An Open Letter to Governor DeWine

Dear Governor DeWine,

It has been a few days since your press conference wherein you reinforced your mask mandate, so I've had time to calm down and collect my thoughts. In an effort to maintain brevity, I have distilled my thoughts into these four points.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that, while I have disagreed with your handling of COVID-19, I do believe that you love the people of Ohio and that you are trying to do your best to guide our great state through this crisis, perceived or real. I believe that you are trying to do what is right, before God and man. I do not envy the position that you, or any other elected official, is in at this time. It is noteworthy that you have restrained yourself from becoming the kind of despot that the citizens of some other states, like New York, California, and Pennsylvania, have been forced to endure. Thank you for being intentional about not forming a police state.

Secondly, I want to take a weight off of your shoulders. It is not your duty to prevent Ohioans from contracting a virus. That's just not your job description. I know that history, and your constituency come next election, will judge you based on the events of 2020, but it is simply not your fault that Ohioans have fallen ill with COVID-19. When you were sworn in as the governor of Ohio, you did not promise to keep every Ohioan alive until the end of your term. You did not swear to prevent a virus that originated in China from crossing the borders of our nation and state. You are our governor. You are not God.

Thirdly, I want to encourage you to remember that you are a public servant of the people of Ohio. You are, for lack of a better term, our employee. We pay you to do a job. Our state, like our nation, has established a representative government, choosing leaders from amongst us to represent our interests. We select one person to act as the administrator of the executive branch of our state government. That is the role to which you have been elected. You know this far better than I do, given your long and respectable history in the legal and political fields, but I know that sometimes bureaucrats need a reminder. Sir, your authority is a derivative authority. The authority to govern this state lies with the people of this state. We have delegated authority to you so that you can effectively perform your job. Simply put, you don't tell us what to do; we tell you what to do. When you violate the rights of the your citizens, collectively or individually, you are stepping outside the bounds of your authority.

Fourthly and finally, I was particularly disappointed by the formation of the "Retail Compliance Unit." There's just something about that word that irks the patriot in me. Compliance is a tyrant's word, and forming a compliance unit to reinforce gubernatorial mandates is a step away from freedom and towards the police state against which you have fought so hard. I hope that you will rethink this move.

I will leave you a promise. I promise to pray for you, both as an elected official and as a brother in Christ. I pray now this prayer For Civil Authorities from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (2019).

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, send down on those who hold public office, especially Governor Mike DeWine, the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice; that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well-being of all people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sincerely,

Josiah Spencer

A Concerned Citizen

"Father, Forgive Them"

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Forgiveness is hard. Forgiveness is really, really hard. It’s difficult to forgive others who have genuinely harmed or offended us. It’s easy to say , “I forgive you,” but it’s extremely difficult to feel it–to make peace in our hearts with the injustices that others have perpetrated against us. It just doesn’t feel right. Sin should be punished! Wrongs should be righted! Right?! It’s difficult to forgive others when they ask for it. It’s even more difficult to forgive them when they haven’t asked for it–when they don’t even recognize what they’ve done to hurt us. As our Savior hung upon His Cross, He asked the Father to forgive those nearby–those who were unwittingly contributing to the greatest injustice in the history of the world. These thieves, soldiers, and standers-by had no idea what was happening. They had no idea that the jealousy of the Jews had placed Christ on that Cross...

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations. As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae. Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict. What does it mean? Who may partake? What do we call it? These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts. Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention. PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it. I underst...

"The More Things Change..." or "Joe Biden Doing Joe Biden Things"

1 Samuel 2 relates the story of Eli, the well-meaning high priest whose only flaw (apparently) was his refusal to discipline his sons. These sons, described as worthless men , utilized their position to abuse the people and indulge their lusts with impunity. Eli's dereliction of duty brought his otherwise noble career in service to God's house to an ignominious end. There are, of course, important differences between Eli and Joe Biden. Joe Biden is not a religious leader (though he is a practicing Roman Catholic ), nor would I consider his record to be otherwise spotless. However, similarly to Eli, Biden's pardoning of his own worthless son, Hunter, will prove to be his legacy. His long (and I mean loooong) career in politics will likely be overshadowed, even in the eyes of those who previously respected him, by this one shameless act. By pardoning his son despite promising not to, Biden has yet again demonstrate...

Always Reforming

Search This Blog