Only someone in an isolation chamber could imagine that this world is not fallen. Even the most fact-resistant naturalist (who cannot begin to explain why there is something rather than nothing) concedes that the evolutionary process in which he places so much . . . Continue reading →
The theocratic impulse is truly ancient. All the pagan nations of the Ancient Near East had state religions. The Israelites, Egyptians, and Canaanites all had state religions, as did the Greeks and the Romans. The latter were particularly vicious in enforcing the . . . Continue reading →
In article XIII: On the Great Commission, the Statement says, Article XIII: The Great Commission WE AFFIRM that Christ’s commissioning of His Church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded includes . . . Continue reading →
In article XII: On the Vocation and Calling of Christian Officials and Legislators, the Statement says, WE AFFIRM that God extends the rule of Christ in the world by calling to and gifting Christians as His servants on vocation as civil authorities. . . . Continue reading →
One of our readers named K wrote me to ask, “If God’s Word forbids women from teaching and exercising authority, why shouldn’t the state follow the same principle?” This is a good and interesting question. It is made even more complicated by . . . Continue reading →
In article XI: Big Picture Agenda, the Statement says, WE AFFIRM that the Christian Nationalist project entails national recognition of essential Christian Orthodoxy (Article II) as a Christian consensus under Jesus Christ, the supreme Lord and King of all creation, and the . . . Continue reading →
In Article X, under the heading, “On Nationalism and Policy Priorities,” the Statement says: WE AFFIRM that nations possess an inviolable right to establish justice and safeguard the peace and prosperity of their own citizens. We affirm that implementing Christian Nationalism in . . . Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark and Chris Gordon discuss theonomy, Christian Nationalism, Postmillennialism and how Christians can actually change the culture in light of the Beatitudes. Continue reading →
In Article IX, under the heading, “Spheres of Authority,” the Statement (version 2) says: WE AFFIRM that God has established spheres of authority such as the home, the Church, and the civil government. We affirm that God has given unique responsibilities and . . . Continue reading →
In Article VIII the Statement (version 2) says: WE AFFIRM that God’s purpose for civil government is to establish justice for His glory and the good of all people. We affirm that unjust laws harm people and that just laws reflect the . . . Continue reading →
WE AFFIRM that civil officials are God’s deacons of justice. Therefore, they must obey His commands and rule under His authority. We affirm that all human authorities, including civil officials, possess authority only as it has been delegated to them by God . . . Continue reading →
One of the most important aspects in the debate over so-called Christian Nationalism is the nature of Christ’s Lordship and Kingdom. According to Augustine, there are two cities. According to Luther (and more than a few Reformed writers) there are two kingdoms. . . . Continue reading →
On this date in 1959 the state of Nebraska executed the death sentence upon Charles Starkweather, an admitted, notorious spree killer and mass murderer. Certainly, when “Charlie” (as he was known) was captured after a shootout in Douglas, Wyoming there was little doubt and by the end of his trial it was certain that he had committed a shocking and brutal series of murders in and around what was then a sleepy college town and state capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska. The only real question that remained through the trial, which persists to this day, is whether Caril Ann Fugate, whose family Charlie murdered, accompanied him willingly during his spree, whether she cooperated in or even committed some of the murders, or whether she was a hostage (as she later claimed) and suffered from Stockholm Syndrome. Continue reading →
Finally, we come to the recently published Statement On Christian Nationalism and the Gospel (hereafter, the Statement).1 The authors of this document are as follows, according to the website: James Silberman (Communications Director at Free the States and columnist for The Federalist) . . . Continue reading →
In a recent essay, I tried to make the case from Westminster Confession 31.4 (in the American version; 31.5 in the 1648 edition) that the current transgender crisis does not fall under “cases extraordinary,” and thus, ecclesiastical assemblies should not be petitioning the . . . Continue reading →
So far we have considered what nationalism is and the end of the last vestiges of Christendom in America, which prompted the rise of so-called Christian Nationalism. Just as the end of blue laws provoked the Moral Majority movement, so too has . . . Continue reading →
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur . . . Continue reading →
Until the early twentieth century, most Christians used some distinction between nature and grace, and the sacred and the secular. In the 1970s and 80s, however, American Christian fundamentalists (e.g., Jerry Falwell) began to use the adjective “secular” disparagingly. Similarly, the use . . . Continue reading →
The term nationalism is inherently slippery. Indeed, the idea of a nation, as we think of it, is fairly new. We should not assume that there have always been sovereign nations the way that we think of them in the Modern period. . . . Continue reading →
Indeed, given Calvin’s distinction between two spheres of God’s kingdom, we need not agree with Mormons on theological questions in order to cooperate with them socially. We may even cooperate with Muslims, Hindus, and agnostics (e.g., the late Nat Hentoff 1925–2017, who became an outspoken critic of abortion on demand) who share certain basic convictions about civil life. To cooperate, we need only agree that there exists certain fixed, embedded laws in creation. Continue reading →