Due Process? Do Something!

“No one stays good in this world.”[1]

That single statement seems to be the mantra of the day in American politics. Just this morning, after more than a week of negotiations between Senate leadership and Ms. Christina Blasey Ford, the accuser of Brett Kavanaugh, another accusation of sexual misconduct arises to delay the confirmation process. This time, even the New York Times recognized that an accusation with zero details, zero corroborating evidence, and zero supporting testimony has zero credibility. Still, Senator Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee claimed, based on a Fox News article, that the committee would investigate claims made by Ms. Debbie Ramirez and superstar attorney Michael Avenatti, despite neither claim having a stitch of evidence or a single corroborating witness in support.

Mea Culpa – I am not on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am not a lawyer, I am not an investigative reporter with inside information on Brett Kavanaugh nor have I even met the man. I do not have any more information on the character of the man than any of my readers. Still, in church we have a saying, “if you are on Satan’s radar, you might be doing something right.” It seems to me that Brett Kavanaugh is on Satan’s radar.

As I recount the facts I must admit I am biased. I am biased by the globally accepted, and truly American legal maxims of “innocent until proven guilty”[2] and “burden of proof.”[3] I am also biased by over forty years of Christian teachings, one of which is found throughout the Bible and seems so very appropriate in today’s world of easy offense and fantastical claims.

“One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deut 19:15, NIV)

“This will be my third visit to you. ‘Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’” (2 Cor 13:1, NIV)

Even God recognized the importance of witnesses when discussing the condemnation of this sinful world in Revelation.

“’I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth.’” (Rev 11:3, NIV)

Unfortunately, in these United States today, we appear more like the ones who gloat over the death of the witnesses as described later in Revelation 11 rather than the champions of liberty and justice portrayed in the DC Universe I used to open this blog. This time it is more than just the mainstream media and dozens of filthy rich Hollywood elites, each of whom vies for your political allegiance, seemingly bent on convicting the nominee in the court of public opinion. Everyday Americans have come to the conclusion that “no one stays good in this world;” therefore, Brett Kavanaugh must have done terrible things as a teenager that outweigh the last thirty-five years of service as a jurist and devout Catholic. That same opinion seems to permeate both national parties, as Democrats like Senator Diane Feinstein of California, who is in the news for withholding and then breaking the news of Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh, and Republicans like Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who continues to bow to partisan pressure to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote, spar over who gets to take the lead in destroying the Hon. Judge Kavanaugh’s character on the national stage.

At the end of the day, we average Christians know little more than Judge Kavanaugh accepted the nomination to the highest court in the land and neither political party seems inclined to support him. But the lesson here is less about popular political posturing than it is about basic Biblical beliefs. As Christians we feel for both the accuser and the accused. We feel for the accuser because she either has lived with this pain for thirty-five years, or she is the victim of a lie that says she can make unfounded accusations and destroy a man’s reputation with impunity. We feel for the accused because he and his family are being tried in the court of public opinion, not in a court of law where everyone is protected. We also feel for our nation as more and more these political shows tear at the basic thread that build our national identity and instead sew disunity.

More and more we find that we must rely on God’s guidance to muddle through these very murky waters. And frankly, the only means to that end is more God and less everything else. Maybe Superman cannot stay good, but God can. So don’t fall for the growing belief that “no one stays good in this world.” Rather, put on the whole armor of God, dig into His word, seek His face, and allow His wisdom to guide your every thought. We just might discover that John the Baptist knew what he was talking about.

“He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all…The one who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:30 – 31, NIV)

(Published by the Christian Examiner: https://www.christianexaminer.com/article/due-process-do-something/51985.htm)

[1] Terrio, Chris and David S. Goyer. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Film. Directed by Zack Snyder. Los Angeles: Warner Brothers Pictures, 2016.

[2] https://study.com/academy/lesson/innocent-until-proven-guilty-origin-law-meaning.html

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_proof_(law)