New Years bring new public officials. And new public officials bring new oaths.
Most recently, Justin Fornstrom (R-Pine Bluffs), took the oath of office to fill the seat of the late John Eklund Jr. He joins 92 lawmakers and scores of other state officials who have asked God to hold them accountable for their conduct in office.
According to the “Oath of Office” section of the Wyoming Constitution (Sec. 20), every governing official in Wyoming is required to say, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey and defend the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state of Wyoming; that I have not knowingly violated any law related to my election or appointment, or caused it to be done by others; and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.”
This is more than a promise. Oaths, by definition, invoke God. They call upon God to witness to the certainty of the promise being made. So indispensable is this oath of office that any person refusing to take it “shall forfeit his office” (Sec. 21). Hundreds of thousands of votes can be set aside if the elected official refuses to invoke the deity.
In a constitutional republic, the first line of accountability for public officials is transparency. But absolute transparency is not always possible. That’s where oaths come in.
The oath accounts for activities in office that only God can see. It is certain that He will hold the oath-taker to account even if nobody else can.
For anyone hostile to religion, this constitutional stipulation seems - at first blush - to defy the distinction between church and state. But such a judgment fails to understand the Constitution.
William H. Pryor, Jr., Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, recently explained this at the University of Notre Dame law school.
Quoting James Madison, Pryor noted, “that a religious believer would take an oath seriously without need of a religious test,” and conversely, “a religious test could be declared by an unprincipled atheist without fear of punishment after death. Either way,” he continued, “a religious test was unnecessary. But the oath itself still mattered in early America.”
All who have taken the oath of office in good faith should be greatly encouraged. Your oath means that God Himself will come to your aid to help you discharge the responsibilities of your office. He will give you the strength and power to defy the devil himself when tempted with corruption.
You should also take heart that the people of God are on the side of your oath. Churchgoers regularly pray that God would guide government officials that they may be “high in purpose, wise in counsel, and unwavering in duty.” During the rush and confusion of a legislative session, it is comforting to know that God gives wisdom to govern justly to those who ask in faith.
If every government official who fears God would start each day by reminding himself of the oath of office, there would be infinitely more wisdom and integrity in our land.
But, as James Madison noted long ago, the oath of office also has a purpose for those who do not fear God. They may not think much of God. But He nevertheless thinks about them. An oath to God always matters to God. He will take it seriously long after the oath-taker has forgotten it.
This is as true for government officials as for witnesses in a court of law, those who have taken marriage vows, and those who have joined the armed forces.
So, if you have forgotten your oath to God, now would be a good time to remember it. Repent. Ask forgiveness. Ask for His help to keep it. He always answers the prayers of those who cry to him in faith.
And if you are the constituent of one who has faithlessly recited an oath, don’t think that you are out of luck. Just as a faithful spouse can expect God to intervene when the other breaks the marriage vow, so also citizens can call on God to hold a politician to account. He will do it.
If more Christian citizens trusted that God takes seriously the oaths made to Him, I think there would be less anger and frustration in political discourse.
The oath of office relieves citizens of the unrealistic responsibility to uncover and punish every governmental wrongdoing. Leaving that work to God and to law enforcement officials, Christian citizens can focus on praying for their officials and writing them with advice and encouragement.
The elections are over. You have already exercised your responsibility to choose people who will take their oath in good faith. Now, trust that God will hold your elected officials to their word.
Jonathan Lange is a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod pastor in Evanston and Kemmerer and serves the Wyoming Pastors Network. Follow his blog at https://jonathanlange.substack.com/. Email: JLange64@protonmail.com.
