Issue #14: Gillespie GOP Votes to Hand-Count & Texas Court Victory on Abortion
First, an update on the election situation...
Gillespie Republican Party Votes to Hand-Count Primary Ballots
On Tuesday, the Gillespie County Republican Party met for a special meeting to discuss an item that did not reach a conclusion at their regular meeting on the 8th. This would have been a vote to approve a contract with the County Elections Office to use their tabulation machines during the Primary election taking place March 3rd and the Runoff on May 28th. 3 weeks ago, the Party closely voted to table the discussion of the contract in order to receive more information from the Elections Office, prior to the final vote on Tuesday. After much discussion between voting members of the Party and members of the Elections Office, the Party voted 7-6 to run its own Primary elections, and hand-count the paper ballots. We’ve summarized how the future elections might look, and what the future may look like in Gillespie Republican Party.
First, it ought to be noted that this new counting system applies only to the Republican Primary and Runoff next year. All other elections, including the Constitutional election this November, the City and School Board elections in May, the Democratic Primaries, and the Presidential Election in November 2024 will all be run with the County’s tabulation machines.
Much discussion has happened over the last several months about this decision, so we’ve gotten familiar with reasons why some support hand-counting, and why some support the status quo.
Some reasons why people support hand-counting paper ballots:
The possibility that electronic tabulators could be hacked during an election, leading to fraud
The view that Precinct Chairs could not 100% guarantee that tabulators counted any individual vote, but with hand-counting they could
The belief that Precinct Chairs leading the vote count of their precincts adds accountability and transparency to the election process
Some reasons why people support the status quo with paper ballots and tabulators:
The possibility that having more people involved with the counting process could lead to fraud
The view that the County Elections Office is in a better place with transparency and preparedness than it was during the previous Elections Office admin, and those running it are trusted
The belief that Precinct Chairs are unprepared to do the work to hand-count ballots, which could complicate the election process
It seems both sides want a transparent election process. Those in favor of hand-counting no longer wish to engage with an election process they do not trust, so they have sought out one they do. This is understandable, as representing one’s precinct as an Election Judge or Chair inherently includes the desire to run clean elections. Meanwhile, those in favor of the status quo must now adapt to the new system, so certain fears have arisen that their unpreparedness may make the situation worse.
At the end of the day, it seems there is not a fiat by which anyone can talk about elections. The lack of transparency from the previous Elections Office admin did a number on people’s confidence in the incumbent systems, and during that time, while the only response was “Just trust the system and stop asking so many questions”, those with security concerns began looking past the EA and to a solution. After all, elections are the bedrock reason why any person would fundamentally trust a government: they always have the ability to change it. If someone can’t trust in that fact, their trust certainly wouldn’t extend to anything else that government says or does. To that end, trust in any given election system is earned, and it’s up to the new County Elections Office to earn it.
Also, This:
Abortion Pill Mifepristone Update. After a Federal Judge in Texas ordered the immediate removal of mifepristone from the market, the instigating lawsuit was sent up to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. This bench agreed with the plaintiffs and ruled that the FDA reinstate their pre-COVID regulations on the drug. These restrictions include limiting drug use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy (instead of 10), banning drug prescription via telemedicine, and requiring the patient to pick up the drug from her physician in person (a ban of mail-ordering the drug). The Biden Administration appealed the 5th Circuit ruling and the case went to the Supreme Court. Last week, the Supreme Court agreed with the Appeals Court and announced, essentially, that the Federal judge must overturn his ban on mifepristone so that the 5th Circuit ruling may be enacted.
Charges Still Pending for Self-Proclaimed Religious Leader in Kenya. Paul Mackenzie, leader of ‘Good News International Ministries’ in Nairobi, remains under arrest after surrendering himself to authorities back in April. The Kenyan government was alerted earlier this year that Mackenzie was inciting his followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus faster. After finding bodies buried in a forest near Malindi, believed to be members of Mackenzie’s church, both Mackenzie and televangelist Ezekiel Odero were arrested under suspicion of radicalization, terrorism, murder, aiding suicide, and money laundering. Since April, over 420 human remains have been found in the forest. Autopsies reveal most deaths were caused by starvation, but others, including those of children, were due to strangulation and suffocation. Thirty-seven other suspects have also been arrested for ties to what locals are calling ‘the Shakahola Forest Massacre’. The Kenyan government has deregistered and shut down at least four churches for ‘cult-like practices’ and has formed a task force to review the country’s regulatory governance of religious organizations. Reactions to the government’s plans are mixed. Catholic priest Rev. Ouko encourages the oversight saying, “Some of these groups lack the features that make a church…We don’t know which theological schools their leaders attended. We only see [them]…seeking to be glorified. These leaders should be questioned and checked.” Others protest the intrusion of the state into religious freedom, like Bishop Musonde who said, “We find the narrative being driven that churches, and by extension religion, need to be regulated is a façade.”
Several New Texas Laws to Go Into Effect September 1st. Any physician who provides ‘gender-affirming’ treatments to minors will have their medical license revoked. Collegiate athletes will be required to compete based on their biological sex. City and county ordinances that extend beyond the law of the state will be overridden. HOAs will not be allowed to discriminate based on tenants’ method of payment. When anyone dies of fentanyl poisoning, the confirmed distributor of the drug can now be charged with murder. Booksellers are required to assign sexual content ratings to books before advertising them to schools. All public schools are required to have armed personnel. Owners of electric vehicles will be required to pay $200 for registration renewals every year.
The Good News
by Amy Heimann
Sola Fide
There are five Latin phrases that represent key issues stemming from the Protestant Reformation of the Christian Church in the 1500s. They are: sola scripture (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), sola Christus (Christ alone), and sola Deo Gloria (to the glory of God alone), Sola fide is largely held most prominently among these essential biblical teachings, although all five are closely tied together. These doctrinal points, especially sola fide, distinguish Christianity from all other religions and are often used to distinguish between denominations and sects. Most worldly religions and cults focus on what must be done by people in order to achieve spiritual rest after death; sola fide, sola gratia, and sola Christus emphasize that man is not saved through works, but by God’s gift of faith in His Son (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:21-5:11; Romans 10:9, 13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16, 21; Galatians 3:6-11; and others).
Sola fide teaches that it is purely by faith in Christ that one inherits eternal life and salvation. Not only can man not be saved without faith in Christ, but salvation does not require anything additional. Rejecting sola fide is the same as rejecting Christianity. For if faith in Christ is not necessary for entrance into heaven, then the life and death of Jesus was for naught. This can swiftly fall into the realm of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD). MTD is the belief that a god or ‘Higher Power’ exists (indeed this knowledge is written into the hearts of man (Acts 17:26-27; Acts 14:17; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 2:14-15), that he/it desires men to be happy, and that men will go to heaven as long as they are good. But if man can enter heaven apart from faith, then the Gospel is worthless, Christ’s sacrifice was futile, and evangelism and the sending of missionaries is frivolous.
It is also a rejection of sola fide to claim that infants and the mentally disabled are saved simply because their evident knowledge is naturally limited. This is wrong for the following two reasons: 1) it teaches that not all humans are sinful and therefore deserving of condemnation (rejecting Genesis 3:22; Genesis 6:5; Psalm 14:3; Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Psalm 130;3; Psalm 143:2; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Romans 3:9-20; Romans 5:18; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 11:6, and others) and 2) it teaches that God is not just to punish sins (rejecting Exodus 20:5; various texts in Leviticus; Matthew 13:40-43; Mark 16:16; Luke 13:1-5; Luke 13:22-25; Romans 2:1-11; Romans 3:5-6; Romans 6:23; Romans 9:14-21; Galatians 6:7-8; 1 John 1:8-10; and others). Jesus makes clear that ignorance is not an excuse to gain heaven. The Lord says in the Gospel account of St. Luke, chapter 12, verses 47-48, “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.” God also declares in Leviticus 5:17, “If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.”
There are also two primary ways to misinterpret sola fide. One is to say ‘faith saves’, which is a popular bumper sticker. The other is to say ‘faith must be accompanied by works in order to justify.’ The problem with the first can be easily addressed by asking, “faith in what?” For it is not faith in Allah that saves, not faith in Confucius, surely not faith in yourself or your works, and it is also not faith that Adonai exists that saves you (“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” James 2:19 and “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him…and their foolish hearts were darkened” Romans 1:21). Saving faith is trusting in the name of the Lord for grace, mercy, and forgiveness. The second misinterpretation, possibly stemming from James 2:24, is what causes major denominational divides among those professing to be Christians.
The teaching that salvation is entirely the work and unmerited gift of God was preached not only by St. Paul (5-65), but also by St. Augustine (354-430), Saint Bernard of Clairvoux (1090-1153), Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), and even Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) who was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. When Martin Luther began opposing the office of the papacy and proclaiming the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ (sola gratia, sola fide, sola Christus), the Roman Catholic Church ended up anathematizing (damning) justification by faith alone in the declarations of the Council of Trent (1545-1563). It is worth noting, that Roman Catholics and Lutherans define “justification” differently, which is likely how the Council of Trent went on to say, “We are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God…” Putting aside terms such as justification and sanctification, and looking only at the result of salvation, it can be said that Roman Catholics, Methodists, Pentecostals, and some Anglicans all reject sola fide. Methodists, who are inherently synergists, also reject sola Scriptura and sola gratia.
But what about James 2:24? This is where ten-dollar words come into play. First, it must be reemphasized that whoever believes in Christ will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9) which is also to say that faith is not a ‘first step to salvation’, but the reception of the promise and salvation itself (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 4:16; Romans 9:16; Romans 11:6; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5-7). Second, it must be accepted that no one can do good works apart from faith (John 15:5; James 2:18).
Some helpful definitions: Righteousness is the perfection of God and is imputed to man by faith (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Genesis 15:6; Galatians 5:5; Philippians 3:9). Justification is when man’s sins are charged to Christ and Christ’s righteousness is charged to man and it comes via the sacrifice of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:5-8, 23-25; Galatians 3:13-14). Sanctification, being made holy, is an ongoing process within the believers by the Holy Spirit and entails all the effects of God’s Word, including doing good works (Leviticus 20:7; Matthew 7:16-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:10-14).
Now, it is obvious throughout the entire eleventh chapter of the letter to the Hebrews and also the second chapter of James’ epistle that faith is surely accompanied by good works. Martin Luther remarked on this topic: “Faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, so that it is impossible for it not to be constantly doing what is good…Whoever does not perform such good works is a faithless man, blindly tapping around in search of faith and good works without knowing what either faith or good works are, and in the meantime he chatters and jabbers a great deal about faith and good works.” Indeed, “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6) and “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). Yet, it is crucial to remember the warning of St. Paul, that if man should attempt to be justified by his works, even if it is in connection with faith, he has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4; Romans 3:19; Romans 9:31-33; Galatians 2:16). For if we state that works are necessary for salvation we must agree that it is then impossible for a mute quadriplegic to be saved (because he does not perform works). Instead, we should declare than any person may come to faith in Christ (sola Christus) through the Word (sola Scriptura) as God’s gift (sola gratia), and that faith is the only requisite for eternal life (sola fide). Sola Deo Gloria!
https://www.gotquestions.org/sola-fide.html
https://lutheranreformation.org/theology/sola-fide/
Good essay. I am particularly impressed with her use of Leviticus 5:17. That is a gem I rarely see, although I do prefer King James: 17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist [it] not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity."
It has amazing applications.