The First Amendment to the United States Constitution says, in part, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." America was built upon freedom of religion. We hasten to note that the New Testament of Christ does not guarantee freedom of religion by civil authorities. Indeed, Christians have come under persecution from governing powers for their faith since the early days of the church (Acts 12:1-4; 22:4-5; 26:9-11; Rev. 13:15-17).

This is not to say that Christians in America, since we are granted such freedom by our governing authorities, should not avail ourselves of said rights. Paul appealed to Caesar for justice and for the protection from evildoers his innocence deserved (Acts 25:11-12). We have God's approval to avail ourselves of the religious freedom afforded us by this nation's laws.

Still, when government infringes on our faith, we have a moral obligation to obey God instead of men (Acts 5:29). For example, this week a federal judge struck down a Mississippi law that would have allowed "county clerks to cite their religious convictions to avoid issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples" ("Mississippi: Judge Rules County Clerks Must marry Same-Sex Couples," Veronica Neffinger, ChristianHeadlines.com). When lawmakers or judges impose restrictions upon the free exercise of religion's morality, we must continue to practice our faith, even at the expense of freedom. The constitution we honor is the gospel of Christ. It bears greater authority than any document conceived by men. Its authority and influence reaches into eternity. Therefore, let us be sure we are in agreement with the gospel of Christ - even when it means we will be in disagreement with the laws of men.