OK … now that I have your attention, let me tell you what is going on at the Statehouse before I dive into explaining my headline. Early in February, the South Carolina Senate passed an updated version of the Heartbeat Bill that would protect life once a heartbeat is detected. The bill contains several exceptions, including life of the mother, rape and incest, and fatal fetal anomaly (not birth defects, but a fatal anomaly that would prevent the baby from living outside the womb).
This bill does not have a reasonable chance of passing in the House. The South Carolina House is focused on H3447, the Human Life Protection Act. This bill would ban abortion beginning at conception. The current version that is in the House, which is literally being debated as I write this column, is likely to pass and head to the Senate. The chances of passage in the Senate are not good, but multiple grassroots groups will be putting pressure on the Senate to send it on to the Governor.
Right now, South Carolina is an abortion destination state, and the number of abortions is rising weekly. State law currently allows abortions up to 22 weeks, which is deep into the second trimester. This is theologically and morally unacceptable. We must work together to find a path to a better solution. We must protect life beginning at conception.
On the day of our annual Legislative Luncheon (better known as the “Baptist BBQ”), the Legislature held a joint session with the House and Senate to elect judges. The big takeaway was the election of Judge Gary Hill (S.C. Court of Appeals) to fill Justice Kay Hearn’s seat on the South Carolina Supreme Court. Justice Hill has indicated his judicial philosophy will mirror Justice Kittridge, who is a strict constructionist. We are hopeful that future pro-life bills that make it to the court will fare much better, as the balance should now favor conservatives.
Now, for balloons and culture. The Chinese spy balloon debacle brought a new phrase to our cultural awareness. When asked how the balloon escaped detection, one general said, “We have ‘domain awareness gap.’ ” I did some research and discovered our national security system depends on having complete awareness of five domains, including maritime (all bodies of water), air, land, cyberspace, and space.
When the military uses the term “domain awareness gap,” they are referring to our lack of detection and security in one of their areas of domain. The domain in question in the case of the Chinese surveillance balloon is the air and cyberspace. Our air-defense radar detection system failed us, and, as a result, had to be adjusted. Some say the fact that our F-22s have now shot down three additional targets over U.S. and Canadian airspace indicates we have closed our air and cyberspace awareness gap.
I think it can be said that our world can be divided into five domains: spiritual, family, relationships, work, and culture. Our problems begin when we experience a spiritual awareness gap. In other words, when we are unaware of the space we have allowed to come between us and God, all of our other domains are in jeopardy.
Peter was as bold as a lion when he was standing next to Jesus in the garden. But the Bible says he followed Jesus at a distance as He was taken into custody (Luke 22:54). We know what happened next. As he stood around a fire with those who would accuse him, he denied Jesus three times.
Our boldness, our strength, our courage, our knowledge and ability to shine as a light as the culture darkens is linked to our proximity to God. James reminds us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (4:8). Closing our spiritual awareness gap will empower us to examine and close any gaps that exist in our family, our relationships, our work, and our culture. The quality of each domain depends on the quality of the other. As our personal domains improve, we will be strengthened to close the gaping moral and spiritual holes in our culture.