Thursday, April 17, 2008

The YCLA, Our Goals, and Our Vision

The Young Christian Leaders' Alliance is a society of young people, based in Greenville, SC, existing to motivate members and those around us to take action for Biblical, constitutional principles.

Our group was established by young people from three original families with a common belief in freedom, and a common desire to influence and bring reform in the American culture! We believe it is possible to truly accomplish victories in this effort. Our philosophy is that we will only reclaim America through the reclaiming of individuals. Thus, our work must be to win over individual people who are not on our side, and to provide leadership and direction for those who are on our side.

It is apparent that those who are willing to get involved in bringing America back to conservative, constitutional government are often few and far between. Indeed, young people tend to be the least likely age sector to hold such ideas. The public education system has done an all-too-well-calculated job of creating a thought pattern in many of our peers in which one may be “concerned,” not with taking action to advance morality, justice, or liberty, but with “preserving the environment,” “stopping Global Warming,” and promoting socialist concepts.

The vision behind the YCLA is, first of all, to bring together Christian constitutionalist young people. Especially for homeschoolers, a need exists for us to be able to work with each other and feel useful. Moreover, it is our belief that a group which met that need would release a vast previously-untapped force in the conservative movement. Imagine the things we could do!

Our vision is, secondly, to reach out to others around us to win them to the Biblical worldview. The Biblical worldview applies to American conservatism through the principle of Lex Rex (“Law is King”). This principle states that it is not the government which defines the law, but the law which defines the government. In other words, a universal standard exists which every authority must abide by. We can call this standard “inalienable rights.” It is given only by God. However, a second standard may be built from the first, which we call a “constitution.” This standard is created by mutual consent of the people, and may provide for certain further privileges or powers to qualified citizens. All statutes and regulations which may be created by a government must be subject to these two standards.

The principle of Lex Rex is essential to the workings of our Republic. However, the understanding of it has been largely eroded. People have been taught to measure truthfulness by popularity. The Evolutionary belief system, too, has taken its toll, advancing relative morality and a feeling of purposelessness in our culture.

To reclaim America, we must defeat relativism. We must educate the younger generation in the principles of the Founders. We must work together as a team for God and His Word. Then, we will win!

Please pray for the YCLA, and join with us in encouraging principle and inspiring action!


-R. Josiah Magnuson