For the next few posts I will be disscussing an issue that has been around for the past couple years called theonomy. It should be noted that I do not embrace this theological view at all. This is an analysis of this Christian view.
To start off with, what is theonomy? according to Random House dictionary, it is "the state of an individual or society that regards its own nature and norms as being in accord with the divine nature." From the Christian perspective, it is implementing God's law into society. According to Professor Van Til, he said "There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy." Every ethical descision is either based on autonomy of on the law of a holy God. Unbelievers consider themselves the final authority in ethical matters whereas a Christians determine what is right and wrong through the Word of God. It is God that has the position and prerogative to do so. Failure to implement God's Law is sin and declaring independence from God. Building on this foundation, theonomists believe that the moral standards from Old Testament apply to the political realm. Theonomists cite theologian William Symington who said, "It is the duty of nations, as subjects of Christ, to take his law as their rule. They are apt to think enough that they take, as their standard of legislation and administration, human reason, natural conscience, public opinion or political expediency. None of these, however, nor indeed all of them together, can supply a sufficient guide in affairs of state" Verses that they use to say that the Old Testament laws apply today are 1 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 15:3-4, and Acts 25:11.When it comes to civil disobedience,they believe that it is breaking God’s command to “submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”(Romans 13:1)According to theonomists, they have to submit to authorities no matter what because the authorities are ordained by God and he will "avoid God’s wrath". This is in a nutshell what this Christian philsophy is.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Doing Hard Things concerning our country expanded
As we start the new year(and the new decade), we as Christians have a new mandate; to overcome the low expectations in our society and do strenuous things for the Kingdom of God and for His glory. One way we can do this is to get involved in the affairs of the United States of America and fight off the influences of Socialism, Communism, and Marxism that has been becoming increasingly evident in our government and society. There are four pillars in which this can be done; they are educate, elect Godly officials, be informed, and most importantly, prayer.
The first pillar of this new mandate is to educate others about the important truths of the Gospel and our country. The enemy has long understood that education is one way of promoting their ideology. In a list of goals Communists wished to achieve, one of them was “Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda.” Sadly, we have a new generation coming up who will have no idea what the Constitution actually says, are brainwashed into a Marxist ideology, and have never heard the Gospel. It is time we as Christians rise up and start reaching the young people with the Gospel and start teaching them the principles of Constitution. This can be done by starting groups on school campuses and even do social networking groups aimed at doing this (I am sure others have better ideas than I do). Education is a key in who wins the culture war.
The second pillar is to elect Godly men and women into public office. As one can see, our congress is attempting to pass laws that the majority of Americans do not want. For example, the healthcare reform bill that is being debated currently has an opposition of 55% (Rasmussen Reports). The American Congress even has self-avowed socialists who are creating our laws. One example is Representative Maxine Waters who said in a House hearing, “And guess what this member would be all about? This member would be all about socializing — er, uh. [Pauses for several moments] …. would be about … [pause] … basically … taking over, and the government running all of your companies.” It is time that the church wakes up from its slumber and put people in office that represent the American people and are salt and light to a culture that is in darkness. The legislative branch is the most important and central branch in our government because it is the branch closest to the people (Particularly the House of Representatives). By not voting, Christians have given this country over to Satan who is at work in destroying America and the church. It is an embarrassment to the Church of Jesus Christ that we did not stand up against the removal of prayer and bible study in the public schools, the teaching of Darwinism, and many other things. The voice of public opinion is being dominated by a very vocal minority and has silenced the majority. Let it not be so. Conservatives and Christians can make a difference if they did not stay home on Election Day and actually made a contribution to our society. Heed the words of Edmund Burke who said “Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.”
The third upholder of this order is to be informed about the issues. Everyday lies and rumors are spreading around like weeds in nearly every aspect of our lives including theology, politics, and our philosophy. This is mainly attributed to the mass media of our country. U.S. diplomat John Brady Keisling once said “Still, we have not seen such systematic distortion of intelligence, such manipulation of American opinion, since the War in Vietnam.” One of the greatest mass illusions today is one being reinforced by the mass media; that modern day Israel is evil and that the Arabs are the good guys. This is accomplished by establishing a Palestinian State in the middle of Israel. Its cause is a myth. It doesn’t want peace with the Israelis, it wants to destroy that country. Palestinian journalist Sami El Soudi said concerning the famous “martyrdom” of Mohammed al-Dura, “Our official press reported 300 wounded and dead at netzarim junction the day when Mohammed was supposedly killed. Most of the cameramen there were Palestinians…They willingly took part in the masquerade, filming fictional scenes, believing they were doing it out of patriotism.” Lessons we should learn from this is that the media is not to be trusted. That is why we need to connect with each other and primary sources to get the truth. If that can happen, than America will no longer need the mass media to feed them lies.
The final foundation is that the Church needs to be praying for our country. In the Bible, we, as Christians, are commanded to pray. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “Pray without ceasing.” In fact, the great revivals that have occurred in history were a result of prayer from ordinary people seeking the Lord’s will. So, why don’t we have a prayer army that consists of ordinary man and women from all walks of life start praying for this country?
In closing, the four layers of education, election, being informed, and prayer are ways that one can do for his country. It is time that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to band together and impacting the world for Him. Doing Hard Things will build us up and it will pave the way for a hopeful future.
The first pillar of this new mandate is to educate others about the important truths of the Gospel and our country. The enemy has long understood that education is one way of promoting their ideology. In a list of goals Communists wished to achieve, one of them was “Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda.” Sadly, we have a new generation coming up who will have no idea what the Constitution actually says, are brainwashed into a Marxist ideology, and have never heard the Gospel. It is time we as Christians rise up and start reaching the young people with the Gospel and start teaching them the principles of Constitution. This can be done by starting groups on school campuses and even do social networking groups aimed at doing this (I am sure others have better ideas than I do). Education is a key in who wins the culture war.
The second pillar is to elect Godly men and women into public office. As one can see, our congress is attempting to pass laws that the majority of Americans do not want. For example, the healthcare reform bill that is being debated currently has an opposition of 55% (Rasmussen Reports). The American Congress even has self-avowed socialists who are creating our laws. One example is Representative Maxine Waters who said in a House hearing, “And guess what this member would be all about? This member would be all about socializing — er, uh. [Pauses for several moments] …. would be about … [pause] … basically … taking over, and the government running all of your companies.” It is time that the church wakes up from its slumber and put people in office that represent the American people and are salt and light to a culture that is in darkness. The legislative branch is the most important and central branch in our government because it is the branch closest to the people (Particularly the House of Representatives). By not voting, Christians have given this country over to Satan who is at work in destroying America and the church. It is an embarrassment to the Church of Jesus Christ that we did not stand up against the removal of prayer and bible study in the public schools, the teaching of Darwinism, and many other things. The voice of public opinion is being dominated by a very vocal minority and has silenced the majority. Let it not be so. Conservatives and Christians can make a difference if they did not stay home on Election Day and actually made a contribution to our society. Heed the words of Edmund Burke who said “Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.”
The third upholder of this order is to be informed about the issues. Everyday lies and rumors are spreading around like weeds in nearly every aspect of our lives including theology, politics, and our philosophy. This is mainly attributed to the mass media of our country. U.S. diplomat John Brady Keisling once said “Still, we have not seen such systematic distortion of intelligence, such manipulation of American opinion, since the War in Vietnam.” One of the greatest mass illusions today is one being reinforced by the mass media; that modern day Israel is evil and that the Arabs are the good guys. This is accomplished by establishing a Palestinian State in the middle of Israel. Its cause is a myth. It doesn’t want peace with the Israelis, it wants to destroy that country. Palestinian journalist Sami El Soudi said concerning the famous “martyrdom” of Mohammed al-Dura, “Our official press reported 300 wounded and dead at netzarim junction the day when Mohammed was supposedly killed. Most of the cameramen there were Palestinians…They willingly took part in the masquerade, filming fictional scenes, believing they were doing it out of patriotism.” Lessons we should learn from this is that the media is not to be trusted. That is why we need to connect with each other and primary sources to get the truth. If that can happen, than America will no longer need the mass media to feed them lies.
The final foundation is that the Church needs to be praying for our country. In the Bible, we, as Christians, are commanded to pray. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “Pray without ceasing.” In fact, the great revivals that have occurred in history were a result of prayer from ordinary people seeking the Lord’s will. So, why don’t we have a prayer army that consists of ordinary man and women from all walks of life start praying for this country?
In closing, the four layers of education, election, being informed, and prayer are ways that one can do for his country. It is time that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to band together and impacting the world for Him. Doing Hard Things will build us up and it will pave the way for a hopeful future.
quote of the day
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Benjamin Franklin
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Benjamin Franklin
Saturday, January 2, 2010
quote of the day
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."- Matthew 5:13-14
Doing Hard Things concerning our country
As we enter the new year(and new decade), we have a new mandate; Let us do difficult things for the glory of God and for his Kingdom. This involves saving our country from falling into the pitfalls of Socialism and Communism. If you don't know what I am talking about, I encourage you to go to this website;
http://www.therebelution.com/(Which is on the blog list on the right) and read the book "Do Hard Things" by Brett and Alex Harris. Here are some things we can do to come towards that goal;
1. We can help teach the next generation who are going to be our next leaders by teaching them, first and foremost, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the principles of the Constitution, and the differences between "Americanism" and Communism.
2. If you are over 18, you have the privilege and responsibility to go out and vote on election day(Just don't vote if you are dumb and stupid!:p). We need to be salt and light in a culture that is in darkness. Our society, more than ever, needs Godly leadership and voting can come closer to that goal.
3. Be informed on the issues. If we don't know what is going, how are we suppose to fight the forces of darkness that are holding our Country? The Church of Jesus Christ has been asleep for so long that it needs to wake up and take action NOW! By doing this, we have given our country to Satan who is at work in this by destroying the American Church and our country.
4. Finally, we need to pray for our Country. Our hearts should be broken for how many babies are being murdered through abortion, the increasing violence in our society, and lack of morality in our Society. We should respond to this by repenting for our sins, praying for the lost souls in America, and for our Country.
http://www.therebelution.com/(Which is on the blog list on the right) and read the book "Do Hard Things" by Brett and Alex Harris. Here are some things we can do to come towards that goal;
1. We can help teach the next generation who are going to be our next leaders by teaching them, first and foremost, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the principles of the Constitution, and the differences between "Americanism" and Communism.
2. If you are over 18, you have the privilege and responsibility to go out and vote on election day(Just don't vote if you are dumb and stupid!:p). We need to be salt and light in a culture that is in darkness. Our society, more than ever, needs Godly leadership and voting can come closer to that goal.
3. Be informed on the issues. If we don't know what is going, how are we suppose to fight the forces of darkness that are holding our Country? The Church of Jesus Christ has been asleep for so long that it needs to wake up and take action NOW! By doing this, we have given our country to Satan who is at work in this by destroying the American Church and our country.
4. Finally, we need to pray for our Country. Our hearts should be broken for how many babies are being murdered through abortion, the increasing violence in our society, and lack of morality in our Society. We should respond to this by repenting for our sins, praying for the lost souls in America, and for our Country.
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