Classical Liberalism Has no Place to Stand

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on February 10, 2010 at 12:00 am {no comments}

"Property is related to propriety, and is an ethical institution. It is a feature of our civilization."

This is how a great Classical Liberal, Gottfried Dietze, starts his book, In Defense of Property. We can safely say that his book is the greatest treatise on the defense of private property written by a Classical Liberal. Dietze was a respected scholar of the Austrian School, a friend of Hayek, his book on the Federalist Papers was an astonishing success, and he was known for the “symmetry, precision, and profundity” of his writings.

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What the Tea Party Movement Must Never Forget

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on February 8, 2010 at 12:00 am {no comments}

What is government? When this question is asked, most people re­spond by equating government solely to a centralized civil State. Even our lan­guage reflects the confusion: “Government? It’s in Washington,” or “The government will take care of its citizens through its many programs.” Both of these statements reflect a misunderstanding of the true nature of government. They portray the idea that the only governing institution is a political one. Historically, however, the term “government” was always qualified in some way, unlike our present-day definitions.

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What is the “State”?

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on January 29, 2010 at 12:00 am {one comment}

In making his case for government wealth-redistribution (socialism), Christian socialist Ronald J. Sider feels the need to define what he means by “State.” This is a great way to start. Unfortunately, he does not attempt to derive a definition from Scripture, but rather does what most liberal scholars do when they can find no support from Scripture: he turns to another liberal scholar, J. Philip Wogaman. Wogaman, like Tony Campolo (another Christian socialist critiqued in this book), was one of Bill Clinton’s spiritual advisors immediately after the Lewisky affair.

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Can I be a Libertarian Without Christ?

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on January 27, 2010 at 12:00 am {12 comments}

I must start this article with acknowledgments. I took Part 1n the forming of the Libertarian movement in my native country, Bulgaria. I was co-founder and the first Chairman of the Bulgarian Society for Individual Liberty. As such I have many friends who are libertarian but not Protestant – or not Christian at all. I have the privilege of being close friends with many great people unknown to the American public, but whose names will remain as the pioneers of liberty in that small nation on the Balkans. I have agnostic and atheist friends all over Europe who are committed to the cause of liberty as much as I am; and they have consistently fought under its banner for many years.

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Legalism, the Mosaic Law, and the New Testament

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on January 19, 2010 at 12:00 am {6 comments}

American Vision’s offering of E.C. Wines’ Commentaries on the Laws of the Ancient Hebrews brought many interesting responses. Some of them were troubling. One emailer asked, “Do you want legalism? I sure don’t!” Keeping God’s law is not legalism. Another emailer wrote, “Under the New Covenant, love the Lord God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength. Love thy neighbor as thy self, encompasses all the law. We are not bound by Mosaic law! [Matt. 22:36-40].” I pointed out that in response to the question by the Pharisees about which is the Greatest Commandment, Jesus quoted the Mosaic law, in particular Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5. Jesus went on to say that “on these two commandments depend the whole Law and Prophets” (Matt. 22:40). Jesus did not say that because of these two laws the law passes away.

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Sider’s Ideal King

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on January 15, 2010 at 12:00 am {one comment}

Christian socialist, Ronald J. Sider attempts to justify a socialist-style Welfare State by pointing to “the biblical materials that describe the ideal monarch.” Where does Scripture describe the “ideal monarch”? Sider says, “Both the royal psalms and the messianic prophecies shed light on this ideal ruler.” Sider then covers some typical Old Testament passages used by social-gospelers to make a connection between the king and “justice” for the poor. These include Psalm 72, Isaiah 11:1-4, 32:1-8, Jeremiah 22:15-16, and Ezekiel 34:23-24 among others. In my book, God versus Socialism: A Biblical Critique of the New Social Gospel, I respond to each of these mishandled passages and much, much more. In this article I will focus on just one of these favorite passages for Christian Socialists, Ezekiel 34:23-24.

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John Calvin and Moral Law

Filed under Ethics, Law, Video / Audio by on January 14, 2010 at 10:40 am {no comments}

What did John Calvin believe about the natural and moral law? Michael Horton has claimed that he and Calvin very much agree on the realm of heaven’s jurisdiction and man’s to bring order to a people, but Joel McDurmon begs to differ with Michael Horton.

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The Neglect of the Divine Commands

Filed under Articles, Ethics, Government, Law by on January 11, 2010 at 12:00 am {no comments}

With the publication of E.C. Wines’ Laws of the Ancient Hebrews I’ve gotten some interesting emails from fellow Christians. Here’s a sample of responses when we asked the question, “Should Christians obey Old Testament Law?”:

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We Should Legislate Morality

Filed under Apologetics, Christian Worldview, Ethics, Law, Video / Audio by on January 8, 2010 at 9:50 am {no comments}

Christians are confronted with liberals saying “separation of church and state,” “judge not, that you be not judged,” “you can’t legislate morality.” Gary shows that not only do we legislate morality, but that nearly every bit of legislation is based on some sort of moral code. Every person in office makes moral choices that dictate [...]

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Brambles Strangling the Cedars of America

Filed under Ethics, Government, Law, Video / Audio by on December 31, 2009 at 3:20 pm {no comments}

Continuing his study in Judges 9, Gary develops perspective of one of man’s basic needs: to have a ruler over him. How man finds these rulers is treacherous. Does the typical man appeal to God’s plan for civil government, or does the he settle for a godless form of reckless men to have dominion over [...]

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