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Introduction:

I have the privilege of sharing this Study with Mr. John Sykes. John is an activist. Not the type that you read or hear about on television…he is an activist for the TRUTH of God’s word and sincerely believes that mankind, as well as governments would prosper and be stronger if the individuals who make up the citizenry of the nation understood and followed the biblical teachings of God’s word to mankind. John is passionate and I love that about him. During the course of this study I will be responsible for teaching the biblical truth regarding political issues that confront us as a people today. This course is NOT about politics but instead it is a biblical response to political issues we face today. You may not always agree with me or with what John says during the course of the next few weeks…as a matter of fact, John and I will not always agree on every issue…however, it is our sincere prayer that through the journey of this class you will be better equipped to not only understand the issues that confront us in this day but also have a biblical truth and reference on which you can take an active role in declaring real truth to a world that desperately needs a relationship with their Creator.

One of the key resources we will use is Wayne Grudem’s excellent comprehensive work, “Politics According to the Bible.” We will also share with you conflicting thought regarding interpretation of scripture. There are some that feel that Christians should have NO PARTICIPATION in the political process. For instance, John MacArthur writes:

“Jesus did not come to earth to make the old creation moral through social and governmental reform but to make the new creatures (His people) holy through the saving power of the gospel and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.”

JOHN, DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT?

LLT’s Interpretation: Agree with what MacArthur says but he stopped short of the end result of what it means to be a “new creation.” As a result of the new life in Christ you cannot help but influence your culture with His truth.

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Let’s begin by examining:

FIVE MYTHS REGARDING FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST AND THE GOVERNMENT

1. GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT SSHHOOUULLDD CCOOMMPPEELL RREELLIIGGIIOONN – No difference in Islam saying Government should be under Quran law. Five important facts…

a. Jesus made a distinction between God and Government – “give unto Caesar what is Caesar and unto God what is Gods.” (Matt. 22:20-21) Jesus referred to two different spheres of influence. One for the Kingdom and one for Government. He did make the distinction between the two.

b. Jesus NEVER compelled people to believe in Him. In Luke 9:52-54 the disciples wanted Jesus to call fire down on the Samaritans because they didn’t receive Him. – Jesus’ response? He rebuked them.

c. Genuine faith cannot be forced. If faith is genuine it can NEVER be forced. The Old Testament people were punished for following any religion other than Jewish law but that law was never intended when Jesus established the New Covenant.

d. Faith is NOT a worldly kingdom. – Jesus told Pilate at the end of His life “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from this world.” (John 18:36)

e. Christians should always support FREEDOM of religion and reject any “compel religious view” because of the implications it would have for them if Christianity were not the dominate faith.

Question: John there are some people today who feel that “right wing fundamentalist Christians” are trying to establish a Christian theocracy by incremental means.

Center for American Progress and the Freedom from Religion Foundation: Michelle Goldberg: “The Christian nation is both the goal of the religious right and its fundamental theology; it is the

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justification for its attempt to overthrow the doctrine of separation of church and state.”

2. GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT SSHHOOUULLDD EEXXCCLLUUDDEE RREELLIIGGIIOONN – this view states that religious views should NEVER be discussed or considered in government. Exclude all discussion and all reference to faith. Instead of freedom of religion we have freedom FROM religion. It has no basis from an historical perspective and was not the will of our founding fathers. This removes from Government God’s teaching regarding good and evil. Since moral absolutes are often based on biblical teachings this position would make it easier to yield to an amoral society. This changes FREEDOM OF RELIGION TO FREEDOM FROM RELIGION.

33.. AALLLL GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT IISS EEVVIILL AANNDD DDEEMMOONNIICC –– Using Luke 4:5-7 this view indicates that Satan has control of this world as a result of the fall and all governments are under his control. – The words were spoken by SATAN who is the opposite of truth. Jesus’s response: “IT IS WRITTEN…” He takes the argument back to the word of God.

44.. WWEE SSHHOOUULLDD ““DDOO”” EEVVAANNGGEELLIISSMM -- ““NNOOTT”” PPOOLLIITTIICCSS –– the truth is you can’t do evangelism without having an impact on the government. The gospel will help transform society as the individual changes through the power of Christ.

I am usually a Cal Thomas fan and can certainly see how he would make this observation but I feel it would give followers of Christ the opportunity to focus only one the spiritual and not on allowing the spiritual to impact the society and the government.

“No matter how hard they try to protect the gospel from corruption, ministers who focus on politics and politicians as a means of redemption must minimize their ultimate calling and message. The road to redemption does not run through Washington D.C. Politicians can’t redeem themselves from the temptations of Washington. What makes anyone think they can redeem the rest of us?”

One of the goals of the Gospel is to transform the culture in which we live to prepare them for eternal life with Christ.

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MacArthur: “When the church takes a stance that emphasizes political activism and social moralizing it always diverts energy and resources away from evangelization.”

God calls all of us to different responsibilities…the end result of every investment in our lives must be that Christ is glorified and that what we do has eternal significance. Billy Graham invested his life in evangelism…James Dobson initially in families and then addressed social issues within our government that had a negative impact on families.

55.. WWEE SSHHOOUULLDD ““DDOO”” PPOOLLIITTIICCSS -- ““NNOOTT”” EEVVAANNGGEELLIISSMM –– This is just as out of balance as number four. This is nothing but a social gospel which is not the complete gospel of Christ. In the 1950-1980 there was a great “social gospel” movement that was adopted by many liberal protestant churches. There is NO legitimate evangelical leader or organization that advocates this position.

Because many feel our government no longer upholds the Bible as a source of moral truth we are fast seeing all of the biblical principles eroding from our country. As a result there are some people who believe that we, as Christians have a right to defy the law or to break the law if we do it in the name and power of our faith in Christ.

Discussion Question: “Is civil disobedience allowed in Scripture?”

WHAT IS THE CORRECT VIEW OF A CHRISTIAN’S INFLUENCE ON THEIR GOVERNMENT?

Grudem advocates “significant Christian influence” on the government. What does that mean?

Christians should seek to influence civil government according to God’s moral standards and God’s purposes for government as revealed in scripture.

Christians will have disagreements about interpretation of the scripture as it applies to government. Examples include: What is a “just” war? Should we outlaw the death penalty? What is the government’s responsibility in respect to poverty and wealth among

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the people? When does LIFE begin? What is the definition of marriage?

Disagreements are healthy when discussed in a public forum and a time in which different sides have the opportunity to argue their position from a biblical text.

Ultimately, Christians will change a nation from the INSIDE OUT. We can attempt to change legislation, and we should, but we will never be able to legislate morality of the human heart.

USE JEB BUSH ILLUSTRATION WHEN RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR. Called and came by office on way to debate in Tampa. “They are trying to cast me as a single issue candidate because I am pro-life. How do I respond?”

QUESTION: DISCUSS HOW SOME IN OUR GOVERNMENT DISTORT BIBLICAL TRUTH RELATED TO ISSUES FACING US TODAY.

A.N. WILSON: In criticizing position of So. Baptists:

“It is impractical and undesirable to recreate the ethics and behavior patterns of a biblical age that has vanished. For SBC to say they believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God would be to condone slavery as Paul did in Philemon. Do So. Baptists pool all their wealth and redistribute it to the poor as scripture teaches? Do Christians keep the Jewish dietary laws? Do So. Baptist approve of stoning a woman caught in adultery? A true biblical faith recognizes that the Bible is NOT a book of answers. It’s a story of the human race getting it wrong over and over again.”

If you read the Bible in context and not proof-text then you will realize that is a distortion and it misrepresents the scripture. Objections like this are designed to cause a seeker to question the validity of scripture. YOU MUST KNOW THE WORD.

CBN REPORT:

Some Christian leaders say this generation is the most Biblically illiterate in history. The problem: young Christians guiding their lives by a popular culture instead of Scripture.

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The consequences could be devastating, not just for the Church, but for society as a whole.

CBN News spoke at random to young people on the beach:

CBN News: Can you name three of the 10 commandments for me?

Young Man: Nope.

CBN News: Can you name one of the 10 commandments for me?

Young Man: Nope

"Can you name the first book of the Bible?" we asked another young man.

"Testament," he replied.

To a young woman, we asked, "Do you think you can get to heaven by doing good works?"

"I think there are pearls in heaven, like a bonus point, you know," she replied.

Americans Biblically Illiterate

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It's clear that many Americans -- including Christians don't know their Bible. Just look at the numbers from a recent study:

■More than 60 percent of Americans can't name either half of the Ten Commandments or the four Gospels of the New Testament.

■Some 80 percent including "born again" Christians believe that "God helps those who help themselves" is a direct quote from the Bible.

■And 31 percent believe a good person can earn his/her way into heaven.

According to a recent George Barna study, most self-proclaimed Christians don't believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit actually exist. And even though the Bible is very clear about the sinless nature of Christ, 22 percent believe that Jesus sinned while he was on the earth.

"I don't think he was sinless altogether, no," one young man said about Jesus.

"What do you base your belief on," we asked.

"My opinion," he said.

So what are the consequences of this on society?

"If you're Biblically illiterate, you'll fall into every kind of sin, and every kind of problem and that's the problem with our country, said, Dr. Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of the Regent University School of Divinity.

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"If you know the Bible, if you know the Ten Commandments, they're warnings, so that we can live a wonderful life," he added.

Open to Deception?

Lou Engle, founder of The Call prayer movement said not knowing the truth leaves a person vulnerable to deception.

"If you get off truth, you move into a realm of deception and ultimately, you think you're walking with God but you are not walking with God," said Engle said.

Let's begin by opening our Bibles to Romans chapter 13. I feel like one of those guys who has paid for an “all you can eat smorgasbord” and really don’t know where to start. There's so much here, and so we will take a systematic approach to build our case for this study.

This passage makes some very significant demands on our thought, so I want to be careful to properly proclaim and teach the significance of this text. I basically want you to understand the passage. And I'll do the best I can tonight to lay the groundwork that'll make this passage open up to you. Let’s read Romans 13:1-7:

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear

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of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. 6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.” Romans 13:1-7 (NLT)

Now in those seven verses we have outlined for us in brief and pointed terms we find at least the start of a biblical basis of the Christian's responsibility to government. This is clear and direct; the most straightforward and precise passage in all of the New Testament on this subject. And as a result of that, it is an extremely important one for us to understand.

The issue of the Christian's relationship to government is a very important issue. It has been through all of the church's history. Christian's have always had to face this issue, and even to struggle with it. The church has found itself in all kinds of places, in all kinds of governments, under all kinds of rulers, with all kinds of perspectives and forms of leading and ruling. And so Christians have always had to deal with this matter of “Politics According to the Bible” and how does the follower of Christ respond to your government?

This begins with understanding what the scriptures teach us about our responsibility to our government.

Wayne Grudem writes: “It is not impossible to understand the bible rightly; to understand the interpretation. Some areas there will be legitimate disagreement about the meaning of the Bible but among responsible evangelical interpreters of the Bible there are vastly more area of widespread agreement than disagreement, both today and throughout history.” (Politics According to the Bible; p. 55)

Traditionally and historically in our own country we have had less trouble with this than many others, like our fellow Christians who are in China or in

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a Muslim dominated culture. Because we have lived in a Christian influenced society, we've had the best of situations and for the most part enjoyed a benevolent government throughout our history in America. Tragically, I would certainly agree with other theologians of our day who declare that we live in a “Post Christian” America.

Our Constitution is not a Christian document; it is a document written and influenced by Christians. It does not make law, but lays out a broad set of principles to which all laws must conform. John Adams, one of the signers of the constitution states, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” These broad principles for governing our land can all be traced to the Bible, and for that reason America was referred to as a Christian nation for two hundred and eighty-four years. Schools contained Bibles and flags. Each morning students recited the Lord’s Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. America was not only a Beacon of Freedom to the world; it was also a shining example of how God would bless a nation which followed His principles. Under these founding principles, America became the greatest nation in the history of the world. However, we have, and continued to rapidly depart from our glorious birth.

Ronald Reagan said in his farewell address:

“And that’s about all I have to say tonight, except for one thing. The past few days when I’ve been at that window upstairs, I’ve thought a bit of the ‘shining city upon a hill.’ The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we’d call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.”

Unfortunately, that is not the America the children of today will live in. As the light vanishes darkness will consume the nation and evil will replace all

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that is good. Today America is facing the greatest combination of challenges it has ever faced in its four hundred year history.

It will NOT be that way in the future of this nation if we continue on our present path and it wasn't that way in the New Testament times when this was written. Even for the believers in Rome who received this very letter. Christians have struggled throughout history to answer the question of what is their relationship to their government and tragically Christians have not always answered it properly.

And throughout the history of the church, there have been revolutions in the name of Christianity where people decided that the Christian thing to do was to revolt with military power against the government. People have been killed in the name of furthering Christianity just as we see happening today throughout much of the world all in the name of Islam.

As Christians have struggled with how to influence their culture, sometimes they have rightly understood what their role was, and sometimes they have overturned their God-given role and become revolutionary.

Some Christians have decided that since they have received bad treatment from certain governments, it is justifiable for them to go to war against their governments.

We will focus on some of these issues as we work through this study. Much of what you I say, or John Sykes shares, I pray will be informative and helpful in your walk as a believer. However, let me be quick to say that John and I may not agree with each other on every issue so we certainly don’t expect you to be in total agreement.

My desire is that you would NOT take my word or John’s word in this study…My goal is that you would all scripture to be the instructor in this course and test what is shared by and through the word of God.

Here is a good question to start the night. Is America a Christian Nation? Has America ever been a Christian nation? That's a good place for us to start our study tonight.

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We struggle today with how we should identify with our government because even though America had a Christian orientation, we are now living in what I strongly believe to be a “post-Christian America.”

GRUDEM: The author listed five wrong views about Christians and government.

6. GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT SSHHOOUULLDD CCOOMMPPEELL RREELLIIGGIIOONN – No difference in Islam saying Government should be under Quran law. Five important facts…

a. Jesus made a distinction between God and Government – “give unto Caesar what is Caesar and unto God what is Gods.”

b. Jesus NEVER compelled people to believe in Him c. Genuine faith cannot be forced. d. Faith is NOT a worldly kingdom. e. Christians should always support FREEDOM of religion

and reject any “compel religious view” 7. GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT SSHHOOUULLDD EEXXCCLLUUDDEE RREELLIIGGIIOONN – this view states

that religious views should NEVER be discussed or considered in government. Exclude all discussion and all reference to faith. Instead of freedom of religion we have freedom FROM religion. It has no basis from an historical perspective and was not the will of our founding fathers. This removes from Government God’s teaching regarding good and evil. Since moral absolutes are often based on biblical teachings this position would make it easier to yield to an amoral society.

88.. AALLLL GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT IISS EEVVIILL AANNDD DDEEMMOONNIICC –– Using Luke 4:5-7 this view indicates that Satan has control of this world as a result of the fall and all governments are under his control.

99.. WWEE SSHHOOUULLDD ““DDOO”” EEVVAANNGGEELLIISSMM -- ““NNOOTT”” PPOOLLIITTIICCSS –– the truth is you can’t do evangelism without having an impact on the government. The gospel will help transform society as the individual changes through the power of Christ.

1100.. WWEE SSHHOOUULLDD ““DDOO”” PPOOLLIITTIICCSS -- ““NNOOTT”” EEVVAANNGGEELLIISSMM –– This is just as out of balance as number four. This is nothing but a social gospel which is not the complete gospel of Christ.

Because many feel our government no longer upholds the Bible as a source of moral truth we are fast seeing all of the biblical principles eroding

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from our country. As a result there are some people who believe that we, as Christians have a right to defy the law or to break the law if we do it in the name and power of our faith in Christ.

Discussion Question: “Is civil disobedience allowed in Scripture?”

I have heard Christian leaders calling for other Christians to leave their present operation, their present Ministry, and become a part of a new political Christian lobby to use high pressure, social actions, and so forth. Some are calling for anger, and protests, and a moderate kind of revolution against our government. So we have two extremes and both are dangerous. Our goal is that in this class, Politics According to the Bible, you would be able to maintain a biblically based response to the issues facing our nation today.

Many say the government is taking the churches' freedoms away. It is encroaching on our religion. And in an effort to save the freedom of the church, a myriad of organizations are arising in our country calling for action against the government.

I am amazed at the people that wind up coming together on issues of civil authority and civil rights that would never find any common ground on the issue of biblical truth. For example, many evangelicals are now aligned with the Mormon Church because they have a common cause for religious freedom.

So the coming together of these kinds of people, from vastly different religious backgrounds, demonstrates this preoccupation with political ends. We cannot allow theology and doctrine of Biblical truth to be set aside for the sake of freedom. Instead we must stand on Biblical truth to help insure our religious freedom.

We must be cautious about joining together with frauds, false prophets, and people who have their own agenda that may not be remotely biblical. Many who may say they come together for the sake of "religious freedom" but have no understanding of Biblical truth regarding issues.

We have to maintain a balance. The church is not a political force within the nation. The church is charged with proclaiming truth. It is the believer who then must take the truth and live their life in a such a way that they will have influence on the culture. It is a spiritual force within the nation.

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One of the worst fallouts of this new preoccupation with the political issues, is the politicizing of the church, which if we are not cautious could ultimately pollute the true mission of the church. (Use Allen West illustration at Patriotic Celebration – Democratic Chairman’s response)

The church cannot afford to become just a flag-waving, lobbying, protesting voice for government change. That's not our calling. As Christians we must never turn from an emphasis on the Gospel to an emphasis on politics. We must instead find a way to allow our life and the truth of the gospel to influence our nation.

We must never fall prey to some ridiculous premise that Christianity's growth and power and influence is somehow related to the government policy in America. God is NOT dependent upon America…it is actually just the reverse.

C.S. Lewis once reminded us, “Christians live forever, while the state is only temporal, and thus is reserved to comparative insignificance. And to spend your time altering the state when you could be spending your time giving people eternal salvation is a bad bargain.”

HOW DO WE FIND THE BALANCE?

To abandon the message which gives eternal life with God in favor of temporal change in a government wastes the light of Jesus Christ. I mean it would be like a great heart surgeon with a skill to save many, abandoning his life-saving practice to become a makeup artist. To fool around with the outside while ignoring what could change a person by focusing on the heart.

Personally, I believe the church needs to use all of its power and all of its resources, and all of its energy and forces to help convert men and women to Jesus Christ. And that's what God has called us to do. The Scripture does tell us that we are to be model citizens but that is to encourage others to seek the change that Christ brings to our life. Some argue that Christians should be actively involved in politics. I would not disagree with that; however, that is my responsibility as a Christian, not my purpose for being a Christian.

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The Bible does not speak about Christians engaging in civil change. That is not our priority. It doesn't mean we're not to be involved as citizens where we can be. It's a question of priority.

In the Old Testament, for example, Israel was a priestly nation. And by God's design, Israel was to bring men to God. And in that nation Israel there were priests whose primary function was to do just that. There were others who were responsible for other problems and social issues. But the heart of the matter was the priesthood, the core of life which gave its identity to the whole nation, and they could not abandon the role of bringing men and women to God. That was God's design.

The church is the same. I believe we are a kingdom of priests, not a kingdom of politicians. Our purpose in the world is to bring men and women to God. I care deeply about changing America, but I want to establish a premise in this class that we understand that true change comes from inside, not outside. (USE THIS TIME FOR DISCUSSION – HAVE JOHN AND LARRY DISCUSS THIS ISSUE)

We are called to be the conscience of the nation by Godly living and faithful proclamation of His truth. We confront the nation. Our first confrontation is not through political pressure, but through the word of God. That's how we confront the nation. THAT IS POLITICS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. We preach against sin. We preach against the evils of our time. But it is preaching and Godly living that is our calling; it is pointing people to the life changing truth of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Look at Christ for just a moment as we build a foundation for this passage. Look at Christ. He came into a very interesting world. He came into a Roman Empire where slavery flourished. Slavery. You understand that. Slavery. There were approximately three slaves to every free man.

He also came into a world that was dominated by others in terms of rule. Men were absolutely monarchs, absolute rulers. After the end of the Roman republic, when the Caesars came in and took power, they ruled with absolute authority. Julius Caesar was murdered in the Roman senate in 44 BC, but this only accelerated the centralization of power. The Roman senate declared Augustus proconsul and tribune of Rome for life, and he had absolute and total power. He was Commander In Chief

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of all soldiers, he stood above the senate, and he controlled all civil affairs.

So Jesus came into a world dominated by slavery and by one man rule. The absolute antithesis of democracy, which we believe to be so dear. All the power of the state was in one man's hands.

You had the same thing in Palestine. Where the ruler of Palestine, who was placed there as sort of a puppet king under Rome was a man by the name of Herod. Herod was an Edomite. Herod was not a Jew. That Edomite ruler of Palestine, the king with great power, had the single authority to demand that every single baby in a certain region be massacred, and nobody could stay his hand. He had absolute authority over life and death. He murdered his whole family. His mother, his wife, his sons, and no one held him accountable.

In the time that Jesus came into the world taxes were exorbitant, and those who worked in the taxing process who sold themselves to Rome for money, extorted taxes out of the people, overcharged them. In fact, you remember don't you, that Zacchaeus when he was converted, immediately said I'll do what? I'll pay back everything I've extorted how many times? Fourfold. Which was rather typical of the kind of thing that went on. Tax collectors were extortioners.

So there were unjust taxes. There was unjust rule that heard nothing from the people. In fact, Caesar Augustus decreed that the entire world should be taxed, and tried to collect an exact from everyone.

Furthermore, Jesus came to His people, the Jews, in a very unique situation for them. They were an underprivileged and oppressed minority. They had no voice in Roman government, they had to pay heavy taxes to their Roman taskmasters. Now that's the world Jesus came into. They didn't even know anything about democracy. About voting. About certain "freedoms" that we enjoy.

And what did Jesus say? He said this. "Render to Caesar," what? "The things that are Caesar's." You give the government its due. And to God, what? The things that are God's.

He did not come with power and force to overthrow the Roman tyranny. He did not seek social change. He did not attempt to eliminate

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slavery. He did not come with political or economic issues at stake. They were not the concern of his life and Ministry. He did not come to bring new government, to bring democracy, to wave the flag of Judaism, even. His appeal was ever and always to the hearts of individual men and women. Not their political freedoms. Not their rights under government.

GREAT PLACE FOR JOHN AND LARRY TO DISCUSS WITH THE CLASS HOW YOU FIND THE BALANCE IN THIS ARGUMENT.

He did not participate in civil rights. He did not crusade to abolish injustice. He preached a saving Gospel. So that once a man's soul or a woman's soul is right with God, it matters very little what the externals are. He was not interested in a new social order, but in a new spiritual order - the church. And he mandated the church to carry on the same kind of Ministry.

And listen - their problems in those days were far more severe than ours.

So we have to look at things a little bit differently I think. When we come to this issue of how a Christian is to respond to his government. Just like I said at the very start, Christians through all the generations of the church have had to deal and struggle with this issue. And we have to come to some conclusion about how we fit in, and what are we called to do and be in this society in which we live? And what is our priority? And how are we to live? And what right does government have over us, and what is to be our proper response to that right?

Admittedly, we live in a tension. To be honest with you, from deep within my heart I'm really not that concerned about the political parties or the hope they offer to our nation. What occupies my mind are the souls of lost men and women. Change the man and change the family. Change the family and change the nation.

I struggle a little bit with millions and millions and millions of dollars coming out of evangelical hands for politicization of America rather than evangelization. Again, I think the key word is balance.

So we ask the question…How do we respond in the tension of being preoccupied with the Kingdom of God, and yet having to live in this world

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and wanting to be a good citizen and desiring that our nation help us in honoring the God we serve?

First of all, as I pointed out to you, the issue is not to try to politicize the society. What God has called us to do is two things, right here in this text.

The Apostle Paul says two things are required of you as a Christian - submit to the government, and pay your taxes. Did you get that?

Submit to the government and pay your taxes. It isn't the other things are not important, it is that they pale in importance when compared with the work of the Kingdom. That's the issue.

And it follows then that if you have a life dedicated to Christ, you're not only going to have a right relationship with God, other Christians, outsiders, and enemies, but you'll have a right relationship with civil authorities, also. And they are an essential part of our life. Because government is an institution of God.

So I believe what he's saying here is a committed Christian who is solely given over to the Lord will have a right relationship to civil authority and have the opportunity to influence the civil authority.

Examine Rom. 12:17-21:

“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:17-21 (NLT)

Paul is talking about making a difference. Returning love for hate and good for evil. And so here's one way you do that. GREAT PLACE FOR DISCUSSION QUESTION

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No matter what the government does, you submit, unless the government requires you to do that which conflicts with God’s word. No matter what the government does, unless the government asks you to violate a biblical principle, you pay your taxes. You're not violent. You're not a terrorist. You're not a subversive. Christians are not to be those who breach the peace; who make trouble. And there's no place for personal vengeance. Don't avenge. God takes care of that. So how do we make a difference in our culture?

You are commanded to speak the truth in LOVE. YOU DO NOT CAPITULATE OR RATIONALIZE YOUR BIBLICAL CONVICTIONS. YOU MUST KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE. That is where POLITICS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE must validate the Christian’s witness in home, business, life and nation.

BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR GOD FOLLOWERS WHO HAVE INFLUENCED GOVERNMENTS…

DDAANNIIEELL:: (Dan. 4:27) “‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.” Daniel 4:27 (NLT)

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MMUULLTTIICCUULLTTUURRAALL PPOOPPUULLAATTIIOONN.. ““HHEERREE IISS WWHHAATT II WWOOUULLDD DDOO BBUUTT II

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WWHHAATT TTOO DDOO……II WWOOUULLDD SSUUGGGGEESSTT..””

Daniel is an example of an OT believer exercising significant influence on civil government that was being governed by pagan leaders.

JJEERREEMMIIAAHH: (Jer. 29:7) “And work for the peace and prosperity of

the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its

welfare will determine your welfare.”

JEREMIAH WAS IN BABYLON AND IN THAT PAGAN NATION HE

DIRECTED GOD’S PEOPLE TO “WORK FOR THE PEACE AND

PROSPERITY OF THE CITY AND PRAY FOR THE CITY.” _ THE TRUE

WELFARE OF THE CITY WILL BE ADVANCED BY FOLLOWING GOD’S

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WORD AND BY LAWS AND LEADERS THAT ARE FOLLOWING A

BIBLICAL MODEL.

JJOOSSEEPPHH:: The highest official in Pharoah’s court and used godly

wisdom to have great influence in governmental actions.

MMOOSSEESS:: Stood boldly before Pharoah and demanded freedom for God’s people.

NNEEHHEEMMIIAAHH: Stood before King Artaxerxes of Persia and said, “God has broken my heart for my city and I ask that I could be used to rebuild the city for God’s glory.

MMOORRDDEECCAAII: second in command to King Ahasuerus.

QQUUEEEENN EESSTTHHEERR: Chosen by God for a time such as this.

AALLLL OOFF TTHHEE PPRROOPPHHEETTSS

JJOOHHNN TTHHEE BBAAPPTTIISSTT: Stood against the moral decay of King Herod. (Luke 3:18-20)

PPAAUULL: Before Gov. Felix (Acts 24:24-25) Paul “reasoned” with Felix (Greek – dialegomai) “back and forth conversation or discussion.”

History records that when there is significant Christian influence on the nation that influence brings beneficial results to the nation.

GREAT ILLUSTRATION ABOUT NOT BEING BIBLICAL:

Grudem points out that some people would point to America’s failure to hold to our original intent to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in the USA as a failure of Christians. GO TO GOD’S WORD. We were trying to prohibit something that indicated the moral standards are more strict that the Biblical principles. The Bible contains several cautions regarding drunkenness but it does NOT prohibit the use of alcohol. (I Tim. 5:23) “Use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

It is impossible to make a moral law that does not reflect the biblical law written on the hearts of God’s people.

Going back to chapter 13. Vengeance is not the role of the individual. Retaliation is not the role of the individual. Bringing evil to evil men is not

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the role of the individual Christian. It is the responsibility of the government. Our role is to KNOW THE TRUTH and to make His truth known.

KEY PRINCIPLE: In Paul's day the Jews were notoriously zealous for their own identity, their own nation, their own independence, their own freedom, their own God, their own religion and so forth. So the Jews constantly rebelled against Roman control. There were just little fires cropping up everywhere. And even though Roman domination was, for the most part, beneficent, and the Roman peace was, for the most part, easy to bear - it was not harsh and unrealistic - still the Jews did not like the idea that they were under the yoke of anyone.

And when conversing with Jesus in John 8, they said, "We have never been in bondage to anyone." Which was a pretty ridiculous statement since they were at that very time under Roman domination. And prior to that were under the domination of the Greeks, and prior to that were under the domination of the Persians, and prior to that were under the domination of the Babylonians, and even earlier than that were under the domination of the Egyptians. So they had short memories.

But what they were really was "We've never been dominated in our hearts. We have never accepted that kind of bondage." So they didn't like that tyranny, and even though they enjoyed exceptional privileges in the Roman Empire.

In fact, the Roman Empire which advocated Caesar worship, and everybody was supposed to worship Caesar as a God, allowed the Jews to worship their own God. Safe-guarded their right to worship. The Romans safe-guarded the Sabbath day, the Sabbath laws, the food laws, the prohibition of idols. The Romans made a law that no one could come into the city of Jerusalem inside the walls with any image of the Caesar, because that violated Jewish idol law.

They did everything they could, and when the Jews wanted to kill gentiles who went into the inner court, the Romans upheld their right to do that. Even though that was nothing to do with the Roman law, but only with religious law of the Jews.

So they were very gracious in a sense to the Jews, and still they hated the Roman domination. They questioned its legitimacy, they fought against it. In fact, you'll remember in Matthew 22, the passage I mentioned earlier.

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They came to Jesus and said, "Look, you tell us. You tell us. Do we pay our taxes or don't we?" Remember that? This was constantly on their minds. They felt that it was an absolute crime for them to acknowledge Caesar. And he said, "Show me a coin," and they took out a coin with Caesar's image, and of course, that would be in their minds a what? An idol.

And they despised that. And Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." What he was affirming was the fact that in spite of what they felt, they were obligated to submit to government. But they were ticked they had to submit.

And you remember Mark 15:7, which accounts for Barabbas who had led an insurrection. It wasn't the only insurrection. There were a lot insurrections. The Romans dealt with them continually. In fact, the Romans did a lot to keep the peace. One time they even put Paul in prison because they thought that Paul would be the cause of a Jewish riot, and Jewish riots could turn against them. They knew that, and so they were very cautious in imprisoning Paul not only for his own protection, but for the protection that they would gain from some kind of riot.

In Acts 5:36 we read, "Before those days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves who were slain. And all as many as obeyed him were scattered and brought to nothing. After this man, rose up Judah of Galilee in the days of registration and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all as many as obeyed him were dispersed." The Romans were constantly breaking up these kinds of small revolutions that were started by these would-be Messiahs who were trying to overthrow the Roman yoke.

The Jews took Deut. 17:15-16: as the basis for their hatred of the Roman

yoke, and the Roman rule. You know what that says? “You are about to

enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over

and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over

us like the other nations around us.’ 15 If this happens, be sure to

select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint

a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.” Deut. 17:14-15 (NLT)

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And so they took Deuteronomy 17:15, and said they were not going to have a king that was not a Jew, and Herod was not a Jew, and Caesar was not a Jew, and Pilot was not a Jew, and none of those who ruled them were Jews, and so they used that passage as a defense for their attitude towards the government.

This is commonly called “Proof-texting” or reading into scripture what you want to read into the text. What they forgot was they weren't living under the terms of Deuteronomy anymore. They had so violated God's covenant that they were under judgment. And those kinds of things had been set aside.

Now also among the Jews were a group of people known as the zealots. Do you remember the zealots? They believed there was no king but God period. And there should be no taxes paid to anyone but God, so they defied the government every way. They wouldn't submit, and they wouldn't pay taxes.

They embarked on violent action. They started groups. They became murderers, careers of murder and assassination. They were known as dagger-bearers. They were fanatical nationalists I should say. Sworn to terrorism all their life long. And they had a great influence on the Jews. That's why when Jesus came along and the Jews saw His power, they wanted immediately to make him king. Why? Because they wanted the ultimate revolt. The ultimate war to take place, and they would fight and win against Rome.

Now this kind of attitude against Rome is ultimately what led to the revolt in 70 AD. Finally the Romans took all they could take, and in 70 AD they came in and just wiped out Jerusalem. They killed 1,100,000 Jews. Massacred them. To stop the incessant revolt and revolution.

This is not a Godly attitude. And that's what Jesus meant when he said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And that's what Paul meant when he said, "Live peaceably with all men." We're not to be concerned with issues of the state and the government as a priority. We're to be busy living Godly lives as the conscience of a nation, and preaching God's word. And not starting revolutions and protesting, and making trouble.

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But Roman law, for the most part, continued even during the life of Paul, in spite of all these things, to be somewhat favorable to Christianity. They frankly saw Christianity as nothing more than a sort of offshoot of Judaism. A sort of Judaistic cult if you will.

There's an interesting incident in the 18thchapter of Acts where the Corinthian Jews accused Paul of propagating an illegal religion. See, the Romans didn't allow a lot of religion, but they had legalized Judaism. So they said Judaism is legal. So when Paul came along preaching Christ, the Corinthian Jews wanted to get Paul in trouble with the Roman power, so they said, "He is preaching an illegal religion." And so they called in the pro-counsel, Gallio, to tell him that this was an illegal religion, and he paid absolutely no attention to their accusation at all. Which indicates to us that he thought of Christianity as nothing more than a few Jews disputing with other Jews about some element of theology. And because of that attitude that Christianity was just sort of an offshoot of Judaism, it gave Paul freedom in the Roman Empire to continue to preach the Gospel of Christ.

Over the next ten years his ministry could continue due to this perception. And he was able to preach. Even though Christianity truly, if understood, was not a sanctioned religion. But looking at it from another angle, too, Christianity was to be watched. Even though they tolerated it, I'm sure they knew that it needed to be watched. After all, the Romans knew that the founder of Christianity was one Jesus, one Jesus Christ. In one reference He is called Chrestus. And that that founder was basically killed because, as far as they knew, he was claiming to be a king and offered a rival to the Caesar. So they knew there was a potential within Christianity for trouble, and so even though they tolerated it, they watched it.

There were some Christians no doubt in some places who posed a threat to some Roman authorities. Some of them were thought to be subversive, some of them were assumed to be real troublemakers. In fact, in Acts 17, they said, "These that have turned the world upside down are come here also, and they all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, one Jesus."

So the idea that their founder was a rival king sort of followed them. But even in spite of this, there was real tolerance for Christianity. But

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Paul is very careful in what he says, because he doesn't want any trouble. It's possible that if they pushed a little too hard at their freedoms, if they didn't know how to respond to the Roman government, they could really be in trouble. The Romans were watching them, even though they had some freedom. The best thing for them to do was to continue to live peaceably and honorably as citizens in their society.

They were not to be associated with the Jewish mentality of insurrection, and rebellion, and revolution, all of that. So Paul writes this to remind them of their duty as citizens. To establish exemplary conduct, like Christ had shown. Christ had shown. Like the apostles had shown. Like the believers in the earliest part of the church had shown. They wanted to separate Christianity from insurrection as to Judaism. They wanted to affirm that Christians are good citizens. Christianity and good citizenship goes together. AANNDD GGOOOODD CCIITTIIZZEENNSSHHIIPP IISSNN''TT JJUUSSTT AA QQUUEESSTTIIOONN OOFF

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So the Lord then establishes this basic principle in verse one: “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Civil government, in whatever form or under whatever ruler or rulers, is to be obeyed and submitted to by Christians. A Christian has the duty to his nation to respect the position of authority.

This isn't an isolated text. As we continue to lay a foundation for our theme of Politics According to the Bible I want you to examine: 1 Peter 2:12-17:

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. 13 For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you

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are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.” (1 Pet. 2:12-17)

In Peter's situation, he's writing to some believers who are right at the edge of a major persecution. He's encouraging them to be ready to face what they're going to face. (1 Pet. 4:12-19)

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. 14 So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. 16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! 17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? 18 And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” 19 So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” (1 Peter. 4:12-19)

Peter reminds us: "Get ready. You're going to suffer." The spirit of God gives him insight to know that the persecution that's already beginning on an individual level is going to become wholesale. And so Peter is writing then to some saints who are living in a time of persecution. The wholesale persecution hasn't yet broken out, but there is some persecution that's already started. And they need to be ready to handle it.

How do you handle persecution? I Peter 2:12: “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”

In other words, they may speak of you as evil, but let it be a lie. How you going to do that? How you going to live in a society that wants to persecute you so that they see your goodness?

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“For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state. 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.” (v.13-14)

Foolish men are looking for something to criticize, and your lack of good citizenship and your lack of obedience to the civil authority will give them their reason. For this reason the CHRISTIAN MUST KNOW THE WORD AND PRACTICE THEIR POLITICS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. NOT ONLY STAND FOR RIGHT…BUT BE RIGHT IN PERSON, SPIRIT, ATTITUDE AND SPEECH. This next section of scripture reminds us not to use our “freedom” as a cloak for maliciousness. True Christians must take their biblical stand but they must make that stand in truth and humility knowing their trust is in Christ alone.

“It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.” (v.15-17)

We're not free to be malicious. We are to honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. And honor those in authority (king).

I will never forget the Romanian pastor that joined us for the pastor’s Mega-Metro Conference I hosted in Mobile, Alabama. He shared with us what it was like as a Christian to live in a repressive society that hindered and restricted every move Christians made. They were not allowed to pursue higher education, they were given the worst jobs, the worst places to live…One of the pastors asked this question, “How did you respond to that persecution?” The Pastor from Oradia said, "We obeyed every law in our nation. Every law. Whether they appear to us to be just or unjust, we obeyed every law. The only exception to that action would be if our leaders instructed us to do something that was contrary to scripture or prevented us from worshipping the Lord. We were persecuted and imprisoned, and many of our brothers were killed, but when we suffered or died we did so because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Not because of a violation of some law in our nation."

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Here is what I think is missing in much of what happens with Christians participating in politics today. When you examine Romans 12:1-2 you will read…

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

Our self-sacrificing to the Lord should make us model citizens of our nation. We should not be known solely for our ability to protest; we should not be known as those who constantly are critical and demean people who are in authority. We SSHHOOUULLDD be people who will biblically speak against sin, speak against injustice, speak against evil, speak against immorality, fearlessly and without hesitation take our biblical position, but, in doing so we are to give honor and respect to those who are in authority over us. This is one of the most difficult actions a conscientious Christian faces when considering how to spiritually impact the nation in which they live.

This is a biblical pattern for every age, and every nation, and every Christian. This biblical pattern has nothing to do with America. America didn't even exist when this was written…this is a command for the followers of Christ.

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“For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state. 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.” (v.13-14)

There's the principle. It's unqualified. It's unlimited. It's unconditional. Every soul, every person and everybody who is in authority over you. The emphasis is on the individual. Every individual person. We each have a very precise duty. “respect” is the verb. It's an imperative, Greek word is,

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“hubataso.” It's a military term, means to line up to take your orders. Let everyone of us get in line in submission to those who are commanding us. And who's that? Those in authority! Literally means the authorities which have authority over us.

The text makes no distinction between good rulers, bad rulers, fair laws, unfair laws. In fact, it is the obedience of Christians to unfair laws, the obedience of Christians to unjust rulers in the early years of the Roman Empire, the obedience of Christians through the persecutions that brought tolerance, acceptance, and finally Christianity to that same empire.

We're called then to submit, and for us it isn't that difficult really because the laws for the most part are just. Most laws rightly represent divine truth. However, they're changing fast, and we must respond to those laws or actions which contradict biblical authority. We have to face the fact that we are living in post-Christian America, although our nation has never been a Christian nation. There aren't Christian nations. There are only Christian people. You understand that, don't you?

And though it appears that everything we hold dear and true is changing…we still have the same biblical mandate.

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1-4)

In other words, our Savior wants us to live a life that is peaceable. We make peace, we don't make trouble. We make peace; we don’t ridicule or disrespect leaders. We stand and speak the truth but we are under restraint of the same scripture we want to uphold…restraint that we honor those who are in authority over us. We live quiet, peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. We affect the society from the inside by first seeking to change the hearts, not the structure. Only when the hearts are changed will there be true understanding of biblical truth.

In Titus 3:1-2:

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“Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.” (Titus 3:1-2)

Paul again writing to the church, “Remind them to submit to the government and its officers. Be obedient and always ready to do what is good….must not slander and avoid quarreling…be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

What we can’t do, as people who operate in the name of Christ, is run around in yelling tirades, trashing the leaders of our nation. No matter whether we feel they're adequate, inadequate, just, unjust, fair or unfair, there's a biblical principle here. We have seen it repeated often in tonight’s study.

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO SEE IS HOW YOU SHAPE YOUR DISCUSSION ON POLITICS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. Are you to accept everything without limitation? NO! There is a limitation and the remainder of our weeks together we are doing to deal with the limitations…based on scripture and truth…not on emotion or rage.

CONCLUSION: (Acts 4:13)

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.” (Acts 4:13-14)

The Jewish leaders heard the boldness of Peter and John, and couldn't figure out how they could be so bold and so articulate when they were professionally unlearned men. However, they took notice of them; their conclusion…they had been with Jesus. That was evident because of their message, and because of the way they lived their lives.

So they ask, “What are going to do with them?” Their conclusion is simple: “Tell them not to speak of the name of Jesus again.” Now this is the government. This is the ruler. This is the authority. Here is their response…

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“But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?” (Acts 4:19)

The authority says don't preach. Now you have cross commands. So Peter says “you tell us - who shall we obey? You or God? Fairly obvious isn't it?”

The one time we have a right to disobey the authority and the government is when the government commands us not to do something God commanded us to do. Or when the government commands us to do something God commanded us not to do.

For example, if all of these laws that are supposed to be being made for the rights of homosexuals come to the point where they make demands on First Baptist Church to hire homosexuals, that's where we say sorry, you have just told us to do what God forbids us to do. We will not do that. Those are the only places where we have justification. And I hope, if it comes to that, we have the opportunity to speak loudly and clearly as to why we stand with the truth of God.

By the way, do you know what happened? Look at Acts 4:31:

“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

They had a prayer meeting, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. That tells you who they decided to obey, doesn't it? They weren't quiet!

Listen, there's no such thing as a Christian government, there has never been such thing as a Christian government, so don't assume that we are going to read where our job is to establish a Christian government on this earth. Certainly the Roman government wasn't a Christian government. And there never has been one. The only Christian government that will ever be is the millennium. But until then, all governments are flawed.

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Outline of Course

Pg. 55, Chapter 2, "A Better Solution: Significant Christian Influence": There's

lot here and we could practically do a whole course on it but it is the crux of

the discussion. My only real confusion here is if we start with our conclusions

which this chapter does or with Chapter 3 , "Biblical Principles Concerning

Government", which I have listed as #10 at the end, i.e. consider switching #1

AND #10.

2. Pg. 157, Chapter 6, "The Protection of Life"

3. Pg. 213, Chapter 7, "Marriage"

4. Pg. 245, Chapter 8, "The Family"

5. Pg. 261, Chapter 9, "Economics"

6. Pg. 320, Chapter 11, "National Defense"

7. Pg. 484, Chapter 13, "Freedoom of Speech"

8. Pg. 499. Chapter 14, "Freedom of Religion"

9. Pg. 513, Chapter 15, "The Party Perspective in light of Biblical Truth"

10. Pg. 77, Chapter 3, 'Biblical Principles Concerning Government" ( As a

Summary)

There is obviously a whole lot of material here that could take many sessions

to adequately get across. But I think if we stick to the Biblical references, and

use the other contexts only when we need to or in the discussion periods, we

should have agreat series with plenty of material for later sessions.