Good morning,

Working out the role of our faith in the culture and government is difficult... but not impossible. I end the week reflecting on how Jesus rejected the temptation to seize power... and what that means for each of us.

This is the Texas Minute for Friday, June 21, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Patrick Rebukes Phelan for Shelving Ten Commandments Classroom Legislation

• In the latest move exposing the tension between leadership of the House and the Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has publicly condemned Speaker Dade Phelan for effectively killing legislation aimed at mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Brandon Waltens has the details.
    

• The measure passed the Texas Senate but was stalled in the House last year, sparking outrage among its proponents. Now, Louisiana has beaten Texas by becoming the first state to pass the measure into law.

       
• The measure had passed the Senate, but Phelan allowed it to languish in committee, ensuring it never reached a floor vote by placing it on the calendar far too late in the session.
      
• “Texas WOULD HAVE been and SHOULD HAVE been the first state in the nation to put the Ten Commandments back in our schools,” declared Patrick in a social media post. “This was inexcusable and unacceptable. Putting the Ten Commandments back into our schools was obviously not a priority for Dade Phelan.”
      
• Phelan did not return a request for comment.

Ted Cruz Leads Colin Allred by 11 Points in US Senate Race

• A new poll shows U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz up 11 percentage points over U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, his challenger in this year’s U.S. Senate race in Texas. Luca Cacciatore reports the poll also shows Donald Trump continuing to poll significantly ahead of Joe Biden in the presidential race.
    
• Allred has only a plurality of support among Hispanics, while Cruz has a narrow lead among 18- to 29-year-olds.

Connection Alleged Between Sinaloa Drug Cartel and Chinese Underground Banking

• A federal indictment has alleged an alliance between one of Mexico’s biggest drug cartels and Chinese underground bankers—who are accused of jointly conspiring to cover up more than $50 million in drug profits. Will Biagini has the story.
      
• According to the Department of Justice, Chinese and Mexican law enforcement agencies collaborated with US officials to arrest fugitives who had fled to other countries after being indicted and initially charged last year.

Illegal Alien Accused of Rape Crossed Illegally in Eagle Pass

• Following the brutal attack of a young girl in New York City, authorities have revealed the suspect crossed illegally into the U.S. near Eagle Pass in 2021. Emily Medeiros reports the man is now in custody. 
    
• He has been identified as Ecuadorian national Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi.

Coalition Wants Summer Special Session on Election Integrity

• A coalition of more than 100 grassroots leaders has sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, requesting an immediate special legislative session on issues related to election integrity. Adam Cahn explains what the groups hope to achieve.

Friday Reflection
Tempting us with Power

When we boil the idea of government down to its most basic component, it is a notion of “power.” We fight over who has it, how to get it, and what to do with it. Sure, our purposes for the power of government are noble and just. And, obviously, the other guy will do horrible things.

Maybe there is a different, better way?

In 1 Cor. 10:13 we find this helpful reminder: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.”

This is why the third temptation of Jesus, after 40 days in the wilderness, is so striking. You’ll recall that He was first tempted with food to meet His most basic needs after fasting. Jesus demurred. Next, the temptation was to achieve earthly acclaim by jumping from the temple so everyone could see Him being rescued by angels. Nope.

Finally, the Gospel of Matthew records that Jesus was taken to a high mountain by Satan and shown the kingdoms of the world. “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Let’s not rush too quickly to the punch line. After all, the tempter did indeed have this “authority” to give. It was, from a certain perspective, a reasonable offer to entertain.

You’ve heard of politicians making deals with the devil? Here is that deal in its most brutally raw form. The tempter was giving Jesus the opportunity to take power without suffering the indignity of what was to come: dining with lepers and tax collectors, preparing sermons, and getting crucified. “Here, Jesus, is a shortcut to power!”

Jesus had the chance to do so much good, right? He could enact moral laws! He could compel the doom of evildoers! He could wield the scepter of earthly power to the benefit of all mankind!

He just had to do one... little... thing…

“Be gone, Satan!” is how Jesus began His reply before quoting from Deuteronomy: “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”

I worry a lot about people who seem so eager to take up the devil’s offer, seeming to hope Jesus will let us make a different choice for ourselves in His name. Trust us, they seem to cry, we can make this deal with the devil and do great Christian things!

If Jesus, God incarnate, knew that He should not take that deal with the devil to grab political power over the affairs of men… what makes us think we should do so in His name?

Hoping not to tread too far into heresy, let us imagine Jesus Christ had ditched His Father’s plan for the world and given in. One could say the earth would have been full of “Christian” nations… in name. The branding would be in place, though not the substance.

Do we want to be a Christian nation in name or in practice?

When God gave Moses the law, it was in the context of a decentralized, self-governing nation without a king. The people were to learn how to govern themselves. They gave it a go but gave up because it was hard.

Our Founding Fathers wanted us to be Christian in practice, but we, too, have found it to be hard. Like the ancient Israelites, we’ve looked around and seen all the other nations with big governments worshiping at the altar of secular humanism and decided to follow them.

The results have been soul-crushing.

Working out the intersection of faith, culture, and government is difficult. That is why that third temptation aimed at Jesus so easily ensnares so many of us. It is why we must be so diligent in seeking the strength to overcome it.

Our self-governing republic was purpose-built to restrict the self-serving ways of the power-grabbing, freedom-destroying, joy-killing princes of our world. That they have tried (and even succeeded!) is not a repudiation of the republican ideal but a reminder that we must work harder as citizens if we are to achieve something better in this world.

Wielding great earthly power won’t make ours a Christian nation, but lovingly evangelizing our fellow citizens will. We must not turn a blind eye to those who abuse government power any more than delude ourselves into thinking we have the moral capacity to use big government better than they have. As people of faith, we should not abandon civil government but approach our use of it with the moral caution that history proves is required.

Let us follow Jesus in rejecting the temptation to seize worldly power apart from God’s promises. We must be about the business of humbly serving Him and those around us.

The framers of our republic wisely restricted the scope of government to limit the temptation to abuse government power, even for good. We should reclaim that vision for the actual good of ourselves, our neighbors, and our posterity.

Quote-Unquote

"Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness."

– George Washington