Mt. Juliet leaders to consider resolution recognizing God as ‘Creator and King of all Glory’

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — Some Mt. Juliet city leaders want to take an official stance for God.

On Monday night, commissioners will consider supporting a state resolution making July the official month of fasting and prayer in Tennessee. The city’s proposal would recognize God as the “Creator and King of all Glory.” One commissioner told News 2 he anticipates no opposition.

“We recognize that God as Creator and King of all Glory has the authority to judge and to bless nations or states,” a resolution passed at the state Capitol earlier this year reads.

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Mt. Juliet commissioners will consider Monday night whether to show their support and among other things call God the “Creator and King of all Glory.”

To Mt. Juliet District 1 Commissioner Ray Justice, God has provided Mt. Juliet with many blessings. However, Justice added that Tennessee is in need of prayer.

“We have been blessed in Mt. Juliet,” Mt. Juliet District 1 Commissioner, Ray Justice said. “The things that have happened here, we didn’t do that. Men didn’t do that.”

The resolution is not a law, but a declaration. According to the document, it is inspired by a similar declaration of prayer by John Adams in 1799. A religious history professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Andrew Polk, explained that this declaration walks a fine line.

“This is the legislature itself saying this is who we are as Tennessee, and this is what we want Tennesseans to do,” Professor of Religious History at MTSU, Dr. Andrew Polk, explained. “The issue with it is it is clearly coming from the political leaders of the state, from the governor, from the legislature, and they are it seems pretty clearly putting all Tennesseans in one basket.”

The document listed human trafficking, drug addiction, acts of violent crime in schools and continued Tennessee DUI rates as key points needing prayer.

“The Metro Nashville area has started to grow, and some of the residual violence has filtered over to us,” Justice expressed. “So anything we can do, especially asking God’s help, well, I am all in favor of that.”

Polk added that this declaration walks a fine line between church and state.

“The difficulty is I think you could say other Tennesseans could reasonably believe that if they do not believe these things also that if they did not go along with them that they would not have the favor of people in power,” Polk explained.

Justice said that if people feel called to participate, they can meditate, pray or fast as a way of thinking and caring about their community.

“We ask that you be reflective, and we ask that you help us heal and you help us heal in our community, in our state, and across our nation,” Justice said. “We need that healing right now more than ever.”

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Justice told News 2 that he believes this resolution will pass with no opposition Monday night.

“I mean, it is going to pass,” Justice said. “I have no doubt of that. I’m very comfortable with that. I just believe the blessings will continue for the city of Mt. Juliet just as they have been.”

Also on the agenda: a resolution confirming the incorporatiom name of the city as the abbreviation of ‘Mt.,’ not the fully spelled out ‘Mount,’ for Mt. Juliet.

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