Tonight on The Hal Lindsey Report

It's been a week since the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, at a guest ranch in remote southwest Texas. 

Rightly, there have been tremendous accolades paid the senior Supreme Court Justice. And even a fair amount of criticism from certain quarters of political persuasion. 

The Justice's impact on issues like religious liberty and other personal freedoms has been undeniably substantial, if not immeasurable. His passing leaves a breach in the wall that will be almost impossible to fill. 

Justice Scalia was best known as a Constitutional "originalist." That means he believed that the U.S. Constitution should be followed precisely as it was written -- considering the "original intent" of its authors -- not "interpreted" in the light of today's social mores and political whims and fashions. 

And he was the Constitution's most persuasive and eloquent defender and protector on the Court. 

But he was also a man of incredibly deep religious conviction and sentiment. He was an "archconservative" Catholic. As such, he was maybe the Court's greatest and most powerful proponent of religious liberty. He rigorously defended the right of religious entities to follow their consciences and belief systems and not have them trodden down by a federal bureaucracy. 

Those of us concerned about the erosion of the First and Second Amendments have now lost one of our greatest warrior-defenders. 

Thank you, Justice Scalia. We are forever in your debt. 

Of course, the ideals he represented and the ferocity of his defense of those ideals makes all the more troubling the oddities and inconsistencies surrounding his death. 

I am not alleging foul play, but I am disturbed by the fact that one of the most powerful and controversial men in America can die so abruptly and unexpectedly and there be no investigation, not even an autopsy. Was it bumbling ineptitude or a willful cover-up and speedy disposal of evidence? Now, we will never know. 

But suffice it to say that his lightning-fast and uninvestigated removal from the bench of the United States Supreme Court alters the political landscape in America immeasurably. And will do so for generations to come. 

For a Court that quite often decides issues on a 5 to 4 vote (five who usually take a "conservative" approach to the issues and four who consistently take the "liberal" view), the loss of a "conservative" member will be devastating. 

But if there can be a silver lining to this horribly dark cloud, it may be this: Perhaps Justice Scalia's untimely death will shake the "conservative" majority of American voters out of their apathy. Once they truly realize that Justice Scalia's successor may hold the power to unalterably change America as we know it, maybe they will take seriously the likelihood that the next President may have the opportunity to appoint as many as three Justices during his or her term -- forever transforming America or, hopefully, restoring America to its Godly heritage. 

I encourage you to make this a matter of daily prayer. And talk about the ramifications of the next Presidential election with your family, friends, and co-workers. You don't need to tell them who to vote for, just make sure they understand what is at stake. Then let them make their own decisions. 

Also this week, have you been keeping up with the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan? Well, as disturbing as it is, it's even more unsettling to learn that it's not confined solely to Flint. 

In fact, Fox TV channel 43 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is reporting that the lead levels are higher in the water supplies of 18 Pennsylvania cities than in Flint. And now we're learning that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently, the lead contamination threat is becoming a national problem. 

It's pretty unsettling to learn that it may be dangerous to go to your kitchen tap for a drink of water! It makes us feel vulnerable even in the traditional safety of our own homes. 

But vulnerability is becoming more commonplace in our lives with each passing day. The looming recession, the strange microbes and viruses we're hearing about on the news, the mad dictators testing their hydrogen bombs and long-range missiles, the constant terrorist threats, the specter of war in the Middle East, and politics, politics, politics, and more politics! 

It's enough to make some folks want to crawl under the table and assume a fetal position! 

But don't despair. There is a lifeline. There is a haven. There is an answer. 

You can have peace in your heart and life amid the turmoil swirling around you. 

Faith is the key. 

I'll explain it all in simple detail this week. 

Don't miss this week's Report here Sunday.

God Bless,

Hal Lindsey