Constitution Day Sept. 17

Bellwrite #9: What is constitutionalism? (based on what you understood from the assembly this morning) Why is it dangerous for the people not to remember the Constitution?

We discussed constitutionalism and related concepts from Dr. Hancock's address at the high school assembly.

Constitutionalism involves valuing the Constitution, knowing the Constitution, and governing according to the Constitution. We must recognize that the purpose of the Constitution is to limit government to its proper and useful purpose. In our nation today, we are experiencing Constitutional oblivion, or forgetfulness. In the absence of a constitutional people, the courts have taken over interpreting the Constitution, a process that has led to the creation of expanding "rights". That expansion necessarily entails the growth of government beyond its proper limits.

The people need to understand the uniquely inspired form of the U.S. Constitution so that they can be guardians of it. The Constitution is a unique synthesis which creates the golden mean of two extremes:
1) Traditional fusion of moral authority and political authority (such as the governments of the Puritans, the kingdoms of Europe's Middle Ages, and even the Islamic State). This form of government can create moral laws, but it also tends to infringe on the rights of individuals.
2) Modern separation of moral and political authority, though such a separation is an impossibility. Thus in place of natural or divine moral law, we have the substitution of the moral relativism of popular appetites and opinions. This form of government can provide for the protection of the rights of individuals, but it also tends to moral decadence and decay.

The U.S. Constitution uniquely synthesizes these forms of government, providing for a separation of church and state but also a government grounded in natural laws. It is rational but also acknowledges deity. It balances the vertical relationship of obedience to authority with the horizontal relationship of individual sociality.


Today students also took a quiz on Islamic Extremism. Class A then began reading Chapter 5 of The Chosen.

Homework:

• Work on revisions of State of the World projects.
• Two body paragraphs for Written Portfolio due tomorrow.