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F. Earle Fox
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Coming Online Seminar -
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5 Tuesdays -
starting at 10 pm Eastern Time, 7 pm
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NOTE: The material below will turn into a book shortly. This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECTS which Christians MUST digest -- in order to reclaim the public arena.
Starting on November 1, at 10 pm Eastern time & 7 pm Pacific time,
Sessions will be recorded, and available at Ustream.tv
Directions online at
http://www.emmausmall.org/seminars.html
Session 1 (Nov. 1) = Part I. Introduction & What is Government?
Session 2 (Nov. 8) = Part II. What is Legitimacy? & Our Founding Documents
Session 3 (Nov. 15) = Part III. Government & Freedom
Session 4 (Nov. 22) = Part IV. Religion, Politics, Liberal Democracy, the Politics Trap -- & How do we get Started???
Session 5 (Nov. 29) = Part V. Wrap up, and application in the trenches.
The material below is an outline for a live-streaming broadcast at www.ustream.tv which will become a book, but the outline is full enough to be easily read. Go to http://www.emmausmall.org/seminars.html for information on how to join the live seminars.
If you
call in for the seminar, have your computer aimed at this page,
and be ready to
put other pages (which are linked below to supporting material)
on other browser
windows for easy access.
We will go back and forth between
some of them.
("Control" + "click" will usually put the page on a new
browser window.)
Some of the terms below are in bright red, indicating a key concept.
Go to Part I: Intro, Worldview,
& What is
Government?
Part II: Legitimacy & America's Founding Documents
Part III: Government & Freedom
Part IV: Religion, Politics, Liberal Democracy,
& the Politics Trap -- Conclusion -
What Can We Do?
Part V:
Wrap Up...
Part I. Introduction,
Worldview,
& What is "Government"?
Introduction
The title at the top is not an error.
Government needs God -- as a logical fact. Showing that is the
purpose of this essay.
See article by R. J. Rushdoony, The New Sovereignty,
on the secular captivity of modern
Christendom.
Why
Biblical Government Matters...
Modern Christians seldom effectively connect personal faith to public arena
thus allowing (or causing) persecution, abuse, murder of millions --
mostly by
evil-minded governments
The failure of Biblical people to promote Godly politics is a
tragic failure - led to 20th century disaster.
God has the only solution.
History -- American Declaration and Constitution
could have been written only by a
Biblically based society,
laid foundation for carrying a Judeo-Christian culture and government to new
levels
Western Civ. based on freedoms created by
(1) freedom
of religion and belief, universities for freemarket of ideas;
(2) rise
of science, industry, commerce;
(3) development of
due process in civil government, equality before law, etc; &
(4) freemarket economy -- secure ownership of private property.
But Christians dropped the ball, overwhelmed by
1800's secular "Enlightenment" mentality -
missing the Biblical (and true) Enlightenment --
i.e., all four developments came primarily out of Biblical, not secular,
culture and worship
Capture of civil government by secular & pagan forces
during 1800's with positivist law,
(See Joseph Story & the American Constitution by James McClellan on
positivist law)
God & natural law rejected, law now based on what judges said it was.
Literally.
Ensured demise of Judeo-Christian culture. Force of law gradually turned
against Biblical religion.
leading to erosion of all four above basics of Western Civ.
Secularists returned to old pagan way of doing law -- the common law method
without God -
using the "good" to
determine the "right" (see Part I-A-3).
We can turn it around... Learning to articulate
Biblical government is essential to victory.
Worldview -
Biblical vs.
Pagan
Two worldviews opposed on every major issue:
Source of being - intelligent design vs. random evolution
Moral foundations - Secular/pagan cosmos has no moral order, & thus no meaning
to life.
Meaning of Biblical personhood & salvation:
1. Ontological, personal stability - ability to be
my real self in all circumstances
2. Moral stability - know where going, how to get
there, what world is all about,
meaning of life,
morally & spiritually
right with God
Secular/Pagan worldview inherently defective -- no
stabilities...
But a saved people can keep civil government
on a constitutional tether.
I. What is Government?
A. Direction & Control (see dictionary)
Direction = legislation - choosing laws to enforce - to create & enforce an order to society.
Control = executive - enforcement of direction, & to punish lawbreakers (carry out sentence of Judiciary)
All govt. about coercion, everything done "at gunpoint".
Judiciary = discerning who has violated the "direction", i.e., the laws, decides punishment.
B. What is Politics? - the art of reasonably managing coercion.
C. What is "Biblical" Government?
Biblical Politics
= bringing the use of coercion
under the law & grace of God -
the only reasonable way to manage coercion.
"...That to secure these [God-given] rights,
governments are instituted among men..."
This the whole purpose of civil government - to secure these rights for all
equally.
D. What is "Secular/Pagan" Government?
Puts the
use of coercive force solely under civil government (not under God) --
which is based on power, not
authority,
and has no authority higher than itself. That is tyranny.
D. Kinds of Government - & relations between them
each of these are about bringing that entity under law & grace of God:
Family: the first government -
Man & wife made in Image of God --
spiritual authority & spiritual power
Individual: self-governing - raised up by
family -
Church: conscience and worship leader for society
Social: Society precedes and creates the state.
Corporate: various forms in society.
Military: under civil control
Civil: Creature both of God and of society -
therefore servant of
God and of the people
Civil govt. is not "the society" or "the public", nor its boss, but the servant
(referee).
Part II. Legitimacy
&
America's Founding Documents
II. What is "Legitimacy"?
A. The Right (authority) to Command vs. the Power (ability) to get one's way
G. Washington - "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence. It is
force,
and like fire it is a dangerous tool and a fearful master."
GW correct -- But legitimacy needs to be
added to force to create government --
the Right to command
as well as the Power to coerce.
B. Moral order = source of all legitimacy of command -- all law rests on someone's view of right & wrong.
All moral order
comes from God
- our reason for existence
4 requirements for moral order - Obligation must be:
1. logically consistent
2. objective - true and valid whether or not person obligated agrees or
disagrees
3. allow for freewill - ability to object, disagree, disobey
4. yet, make a relevant claim on freewill of person obligated.
Only God can give our purpose for existence, only purpose for existence meets 4
tests.
See Worldview
- Biblical has Voice (intention, purpose for existence) of God -
Secular/Pagan has nothing at all to indicate moral distinctions...
All obligations not originally imposed by God are arbitrary and have no moral
force.
Claim: "You cannot legislate morality" - assumes morality is subjective,
"religious", etc.
Truth - morality is the only thing we can legislate.
All political
authority comes from God, source of moral order.
All govt. not under law of God lacks moral, & therefore political, legitimacy.
God tells us to obey unGodly rulers for sake of peace & order -- but then to convert
rulers.
Right to command others comes only from God, no other
ultimate source.
See
William Blackstone - principle British legal scholar at
time of American Revolution
studied by probably all founding fathers on sovereignty of God over civil
government.
How
many governments are there?
Which existence is easier to prove, of God or of the Supreme Court?
There is one and only one government, that of God,
creator of, and thus ruler over, whole cosmos.
All other governments are extensions of the government of God.
Thus: any govt. deliberately refusing law of God is an
outlaw govt.
....as St. Augustine said of Rome in The City of God.
C. Truth Seeking on a Level
Playing Field
Legitimacy meaningless apart from moral commitment to Truth-Seeking
Obligation to truth-seeking and truth-speaking is unspoken First Commandment
behind all others.
III. Founding Documents of America (see The Patriot Post for Historical documents)
A.
Colonial documents - Mayflower Compact
- 1620
Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut - Jan. 14, 1689 (Read first paragraph...)
Memorial & Remonstrance (James Madison - 1785)
Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom
(Thomas Jefferson - 1786)
Colonists searching for ways to implement Godly government for a free people...
working toward freemarket of ideas and level
playing field for public discussion.
Coercive power of government never to decide
truth or policy,
only to protect level playing field from
take-over by any participant.
Civil govt., which holds the sword, may not make the decisions on how sword used
or coerce the decision-making procedure, only protect it.
B. Declaration of Independence - 1776 -- founding document, attacked today as now irrelevant.
Preamble - spiritual and philosophical foundation of American politics.
Remainder = list of grievances against King George III.
Rights & duties originate in God, not in society or the people
All men created equal, endowed with inalienable rights
To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
C.
Constitution -
Largely a procedural document -- assumes value system of Declaration
But linked to Declaration by Subscription clause -
date, and reference to "in the year of our Lord..."
and "the year of the independence of the United States of
America, the twelfth".
Procedures to
ensure honest, free, debate & discussion of legislative matters - level
playing field.
Receiving of all authority & power from people under God
Govt. does not create society, society under God creates and governs civil
government
Subsidiarity - dispersion of power and authority to lowest level reasonably
practical -
down to state and local governments.
Military under civil government
Separation of Three Powers (Authorities) - legislative, executive, judicial
He who holds the gun (executive) may not decide how it is to be used (make the
laws)
& he who decides (legislature) may not hold it.
Enumerated powers -- all else left to local govts. or to people themselves.
Separation of Church & State --
both under God, but not to meddle in each others affairs.
State = referee, holds gun, but may not coerce belief, opinions, manage
church affairs
Church = conscience & worship leader, may not hold gun, no coercive force
Must succeed in freemarket of ideas, open, level playing field.
Not separation of God from State - God owns the State --
members of government should exercise Godly consciences
D. Limited Government -
Issue not "right vs. left", "fascist vs. communist" -- but
limited vs.
centralized government
Primary roles of civil govt. (provisional list)...
1. Defender of public domain, level playing field, place of public discussion
against
disruption of free speech & honest discussion,
coercion of decision-making, to protect freemarket of ideas.
2. Defender against invasion, violence among citizens.
3. Referee (criminal law) to apprehend law-breakers, & (civil law) to resolve
citizen disputes.
4. Not a participant in commerce, education, or welfare (creates conflict of
interest as referee).
E. Separation of
Powers -- he who holds the gun of coercion (executive) may not decide how to be
used...
he who decides may not hold.
To help guarantee honest, uncoerced truth-seeking discussion in legislature.
Level playing field. "Come, let us reason together..." (Isaiah 1:18)
F. Divine Right of
Rulership - transferred from potentates to We, the People.
Choose own rulers --
People, under God, decide laws through elected representatives.
Works only if people understand law of God and
unity of law & grace
Voting public are, as a body, the Primary Officers of the State
Voters are those who can swear allegiance to American constitutional
processes
Up to Christians to participate in politics and voting to ensure Biblical
government
John Marshall, 1st Chief Justice - "Providence has given to our people the
choice of their rulers,
and it is the duty... of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians
for their rulers."
I.e.,
Christians must win control of govt. in open freemarket of ideas, not by force.
just as Christians won Rome and many other places.
G. Level Playing
Field -- Founding documents written to ensure level playing field, arena for
honest public debate on public policy, legislation, executive, judicial issues.
Especially Thomas Jefferson -- strong on need to keep open arena of candid
public debate
not allow gun-holding central government to control debate.
Hence, separation of powers, to keep legislative debate free from coercion
to limit executive (holding gun) from controlling beyond permission granted by
legislature.
Christians during 1800's lost
grip on Biblical Constitution principles --
Power struggle, party spirit, positivist law -- undermined and overtook
level playing field.
H. Legitimacy -- clearly
understood by founders of America to come from God.
Part III. Government & Freedom
IV. Freedom -
Worldview Review - 2 completely
different kinds of governments:
Biblical
- limited govt. to preserve maximum freedom
People under God -- Samuel's response to people demanding a king - I Sam. 8 --
1. People not rejecting Samuel, but God - wanting king based on power,
not on authority.
2. Godless (power-oriented) king will take sons & daughters for his servants,
take the best
their fields for his servants, 1/10th of produce, take best of their servants,
cattle, flocks,
& "you shall be his slaves". "And in that day, you will cry out
because of your king,
whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that
day."
You can vote yourselves into tyranny/slavery from which you cannot vote yourselves out.
Note: even when God selects the best there are (Saul,
David, Solomon),
they
still produce tyranny -- because they
worshipped power, not authority (which comes from God alone).
Over time and without God, the seduction is inevitable.
That is where America is today -- on the brink of no
return without warfare.
Maybe over...
We have chosen civil
govt. to be our god, and rejected the living God.
We worship centralized power, not authority (which comes from God alone).
American Constitution was a way of putting govt.
power again under Godly authority
But we
lost it during 1800's... Freud, Marx, Darwin redefined our beliefs &
values.
Pseudo-Enlightenment .. successfully subverting the real (Biblical)
enlightenment
which was starting to flourish in America.
(Read Democracy in America, Alexis d'Toqueville -
"When America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great...")
Pagan - no principle of
authority, right/wrong, objective good/evil -- amoral cosmos
Only order possible is that imposed by power, there being no authority,
legitimacy, moral order.
thus necessarily centralized
Power-oriented make war on Biblical religion -- "for the good of the people..."
Illusion of moral high ground (Communism, Fascism).
Kings (etc.) look like they have authority -- "might" looks like
it makes "right". Fatal illusion.
Freedom in closed circle world is
grab what you can get -- no moral order. All limited only by
success of power struggle, manipulation, brain-washing. Pyramid building.
Islam - There is no use
just being against Islam and Sharia law, we must have a
positive answer,
a better
answer, to the problems of civil government.
Only the Biblical view can supply that. Secular "liberal democracy" cannot
do it. [[[Elucidate....]]]
A. Built on
Biblical foundation of freewill:
1. God with
total freewill - omniscience (knows all possibilities
& realities)
&
omnipotence (can do any of them).
2. creatures
in Image of God with
limited freewill, we can initiate new things
3. freewill covenant to carry
out
reason for existence, i.e., law, moral order - we can say "yes" or "no".
4. God meets us on level playing field - where we can approach Him (as
Adam & Eve, Abraham,
Job, Isaiah,
disciples with Jesus).
God lowers Himself (kenosis - Phil. 2) to our level - as Incarnation - to make Self available,
& imaginable - "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father."
John 14
The Metaphysical (beyond physical) is making itself known to the sacramental
(physical = outward & visible sign of inward & spiritual).
5. Freedom is
basis and goal of both
personal and political relation to God.
Personal - salvation = two stabilities: Ontological & Moral
Political - God is ruler over community, including politics. King of
kings, Lord of lords.
Basis of political stability and freedom of people.
B.
Ordered
Freedom - Ordered to law and grace of God - two Great Commandments -
universal purpose for existence
(see Part I of "Law &
Grace of God").
Freedom is a crucial issue because the nature of government is control by
coercive force.
Unlimited government is tyranny, no government is chaos.
Need limitations on reach and range of govt. to maximize legitimate freedom
Solution: Ordered Freedom -- By whom? By God or man?
by moral order or force of arms?
Speaker of House ca. 1855: "We will be ruled by the Bible or by the
bayonet."
The very fact of government at all is an ordering of
our freedom
Issue: which order,
and by whom?
Unordered
freedom is amorality, disordered freedom is immorality
Basic
political freedoms = same as basic issues of personal spiritual growth & stability -
Freedoms identical to obligations - seemingly paradoxical unity of
law & grace:
Basic Freedoms - build on one another:
Level 1. to be a truth-seeker (needs parental - not govt. - control of education, &
freemarket of ideas)
Truth-seeking is first level
of community-building. Anchors us in reality.
"Did you put
your hand in the cookie jar?" 3-year old knows what mommy is talking about.
Truth-telling is first learned at mommy's knee, or over it.
Level 2. to seek fundamental stability of my being (ontological stability),
personhood stability
trusting God for security of my being, personhood.
I know who I am, standing on stable ground of my being. Hand of God.
Level 3. Personal Responsibility -
to be a truth-speaker, take personal responsibility for behavior, reactions,
relationships,
live in light
(I John 1)
Level 4. Moral Responsibility -
to follow my purpose for being (moral stability, law of love), obedience to
law of God
I know where I am going -- moral direction, meaning of life. Voice of God.
Level 5. to pursue Kingdom community of faith, love, hope -- the three that endure.
the plateau where it all comes together, the Kingdom of God -- the Love command.
5 Decisions = road to personal maturity & stability.
[Note: 5 decisions discussed at length in
Biblical Inner Healing
(see chap. II).]
Freedom is ordered... to produce Kingdom of God.
Freedom
progressively enhanced
at every level. Best of all possible worlds.
C.
Personal: Nature of the "order"
-- discipline necessary for survival & flourishing of dependent
creatures
Totally self-sufficient creatures, like God, would need no protection -
Vulnerable creatures need protection --
hence law to protect God-given freedoms,
rights - as per Declaration of Independence
Preamble
Life is first and most basic right -- most important to protect.
D.
Moral: Obligations come first - necessary to
establish rights
Everyone's
right assumes obligations on all others to honor the right.
Some rights & freedoms require coercive protection -- thus need for civil
government.
e.g., laws against murder, theft, laws to honor contracts, drive on right side
of road, etc.
Some obligations should never be coerced -- e.g., politeness, rudeness, education, religion, welfare.
Obligations precede rights --
hence Decalogue -- "Thou shalt..." & "Thou shalt not..."
Obligations are what protect rights. "Thou shalt not steal" protects
all against theft.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself..." commands all other persons to love me or you.
And we to love them. Love command = basis for all others.
Mandates a caring attitude - the basic command of all.
All other laws of any sort
under law of love,
including civil law.
E. Political: Discipline of
level playing field = discipline of Biblical Govt. & of ordered freedom.
Each decision produces maturity in self, and produces level playing field...
Tyrants always fight
these 5 principles -- they undermine his tyranny.
Tyrant needs to tilt field in his direction - cannot be truth-seeker or allow
others to be.
See 5 decisions...
Pursuit of
level playing field leads through 5 decisions
to Kingdom
Discipline promotes freedom - does not undermine it.
Learning how to "play" life
- as piano, etc.
Musical instruments, sports, commerce - all require discipline for strength &
focus, and freedom.
F.
level playing field means -- equal opportunity to succeed (Biblical),
equal fundamental rights, obligations, equality before law.
not equal results of success (socialism, communism - require massive
coercion - not freedom):
1. Equality before law -- no person gets special rights - as tyrants always claim.
2. Legitimate "pluralism" -- all invited into public policy discussion
not because all views are right (false pluralism), but to find out which view is
right.
level playing field purpose is truth-, justice-, righteousness-seeking.
Governed by Two Great Commandments - Ground rules = to love truth, God, and each
other.
(Obligation to truth-seeking & speaking is often unspoken obligation behind all
other obligations.)
3. Way of Cross for use of
coercive force -- giving up right to decide how to use coercion...
Letting God decide through Church & Godly education of people.
Only so does govt. become servant of God and of people.
G. As Primary Officers of the State, how can people maintain freedom, keeping control over civil government?
Problem:
Govt. small and narrowly focused & unified on control of people.
People many, dispersed, and not
focused on keeping freedom.
Thus people easy to control by govt. -- fragment, divide & conquer.
Q: how people to maintain freedom? How find focus to pay attention to keeping govt. under control?
A1: Need moral consensus -- only way to unite people --
must be under God,
requires a common worship, a common trust and obedience,
persons with ontological & moral stability and
unity.
i.e., only a saved people can keep
govt. on constitutional tether.
A2: 2nd
Amendment -- must hold sufficient coercive power so as to keep control
Severely limit use of military (posse comitatus), and of police
A3: Strictly
enforce oath to uphold and defend Constitution taken by all Officers of the
State
Should be taken by all voters as well.
Non-believers free to believe as choose,
free to vote, so long as support principles of level playing field
& support open, honest discussion of issues, honest pluralism, freemarket of
ideas.
Believers free to vote
religious consciences, Biblical principles of government
as Christians, for Christian leaders. See quote from John
Marshall --
H. Libertarians sometimes
object - that any "order" is an encroachment, drifting toward tyranny
that the less government, the better. Government is at best a necessary
evil.
Libertarianism in that sense sees God, if at all, as a deist divinity who creates
but does not govern.
No purpose for existence. We are on our own.
Not the Biblical view. Govt., commandments, reason for existence, all under the law of God
is a positive good, not a necessary evil.
Will not need coercion in Kingdom, but
will have government.
Such a libertarian view results in moral chaos.
No clear objective right and wrong.
Law of God is meant to
enhance our freedom by maturing us personally,
& by coordinating our communal efforts - maximum communal freedom,
honoring freedom of each other for common good.
Neither freedom, grace, nor love can flourish without both a moral and a
political
order under God.
Only Biblical government can guarantee obligations, rights, freedoms.
Only
obligations can guarantee freedoms. "Thou shalt.." & "Thou shalt
not..."
Commandments, law - required for freedom. Civil govt. is positive good,
not necessary evil.
Need less of coercion the more righteous, self-governing the people are.
And vice-versa.
Freewill Covenant -
based on individual government --
self-government under God - begins in family with learning moral integrity.
See The Law & the Grace of God for unity of law, freedom, grace, and love.
Part IV. Religion, Politics, Liberal Democracy,
& the
Politics Trap
V. Religion & Politics --
A. Common modern view -- religion must be kept out of
politics.
1. Pluralist society --
truth relative - thus government must be open to all religions &
all beliefs
2.
Religious issues too
contentious
3. Religion too
personal
4. Religion not subject
to reason
B. Biblical view -- Summary
1. Secular view of pluralism (each one's view is right for that person) is unsustainable -
implies relative truth, an
impossibility. Truth is "what its...." Falsehood is "what is not..."
World totally meaningless without that distinction.
2.
Biblical pluralism = level playing field to
which all invited who are truth-seekers,
not because all views are right, but to find out which view is right.
3. Truth is singular, views are plural -- views need to be tested for truth
value.
4. Only God can create a
morality - all political legitimacy depends on prior moral law
thus all legitimate government depends on law of God.
5. Government & politics are inherently religious issues (see "religio")
--
In order to find its own legitimacy, politics must resolve the issue:
Who is God? Who is our Creator?
1850's Speaker of the House: We will be ruled by the Bible or by the
bayonet.
C. Which is easier to prove - the existence of the Supreme Court or the existence of God?
The Supreme Court can exist (as a legitimate court)
only under the law of God.
Versus World Court - based on principles of French Revolution - no legal
authority.
VI. Liberal Democracy -
as per UN - child of French atheist, not of American Biblical, Revolution
A. Not a Godly kind of government - not able to sustain freedoms or limitations
Based on illusory "rights of man", as per French Revolution, rooted in extreme violence
rights with no obligations - leads to entitlement mentality.
vs. American Revolution -- little off-battlefield violence, maintained respect
for law and order
a conservative revolution - King George III was the revolutionary,
overturning freedoms and right colonies had had for 200 years.
B. Godless - thus no
legitimacy -- e.g., the "Universal
Declaration of Human Rights" has no moral authority --
There is no morality in Godless
cosmos, no Voice of God.
Based on positivist law -- make up as they go, foundation for approaching
Globalist tyranny.
Succeeded because Christians of 19th century lost intellectual credibility,
chased
from public arena.
Christians beginning to regain credibility, & ability to go on offensive in
spiritual warfare.
Will create enormous conflict with secular folks - who now hold the reins of
coercive
power.
VII. Avoiding the "Politics" Trap
A. Failure of the "religious right" - "Moral Majority"
Tried to work from top down, get in the right
politicians...
rather than convert the people, the pulpits, the spiritual leadership
Unity cannot be imposed from top, only rise from bottom
through a freely chosen moral consensus, & thus necessarily under God.
And thus God gives right of rulership to we, the people. Bottom up.
Pursued easy way out -- as did many Christians
prior to 1600's & 1700's -
Convert the king and expect him to convert the people
Results in surface conversion of people -- who remain pagan/secular underneath.
(as in Hutu - Tutsi massacres)
(See Rodney Stark on top down conversion vs. persuasion in freemarket of ideas
in - For the Glory of God -
How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-hunts, and the End of Slavery)
B. Godly
politics not the means to a Godly nation, a Godly people/society is the
means to Godly politics
especially in democratic republic where we elect our own rulers.
Must raise up,
elect,
support, and
discipline
Godly leadership
as product of Godly families and churches.
C. Must show
inescapable logic of Biblical government
how only under God can our freedoms, for any of us, be protected.
Not a "religious bias", but unavoidable logic of morality and law.
D. Church
& State vs. God & State
Basic premises - (see worldview):
1. God owns the cosmos, is sovereign over all of it,
including civil government
2. Church & State are two separate human institutions, both under God
but with separate roles -- one cannot meddle in other except in extreme
emergencies -
e.g., high treason, subversion of Constitution, etc.
1. Primary role of civil government = coercive force:
Referee for public arena,
Thus not involved in game - commerce, production of
goods, education, welfare
creates fatal conflict of interest and destroys objectivity of government
as legislator, enforcer, and judge
To protect level playing field for all contestants - equality before law & in
public debate
Guarantee right of free speech -
Legitimate pluralism - Truth is singular - views are plural
All views welcome to debate, not because all true, but to find out which is true
Govt. holds gun to protect
freedom (Biblical limited govt.), not to coerce it (centralized govt.)...
"Comes the Revolution, we will all have peaches and cream!" "But
Commissar, I don't like
peaches and cream...." "Comes the Revolution, we will all have
peaches and cream...!"
Servant of people, not tyrant.
Holds
gun, so may not participate in decision-making.
Must obey people under God as per Constitution.
2. Primary role of Church -
Leader of worship & teacher for moral decision-making
Conscience of
society, leader of worship, builder of moral consensus
May not hold gun of coercion - participates in freemarket of ideas to win
adherents
Moral & spiritual consensus the ONLY way to unite a society securely.
Jesus (John 17) prays for unity of Church - so that people will know He
from the Father...
What's the connection??? Only God
can create that kind of unity
i.e., openness, living in light, love of neighbor.
Secular/pagan world typically unites by coercion, mind-control ("education"),
bribery, etc.
not by moral/spiritual
commitment.
Conclusion:
A.
Summary....
1. Government is essentially and inherently a religious/spiritual issue --
...because there is
Only one legitimacy & thus only one govt. -
under God.
Only one way for people to maintain freedom against govt. drift toward tyranny -- under God.
Only one way to unite peoples, cultures, nations -- moral consensus - under God.
God wants a maximum ordered
freedom -- to test us
to see whether we will freely obey His commandments.
Secular govt. wants obedience to get itself rich and powerful. Drifts
toward tyranny.
2. In
secular/pagan worlds, nothing to show
a
distinction between
right & wrong -- only in Biblical
world.
Hence no possible "legitimacy", only power struggle, mind-control, bribery.
With occasional respites of realistic cooperating, working together....
But always torpedoed by inherent defensiveness & self-centeredness of secular/pagan worlds...
Secular/pagan people who want a govt. for a free
people - want something they can have
only at the cost of something they are unwilling to grant - the sovereignty of
God over all things.
B. What to do? How to recover our American Biblical
form of Civil Government?
Not possible from Top Down -- only from Bottom Up.
Steps to take:
1. Understand that
truth-seeking, not position-defending, is the bottom foundation of the Kingdom
of God
reuniting reason with revelation and
science with faith.
Recover intellectual (along with moral & spiritual) credibility -
at any cost to ourselves -
start discipling yourself today... your testimony depends on it.
2. Recovery of family &
personal stability - Only a Saved People can keep Civil Govt. on Constitutional
Tether.
Family =
1st smithy where souls forged -
Family (not church or govt.) = center of spiritual life & education (for
good or for ill)
Biblical marriage, husband take spiritual leadership,
headship of family (Voice
of God)
Mother fulfill role as giver of spiritual power (Hand of God),
gift of being, personhood, ontological stability
(See Biblical worldview.)
Primary spiritual education in home, not church
Recovery of control of education of children, to pass on spiritual heritage.
3. Recovery of Church -
Church = 2nd smithy where souls forged.
preaching, teaching Biblical worldview (Hand & Voice of God), Gospel of
Jesus
Church should be support system for family life
for education of children, homeschooling, church schools, etc.
Primary emphasis & teaching on "living in the light" (1st John 1)
Sold out to each other as well as to God (2 Great Commandments).
Requires close and open fellowship, especially among leaders
holding each other accountable.
Creating Community which can Stand Together with One Voice.
Recover Church awareness of Biblical role in
public arena and public policy
"Jesus is Lord..." is a political statement
Church govts.
in disorder - little concept of level playing field,
typically "position defenders" not truth-seekers -- little intellectual
credibility.
If churches cannot get their govts in order, how teach civil govt?
Recover ability to wage spiritual warfare personally & in public arena.
4. Recovery (based on
above) of
Biblical government --
Teach and study principles of Biblical government in homes and schools.
1. First (often unspoken) commandment - thou shalt be a truth-seeker and a
truth-speaker...
create level playing field...
fundamental basis of Godly government & thus also of Kingdom of God.
2. Get civil government completely out of education, return
control to parents,
students, churches, and other NGO's, to reestablish a freemarket of ideas and
honest education;
3. Get civil government completely out of commerce; referee cannot play in the
game.
4. Get civil government completely out of
welfare to stop buying of votes and
creating dependent
"entitlement" mentality;
5. Limit civil government to role of referee in all these areas, to keep from
conflict of interest --
referee cannot play in the game;
6. Get rid of the Federal Reserve and the IRS, return control of money supply to
Congress,
& a
tax system compatible with original Constitution;
7. Establish requirement for all voters to take
oath of allegiance to
Constitution, with adequate
teaching on history of Biblical influence in founding of America, and the nature
of
Biblical (vs. secular or pagan) government, the nature of
honest pluralism, the "level playing field",
& the connection between morality, religion, and legitimacy of civil govt.
8. Can America regain its freedom, turn around heavy drift into totalitarianism?
Only if Christians repent, pray, and seek direction from God....
Get the discussion going -- feed these ideas to your friends. Be
incessant, insistent... & graceful.
Form coffee clutches, Bible study groups, go to Tea Party groups -- etc....
to study the Biblical Foundations of Civil Government
Especially -- talk to your clergy!!!
Set our pulpits aflame with
Truth-Seeking and the Sovereignty of God over all things.
Part V. Wrap Up &
Application in the Trenches
END
Other ReSources
Principles for a Biblical Government & Politics
Biblical Principles of a Civil Government
Constitution Library - Biblical Government
Herbert Titus - Constitutional Scholar. See also http://www.lonang.com/biblicalprinciples.htm
WallBuilders
-- David Barton materials -- Barton has been criticized for poor
scholarship on occasion,
but his
massive library of early American documents contains a powerful armory of
original source
materials
illustrating and explaining the Biblical origins of American politics and
government.
See especially his book,
Original Intent, and video, America's Godly Heritage, two
excellent
documentations of the
original intentions and writings of the founding fathers.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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Date Posted - 02/08/2010 - Date Last Edited - 12/16/2011