CHAPTER 15
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth;
I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
Giordano asked the hostess to show Rawlings and him to a table in a corner so that they could talk privately. Both had their electronic Bibles with them, something that might have seemed strange a decade or two earlier, but seemed quite ordinary now.
“Is that one of those new voice-activated Bibles with commentary and search tools?” the hostess asked as she saw Trey place the black palm-sized device with an in-laid silver cross on the table.
“Yes, it’s the newest and most powerful model,” Trey said proudly. “It has everything needed to make any Christian an expert on God’s word, including the complete Old and New Testaments in both the KJV and World English translations. It also features inspirational verses grouped by topic, random verses for daily devotionals guidance, auto-scroll for continuous reading, favorite verse storage for quick retrieval, and search options by version, book, chapter or verse.”
“Wow. I know what I’ll be asking for next Christmas,” the young woman said as she placed two menus on the table.”
As soon as the hostess left, the waitress appeared. After ordering two glasses of sweet tea- with extra lemon for Trey- the two men looked over the menu and decided what they wanted to eat. Then Giordano told Trey why he had wanted them to have dinner together.
“Director Drake has told me a lot about you,” Giordano began. “He says that you are not only a good agent but also a good Christian who is committed to make America a more Christian nation.”
Trey was pleased that the director apparently thought so highly of him. “I’m flattered that the director thinks that,” he said. “I do believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only path to eternal life, and I believe that those who truly accept Christ as their savior are obligated to tell others about Him so that they, too, can be in His presence after their life on this earth is over.”
“So, you believe that we are obligated by our faith to help make this officially a Christian country?” Tony asked just as the waitress arrived to take their order.
After ordering- shrimp scampi for Tony and sea bass for Trey- Rawlings tried to answer Giordano’s question as succinctly and honestly as he could. “If you mean by that, do I favor the constitutional amendment to make this the Christian Republic of the United States of America, the answer is yes- as long as the rights of people of other faiths to practice their religions are still respected. I don’t believe people can be turned into Christians by force of law, only by patient evangelizing.”
“But you do believe that our country will be better off when Christianity is recognized as the official religion?” Giordano queried further.
“I believe that a country should be based on clear values accepted by the majority,” Trey answered, “and in our country those are Christian values.”
“But what about the arguments related to separation of church and state?” Giordano seemed to be testing the younger agent- a test that Trey, a history scholar in college, had no trouble passing.
“The concept of separation of church and state is grossly misused,” Trey said without hesitation. “I believe it confuses religious doctrine with religious denominations. Back in the late 19th century the Supreme Court issued what is known as the Trinity Decision. In that decision the Court declared, ‘this is a Christian nation.’
“Or go back further in history. John Quincy Adams once said that the highest glory of the American Revolution was that it connected the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
Trey continued, demonstrating both his thorough knowledge of the subject and keen analytical mind.
“Remember, most all of the original European settlers were Christians. I think there is plenty of evidence that the founders of our country thought that Christianity was actually the default state religion. Rather than being something to fear, Christianity was something they believed to be vital to the success of our government. What they didn’t want was for the state to give preference to one denomination of Christianity such as Catholicism, Anglicanism or Calvinism. ”
Trey took a sip of tea before resuming his explanation.
“And just think about the historical validation of religion in our country,” he said. “The Supreme Court building has carvings of Moses and the Ten Commandments. God is mentioned in stone all over Washington D.C. on its monuments and buildings. In the early days of the United States, the capitol building frequently served as a church on Sundays. As a nation, we have celebrated Christmas to commemorate the Savior’s birth for centuries. Oaths in courtrooms have invoked God from the beginning. Even the Liberty Bell has a Bible verse engraved on it. There is no doubt in my mind that this country was founded as a Christian nation and will be much better off if it becomes one again.”
“But what about situations in which the nation’s laws conflict with God’s law?” Giordano asked. “How far should a committed Christian go to make sure that God’s law becomes the only law?”
“How far should he go?” Trey responded with the question first. “I think he should do everything possible, following God’s law, to implement God’s law.”
Giordano pulled up Matthew 28:18-20 on his electronic Bible and asked Trey to find the same section.
“What do you think this means?” he asked Rawlings.
Trey recited the passage without even looking.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
“As far as I am concerned, this is one of the most important passages in the Bible and I think it means just what it says,” Trey responded. “As Christians we are commanded by Jesus, Himself, to bring others to Him and to observe all of His teachings. Once we decide that Jesus is worth anything, then we must decide that Jesus is worth everything. Being worth everything, Jesus is worthy of being first in our lives.”
“And this means that as Christians we may be obligated to follow God’s law even above the civil law?” Giordano asked.
Trey wasn’t sure why Tony asked this question, but he gave his opinion. “Obviously, that would be the case if there were no alternatives, but again, as I said before, it would have to be a very, very serious situation. I love this country, but obviously, that love is not absolute, whereas my love for God must be.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Giordano said. “In my mind, this passage contains the essence of what it means to be a Christian. It validates His power in the lives of all Christians and our total commitment to Him. If Christians don’t believe this statement, they do not have complete faith. Jesus is very clear about His authority in the world - it is complete and total from the beginning of time itself.”
“What about Matthew 10: 34-39?” Giordano asked, almost as if he was the host of the hot new television quiz show, “For the love of God.”
Trey knew the passage, but pulled it up on his electronic Bible and reviewed it.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
“I think that in this passage Christ is telling us that peace does not come easily,” Trey said. “Right now, all over the world, wars are being fought and terrorists are blowing up innocent people. Peace is always preferable, but the reality is, when two sides strongly disagree on something conflict is inevitable. What Jesus is doing is warning us that conflict should be expected between those who accept the Gospel and those who reject it.”
“Does that mean that violence is permissible- or even unavoidable?” Giordano prodded.
“I don’t think I can honestly say that it would never under any circumstances be permitted,” Trey responded, “but only as a last resort and only if all other means have been exhausted.”
“I think this passage means that there are times when the ends do justify the means,” said Giordano. “No one likes violence, particularly Christians, but there are rare situations in which violence may be the only way to protect and promote our faith. Don’t you agree?”
“Like I said,” Trey repeated, “only as an absolute last resort. There are other ways to get our message across.”
“Which reminds me,” Tony said, “I understand that Mat- I mean Drake- spoke to you on Sunday at church about becoming involved with a society of government officials who believe that Christ needs to be an integral part of government service. Have you decided to join the society?”
Trey took a sip of his sweet iced tea before answering. “From what Drake told me, the society has different levels, kind of like the Masons and Shriners. I told him that I would be honored to join the group that I think he called the Saints.”
“That’s great news,” Giordano said. “We need a government that is not just Christian in name, but also in practice. The only way to make ours a better society and country is to permeate the government with the Word and Spirit of Jesus Christ. That’s what the Society of Saints is all about.”
“And what about the next level?” Trey asked. “Drake never told me anything abote it, except to say that it was limited to a very few, totally-committed and dedicated people.”
“That’s true,” Giordano acknowledged, “and I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more than that just yet. I will tell you, however, that being in the Saints can do nothing but help your career.”
Although he would have liked more information, Trey felt that he had gotten about all Giordano could or would tell him about the Saints. And besides, his food had just arrived, and he was starving.