Nearly one hundred students, speakers and Vision Forum staff gathered in the beautiful Lurray Mountains of Virginia this last week for the 6th annual Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy. Students from more than a dozen states came to learn a distinctively biblical perspective on law, public policy, ethics, and to study the biblical foundations of American Constitutional government, to evaluate approaches to legal education, and to interact and fehllowship with a distinguished faculty. Though not limited to home educators, the Witherspoon School drew largely from America’s home school movement, and included a large number of fathers and sons. Also present as students were a number of pastors and attorneys who came to “get what they were not told in law school or seminary.”

The Mymslin Inn makes a beautiful setting for the week of training. This 1930’s plantation-style inn, with its historic decor, rests high on the hills overlooking the Shenandoah.

In between sessions, students and faculty can visit in the comfortable lounges, or go for a stroll in the back terrace. It makes for a very comfortable and nostalgic setting to discuss American history and the law of God.

Texas attorney and Vision Forum Ministries board member Don Hart, Jr. attended with his father — Don Hart, Senior. Don, Jr., who serves as a church shepherd in his local church, is one of the featured speakers at this years’ 2nd Annual National Conference for Uniting Church and Family. These men are real Texans. (The week before I was driving with Don, Jr. in his truck and inquired about a pair of spurs on the floor. He explained that he had spent the entire previous day with his father herding and roping cattle — Cowhand and Constitutional freedom fighters — This is what makes Texas great!

It is always a pleasure to work with my father and hero, Howard Phillips. My father took me with him around the country when I was a boy. He gave me numerous opportunities to meet and dialogue with great leaders. He also spent much of our driving and travel time training me in principles of biblical law and the Constitution. We listened to thousands of tapes and had many glorious conversations. The Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy is in existence because Dad inspired me to pursue this path.

Witherspoon was honored to have as visiting lecturer, Constitutional attorney, and Alabama Supreme Court candidate Tom Parker, who was joined by his gracious wife Dottie. Tom served in several capacities with the Alabama Supreme Court during the tenure of Chief Justice Roy Moore. He was fired by acting Chief Justice Gorman Houston for his association with Chief Justice Moore. Tom then went on to defeat sitting Supreme Court Justice Jean Brown for the Republican nomination. Brown had conspired with Houston to oppose Chief Justice Moore and remove the Ten Commandments. Tom has worked on a number of key cases including Wallace v. Jaffrey, and has a distinguished career defending constitutional liberties.

This year I lectured on a broad range of subjects including the real meaning of theonomy, the importance of presuppositional thinking and apologetics as applied to public policy, the history of Christianity and the common law, the influence of evolution on the modern legal system, a primer on biblical ethics for lawyers and public policy leaders, and how to choose a legal education.

I also took this year’s Witherspoon as an opportunity to spend an hour formally responding to and rebutting the thesis of Political Pluralism, a book by the brilliant and accomplished Dr. Gary North, that the American Constitution was a renegade, masonic-conspiracy-driven, illegitimate document that fundamentally broke with the Christian origins of this nation. One student of Dr. North’s writings who was present told me afterwards: “This was the first time I have heard a solid and plausible response to North’s thesis.”(I view this issue as crucial, and hope to address this issue in more detail in a future blog or article.)

Witherspoon students were treated to a wonderful lecture on biblical principles of civil procedure from Professor Jeff Tuomala, the Associate Dean for Liberty University School of Law. Professor Tuomala’s outstanding article in defense of Chief Justice Roy Moore on the meaning of the rule of law was quoted during the Chief Justice’s trial before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

Joshua and Justice Phillips join Kevin and Justin Turley for a photo by the Vision Forum table. Kevin is Director of Operations for Vision Forum.

Past Witherspoon students have gone on to be elected to public office, to serve the Lord as attorneys and judges. Especially exciting are the number of families that continue to send the next generation to attend.

One student wrote:

Thank-you so much for the opportunity to learn and grow under the faculty of the Witherspoon School. I firmly believe that the principles and world view that were taught and discussed are crucial to the life of every Christian. I come from a family of twelve children and all I can say is that I hope that you will see the rest of my (7) seven brothers attend this event. Thank you so much for your work and desire to see our nation revived.

Police Detective Robert Surgenor brought a humorous and inciteful look into the anti-spanking movement. He detailed the widespread ignorance in police departments about the limits of Child Protective Services, as well as the assault by the social worker industry on the Constitution and the Christian family.

During my introduction of Detective Surgenor, I offered my own perspective as an attorney who formerly defended parents experiencing social worker abuse. In my view, the very existence of Child Protective Services is improper because neither the Bible nor the common law give us a basis for maintining a quasi-criminal law agency. Either the behavior of a parent in question is is criminal (in which case they should be prosecuted), or it is not(in which case no agent of the state has jurisidiction to evaluate the parenting decisions of the family), but to give unelected officials the perceived force of law and the right to harass parents even as they impose their own evolutionary-driven humanistic vision for child training on those children and parents, is pure tyranny.

The 2004 Witherspoon provided students with the opportunity to debate and discuss a wide range of crucial ethical issues from bio-genetic technologies to biblical principles of voting. The maturity and level of discourse among the students was particularly notable this year.

One participant wrote:

“First I just wanted to say thank you for the experience of Witherspoon, it was incredible! If ever there was hope to be found for our nation it was sitting in class with so many intelligent young men. I watched with great joy as they were being fed nation changing truths and I look forward to the day when I will be sitting next to my boys in the same class!”

Witherspoon student (and former Vision Forum intern) Nathaniel Darnell stops to discuss public policy with guest speaker, Michael Peroutka, the Constitution Party candidate for President of the United States. (Michael was the only candidate for President who accepted our invitation to speak.) The Maryland attorney and founder of The Institute on the Constitution, offered a riveting message on biblical principles of public policy and constitutional government.

Three generations of the Phillips family men gather for an photo in front of the beautiful Mimslyn Inn (built in the 1930’s).

It is always our pleasure to provide for our students some of the most interesting and helpful books relating to Christianity, law, and public policy.

The Witherspoon School is a special time for fathers and sons who are seeking to better discern the Lord’s calling.

One student wrote:

I am elated to see families functioning together and committing to protect God’s precious gift to us all leaving a godly heritage in accord with our founding fathers. What a joy to be a father.

Another father wrote:

This conference has been a pinnacle experience for myself and my son. I have seen more clearly the historical context of my country, its origins, God’s blessings on the new nation, and my own life, and the loss of freedoms we have seen in my generation. I am greatly humbled by the which God has shown to me and my dear wife, in blessing us so greatly, even in the midst of the judgments of our good God on our nation which has been richly blessed and then forgotten, tragically, those same rich blessings! The historical background, especially the Common Law (Biblical Law) heritage has challenged me greatly. I am passionate about God’s Law, applying it in my own life, and teaching it to my family, friends, and church. I want to learn how to use it to reclaim my country (if the Lord wills it); or help build a new country that will do the will of the creator.

The image above is of two great Americans and Christian heroes: Bill and Chad Roach. This father and son team from Colorado are really stupendous. Bill and Chad help to lead one of our nations’ healthiest, most biblically solid and influential home school organizations, The Christian Home Educators of Colorado. Thanks for all you do Bill. And thanks for being an honoring son Chad!

We are grateful for the precious comments we have already received from many of our students, including:

Thank you for, and may God bless, his wonderful school. I have been blessed by the understanding of the importance and source of the national documents — the Declaration and the Constitution. But more so have been the blessings of the focus on our Lord Jesus Christ as the central player and purpose in our action and thinking. Specifically, the message of living on principle, applying scholarship to our reasoning, and patriarchal and multi-generational faithfulness were of particular value and, by God’s grace, will be values I retain and practice throughout my future. May God bless and continue to use you in this important work.

And...

Six years ago, God called me to a study of his law (during a speech by David Barton). During the same time, I was informed about the inaugural Witherspoon School. God put upon my hear then a calling to attend this school before beginning law school. Now here I sit at the conclusion of four days of a study of biblical law, three weeks before my entrance into Baylor Law. God is sovereign. Through this school and through prior contact with Vision Forum materials, and ultimately through God, I believe that I have been transformed by the renewing of my mind. I stand ready, by God’s grace, to enter into study of law. I realize that there are pitfalls in front of me, but I firmly believe that an adherence to God and His principles will bring me through to my ultimate goal: His glorification. Thank you for being an instrument of God in my life.

My father and Dr. John Eidsmoe discuss constitutional politics at the lunch table. Both men gave outstanding messages on constitutional history and politics. Dr. Eidsmoe’s talk on the history of interposition (the right of a lower magistrate to hold a higher magistrate accountable to the true rule of law) was simply outstanding.