheres of authority, 2

2 The nature of government, 7 What is government? 7 Why government? 8 How is government established under God? 9 What is the function of government under God? 10 The responsibility to do good, 10 The responsibility to punish evil, 10

3 Civil governments compared, 12 Types of civil government, 12 Comparison of governments, 15

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viii

I Unit two The historical background of government, 19

Chapter 4 The development of government, 20 Origins of government generally, 20 Origins of American government, 22 British background of American government, 22 The Magna Carta or Great Charter, 22 Other rights gained by Englishmen, 24

5 Independent government acquired, 27 British ideas of self-government

are brought to America, 27 Government in the original colonies, 29 Colonial conditions that affected government, 30 Early attempts at colonial union, 32 Stamp Act Congress of 1765, 32 The First Continental Congress of 1774, 34 The demand for independence grows in America, 35 The Second Continental Congress of 1775, 35 The Declaration of Independence, 36 What did this Document declare? 36 Reasons given, 36 Which side was right? 40

6 The Constitution is written, 42 Self-rule begins in America, 42 State constitutions are drawn up, 42 Articles of Confederation are formed, 42 Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, 43 Troubles arise, 44 A new Constitution is written, 46 Compromises necessary, 4 7 Ratification of the Constitution, 50 The new government begins, 50

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I I Unit three Our republic, 53

Chapter 7 Our enduring Consitiution, 54 Our Constitution has served for many years, 54 Why the Constitution is still useful, 54

8 Congress-the legislative branch, 59 The Constitution of the United States, 59

Preamble, 59 Arlicle I Legislative branch, 59

9 The President-executive branch, 85 Arlicle II Executive branch, 85

10 The federal courts-judicial branch, 98 Arlicle Ill The judicial branch, 98

11 The Constitution-federal, changeable, supreme, 105

Arlicle IV The states and the federal government, 105 Arlicle V Provision for amendments, 108 Arlicle VI General provisions, 110

Arlicle VII Ratification, 111

12 Amendments to the Constitution, 113 The Bill of Rights, 113

Amendment 1 Freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly, 113

Amendment 2 Bearing arms, 115 Amendment 3 Quartering soldiers, 115 Amendment 4 Protection against search, 115 Amendment 5 Rights of persons, 116 Amendment 6 Rights of accused, 118 Amendment 7 Civil trials, 118 Amendment 8 Bail, fines, and other punishment, 119 Amendment 9 Rights retained by the people, 119

Amendment 10 Reserved powers, 119 Amendment 11 Lawsuits against states, 121 Amendment 12 Method of Presidential elections, 121 Amendment 13 Slavery abolished, 122 Amendment 14 Citizenship, 122 Amendment 15 Rights of citizens to vote, 125 Amendment 16 Income taxes, 126 Amendment 17 Popular election of senators, 126 Amendment 18 Prohibition of intoxicating liquors, 128 Amendment 19 Equal suffrage, 129 Amendment 20 Beginning of terms of office, 129 Amendment 21 Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, 131 Amendment 22 Presidential tenure, 132 Amendment 23 Presidential elections

in the District of Columbia, 132 Amendment 24 Removal of the poll tax, 133 Amendment 25 Presidential and Vice-Presidential succession, 133 Amendment 26 Lowering the voting age, 134 Amendment 27 Congressional Pay, 134

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Unit four One Nation under God, indivisible, 137

Chapter 13 State government, 138 Ways in which our nation is indivisible, 138 The Union and the states, 139 Relationships among the states, 139 Territorial governments, 140 State governments, 141 State constitutions, 142 State legislatures, 143 Direct legislation, 145 Lawmaking powers, 146 State executive department, 146 State judicial department, 147 Federal Influence, 148

14 Local government, 153 County government, 153 Township government, 156 Municipal government, 159 Larger municipalities: cities, 159 Summary, 165

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I Unit five Liberty and Justice, 169

Chapter 15 Liberty and justice compared, 170 What is liberty? 170 What is justice? 170 For whom must liberty and justice be provided? 171 What courts do we have to provide justice? 171 Types of lower courts, 171 Court procedure in a criminal trial, 172 Civil cases, 174 Appeal to a higher court, 174 The necessity of courts, 175 Liberty and justice; how they balance, 176 Liberty and justice; how the balance is kept, 176

16 Executive departments maintain balance, 178 The executive branch enforces laws, 178 The Cabinet-assistants to the President, 178 The Department of State, 179 The Treasury Department, 180 The Department of Defense, 182 The Department of Justice, 183 The Department of the Interior, 186 The Department of Agriculture, 187 The Department of Commerce, 187 The Department of Labor, 189 The Department of Health

and Human Services, 190 The Department of Housing

and Urban Development, 192 The Department of Transportation, 192 The Department of Energy, 193 The Department of Education, 193 The Department of Veterans Affairs, 193 The Department of Homeland Security, 193 Independent agencies, 194 The U.S. Postal Service, 194 Civil Service Employment, 195

17 Selection of leaders-liberty in action, 198 Liberty demands responsible citizenship, 198 Voting demands a choice, 198 A two-party system, 198 Campaign process, 206 The use of the ballot, 213 Types of elections, 214 Voting is a precious liberty, 215

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I Unit six For all, 217

Chapter 18 A nation of immigrants, 218 People from many lands, 218 Large-scale immigration, 218 Contributions of immigrants, 221 Attitudes toward immigrants, 222 Control of immigration, 222 Evaluation of our immigration system, 227

19 Citizenship in a land of diverse people, 230 Who is a citizen? 230 Losing citizenship, 233 Losing the privileges of citizenship, 233 Many groups make up our nation's people, 234

20 I pledge and I practice, 240 A pledge is a promise, 240 Keeping our pledge of allegiance, 240 An early pledge, 243 Loyalty to country and to self, 244

Conclusion, 249

The Declaration of Independence, 251

List of Presidents and Vice Presidents from 1788-2008, 254 ·

Index, 247

National Anthem, 256

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Have you ever watched a construction crew as they built the foundation for a high building? Usually, a bulldozer and a power shovel are used to dig a large hole. The loose surface dirt is removed, and a concrete footing is placed deep into the ground to provide a solid foundation. If you look carefully, you can see the many steel rods that are placed in the concrete to keep it from cracking or crumbling. The construction engineer knows that if the building is to be high and solid, the foundation must be deep and strong. Then, though storms come and years pass, the building will stand. Governments also are built on foundations. Loyal, faithful, obedient citizens form the solid foundations

Unit one The foundations

of government of strong governments. Good citizenship cannot be built on ignorance because unlearned people can be swayed easily. . . Citizenship cannot be stable an.d enduring if citizens quickly change from one ideal to another. To learn more about our own government and those of other nations we must first examine some of the basic ideas about all government. We must know what government is and where.it gets its authority. We should seek to understand the purpose of government as well· as its different spheres of authority. Gaining a thorough knowledge of these ideas can strengthen our own convictions and ideals. As our citizenship grows stronger through a more complete knowledge of the basic ideas of government, we will be better able to fill our place in the foundation of our government. We and all members of our generation must work willingly with courage and conviction so that the foundations of our government will not crumble.

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Chapter 1

Government and

authority

Authority, a basic idea of government We read in Romans 13: 1, * "Everyone must

submit ... to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

This text says that God establishes govern­ments, and that everyone must be obedient to them. When God institutes or ordains a govern­ment, He gives authority to it. Authority is the rightto be heard, to direct, to command, and to be obeyed.

God, as Creator and Guide of all things, has this right of supreme authority for two reasons. First, it is inherently a part of His divinity. Because He is God, He has the right to be heard, to direct, to command, and to be obeyed. Authority is one of the attributes of His being. Without the right of supreme authority, God could not be God. Second, God has authority over the world because He made it. It is His. Psalm 24: 1 tells us, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." All people are God's creatures whether they admit it or not. When you invent something, you patent it and

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Important ideas to look for: e God has the supreme right

to authority. • Eve1yone is

under authority. e The home, school,

church, and state are spheres of authority.

e The spheres of authority change in influence as you grow and mature.

control your invention. In a similar way God has the right to ordain governments among people because He created them.

Spheres of authority Everyone is under authority. You, too, are

under government. During your lifetime you are affected by government in several spheres: the home, the school, the church, and the state. To each sphere you are to grant your loyalty, your faithfulness, and your obedience as they are expected and required.

For each of us government begins in the home. God gave the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exod. 20: 12). By this commandment God ordered that children must respect the authority of their parents. This authority is also under God. Parents have the responsibility to "Train a child in the way he should go ... " (Prov. 22:6). We know from the story of Eli and his sons that

* All Scripture references are taken from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

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God is not pleased with parents who fail to do so. This responsibility includes helping children to build habits of personal devotion and prayer as well as teaching them how to live among their fellow human beings in a Christian way.

We see, then, that children must obey their parents because God directed that parents should exercise authority in the home. Parents in tum must be very careful how they use this authority, for they must do so according to God's will.

In early childhood you knew only the authority of your parents in the home. As you grew older, you had more freedom from parental authority and more personal respon­sibility toward God and your fellow men. This responsibility increases until finally you become the authority in a new home, one of your own, which also must be dedicated to God's praise.

When you were about four or five years old, you met a new authority, the school. We say that the school is a sphere of authority because as a pupil you are under its rule. You must give your loyalty, your faithfulness, and your obedience to your school because it also is under God. Teachers must use authority not for their personal wishes, but rather in obedience to God. Teachers receive their authority from God, and He will hold them responsible for the way in which they use that authority.

God has entrusted the training of children to their parents. Some parents who wish their children to receive a Christian education form societies and build Christian schools. Such parents share some of their parental authority and responsibility with the Christian teach­ers they hire. Several other kinds of private schools are also in operation in our nation.

Many churches in our nation maintain parochial schools for the education of the children and the young people in their mem­bership. In these schools the church assumes

the primary responsibility for the type of education given.

Parents who do not desire or cannot obtain a Christian school education for their children and do not send them to some other type of parochial or private school allow the state to educate their children in public schools.

A Christian school represents the authority of both the home and the state.

Public education, as all education, is very necessary if the state is to have citizens who are able to vote intelligently and to carry out the duties of citizenship.

Government in a Christian school rep­resents the authority of both the home and the state because the state makes laws for all schools.

Although the influence of the school con­tinues through life, the sphere of authority of the school ends upon graduation.

We are also under the authority of the church. This sphere ofauthority is the greatest in the life of the Christian. The authority that God ordains in the home, the school, and the state concerns us only for this life or a part of it. But the authority of Christ, as it is

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represented in the church, continues through this life and into eternity. In a special way Christ is the source of authority in this sphere of government because He is King of the church: " ... All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt. 28:18).

According to Scripture, the state may

The church exercises authority in spiritual matters.

not make laws that prevent people from worshiping and serving God according to their consciences. God has kept the heart of man for Himself; He has not turned it over to earthly governments. This does not mean that the thoughts of the heart are outside oflaw; no, it is exactly here that the authority of the church in our lives may be seen.

The church is the earthly manifestation of the Lord's heavenly kingdom. The church on earth proclaims God's Word and celebrates the sacraments ordained by Christ. As we grow older and become professing mem­bers of the church, its authority in our lives increases.

We do not have a vote in making the laws

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of God's kingdom, for He has made them Himself. He has the power to do this, for He is sovereign; He has absolute authority, for He is God. No one can say to God" ... What have you done?" (Dan. 4:35). Here, too, we must pledge our loyalty, faithfulness, and obedience, not out of fear but out of love for Him.

Besides the home, the school, and the church, the one other large area of authority that governs us is the state, or civil, govern­ment. Just as God provides for the authority of parents in the home, the authority of the teacher in the school, and the authority of the consistory or council in the church, so He also establishes civil governments among men to promote law and order.

It is true that people have misused the authority that God has entrusted to them. You will remember the story ofJezebel when she asked Ahab, "Is this how you act as king over Israel?" (I Kings 21 :7). She thought that because Ahab was king, he could do any­thing he wanted to do. But the rulers of the past were not free to do just as they pleased; nor are the rulers of today, for the authority that God has entrusted to the state or civil governments of the earth must also be used according to His laws.

As you grow up and mature, the authority of the home diminishes, and political authority increases in your life.For example, when you obtain a driver's license, a whole new area of civil authority, the traffic laws for auto­mobile drivers, enters your life. Remember, then, to be loyal, faithful, and obedient to the governing authorities. When you grow older, you may enter military service, some type of business, or a profession. Perhaps you will buy property or build a house. In all of these activities you will be expected to assume the full responsibility of adult citizenship in the sphere of civil government.

These four spheres ofauthority-the home, the school, the church, and the state-all

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Changing spheres of authority

During most of our lives

we are under several spheres

of authority. Their influences change

as we grow up.

Pre-school Elementary school

Regardless of how the spheres

High school and college

reflect God's sovereign authority. The author­ity that God gives to one sphere necessarily limits the authority of the others. The home may not do whatever it pleases because the authority of the school, the church, and the state do not permit it to do so. The school may not do whatever it wishes because the home, the church, and the state limit its authority. We see, then, that although these four spheres of authority are partly independent or sovereign, they are in many ways interdependent. All are ordained by God, and are under His rnle and care.

It is not always easy to determine the point at which the authority of one sphere ends and the authority of another begins. This point is difficult to determine because the spheres of authority often overlap. For example, the home influences the school. The church and the state, to some degree, control both the home and the school. Even though lines of authority are not always clear, we must remember that the basis for all authority is

Adulthood

of authority change in your life,

all of each arrangement

is inside the circle of God's authority.

You need to understand this if you are to have a sense of unity

in your view of life.

the same-the spheres of authority all rest inside the circle of God's authority. There are no blank spaces.

Some citizens act as though there were blank spaces among the four spheres of authority, where there is no government. These people may be well-behaved in their homes and also in their schools. They may be sincere and well-mannered in church, and they may drive carefully when a patrol car is following them. But when persons in author­ity are temporarily absent-parents away from home, teacher out of the room, church service not yet begun, or patrol car nowhere in sight-they display very poor citizenship. These people prove that they do not really understand what allegiance means.

The Bible commands us to "submit to the governing authorities," that is, to obey authority in every sphere that God has placed over us. This is not always easy for us to do because we are rebellious by nature, and we would rather not obey anyone.

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There is, however, one condition under which we may justly disobey the governing authorities that God has appointed for us. We may disobey a law of our earthly authorities or rulers if in obeying it, we would break the law of God. Then, regardless of the punishment we might receive, we must say, as Peter did, " ... We must obey God rather than men!" (Acts 5:29).

Our obedience to the authorities that God has placed over us must not be a blind and thoughtless response. Rather, we must con­sider the requirements carefully. We must remember that by obeying the governing authorities we are first of all obeying God, who appointed them to rule over us. True citizenship can only be Christian citizen­ship, for every earthly authority is always under God.

Do you remember what you have read? 1. What is authority? 2. Give two reasons why God has the right of

supreme authority. 3. List the four main spheres of authority. 4. How do the spheres of authority change for

you as you grow older?

For further thought 1. In what way does the authority of the school

and the state overlap in your life today? 2. If the laws of the Bible and the laws of our

nation disagree, where must your allegiance be placed?

3. Why are there no blank spaces where there is no authority over us?

4. If we believe that all governing powers are of God (Rom. 13: 1 ), how do we explain that

6 The foundations of government

some governments limit religious freedom or forbid their people to worship God? What should Christians do in such countries?

5. Are demonstrations, such as anti-abortion marches, proper means for a Christian to protest injustice?

6. If you believe a law is wrong, do you have the right to break the law? Why?

7. Tell which sphere of authority should govern these situations:

a. A person disobeys a speed law on the high­way.

b. A girl talks back to her mother. c. Two children are fighting on the school

playground during recess. d. A boy who is too young to obtain a driver's

license drives a car on the highway. e. A man insults his neighbor. f. A person borrows a hymnbook from church

and never returns it. g. A woman parks her car in a "no parking"

zone before attending church. h. A boy throws a ball through the living room

window of his ·own home. 1. Breaking fire regulations, the ushers fill the

church aisles with chairs. j. A person uses obscene language in a public

place of business.

Words to study allegiance attribute authority civil inherent institute interdependent

mature ordain parochial political sovereign sphere supreme

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