Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Bible And The Constitution: Reading Methods, Relevance, And Authority, Gaylen P. Leverett

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Politics and religion have united and/or divided people groups for as long as records have been kept. Currently most of the divisiveness tormenting America’s potential for harmony is in these two fields. The debates have many fronts and factions. This paper is an attempt to bring some clarity to the debate between religious conservatives and progressives over how the Constitution should be read. Conservatives are so named because they wish to preserve older interpretations which they believe best represent the original decisions – decisions conservatives for the most part still endorse. Progressives, on the other hand, argue that our new …

Biblical Principles Of Reform And Regeneration, Kahlib Fischer

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper seeks to provide Biblical perspective on social and cultural reform. At the time of this writing, much upheaval in the form of a pandemic, race riots, political protests have been manifest both within America and abroad. In turn, these disputes have carried over into disputes within various denominations of the Church itself. It can be difficult to ascertain a Biblical perspective on all of these issues. We had previously argued that a Biblical perspective on government requires an emphasis on limited government with a covenantal structure which embodies noncentralization, and federalism; after all, historically, the American system of …

Constitutional Crisis And The Tenth Amendment: Civil Disobedience, Founding Principles, And The State’S Responsibility, Travis Younce

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This past year we have seen an unprecedent grab of power from the State to the federal levels. This has caused many Americans to voice their concerns through civil disobedience. Yet, as we have seen from the summer of 2020 to the electoral vote on 6 January 2021, many Americans have gone beyond civil disobedience and rioted, causing loss of life and destruction of property for their beliefs.

The Founding Fathers were concerned with a central government that exceeded its powers and destroying the powers at the local or State level in favor of federal rule. In Federalist no 45 …

Bridging The Gap: Reconciling Research And Reality On Street Gang Prevention, Brent Schuliger

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Law enforcement in America is under great scrutiny. Last year saw numerous calls for criminal justice reforms due to a perceived racial bias in policing strategies and policies. This crisis of public opinion poses a serious threat to police legitimacy in the coming years. Couple this with a public which increasingly does not trust police capabilities to solve crimes: since 2010, the number of violent crimes reported to police steadily declined, reaching a low of only 40% reported[1]. It is clear some reforms to the criminal justice system, and how it interacts with communities, are needed. One of …

The Emergence Of Transitional Justice In The United States Via The Criminal Justice System, Lawrence Presley, Calista D. Scott, Jessica E. Delgado

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The definition of transitional justice includes police and judiciary reform in part through truth and reconciliation commissions. Several states have operational truth and justice commissions, and there are clear Congressional and media indications of a United States truth and reconciliation commission. The purpose of this paper is to explore a national truth and justice commission with a focus on criminal justice reform. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be explored, and its potential implications for such a United States commission. The United States Supreme Court decision McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) will also be highlighted as it may have …

Education Federalism And School Choice, Ann Pleinies

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Federalism is questioned in many public policy areas where the government imposes extensive regulations over state and local governments. In the field of education federalism specifically, the government has increasingly pushed boundaries both vertically with state and local governments over grant money and horizontally with the different branches of government. This paper will start by discussing the push and pull of education federalism when it comes to federal programs and the executive branch and their initiatives. This paper will also address school choice. School choice is a movement that is growing in momentum as educational needs are not being met …

Relations Of The Catholic Church And The Government Of The Republic Of Lithuania Relations During The Crisis Of Covid-19: Partnership Or Dispute?, Audris Narbutas

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The religious liberty is one of the most profound and fundamental deep freedoms in the West World. The vast majority of the modern democracies recognize the people’s right to worship God according to the particular traditions and norms of the different religious communities.

The state of Lithuania belongs to this family of democracies where the religious liberty plays a significant role in the legal system of the Lithuania. The rights to express and practice each one’s faith are established in the Article 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania[1] and in the bilateral treaties with the Holy …

Defunding The Police From A Biblical Perspective, Macy Montgomery

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The coronavirus pandemic instilled panic and fear within people across the globe at the beginning of 2020. The death of George Floyd in May during the attempted arrest quickly exacerbated people's anxiety, but not in the virus, rather, in law enforcement. The despair and horror individuals felt after George Floyd's death then turned into rage. Protests against police brutality turned into sinister riots, which consisted of looting and burning of buildings. The slogan "defund the police" became popularized by Black Lives Matter, which calls for the reduction in police funds and the delegation of police duties to other organizations. This …

The Effect Of International Level Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Orders On Death Rates, Valeriia Manchak, Annalisa Stoll, Kyle Conniff

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In this paper, we document and compare data gathered from more than 50 countries with different demographic characteristics, lockdown policies, health systems, and different varying timelines to combat COVID-19. After discussing the variables and their impact on the mortality numbers, we will make a recommendation concerning the different lockdown policies for future use. The main objective of this paper is to investigate connections between government policies, population age, age density, smoking rate, IQ air pollution, forms of greeting, death rate, obesity/health index, mean age, face coverings, contact tracing, international travel control level, etc. and how these independent variables might affect …

Coronavirus Communication: Interaction Of Church, State, And Constitution In The Pandemic Environment, Valeriia Manchak

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper investigates the response to Covid-19 by examining the communication problem between the government and religious institutions. During the outbreak, some faith-based organizations used religion-abetted value judgments which affected viral spread (Whitehead and Perry 2020). Religious institutions can also inspire people to be supportive while the world endures hard times. (Wildman, Bulbulia and et al. 2020). This paper will explain where churches have contributed to the challenges of dealing with the COVID virus and provide recommendations for the better response (Wildman, Bulbulia and et al. 2020). This paper also discusses where the government violated constitutional rights and how to …

Diversifying Nuclear Technology: A Technical Analysis On Small Modular Reactors And Its Impact On Nuclear Energy Policy, Carolina Lugo Mejia, Marcos Lugo

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The energy policy debate in the United States has revolved around the diversification of energy sources while promoting advantageous economic profits. One drive for this has been the discussion of anthropogenic, environmental endangerment concerns (Vlassopoulous 2011, 104). However, despite the environmental concerns, the U.S. has for some time only relied on one type of energy source—fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are categorized as natural gas, coal, petroleum, and other gases responsible (U.S. Energy Administration 2019). Natural gas is responsible for 38.4%, coal for 23.4%, petroleum for 0.4%, and other gases for 0.3% of the U.S.’s electrical generation (U.S. Energy Administration 2019). …

The Non-Christian Nature Of Marxism, Andrew Looker, Jr.

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Marxism is one of the most impactful philosophies in the history of mankind. It refers to the political and economic theories formulated by Karl Marx, a German philosopher who lived from 1818 to 1883. Marx’s most well-known works include the Communist Manifesto (1848) and Das Kapital (1859). Marxism initially consisted of the three related ideas of a philosophical anthropology, a theory of history, and a radical economic and political program.[1] More specifically, Marx claimed that capitalism is just one stage in the historical progression from inferior economic systems to superior ones. Marx held that every society throughout history has …

Illegal Abortion: Truth Vs. Fiction, Andrew Looker, Jr.

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Abortion has remained one of the most contentious issues in American political discourse ever since the Supreme Court legalized the procedure in the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. Numerous emotional, statistical, and even Biblical arguments have been formulated in debates over this topic. However, arguably the two most common assertions are that thousands of women perished due to unsafe abortions prior to Roe v. Wade, and that laws restricting or outlawing abortion are ineffective in reducing abortion rates. As an example, former President of Planned Parenthood Leana Wen made the following claim in May 2019: “Before Roe v. …

The Effect Of State Level Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Orders On Death Rates, Stephen A. Langeland, Jose Marte, Kyle Connif

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper attempts to examine a correlation between lockdown length and COVID-19 case rate, death rate and fatality rate. In March of 2020, the publishing of alarmist epidemiological models prompted government officials to enact sweeping emergency measures (Miltimore 2020). Notably, the Imperial College London model published by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson predicted a “best-case scenario” of 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by August 2020. This model heightened concern that the hospital system would be overwhelmed, a reason cited by President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force members, Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci, as justification for the “15 Days to Flatten the …

Antitrust In The Age Of Trump, Stephen Langeland

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Calls for regulation of major tech giants are currently ringing out from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum, largely for different reasons (Soave 2020). The current DOJ antitrust suit against Google was undermined by murmurs of political motivation as former-Attorney General William Barr personally played a key role in pushing the investigation forward into a lawsuit. (Birnbaum 2020). Prior examples of this can be seen in the reportedly political motivation of the DOJ’s unsuccessful attempt to block the 2017 merger of President Trump’s nemesis CNN’s parent company Time Warner and AT&T following President Trump’s campaign trail …

The Role Of Church Is Fostering Racial Harmony, Esther Karran

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

COVID-19 has taken center stage across the world. The United States of America battles the disease, but it is not the only fight the country is in right now. Keeping Americans safe remains a high priority for the newly elected political leaders. They have need to bridge the great racial divide. The politicians have an important and necessary role to play in addressing the race problem. But they cannot do it on their own. The church must be part of the conversation and the solution to this age-old race problem.

The church is at crossroads. How it responds to race …

Discriminatory Original Intent: The Inevitable Demise Of America's Limited Government, Sharonda Lanise Johnson

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In his book Crisis and Leviathan, author Robert Higgs identifies the single most significant change to constitutional order from “original intent” to the present public policy status in the United States as the “decline of the commitment to limited government” (Higgs 2012, 4). One of the original cornerstones of constitutional order, the doctrine of limited government seemingly establishes a truth of this nation that “our Founders established this government with both a strong dependence upon religious principles and a clear limitation on federal powers” (Barton 2008, 337). However, another paradoxical truth of this nation is that our Founders were …

The Threat Of Social Media To Society And National Security: A Call For Social Media Policy And Legislation, Frank Hernandez

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In the Constitution, We the People affirm ourselves to domestic tranquility, our common defense and general welfare to secure the blessings of Liberty. As such, statesmen are charged with developing policy to ensure social media is safe, accessible and usable to all. Currently, social media companies and use of their platforms pose a threat to national security and the societal fabric of our nation. No longer just a communication tool to bring communities and people together, social media is now leveraged to disrupt and diminish faith in our democratic republic, its people, systems and institutions. Citizens, public and private organizations, …

Racial Healing In And Through The American Church, Kelly L. Hamren

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Because the Church in America has often elevated race as a criterion for exclusion and dehumanization of fellow believers, many American denominations have begun publicly acknowledging their historic failures to affirm God’s image in men and women of color, especially African-Americans.

Cancel Culture, Beginning, Development, And Consequences., Daniela Garcia

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The phenomenon of cancel culture as a movement has become more influential as the American culture awareness grows regarding the owing respect and honor to one another. Cancel culture in today’s American society plays an important role, that is why it is important to see the origin of it, and its development from the sixties to now. Generally, cancel culture has been characterized for their perseverance on justice but with results in hate, resentment, and vengeance in American society. Thus, one would say that the origin and development of the movement cancel culture, despite its intentions of social justice, has …

The Barmen Declaration And The American Church: A Warning And Guidance From History, Johnny Davis

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The Barmen Declaration serves as a great example that the American Church should heed.[1] The American Church faces a hostile secular culture and a government that is increasingly statist and anti-Christian. The state has become an idol in an American culture that rejects truth and righteousness. A bold stance for truth and Christ is required by scripture and is the key to transforming the culture and saving the American Republic.

The Long Road Towards Racial Reconciliation, Lia Cueto Jerez

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The issue of race in the United States has been long contested among different social and political spheres. Over the course of the 20^th and 21^st century, Americans have been eyewitnesses to the long and evolving fight for racial justice and equality. Most recently, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 has proven to contest people’s attitudes over the issue. As political polarization grows, mistrust within communities of color deepens, further hindering participation in bipartisan work to overcome these differences.

Public Reason, Rawlsian Restraint, And The Judiciary: The Influence Of Political Philosophy On Legal Scholars And Judges In Relation To Religious Liberty, Marc A. Clauson

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper concerns the political theory of public reason in its application to religious freedom issues. Public reason, or its related idea, public justification, is in my estimation, just the latest extension of the problem of religious toleration in its particular relationship to the right of religious liberty. This latest expression of the toleration debate began, by most estimates, with John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice.[1] I will argue that in its Rawlsian form, public reason contains some serious flaws, which can be corrected by the work of political philosophers such as Gerald Gaus, Kevin Vallier and Michael Perry, …

Nothing New Under The Sun: Augustine And Cicero’S Visions Of How Human Nature Relates To Justice, Virtue, Biblical Wisdom, And The State, Faith Chudkowski

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Social issues today stand at the forefront of civil discourse, global injustice abounds, and the average citizen seems to be more invested in molding a better future than ever before. In the 2020 presidential election, nearly two-thirds of America voted, a percentage that has not been reached since 1900.[1] In recent years, social media has become a primary avenue for rallying support and spreading ideas that range from domestic policy to new notions of justice. Yet, where passionate debate has erupted, levels of polarization and division have risen as well. Where one finds genuine concern for the state of …

The New Space Policy Regime And Its Financial Foundation, Tamara Campbell

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Post the global financial crisis of 2008, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) sought to expand the space economy through a public policy of commercialization. This has brought major changes to the composition of space mission funding strategies, now repositioned as public private partnerships (P3s). Formed to fund space missions with private finance in lieu of public funding, P3s are investment and risk-sharing vehicles evaluated by financial intermediary institutions, insurers, and at times, the courts in the case where there is foreign direct investment (FDI) agreement. For this reason, it is arguable P3s have exceptional influence on the scope …

The First Step Act Of 2018, Emily Brubaker

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The Trump Administration signed into law the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act or the First Step Act (FSA) on December 21, 2018. The bill is the product of several years of congressional debate regarding what might be done to reduce the overall size of the federal prison population while implementing mechanisms to maintain the safety of the public (James, 2019).

Progressives, The Covid Pandemic, And The Laboratories Of Democracy: Is The Left Saying “Goodbye” To Cooperative Federalism?, William R. Bowen

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Events surrounding the COVID pandemic draw into question the progressive commitment to cooperative federalism. This is evidenced by their espousing the virtues of the tenth amendment, “states rights,” and ample use of the expression the “laboratories of democracy.” These references signal a possible move toward a view of federalism that champions state innovation and initiative irrespective of direction from Washington. This paper will explore the apparent retreat of progressives from their commitments to cooperative federalism, specifically, whether these references signal a tactical shift for short-term political gains or a more fundamental shift in progressive ideology.

Perspectives On Covid, Glenn Bass

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The purpose of this paper is to delve further into the topic of Culture & Crisis: Reconciling Constitutionalism & Federalism in a Time of Crisis through Liberty University’s Helms School of Government & Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy. The United States of America is currently under siege by the COVID-19 virus. This virus has steadily killed hundreds of individuals and consequently nearly shutdown the American socio-economic system. Through a constitutional government and federal principles, the executive functions have been able to address this time of crisis. However, there are different views referencing exactly how to address the needs of …

School Choice Options Amid Coronavirus Pandemic In The United States, Austin Armentrout

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The Coronavirus has changed every aspect of life in the United States and around the world. Although the pandemic’s effects can easily be seen in the fields of healthcare and business, the lasting effects on the field of education are not as clearly visible. The Covid-19 pandemic restrictions have placed an enormous burden on both k-12 public and private educational establishments. The ability of the different types of schools to adapt to these restrictions has contributed to students transferring to private schools.