Announcing Our Next Meeting!

Time:
Friday, March 26 at 7pm

Place:
The Historic Biery House
8 Race St
Catasauqua, PA 18032

Because of scheduling conflicts caused by the recent snow, the meeting initially planned for February has been re-scheduled for this month. As originally planned, Jake Towne will be leading us in a discussion on the 17 specific powers and responsibilities given to the federal Legislature in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. The 10th Amendment says that any responsibility not expressly given to the federal government in the Constitution is left to the states and the people, so it is very important that we understand what the specific responsibilities of our federal government are.

Come and join us as we learn and discuss together! We will be meeting at the Biery House in Catasauqua and there will be no charge for entrance. Please RSVP by Facebook or email (ryan_burgett@hotmail.com) by March 23 so we can properly prepare for the group. We hope to see you there!

Finding the Biery House:
The house is on the left almost immediately after crossing the Race St bridge (heading East) in Catasauqua. Click here for a map.

Parking Information:
Follow the driveway beside the house all the way back to the parking lot.

Questions? Contact Ryan at 484-553-0956.

Foundational Truth: The Separation of Church and State

"Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's."
Luke 20.25

These are the immortal words of Jesus Christ given in the Gospel of Luke. In this simple verse, Jesus makes a clear distinction between God and Caesar, or what we would consider Church and State. Each has distinct responsibilities from God and have been given authority to fulfill those responsibilities.

Throughout history, we have seen this distinction blurred and the results were always disastrous. In the Middle Ages, we saw the Catholic church take on the responsibilities of civil government (the state) and the world saw bloody crusades, oppression, widespread poverty, and total abandonment of the proper functions of the Church. On the other hand, we have seen governments attempt to control the church for political means and especially in recent history have seen government claim responsibilities that are rightfully left to the church. These have caused corruption, poverty, persecution and pointless bloodshed. If each party had respected the other and each fulfilled its proper functions, many of history's greatest disasters could have been avoided. So what are their respective responsibilities?

Let us start with the church, or the Christian religion in general. In Matthew 28.19-20, Jesus lays out three responsibilities: (1) Discipleship (2) Baptism (3) Teaching. Also, James 1.27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." So those are some basic, biblical responsibilities of the Church. Now what are the responsibilities of civil government? Romans 13.4 tells us that God has given civil government authority to be "an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." So, to put it in a nutshell, civil government has been given the responsibility of protecting good people by punishing evildoers.

We must always make a proper distinction between the Church and the State. They each have been given authority to fulfill certain responsibilities, and in any case where one attempts to usurp the authority of the other there is nothing but trouble and pain. We must hold fast to the wisdom of Jesus and render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. That is truth.

Letter From Our Founding Director

To All Fellow and Sister Patriots, who believe that we are a Nation of Laws and not the Vagaries of Human Caprice. We have grown together over the past two years as a very valuable source of Constitutional education, thanks to all of you dedicated followers of truth and freedom.

But life moves on, and changes occur in growth and direction. Ryan is focusing on a large educational program for our Youth (the life's blood of America). Targeting the Home Schooled, Faith based Schools, and Private Charter Institutions.

He and Eric Adams will be guiding the future Study Group Sessions for L.B.C.C.S for the near future. As I am involved in helping open a full service Bakery/Cafe/Coffee House, which will be the permanent home for for our Sessions. Joining along with other Community/ Neighborhood Groups, sprinkled with several Business Educational Networking Organizations (all scheduled a different times throughout the months ahead). It is called Delicious Morsels and will be located at 1305 S. Roth Ave (north west Allentown) easy access to all major regional roadways. There are numerous available buildings nearby to host larger events if needed. Scheduled opening to take place in late April if all goes well.

Please continue your viewing of this Web Blog for further timely educational pieces, plus meeting schedules for the next several months. Location (s) to be announced by our Chairman Ryan Burgett. Hope to see you all soon in the very near and bright future.

Sincerely, Yours in Liberty,

Paul J. Fiske
Founding Director
The Liberty Bell Center for Constitutional Studies
Lehigh Valley, Pa.

Thomas Jefferson’s Other Declaration

By Derek Sheriff, TenthAmendmentCenter.com.

Most Americans know that Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of “The Declaration of Independence”, the most important of all our founding documents.

Yet few of them have even heard of another document that I would say might be the second most important declaration he ever wrote: The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798. He drafted them secretly while he was serving as vice president. It was written in response to the hated Alien and Sedition Acts which were passed under the Adams administration during an undeclared war with France. . .

To read the entire article, click here.

"Americans are Awakening to Our Awful Situation"

By Earl Taylor, Jr. NCCS.net.

"America's Founding Fathers were students of human nature and how influential people and governments have dealt with human nature throughout the history of this world. In nearly every case, the Founders discovered that powerful people have nearly always sought to gain mastery over others. Whether by force or by slow deceptive means, power-hungry individuals have sought to thrust themselves into positions where they can control the lives, liberty, and property of others. The distaste for this kind of control is what led Thomas Jefferson to proclaim, “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal vigilance against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Generally, this kind of power, which tends to pander to the pretended needs of the masses and thereby invades the unalienable rights of individuals, is known as socialism. . ."

To read the entire newsletter, click here.

LBCCS Meeting Postponed

Students of liberty,

I am sorry to inform you that we will be rescheduling our meeting currently scheduled for this Friday. This is the result of scheduling conflicts related to the recent snow we have received. The meeting will be moved to March and we will get you the date as soon as we have it nailed down. We are very sorry for this last minute change of plans and any inconvenience it may cause.

Ryan Burgett
Chairman - L.B.C.C.S.
ryan_burgett@hotmail.com

Born Again American

Announcing the February LBCCS Meeting!

At this month's meeting, Jake Towne will be leading us in a discussion on the 17 specific powers and responsibilities given to the federal Legislature in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. The 10th Amendment says that any responsibility not expressly given to the federal government in the Constitution is left to the states and the people, so it is very important that we understand what the specific responsibilities of our federal government are.

Come and join us as we learn and discuss together! We will be meeting again at the historic Belmont Inne in Bethlehem and will be charging for entrance. A snack buffet will be provided by the inn. Please RSVP by Facebook or email (ryan_burgett@hotmail.com) by February 16 so we can properly prepare for the group. We hope to see you there!

Time:
Friday, February 19 @ 7:00pm
Cost:
$8 / person if RSVP'd by the 16th
or
$11 at the door.

Place:
The Belmont Inne
3750 Old Philadelphia Pike
Bethlehem, PA 18015

For a map and to get directions, click here.

"Herber Hoover and the Great Depression"

There is a great lecture series at Mises.org titled "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History." This series is led by Thomas E. Woods Jr. and is based off his book of the same title. His lecture on Herbert Hoover provides an excellent, brief explanation of the effects of arbitrary government-controlled interest rates and their contribution to the hated business cycle. To listen to this wonderful lecture, visit:

http://mises.org/media/2046

"Campaign for Liberty: The School of REAL Politics"

by Russell D. Longcore. CampaignForLiberty.com.

Politics is a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, winner-take-all, long-term war over the adjudication of power.

Campaign for Liberty sponsored a Regional Convention in Atlanta on January 15-17. The convention was the most eye-opening political event I have attended in recent years.

Over 400 political junkies were in attendance and got far in excess of their money's worth in political training. C4L Director of Development Steve Bierfeldt made arrangements for me to have a pass to the event. Being only recently made familiar with C4L, I had little idea what lessons were in store in this weekend event.

Campaign for Liberty (C4L) is a political organization founded in June 2008. Respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, individual liberty, sound money, non-interventionist foreign policy and stellar grassroots training in political activity constitute the foundation of Campaign for Liberty. C4L is experiencing exponential growth, with over 5,000 new members joining weekly. . .

To read the entire article, click here.