We must use our heads. Too many Christians seem to think that being on the side of God and His truth excuses us from having to do our homework – from studying Scripture, from knowing our legal rights and protections, from understanding what is happening in the culture around us.
Even those who took issue with Justice Scalia’s opinions often marveled at the breadth of his knowledge and the keenness of his thinking. They may not have liked what he said, but they couldn’t pretend he didn’t know what he was talking about. His life embodied what Paul wrote to Timothy, that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).”
Like him, we should “Study to show [ourselves] approved unto God, [workers] who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).” (lessons-we-can-all-learn-from-justice-antonin-scalia-s-legacy)
We must learn to stand. Not for nothing was Justice Scalia known as “The Great Dissenter.” He was, if anything, more famous for the opinions he wrote in opposition to the majority than he was for those he wrote in support of them. With rare wit and unswerving legal logic, he parsed his opponents’ arguments and thoughtfully, boldly affirmed his own convictions.
We live in an era when so few Christians seem to know Who their God is, what His Bible says, or why they themselves have joined themselves to the faith. Great numbers of believers shrink from having to stand for openly – much less defend publically – a Truth they have studied insufficiently and thought through hardly at all. Justice Scalia – a man who was not ashamed of either the Gospel or the Constitution – knew Whom he believed (2 Timothy 1:12) and cultivated the courage to speak the truth to his peers, his fellow professionals, and his country.
I am deeply saddened by the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He was a brilliant mind and a champion of the United States Constitution and a friend to the pro-life movement (Joe Scheidler)