I believe that Christians need to be busy in restoring the dominance of the Christian faith in the public square beginning with the preaching of the gospel that captures not only the hearts of the people but the institutions that permeate our nation…. My point is that most arguments against blasphemy laws in America are bogus. There is no need to get all distraught about their existence.  Blasphemy laws regulate every society.  It just depends on what a nation considers sacred and profane.

I have made it known publicly that I am not a fan of the term “Christian Nationalism” (see Christian Nationalism” Dump the Term While We Still Can).  I believe that the term “nationalism” evokes an association with Hitler’s Nazi Nationalism or Mussolini’s Fascist Nationalism. This expression has not been helpful in the debate over the relationship between the State and the Christian Faith.  I think the tumultuous discussion over the use of this term in the past year has proven me correct.  I prefer the term Christendom or Christian Nation.  I do believe that the United States was once a Christian Nation, but now it is not.
I believe that Christians need to be busy in restoring the dominance of the Christian faith in the public square beginning with the preaching of the gospel that captures not only the hearts of the people but the institutions that permeate our nation. We need to make America Christian again.  I believe in the restoration of the law of God as revealed in the Ten Commandments as the standard for justice and equity in our country, and I believe that this includes the first table of the Ten Commandments.
I remember the days when businesses were closed on Sunday, otherwise termed the Christian Sabbath.  This was mandated by Blue Laws.  They were called blue laws because the original laws in New Haven, Connecticut, were written on blue paper. I remember when there were no Muslim mosques within our national boundaries.
Whether one uses the term Christian Nationalism or Christian Nation, one of the issues that inevitably arises in any discussion of this issue is the legitimacy of blasphemy laws.  For some reason, this term creates every type of negative reaction from the fear of creating a pope in America to the phobia of creating some type of tyrannical Prince ruling the Federal Government. People get all bent out of shape. It is considered a threat to freedom of speech. We are told that it goes against the Constitution and therefore is un-American.
However, blasphemy laws are inevitable.  Whether a law is written on paper or is simply a social norm makes little difference. And as laws, they are enforceable. Blasphemy is exacting a penalty for verbal or written speech that disparages something considered sacred in a particular group or society.  It all depends on what a group or society considers as being sacred. Ultimately, it depends on the dominant religion of that group or society.
Those of us raised in a previous Christian generation remember blasphemy laws quite well.  First, in the home there were usually unwritten blasphemy laws.   If a vulgar word came out of my mouth in my home, then my mother would threaten to wash my mouth out with soap.  I have watched a mother do this, literally!  Freedom of speech was not an absolute right in my home.
Blasphemy laws were enforced in our local community.  If a group of men and women were together in a social context, and a man used a curse word with God’s name, then the other men present (who were not even professing Christians) would either verbally or non-verbally condemn the bad language because we were in the presence of women. The perpetrator of vulgarity was sent a message that he needed to refrain from speaking such language.  He got the point quickly and the matter ended there. Blasphemy was not permitted.
In 1879 a Maryland law (Article 72, Sect. 189) stated that “If any person, by writing or speaking, shall blaspheme or curse God, or shall write or utter any profane words of and concerning our Savior, Jesus Christ, or of and concerning the Trinity, or any of the persons thereof, he shall, on conviction, be fined not more than one hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both fined and imprisoned as aforesaid, at the discretion of the court.” In 1836 Abner Kneeland was jailed for breaking the state’s blasphemy laws in the State of Massachusetts.
Today, blasphemy laws still exist but they have changed because the dominant religion of America has changed.  There are some words that cannot be used without paying a penalty for your speech.  Using an incorrect pronoun for a transgender person is now considered blasphemy. In Canada in 2021, Robert Hoogland surrendered himself to the court after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the attorney general of British Columbia. His crime was calling his daughter, a biological female, by female pronouns, and refusing to affirm her medical transition to become a trans male.
In 2020, if medical physicians made disparaging remarks about the covid vaccine, then they could be deplatformed from social media or fired from their jobs.  They were considered guilty of disinformation.  To disagree publicly with a governmental agency simply was not allowed. Statism was the new national religion, and any deviation from the pronouncement of the sacred state was blasphemy.
The old arguments for freedom of speech based on the U.S. Constitution made sense when America was a Christian nation.  All free speech has limits and the Christian Faith provided those boundaries.  We as a people agreed on what was sacred and what was not.  Since we are no longer a Christian nation, these old freedom of speech arguments based on 1950 civic courses (Eisenhower era) are no longer useful.  When the sacred becomes profane and the profane becomes sacred the blasphemy laws change. They never disappear.
My point is that most arguments against blasphemy laws in America are bogus. There is no need to get all distraught about their existence.  Blasphemy laws regulate every society.  It just depends on what a nation considers sacred and profane.
Larry E. Ball is a retired minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is now a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tenn.
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However, if they put their case in such clear terms, it couldn’t do the other thing that such assurances are designed to do: to ease the consciences of the chosen members of the NP that they are not doing anything wrong. As a result, the NP emails almost all sound like this: the PCA is wonderful, and everyone is wonderful, and we are the most wonderful, and our cause is worthy of tireless and sacrificial advocacy.

As I read the now public emails of the secret society called the National Partnership (NP), I was not at all perturbed by their occasional willingness to speak ill of their enemies (people like me). It was obvious from the structure of the group that I stand in the way of what they view as a healthy Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). That they would call me “unhealthy” or “dry bones” makes perfect sense. In fact, I would be disappointed if they didn’t say it because it’s clear enough that we are on entirely different teams, perhaps down to the very bottom of our souls.
What first bothered me about the emails was the sheer number of times that one of the NP leaders reminded his colleagues that what they are doing was not wrong. I thought about it like this: If I told my elders at every meeting that we were not doing anything wrong, could they be faulted if they concluded that I was giving them such assurances because things were really not as rosy as I was proclaiming? It may be that NP members are weighed down with guilty consciences if the leaders must assure the members frequently that their cause is noble.
What also troubled me is that men listed in this group were their repeated accusations of others breaking the ninth commandment. I have heard it from so many and in such varying circumstances that I have wondered why they talk about it as often as they do. For example, a minister with stature in my presbytery, who apparently is some kind of minor director within the NP, has personally threatened me and my session that we would be breaking the ninth commandment if we were to say something is a sin which our confessional documents bluntly call a sin, namely, attempted suicide (cf. WLC 136).
The reason I find their appeals to the ninth commandment so troubling is because their involvement in a secret society designed for the purpose of consolidating political gains is itself one of the most obvious breaches possible of this commandment.
The first thing WLC 144 says is this:
“The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbour, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever…”
In other words, what God requires of us most of all in the ninth commandment is truthfulness. A truthful representation of neighbors, ourselves, and in all other things whatsoever.
However, the first requirement of membership in a secret society is that members misrepresent themselves to others. Recall the first rule of Fight Club: Don’t talk about fight club. Other people are not allowed to find out who we are or what we are up to. That is the essence of a secret society, and it is why those who desire to keep the ninth commandment do not join secret societies.
NP members must misrepresent themselves to those outside of their society, because they know that Presbyterians believe that secret societies are impermissible in a denomination that depends upon open discussion and debate in order to promote the general welfare of the church and its mission.
The second requirement of a secret society is that members misrepresent themselves to each other. If they see themselves correctly, then they will realize that what they are doing is wrong on its face and their consciences will suffer dearly for it. Therefore, secret societies wind up misrepresenting themselves to themselves.
It’s striking how often in the emails the NP leaders reassure the members that they are in the majority, and that they are fighting for a grand future which they alone can bring to fruition. We read for example, “If we are clear in advocating for greater health in the Presbyterian Church in America, we will all be part of a more beautiful, more orthodox denomination for Kingdom work around the world. But as always, it will require dedicated and sacrificial efforts” (p. 288).
On the face of it, such sentiments sound noble and virtuous. But only until we realize what it implies about those who are outside the inner circle. It means that those outside the circle are the enemies of beauty and orthodoxy, and the secret members must work tirelessly to defeat them.
However, if they put their case in such clear terms, it couldn’t do the other thing that such assurances are designed to do: to ease the consciences of the chosen members of the NP that they are not doing anything wrong. As a result, the NP emails almost all sound like this: the PCA is wonderful, and everyone is wonderful, and we are the most wonderful, and our cause is worthy of tireless and sacrificial advocacy.
Someday in the not-too-distant future, when the PCA has been splintered, everyone will know that it was the NP who charted the course. The NP will secretly applaud themselves when they are victorious, meanwhile reassuring the losing party that they had no idea that becoming “more orthodox” would make anyone want to leave the denomination. But they will seethe if they are the ones who are cast out.
The members of this secret society clearly perceive that another public group, the Gospel Reformation Network (GRN), is their rival for the future of the PCA (p. 347). However, their leader goes to great lengths to remind the members of the NP that they are not in fact rival political parties, but merely groups that are always opposite sides of the direction of the PCA and the issues related to it.
What is a rival political party if not a group that all of the members of your secret society are always to oppose in votes, committees, etc.? So we find that the destruction of the ninth commandment runs very deep in the National Partnership. Deception to others, bolstered by willful self-deception.
These emails are in fact a study in self and group deception. I accept that everyone who is or has ever been a part of this group are within the fold of Jesus Christ and committed Christians. However, it is striking to see the ways in which their leaders and members gather together to salve each other’s consciences, to the point where they apparently believe that the ninth commandment only forbids speaking poorly about people who are not in their non-secret society.
If you say it within the confines of an exclusive group, whose members are all known to one another, who all imbibe adult beverages too much at General Assembly, and laugh about the “idiot” conservatives, then it’s just words between friends, as Pastor Cassidy so kindly reminded us. On further reflection, I do recall having been to one NP fellowship gathering; I did not find it especially beautiful, orthodox, or sober. And we are to remember that we are not supposed to think critically of the several hundred PCA/NP members who believe that the rest of us are merely “dry bones.”
Mike Littell is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of South Dayton PCA in Centerville, Ohio.

Written by David T. Crum |
Thursday, August 24, 2023
It was the General’s dream to have a Christian praying army. While such a notion was not possible, we can only awe in reverence to the idea. Imagine the sight of an opposing army committed and engaged in prayer, ready to battle its enemy forces. Such a thought should tremble our souls and provide comfort in the Lord’s Providence.

The Scriptures teach that prayer should occur throughout the day, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17). Prayer is our direct communication with the Lord. It should be the cornerstone of our daily living, and a custom so familiar to us that we need not question if we are abounding in our prayers.
Through our prayers, we praise the Lord, seek His will and guidance, ask for understanding, and acknowledge our sins. While several notable Christians served in the U.S. Civil War, Stonewall Jackson stands out when discussing his prayer life. Prayer remained one of the most deciding parts of the general’s fame. He once said, “I have so fixed the habit in my own mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without lifting my heart to God in thanks and prayer for the water of life.”[1]
As Jackson grew older and matured in the faith, those who knew Jackson best realized that he never decided his daily affairs without seeking the Lord. Whether it was battle plans, sending a letter in the mail, or seeking wisdom in his Scripture reading, the general remained faithful in prayer. One biographer said praying was like breathing for him.[2] Charles Hodge best described prayer:
“Prayer is the soul’s conversation with God. Therein we manifest or express to Him our reverence and love for His divine perfection, our gratitude for all His mercies, our penitence for our sins, our hope in His forgiving love, our submission to His authority, our confidence in His care, our desires for His favours and for the providential and spiritual blessings needed for ourselves and others.”[3]
The believer knows that prayer underlines our faithfulness and submission to God’s will. The Lord eloquently taught us the standards of prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) so that we may live in constant contact with our Father in heaven. Contrary to modern beliefs, Stonewall sought peace before and during the War Between the States. He constantly prayed for reconciliation and sought the prayers of others, seeking an end to the conflict. While earning a strong, admirable reputation during the Mexican-American War as a great military warrior, by the time the Civil War started, those who knew Jackson often referred to him as a professor of religion, living strictly for the Lord. During the war, accounts emerged of his constant prayer life, even amid intense battle. One biographer wrote:
While the battle was raging and the bullets were flying, Jackson rode by, calm as if he were at home, but his head raised toward heaven, and his lips were moving, evidently in prayer. Meeting a chaplain near the front in the heat of a battle, the general said to him, ‘The rear is your place, sir, now, and prayer your business.‘[4]
In another instance, Presbyterian Rev. R.L. Dabney recalled:
As soon as Jackson uttered his command, he drew up his horse, and dropping the reins upon his neck, raised both his hands toward the heavens while the fire of battle in his face changed into a look of reverential awe. Even while he prayed, the God of battles heard; or ever he had withdrawn his uplifted hands the bridge was gained, and the enemy’s gun was captured.[5]
Such dedication to prayer, even in war, is remarkable and serves as an example for us today. However, such commitment should not surprise the reader if they are aware of the Christian life of Stonewall Jackson. His prayers brought him understanding, comfort, hope, forgiveness, and a growing love of his Savior. Often mocked for seeking God’s will and direction in every aspect of life, his prayer life assisted in the conviction and ultimate conversion of Lt. General Richard S. Ewell.
Prayer should not only be the focal point of our lives; it should also serve as an example to others. Whether it be to your spouse, children, fellow Christians, or unbelievers, the power of prayer is indestructible. William S. Plumer wrote, “But there is no form of religion without prayer, and surely there is no salvation to those who restrain prayer. Our wants as creatures, and our necessities as sinners, can be supplied by Him who is infinite. Prayer is a duty by natural religion.”[6]  Prayer humbles the soul and reminds the believer that the Lord is in control.
It was the General’s dream to have a Christian praying army. While such a notion was not possible, we can only awe in reverence to the idea. Imagine the sight of an opposing army committed and engaged in prayer, ready to battle its enemy forces. Such a thought should tremble our souls and provide comfort in the Lord’s Providence. Rev. John R. Richardson remarked, “Jackson believed that if anyone came before the Searcher of hearts, with sincere motives for light and guidance, he was sure to receive it. It was because he believed so strongly in Providence that he believed so strongly in prayer.”[7]
When struck by friendly fire and succumbing to death a few days later, Jackson’s prayer life impressed those surrounding his bedside. He said to his wife, Anna, “Pray for me, but always remember in your prayers to use the petition, Thy will be done.’”[8] Jackson died shortly after, but his legacy continued. The story goes:
Mr. W.P. St. John, president of the Mercantile Bank of New York relates this incident. He stated that he was in the Shenandoah Valley with Gen. Thomas Jordan and at the close of the day, they found themselves at the foot of the mountains in a wild and lonely place. The only place they could find for rest was a rough shanty. There they found a rough looking, unshaven man. They were amazed when the time came to eat that this rough backwoodsman rapped on the table and bowed his head and prayed. The banker said, “Never did I hear a petition that more evidently came from the heart. It was so simple, so reverent, so tender, so full of humility and penitence, as well as thankfulness. We sat in silence and as soon as we recovered, I whispered to Gen. Jordan, “Who can he be?” To which he answered, “I don’t know, but he must be one of Stonewall Jackson’s old soldiers.” And he was. Asking him “Were you in the war?” “Oh yes,” he said with a smile, “I was with old Stonewall.”[9]
Our prayers can and will influence the lives of others. Prayer should be like breathing, remaining steady in our lives, allowing us to live in everlasting communication with our Lord and Savior. Prayer will radically change our lives if we engage in the practice, and perhaps will even lead others into eternity and the salvation of Christ. While an entire Christian praying military army may not be feasible today, the power, boldness, and faithfulness of the body of Christ in prayer are. Allow us to bring such veneration to the world through our prayers.
David Crum holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. He serves as an Assistant Professor of History and Dissertation Chair. His research interests include the history of warfare and Christianity. He and his family attend Trinity Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Bedell, New Brunswick. 

[1] Byron Farwell, A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992), 114.
[2] John Esten Cooke, Stonewall Jackson: A Military Biography, (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1876), 198.
[3] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 1988), 498.
[4] J. Williams Jones, Christ in the Camp, (Atlanta: The Martin & Hoyt Co., 1904), 93.
[5] Robert Lewis Dabney, The Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson, (Harrisonburg: Sprinkle Publications, 1983), 413.
[6] William S. Plumer, Theology for the People Or Biblical Doctrine, Plainly Stated, (Harrisonburg: Sprinkle Publications, 2005), 15.
[7] John R. Richardson, The Christian Character of General Stonewall Jackson, (Weaverville: The Southern Presbyterian Journal Company, 1943), 3.
[8] Mary Anna Jackson, Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson, (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1892), 100.
[9] Richardson, The Christian Character of General Stonewall Jackson, 15.
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