Analyzing basic political concepts through a biblical lens

2020 FALL SERIES ON WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GOVERNMENT AND RELATED POLICIES:

As an important presidential election draws near, I am going to do a series of Facebook posts on what the Bible says about various topics that involve government.  I feel that there is a lack of understanding about what the Bible says, and I hope this will be helpful and/or encouraging to all of us (including me!) as we think through the issues.   This is only a discussion of broad concepts and how I view those concepts as being best applied in a government setting. This is NOT about any politicians. I won’t discuss them.

To begin with, I wanted to lay the foundation by explaining that as a Christian, my goal in life is to love and glorify my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He gives specific instructions on how to do this in the Bible.  I believe the Bible to be God’s communication to us of what we need to live a life that honors Him and a life that He can bless. I approach Scripture with the expectation that when God communicates, He communicates in normal human language that we can understand.  God’s word should be treated as normal human language, which means it should be interpreted literally(unless the context clearly indicates it is symbolic or figurative), in context(the most important rule of interpretation!), and historically (meaning we need to understand how the original audience understood it to help us rightly understand it).  This is how I will arrive at my conclusions about what the Bible says about various topics.  

Post #1: The first topic I am going to tackle in my series on what the Bible says about government is: why does the Bible say that we need government?  To understand that we need to go back to creation.  God created the world and is the ruler of it.  However, in Genesis 3 we see that Adam and Eve questioned God’s authority, and disobeyed God’s one command to them not to eat of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge and good and evil.  When they did that, the world changed forever.  

Adam and Eve were now sinners and had sinful desires, and all of their off spring from their first child Cain, to the child born just this minute, are also sinners who have sinful desires.  This means that their very nature is one that does not want to do what God has commanded.  This is true of every person.  

Psalm 14:2-3 says, “The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have ALL turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is NO ONE who does good, not even one.”  What a marvelous truth that God still loves us and wants to have a relationship with us in spite of our sin.  But, a price needs to be paid for sin for us to be right with God.  There are 2 options for this price.  We can pay through eternity for our sins, or we can have forgiveness, a relationship with God and eternal life by asking Jesus to be our Savior from sin.  He can be our Savior when we believe in His death on the cross for our sins, and His victory over death in resurrection.  

In the Bible we see God repeatedly dealing with sin by giving negative consequences for sinful actions and blessings for obedience. The sinful human heart needs deterrents to sin and motivations to do good.  Government is a tool that God created to put in place these deterrents to sin, and motivations to do good.  If you read the book of Judges in the Bible, you will see what a society looks like without any government in place to restrain sin. It is horrifying.  In my next post, I will talk about how God designed government to work.  

Post #2: How did God design government to work? In my last post, I discussed that we need government because we are all sinful and need deterrents to sin and motivations to do good.  Government is a key tool God uses to accomplish this. I Peter 2:14 says that governors and kings are sent for the “punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right”. Paul in Romans 13:4 while speaking of government says, “for it is a minister of God to you for good.  But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil”.  

In order to understand how a government accomplishes this God given mandate to punish evil, we need to understand what God defines as evil.  Societies throughout history have instinctively known what is evil because God put it on their consciences.  However, our society is working hard to silence that conscience, so we need a primer on what God defines as evil.  The best place to start is the 10 Commandments in Deuteronomy 5.  There are prohibitions here against murder, adultery, stealing, coveting, and bearing false witness.  That is a good foundation for understanding what God designed government to punish.  

As Americans we are in a unique and blessed position because we have a government that was designed by people who recognized the sinfulness of each person.  They knew that rulers are sinners just as much as the populace.  So, they designed a government that was supposed to do what God designed it to do (protect and punish), while also protecting the populace from the tyranny of sinful rulers.  They accomplished this by the separation of powers in the government.  The less power is concentrated in anyone’s hands, the less the potential for oppression.  Let us be thankful for the insightfulness of our founders and work to preserve this type of government that protects us from ourselves and from the government itself.

My next post will be about what kinds of punishments and type of justice system God wants governments to use.  We will take a brief survey of the Old Testament for this one.

Post #3: What kind of punishments and justice system does God want governments to use? So far I have shared that the Bible teaches that we need government in order punish evil because we are all sinners and need deterrents to sin.  But what kind of punishments did God have in mind?  God gives specific instructions to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament on how sinful behaviors are to be dealt with.  

The most important rule God gave Israel to follow is that government authorities are to be impartial in punishments and rewards. Leviticus 19:15 “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.”  They are to judge fairly by evaluating evidence.  A person cannot be condemned on the testimony of one witness, but 2-3 witnesses are needed.  A false witness is to be punished severely. Truth is of the utmost importance.  Our American idea of “innocent until proven guilty” is based on these guidelines from the Old Testament.  The imagery of justice being blindfolded is also biblical.

Secondly, the penalty should fit the crime as well as be a deterrent to future crime.  This is where you get the concept of “eye for an eye, tooth for tooth”.  Leviticus 24 discusses this in detail.  It says, “If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him…”.  Third, the goal is restitution for both the victim and the criminal, not retribution.  However, murderers are to receive the death penalty.  The punishment should come quickly, or evil is encouraged. (Ecclesiastes 8:11).  

A fourth key element in the Old Testament justice system was that of individual responsibility. Each person is responsible to pay for his own actions, and not for those of anyone else.  (Deut. 24:16)

Post #4: What does the Bible say to do if the government doesn’t follow God’s guidelines?  We don’t have to look far to see very oppressive governments. Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and China are a few current examples.  In the 20th century, the globe experienced a record number of deaths at the hands of oppressive governments.  

What is a Christian to do when the government is unjust and doesn’t punish evil?  The first basic concept from the Bible is to respect whatever government you are under and obey them unless they ask you to do something against what God has told you to do, or if they forbid you to do something God tells you to do in the Bible. (Romans 13:1-7and I Peter 2:13-15)  In the Old Testament, Daniel was highly respectful of the authorities in Babylon where he was taken as a captive, but he still refused to break the dietary laws God gave the Jews.  His friends, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego also were respectful, but refused to bow down and worship an image of Nebuchadnezzar, and were willing to accept whatever consequences they were given.  In our day and age, many Christians are forced to disobey the law to be a Christian and worship.  This is especially true in communist nations and Islamic nations.

Secondly, we are called to pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-4). This helps us to have the right attitude towards our often wicked leaders, and causes us to seek God for their hearts to change. Government leaders are precious human beings made in the image of God, even if they are not doing what they are supposed to do.

Thirdly, we should work within legal means to have a more just system.  Christians have been responsible for many social reforms.  Abolition of slavery, child labor laws, laws protecting women, hospitals, starting orphanage systems to care for orphans, and the ending of the segregation in the US, are just a few examples of how God’s moral laws in the Bible changed society through the patient, respectful and persistent work of Christians on behalf of the vulnerable in society.  William Wilberforce, a strong Christian, worked patiently for decades in the British parliament to abolish slavery in the British colonies.  His work inspired the American abolitionists also.  He is an example for us to follow.

Fourthly, we are never to take revenge for wrongs done to us or others.  The Bible is very clear that vengeance belongs to God and we should never take our own.  (Romans 12:19-21) Instead we are called to forgive and love our enemies.

Fifthly, we need to remember that this world is not our home. Heaven is. We should honor God in how we respond to the government and those less fortunate, while at the same time keeping the gospel a priority over social movements.  The goal should always be FIRST to help people find eternal life in Jesus, not just have a better temporal life but lose eternal life.  The liberal Christian church has lost sight of eternity in their goal to change society. This dishonors God.

Post #5: I have discussed the biblical purpose for government, which is to punish evildoers and protect those who do right.  Now I will turn to the practical out workings of all the concepts I have discussed. The first issue I will discuss is the sanctity of life and how essential that is to the Christian’s perspective on any public policy.  The Bible teaches that God made humans in the image of God.  (Genesis 1:27).  This means that we are to be a visible representation of what God is like.  When Adam and Eve sinned that meant that the image of God in all future humans was marred and can only be redeemed through salvation in Jesus Christ.  However, marred though it is, all humans still bear the image of God.  This means that every human life has inherent worth and dignity. Animals do not have this honor.  Only humans are to be treated with special honor.  This honor is bestowed upon humans from the moment of conception.  God clearly teaches in the Bible that He created us in our mother’s womb, and is at work in our lives before we are even born. (Psalm 139:13, Job 31:15)  The Bible refers to babies in the womb in the same way that it speaks of humans outside of the womb.  A human life is valuable whether that person is disabled, or healthy, citizen or foreigner, poor or rich, young or old.

So, what public policies are related to the biblical concept of humans being made in the image of God?  As I thought about this, I began to realize that this concept affects so many areas of public policy.  I am going to have several posts on this.  Let me start with this one: : Because we are each made in the image of God, murder is an especially heinous crime. That is why God instituted the death penalty for murder.  It is to punish the murdering of precious image bearers, and discourage others from doing the same.  Christians should therefore support the death penalty to be given to murderers, but only after a fair trial. Fair justice is important in showing each human the respect and honor they deserve.  As I discussed in my post on what the Bible says about justice, a person should be convicted with impartiality and with sufficient evidence.  

Post #6: In my  last post I discussed the fact that God made every human in the image of God. This means every single person has inherent worth and dignity.  This affects the Christian’s views on public policy in so many areas.  Last time I discussed the death penalty.  Here are 2 more areas to consider related to the God given value of each life: 1.Christians should oppose any policy that allows abortion at any time in the pregnancy.  It is murder since human life begins at conception.  Abortion violates those who bear the image of God. There are many who criticize pro-life people for supposedly only caring about a child while they are in the womb, while being indifferent to their plight after birth.  That is a false accusation.  A Christian who truly understands that each person bears the image of God will try to work with mothers, who also bear the image of God, to carry their child to term, help them to get resources that will enable them to either parent the child successfully, or put their child up for adoption. This is in fact what pro-life ministries always do. Christians have a great deal of involvement in adoptions, foster care, and support to families.  That is how it should be.  A life is precious from the moment of conception to the moment of death.

2. Christians should oppose any policy that allows euthanasia, which is the intentional killing of someone who is not on their deathbed, either by their own decision, or someone else’s encouragement.  There is a difference between keeping someone comfortable on their death bed without extraordinary measures to keep them alive, as opposed to intentionally helping someone to take their life. The former is sensible, the latter is not acceptable.  Suicide is not an acceptable choice because each life is precious and its beginning and end are in God’s hands.  As Christians, we should seek to be a source of hope and help to those who are discouraged enough to contemplate taking their own life.  The Christian should always try to help the suicidal person to understand their inherent worth before God and the hope and love that He offers them in Christ.  We should also oppose any policies that encourage assisted suicide, or lead people to despair (such as the extended lockdowns that resulted in an unprecedented number of suicides).

Post #7: This post continues my exploration of how the concept of humans having inherent worth and dignity because they are made in the image of God affects how we view public policy.  The next issue this affects is the issue of human trafficking. Christians should support any policy that seeks to bring human traffickers to justice and gives help to their victims. There are many reasons why this should be, but there are 4 main biblical reasons I am going to give:
       1. The children and women trafficked are humans beings made in the image of God which gives them inherent worth and dignity. Mistreating them is dishonoring God.
        2. The Bible is clear that He expects His people to care and watch out for the vulnerable and needy.  We need to support any organization or policy that helps find and redeem these vulnerable, mistreated people, and brings those who traffic them to justice.
        3. The purpose for which God set up government is to punish the evildoer and protect the others in society.  This is a clear case where punishment needs to be swift and harsh to discourage other traffickers from continuing for the safety of all current and future victims.  
        4. A majority of trafficking victims are used for sexual purposes.  God makes it clear in Scripture that He created the sexual union to be only between a man and woman who are married.  When we reject God’s good creation, there are grievous consequences, and often it results in abuse.   So, trafficking is encouraging a deviant form of sin that is extremely damaging to those who are forced into it.  

What policies does this understanding of Scripture’s truths cause Christians to support or oppose regarding trafficking?  This is a complicated issue, but here are a few I thought of to start off our contemplations:

1. We should oppose defunding the police, because resources that are dedicated to finding victims and bringing their abusers to justice will be cut from the budget, leaving the victims without any hope or help.

2. We need to recognize the link between pornography and trafficking.  Both view humans as objects to be used and discarded, rather than image bearers of God having inherent worth and dignity. Policies should be supported that reduce and eliminate pornography creation and distribution, educate the public on how harmful it is to human relationships, and how many used in filming it are doing it against their will.  

3. We need to understand the connection between abortions and trafficking. The abusers often force women to get abortions.  It has been proven that Planned Parenthood, the chief provider of abortions in this country, often covers up abuse instead of reporting it, thus enabling abuse to continue.  In my last post, I wrote about how abortion is murder and we should oppose it.  Here is another reason to oppose it.  

4 . We cannot ignore the fact that our porous border is an encouragement for trafficking to continue. This is where a large number of trafficked children come into the country.  A particularly pernicious loophole in immigration policies is the one that allows illegal border crossers to be released quickly into the states if they have a child with them.  This loophole has been used frequently by traffickers of children.   Those who support open borders often have good intentions and feel that they are being kind to foreigners. But, the unintended consequence of encouraging open, unmonitored borders is abuse to the vulnerable.   

5. We need to support candidates who support harsh penalties for traffickers, rather than those that are soft on crime.  The trafficked children’s lives depend on this.

Post #8: Because we know from the Bible that each person is made in the image of God, and has inherent worth and dignity,  and because we see in the Bible that God calls on governments to punish crime, Christians should support polices that bring justice to victims of crime, as well as have just trials and processes for those accused.

As Christians, we should have concerns about both sides of the justice system operating the way that it should according to the Bible.  Too often in recent months and years, criminals have been given a pass (and even released from prison!)  while victims are overlooked, ignored or abused by the system.  We have seen several examples in recent months, where those who were acting in self- defense against violent aggression were the ones prosecuted, rather than the perpetrators of the crime that caused the need for self-defense being prosecuted. We have also seen recently an unwillingness among prosecutors to prosecute certain crimes, or legislators who try to reduce penalties for serious crimes like pedophilia.  This shows an utter disregard for the inherent worth and dignity of victims of crime.

On the other side of the issue, Christians should support policies and people that work towards an even handed application of the law.  Increasingly in our society, some crimes are overlooked (like burning down buildings in a riot, or crossing the border illegally), while others are judged too harshly or erratically.  This encourages crime, and causes confusion.  It also causes anger in people when they wonder why they get charged for doing a crime when someone else doing a similar crime is ignored.  This is showing disrespect for the criminal. We need even handed, impartial justice. In prior posts, I have talked about how the Bible set forth principles to judge those accused of crimes.  The most important of these are judging with impartiality and with sufficient evidence.  This means that the American concept of “innocent until proven guilty”  is crucial in obeying God’s method of judging the accused, and showing respect for the accused, who is an image bearer of God worthy to be treated with respect and dignity.

Unfortunately, the all too popular current mob justice and internet judgments show grave disrespect to those being accused.  Hearkening back to the era of the Salem witch trials, these judgments are often made without any facts or evidence, and yet they destroy many lives.  Even when the facts come out and are not what the mob thought they were, course is not corrected, and the mob continues on with the unjust judgment. They too often believe false witnesses, which are very strongly condemned in the Bible. As Christians, we need to oppose any and all such mob justice, whether on the streets or the internet.  Treat the accused with the respect that they deserve as human beings made in the image of God.  Judge impartially, and with evidence.  That means waiting for the truth to come out.  Truth matters to God.   Impartiality matters to God.   Let us heed Proverbs 18:13, “He who answers a matter before he hears the facts, it is folly and shame to him.”

Post #9:  Homelessness is rising at an alarming rate.  To address homelessness from a biblical perspective, we need to know that the Bible teaches that each human is made in the image of God and has inherent worth and dignity.  The Bible also teaches that God wants His people to be generous and compassionate to the poor and downtrodden.  Therefore, Christians should support policies that seek to address the root causes of each homeless person’s reason for being homeless, as that is the only compassionate solution.  It is popular now to say that they have a right to be homeless.  However, that is not showing respect for their inherent worth and dignity as image bearers of God.  They are homeless because of problems they have, not because it is a great life choice.  Often the problems are drug use and mental health issues that have caused them to be homeless.  They are worthy of the respect that treats them as individuals with individual problems needing individual solutions.  If you don’t seek to address their individual reasons for becoming homeless, any proposed solution will never work.  

In addition, we need to recognize that homelessness is not only devastating to the homeless individuals, but also to the community in which they live.  Homelessness is a public health hazard because of human waste running in the streets, and the specter of diseases once eradicated making a comeback in homeless encampments.  Los Angeles has seen cases of the plague rising in the last couple of years from homeless camps, and enormous disease carrying rats are taking up residence with the homeless. Homeless encampments also cause an uptick in crime.  Drug crazed homeless people cause problems for businesses and endanger people in the neighborhood and on public transportation. And rape and assault are daily occurrences in homeless encampments, and spread to the nearby neighborhoods and public transportation.  

So what are some practical solutions that a Christian should support?  Since the only role of government according to the Bible is to punish evildoers and protect those who do right, I support the government only giving very general rules and guidelines, and delegating resources and practical solutions to local charities, particularly religious ones, to address the individual situations of homeless people.  One example of such a charity is the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, which has worked for decades to help homeless people by giving them protection, meals, basic necessities, drug rehab, job training, and discipleship in the Christian faith.   They change their lives and get them back to being independent by addressing both their physical and spiritual needs.

In addition, the government needs to not give homeless people the “right” to live on the streets because that is cruel to both them and the community in which they set up camp.  Government policies need to be enacted that require them to be directed to places where they can receive help: places such as drug rehab hospitals, mental illness hospitals, or missions like Union Rescue Mission.  In some cases, abused women and children need to be directed to safe houses where they can be cared for, with the goal being to get them to the point where they can live independently and be able to stay away from their abusers.  A Christian should support resources being directed towards providing these places for the homeless to go so that they can be helped to the point where they do not need to consider the option of homelessness.

Churches should always strive to meet the individual needs of those in their congregation who have fallen on hard times so that they do not end up homeless. The Bible clearly calls US to that, not the government.  If more individuals followed what the Bible says about us as individuals being generous and practically helping those we know in need, instead of delegating that role to the government who doesn’t have that God given role, homelessness would be a much smaller problem.  

Post #10: Welfare was an important feature of President Lyndon Johnson’ Great Society and the War on Poverty that began in the 1960’s.  It has become a permanent fixture in our government.  What is a Christian to think about it?  I think we need to establish a few truths:

1. Let’s review what we have discussed about what the God given role of government is: to punish evildoers and protect those who do right.  

2. God requires able bodied people to work to provide for their family, if there is an opportunity to do so.  II Thessalonians 3:10b says, “if anyone will not work, neither let him eat”.  In the Old Testament, Israelites were required to not glean the corners of their fields so that the poor could provide for their families by working in this way, instead of getting handouts.  

3. The family is a very important God given unit.  Fathers are incredibly important to the welfare of their children both spiritually and physically.  Over the years, studies have consistently shown that children in fatherless homes are much more likely to live in poverty, and much more likely to commit crime.  

As a result of these truths, a Christian can only support a welfare system that gets able bodied people facing difficult circumstances back to work and off of welfare.  This means that there needs to be work requirements put on welfare handouts, and welfare should be a temporary stop gap measure.  Secondly, it is well documented that the welfare system as it currently exists, has encouraged fathers to abandon their families, thus perpetuating crime and poverty in neighborhoods most likely to need welfare.  Any effective welfare program should seek to encourage family units to remain intact, and it should teach young people the consequences of promiscuity for themselves and their families.  Third, because the God given role of government is only to punish evildoers and protect those who do right, I support the government delegating welfare funds to private nonprofit organizations, especially religious ones, whose goal is to get people needing welfare back on their feet and able to function independently and in an intact family, if possible. This would give the organizations the flexibility to provide to a person needing welfare the individual solution he or she needs to become independent.  This shows respect for the person needing help, who is worthy of respect because he or she is made in the image of God.   Fourth, this means that we also need to support capitalistic job creation because history has proven that it creates the most jobs of any economic system. For those in doubt, the Bible is clear that God supports private property rights and individual responsibility, which are cornerstones of capitalism.   The more jobs there are, the less people need to be on welfare. Fifth, we need to encourage mothers and fathers to train their children in the biblical truth that they themselves are responsible for their own behavior and their own families, instead of someone else.  Welfare should be taught to be a last resort that is saved for when work is not available even though they have exhausted every avenue to find it.

Even though it isn’t the role of government, I think it is a good thing to give disability income to a person who is not able bodied and cannot work, because of the fact that our society is very independent and doesn’t have support systems in communities for those needing help in tough times.  Striving to get people more interested in providing support to the vulnerable in their communities without the government’s help would be a good and biblical thing to do.  We are called upon as Christians to care for the vulnerable.  The government’s role is to protect and provide justice.  Many problems caused by our current welfare system are because people have forgotten the rightful role of government.  And this has caused people to not care for the needy in their communities because they assume government will do it for them. This is sinful at every level.

Post 11: My next topic in my series is on public education in the United States. Before I discuss current issues, I want to give you some history on public education in the United States. My mother, who is a lifelong educator, helped me by doing the research and writing this up for me.  

When did public education start in the US?

‍April 14, 1642: The Massachusetts Education Laws of 1642 and 1647 constitute the first time in history that an organized state mandated universal education. They began calling for free, compulsory school for every child in the nation.

The Puritans had the creation of a Godly society as their chief end. Their purpose was to further knowledge of the Bible by promoting literacy.

‍Their goal was not merely spiritual and not merely educational, but was directed at melding the spiritual and educational into one, all the while reminding their readers that as wonderful and useful as are the classics, it is through their conscription into the service of Christ that they gained their greatest glory. It was, according to Robert Middlekauf, to “fuse piety and intellect, to pursue ideas with the heart as well as with the mind, and to bring their thinking constantly to bear on their love of God.”

It would be many years before these schools were open to all children. Only in the mid-nineteenth century, in 1852, was universal free public schooling guaranteed – in time, made compulsory — for Massachusetts children.

‍How did it expand?

Horace Mann, who became the Massachusetts Secretary of Education in 1837, was instrumental in the establishment of a broader network of public schools. Mann focused on training teachers and expanding elementary education to all students. Mann also established the system of separating students by age and grade, which eventually eliminated the multi-grade classroom. Mann’s “common school” movement caught fire in the northern states but did not spread to the southern region until approximately the turn of the century. At that point, 34 states had established compulsory schooling laws that required students to attend school until a particular age. In most states, that age was 14. Four schools in the south adopted similar education laws.

By 1918, every state required students to complete elementary school.

‍When did public education become secular? The idea of a progressive education, educating the child to reach his full potential and actively promoting and participating in a democratic society, began in the late 1800s and became widespread by the 1930s, John Dewey was the founder of this movement. He was a major voice of progressive education and liberalism. He was also an atheist.  

‍When was prayer abolished in the public schools?

June 25, 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court declared school-sponsored prayers unconstitutional in the landmark case Engel v. Vitale.

‍What was the prayer in Engel vs. Vitale? “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.”

‍What was the rationale of the United States Supreme Court?

‍The Court ruled that, under the establishment clause of the First Amendment, “it is no part of the business of government to compose official prayers for any group of the American people to recite as a part of a religious program carried on by government“

‍When were Bible readings declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court?

‍June 17, 1963

Abington School District v. Schempp

The United States Supreme Court on June 17, 1963 declared unconstitutional such religious practices in the public schools as readings from the Bible and recitation of the “Lord’s Prayer.” The Court’s decision was by a vote of 8 to 1.

(Earl Warren, was the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice in both landmark decisions. He served as governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969.)

What happened in public schools in 1980?

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky statute that had mandated every public school classroom have the Ten Commandments posted on its walls. The ruling came to prevent public schools from displaying the Ten Commandments year-round.

This brief history of public education in the United States shows how much education has changed from its original intention to develop literacy in order for children to be able to read the Bible and learn to be godly, to the government outlawing the Bible and prayer in the schools. Unfortunately, when you reject the Bible and its author, who created the world that the children are studying, there are going to be big problems.  What is a Christian to think about the issues surrounding public education?  Here are a few foundational thoughts.  

1. God is a god of truth, and hates lies.  “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.” Proverbs 12:22   Education is only good if it teaches what is true.  

2. Education in truth is a great good because it promotes the ability to read and know God’s truth in the Bible, and be equipped to have skills to work hard in order to prosper in a free society.  This is one way in which we can care for the poor and needy if indeed we do it in truth.

3. God created work as a good thing, and condemns laziness and those who gain by deception rather than the work of their hands.   There are so many sections in the Bible that address this.  Schooling should promote this attitude of work being a good thing if it is to be something that Christians can support.

4. Children have a very special place in God’s heart.  He condemns in no uncertain terms those who abuse them.  

Since those landmark decisions to exclude the Bible and prayer from schools, there has been an increasing rejection of the concept of absolute truth.  Here are just a few recent examples: math was declared to be a racist invention of white supremacists, rather than an absolute truth that God created.  History textbooks are routinely altered to not teach history with all its good points and massive failures, but only the version of history that leaders of politically correct thought want it to be.  The 1619 project is a case in point.  There are so many historical errors in this history curriculum, that many historians from various perspectives are calling for its Pulitzer Prize to be retracted.  The idea of genders being a choice rather than a biological fact is another way that truth is rejected in schools.  This is being pushed in curriculum, and my state has approved mutilation of children based on the gender they identify with.  This violates both the idea of truth and the idea of caring for children rather than abusing them.  There is also a consistent assault in the schools against the idea of work being a good, God given thing.   Marxism and socialism are being taught deceptively, and one way they are made to look attractive is to talk about work as if it is a form of slavery, which is a clear rejection of the truth in the Bible.

As Christians, we need to oppose this rejection of truth in schools. The way I, and many Christians have dealt with this rejection of truth in the schools is to homeschool our children, or put them in private religious schools.  Indeed homeschooling and private schools were rare until those landmark decisions.  As the schools began to change for the worse, parents were eager for alternatives.

Another problem is that the federal government has been increasing its control over local schools in the last few decades, causing the schools to be even worse.  For example, the national awful Common Core curriculum was pushed nationwide.  The National Teachers Association, and teachers’ unions opposes any competition to public schools or local control (charter schools is an example), condemning children to schools that do not teach anything well.  The public school system is failing on all 4foundational thoughts I listed above.

In addition, teachers and students are not allowed to express any Christian beliefs except in very limited ways.  There have been an increasing number of court cases about this very issue.  The secular education authorities argue that there should be a “separation of church and state”.  They claim that it is constitutional.  In fact it isn’t in the Constitution at all, but is in a private letter written by Jefferson, and the way they interpret it is not constitutional at all.  It is clear from his writings and the founders’ writings, that the purpose of the first amendment and “separation of church and state” is not to exclude religion from public life, but to protect religious people from government control.  Here again the public school system is failing.  

I think the only solution is to encourage policies that give over control of the public schools to local communities. They can determine what they will teach or not based on local parental input.  We must remember the biblical principle that the heart of man is wicked, therefore it is always wise to limit the amount of power any authority can have.  Making public schools locally controlled is wise for this reason, and also because they can respond to the community’s unique needs.  

I think we as Christians, should also advocate for policies that allow Christians teachers, parents and students to once again have their constitutional rights of freedom of religion recognized and accepted. I would also encourage parents to consider what their children are learning, and seek for a schooling situation where their children will learn truth, and learn to be discerning.  My personal conviction for my family is that this precludes me from using the public school system in its current state in my community, but each family needs to come to the conclusion that is right for their family in their unique community based on much prayer and contemplation.  Let us remember that the Bible gives the responsibility for the raising of children to the parents alone, so no matter what schooling option we choose, we are responsible for our children to know the truth. For us to support a public educational system, that system needs to acknowledge this truth.  I also want to say that although I criticize the education system, I know that there are many wonderful teachers out there in public schools, and I admire you and applaud you in your efforts to teach in a way that honors the 4 biblical truths I outlined above.

Post #12: The next topic I am going to address is the environment. Here are some biblical truths we need to know before we talk about practical policies.

1. God made the entire creation from the smallest atom to the human body.  He is above the creation and separate from it, but rules it as King.  

2. When He created the first humans, Adam and Eve, He gave a mandate to them and all their descendants to rule over the earth and have dominion over it.  (Gen 1:28) This is a stewardship that God gave to mankind.  Man is to take care of it in a way that brings glory to the Creator.  

3. The heavens and the earth were cursed when Adam and Eve sinned.  What was once a very good creation is now filled with thorns and thistles, and disasters, and is hard to manage.  Animals that once were peaceful now are dangerous.  

4. God gave His approval for humans to eat animals.  (Genesis 9:3-this is repeated many times in the Bible as specific instructions are given to the Jews for their diet, and then to Peter in Acts when he was told that he may now eat the animals Jews were not originally supposed to eat).

5. Humans are made in the image of God, and because of that they are unique and special in creation and given special dignity by God.  They are the crown of God’s creation.  God also condemns the killing of any human, other than for capital punishment.

6. The heart of man is sinful according to the Bible.  We need to acknowledge this truth in any plan we have.  It will cause us to limit power to any group, and also to properly diagnose environmental issues.

Although God gave humans a responsibility to be stewards of the earth, it is clear that they have not been good stewards due to laziness, greed, selfishness, and through worship of the earth itself.  Any effective approach to being a good steward of creation has to have as its priority human life, and an acknowledgement that the creation is under the effects of the curse of sin, and that we are under God’s authority since He is the creator.  Although the creation still has many wonderful and amazing things in it, “mother nature” does not always know best because it is not the very good creation that God originally intended it to be.  Unfortunately most approaches to environmental issues not only reject these concepts, but those making or advocating for environmental policies reject the God who created the world, and  worship the creation instead.  This makes it impossible for them to fully understand the issues and how best to deal with them.  

First, I think we can all agree that we want clean land, water and air.  It is a much more complex issue to know how to get there.  The United States has a regulatory body set up to regulate environmental issues called the EPA.  It is run by unelected officials and often issues confusing, onerous and ineffective regulations.  It makes running businesses very hard, and often using junk science rather than facts and real information.  It also seizes power from local and state governments for things that should remain local.  Some sort of accountability to elected officials, and an examination of the effectiveness and sensibleness of its regulations is needed.  

Second, the issue of climate change is a big environmental issue.  The climate changes all the time.  The question is whether or not man is causing it to change and whether there is anything that can be done about it if that is the case.  There is a great deal of scientific dissent on this, but that is ignored and suppressed.  Those saying we need to “follow the science” have changed the concept of science from being a pursuit to understand the world around us through experiments and tests, to a dogmatic set of beliefs that is like a religion.  Any dissent from the accepted views is not tolerated. This must be rejected by Christians, because this is rejecting truth.  

Not only that, but this dogmatic set of beliefs views humans as expendable and not as those made in the image of God.  They do not care that the policies they embrace will cause a whole lot of suffering, mostly by plunging many into poverty or by not allowing developing countries to develop and get out of poverty. The policies often do not accomplish much good to balance the suffering.  The dogmatic set of beliefs in this “science” religion also ignore the facts that many of their policies actually hurt the environment.  Windmills kill a huge number of birds, and solar farms disrupt entire habitats.  Both use a great deal of mined minerals, and create a lot of waste for landfills.  “Green” energy is also much more expensive than regular energy and is unreliable.  Batteries needed for electric cars use precious materials that need to be mined and are toxic when disposed of.  The firestorms caused by thinking “mother nature” knows best, instead of acknowledging that people need to manage the forests, also cause an incredible amount of damage to habitats.   It is ironic that in California, where the leaders are proud of their embrace of “green” policies, they are unconcerned that their streets run with human waste and trash.  This is not good for the environment.

The conclusion is that we need balance and a commitment to truth in any approach to environmental issues. We need to respect God’s creation and be good stewards of it.   I think one of the best things the government can do is give incentives to private companies to develop technology to overcome environmental issues.  You can’t mandate green utopia.  The technology and resources need to be available to make it happen.  Giving private companies incentive to innovate will also keep poverty from being a looming specter in environmental policy decisions.  I also think more power needs to be given to local governing bodies to determine how to handle the unique issues they face in their districts.    This will keep power from becoming too concentrated in one place, and will enable flexibility to deal with unique situations.  Because the heart of man is wicked, concentration of power always causes oppression.  Christians should always support more limited power.

I also think that Christians need to have more of a voice in environmental issues.  They have been passive, myself included, but since we know the truth about the world and worship the Creator rather than the creation, we are in a better position to rightly diagnose specific issues and put forward more viable and effective solutions that don’t harm humans in the process.  I think it would be great if a generation of Christians committed to the truth of the Bible went into forestry and other environmental type jobs.  We need them!  Lastly, we need to take responsibility for own environments in our home, backyard and street.  My yard is a haven for bees, birds and lizards, and trash is not tolerated on my property.  I work hard to make that happen, and it brings me joy.  I also clean up gutters along my street because the city won’t do it. So many people want someone else to do environmental work.  We need to act where we can instead, even if it is in only small ways.  Most of us can only be stewards of a very small portion of that world.  But we need to be faithful to do it. When people see God’s amazing creation and how those who love Him are wise stewards of it, God is glorified.

Post #13: A lot of people think socialism is biblical, so I am going to discuss socialism and capitalism.  Some foundational biblical truths we need to understand first:

1. This is a fallen world.  (Genesis 3) No system will ever be perfect. Because every person is sinful at heart, no system will be without those who use it to oppress others, particularly if they have power.  Unfortunately, many think that if a current system still has poverty and problems, then another will bring in utopia because it must be the system’s fault and not the humans’ fault.  That is completely unbiblical.  The only system that will be perfect and have perfect results is in the heavenly kingdom ruled by our good and almighty God.  The system that Christians should embrace is one that restrains evil the most, and limits power the most.  

2. The Bible calls each person to be responsible for his or her own actions. (II Corinthians 5:10, Deut. 24:16)

3. We are to be generous to others, but without compulsion and it should be from the heart.  (II Corinthians 9:7)

4.  The purpose of government is to restrain evil and protect those who do good.  That is it.  (Romans 13:1-5, I Peter 2:13-15) Many people get mixed up about the God given purpose of government.  Anytime you step outside of God’s purposes, there are serious problems.  

5.  Coveting, or the desire to have what another has, is evil.  One of the ten commandments is a prohibition against coveting.

6.  The Bible supports the right to private property. One of the 10 commandments is a prohibition against stealing. If God didn’t support private property rights, stealing would not be a sin.

7.  Work is a good gift given to us by God. He gave it to Adam and Eve before the fall. Work is much harder now because of the curse brought about by their sin, but it is still a good thing.  Not only that, there are a LOT of admonitions and commandments in the Bible to work hard.  

8.  Equality of outcome is not desirable or biblical.  God gives different talents, skills and gifts to people.  Every person is uniquely created by God and cannot be like another person.  To force equality of outcome is to dishonor and doubt the goodness of God’s creativity and sovereignty in creation.  He expects us to each use the talents He has given us to the best of our ability (see the parable of the talents).  Not only that, but the push for equality of outcomes ignores the truth that some differences are also created by personal choices and not oppression.  Equality of opportunity so that each can work hard to excel in the areas God has gifted them is what is needed instead.

Those who advocate for socialism get people to think well of it by talking about how the poor have been oppressed and we need to take from those who are rich to overcome that oppression and take care of them. It is deceptively good sounding. Shouldn’t we be generous?  Yes, but not by force. Socialism is the government takeover of property to distribute to others as the government sees fit.  Individuals cannot keep the fruits of their labor, or decide how to use their money.  There is no reward for being innovative or taking risks to start businesses since a person can only keep what the government decides they can keep.  Socialism is based on the musings of the atheist, Karl Marx. He thought that the problem with society was not the sinful hearts of men and their lack of obedience to God’s decrees, but instead the problem in society is that those who have something must have gotten that wealth by taking from those who are poor.  He seeks to lump everyone in one of two groups: the oppressed or the oppressor.  This dishonors God by creating coveting in the poorer segment of the population and an anger that seeks revenge against perceived wrongs that may or may not have been done.  It also dishonors God by rejecting His calls for individual responsibility and not group responsibility.  Socialism scorns work as being a kind of slavery.  That is why they want the government to provide for everyone, and think that workers are inherently oppressed because they have to work. This dishonors God because He created work, and expects us to work hard in using the talents and resources He has sovereignly given us, in spite of any challenges we may face.

Socialism puts a lot of power in the hands of a few in the government.  This has led to oppression and suffering and millions of murders.  The 20th century saw an explosion of governments that were socialist or communist (which are slight variations of the same thing).  The result without fail has been mass murders of the citizens and widespread suffering and poverty. And yet those in favor of it think that it just hasn’t been done properly.  This shows a naivete and unbiblical beliefs about the nature of the human heart.  It also rejects God’s purpose for government in the first place.  Socialism defies God’s purpose for government because it does the opposite. It oppresses, perverts true justice and does not protect its citizens.  In addition, every single time socialism is embraced, it is followed by brutal persecution of Christians.  As you can see, socialism should be soundly rejected by any Christian committed to following biblical truth.  

What about capitalism?  There is no doubt that capitalism has flaws too.  But, as we have established, no system will be without flaws because it is used by sinners, and nothing but sinners.  However, capitalism encourages biblical values much more than any other system.  It encourages hard work because those in the capitalist system can enjoy the rewards of their labors.  It encourages individual responsibility because if you don’t work hard you won’t be able to have food or shelter.  It provides for the poor in an amazing way.  Countries who have embraced capitalism have seen a huge decrease in poverty. There are opportunities for the poor to better their condition. In capitalism, there is equality of opportunity.  And capitalism encourages products that people want or need, thus providing for the populace what is necessary while encouraging innovation and better products. The system is not based on coveting or stealing other’s property, but on what you do individually.  It only works by protection of private property, which is biblical.  Capitalism works best with minimal government intrusion.  This more closely embraces the God given purpose for government. There are certain government policies necessary for capitalism to work.  These are punishment for theft, protection of intellectual property by copyright and patents so that people can enjoy the fruits of their labor, punishment for false measurements and advertising, some protection of workers so that they do not work in slave like conditions, and safe streets so people can do business without fear of violence.  Capitalism also encourages generosity that is voluntary and not forced, which is also biblical.

The conclusion is that if we are committed to biblical truth, we must reject socialism in any form, and encourage capitalism.  While we still have opportunity to have a voice in our government, we must vote for leaders who push for capitalism, and advocate for capitalistic policies.  The welfare of everyone in our country depends upon it. I want to end this section with a quote from a good book called Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth by Thaddeus Williams: "According to historic socialism, a la Marx and Engels, humans aren't the workmanship of God, whose image we bear and who offers us salvation in Christ. In the absence of God, humanity is reduced to homo economicus. As humans are reduced to material-economic categories, socialism diagnoses our deepest problem not as a broken relationship with our Creator, but a material economic problem. This leads to an inflated emphasis on the saving power of external socio-political-economic remedies, while the internal human propensity to evil and selfishness goes undiagnosed and untreated. Who, then in this new economic gospel, does the saving? As Chesterton observed, 'Once we abolish God, the government becomes God.' Before Soviet communism went wrong with economic policies that drastically exacerbated the problems of poverty, it had already gone wrong on human nature because it denied the existence of God, who defines us, paving the way for a God sized government and the false gospel of economic equality that mistakes symptoms for the disease. Historically, such a false gospel carries a zero tolerance policy for the actual gospel. ...Did this produce the godless utopia of peace and economic equality that the Soviet leaders dreamed of? On the contrary, worship was redirected to a new deity-Lord Stalin- while tens of millions of heretics who refused to bow were starved or executed. We see a similar phenomenon in China and North Korea today....By downplaying the depths of human corruption, socialism becomes a counterfeit gospel. It relies on corrupt human authorities with no room for God's heart regenerating grace. Socialism seeks Christ's kingdom, minus the Christ, and become a destructive parody of God's shalom. The harder it tries to create heaven on earth, the more hell it unleashes, particularly on the poor whom Scripture commands us to love." (from page 193-194)

Post #14: Today I want to discuss judges.  They have an increasingly powerful role in our government. Indeed their role is far greater than our founders designed it to be. Let us examine what the Bible might have to tell us about judges.  Here are some biblical principles that are foundational to understanding what God wants in judges:

1. Government authorities are to be impartial in punishments and rewards.  Leviticus19:15 “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.”  The Bible further says that they are to judge fairly by evaluating evidence.  A person cannot be condemned on the testimony of one witness, but 2-3 witnesses are needed.  A false witness is to be punished severely according to the Old testament laws.  Our American idea of “innocent until proven guilty” is based on these guidelines from the Old Testament.  The imagery of justice being blindfolded is also biblical.  

2. God hates dishonest and partial judgments. Proverbs 20:23 “Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, and a false scale is not good.”  

3. Judges should not take bribes or be influenced unduly.  Exodus 23:8 “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear sighted and subverts the cause of the just.”

There is much discussion in our country about the role of the law in how judges rule.  Some say that the Constitution and other laws are “living documents” that can be interpreted however the judge feels is appropriate based on the circumstances and their beliefs.  Others believe a judge should interpret the law in a predictable way.  They believe that the intent of the law when written is how it should be interpreted and applied to each situation.  If society deems some aspect of the Constitution or other law to be unclear and insufficient, there are constitutional ways to change it.  In light of the biblical principles I shared above, I cannot hold to any position other than the second one.  A just judge is one who judges predictably according to the law as written. Otherwise it is not fair, impartial or honest.  If a judge feels the law is a moving target based on the whims of society, there is no certainty in judgments.  This is an abomination to the Lord.  A person never knows what the law will be declared to be.  They can never comply because the law is unknown.  This is why I have always been in favor of appointing judges who adhere to a strict interpretation of the law as written.  Anything else is injustice.  A law that is constantly changing its meaning at a judge’s whim is inherently unjust and unfair.  It will be partial against those the judge does not agree with, and favor those the judge agrees with.  It violates all biblical principles of justice.  

Post #15:  Today I will discuss race and what the Bible has to say about it and the related issues in our society.  This will be a two part series.  Let’s start by establishing a foundational understanding of basic biblical truths regarding this subject.  The second part will discuss how these concepts affect a Christian’s views on current society, and government policies. I may not be deemed qualified by current society to talk about race because I am white, but God, as our creator is.  He has the final authority and the final truth.  So, let’s see what He has to say about race.  Before I dive into that, I want to define racism.  The term has become very vague and almost meaningless, because it is often used as a quick insult designed to silence someone with whom a person disagrees. Often it has nothing to do with race in how it is used. Therefore, I want to be clear about what I mean when I talk about racism.  Racism is according to the dictionary: “a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”.  Now that I have clarified what racism is, let’s talk about what the Bible says.  

1. We are all one race.  There are not different races.  We are all descended from Adam and Eve, the first humans that God created. Each human is made in the image of God and is therefore worthy of respect and dignity.   While there are many cultures and differences in appearances among people that show the great creativity of our God, they have no bearing on our status as members of ONE human race.  We are all equal in the eyes of God. We should stop referring to races, and instead refer to people groups, or cultures.

2. Prejudice and racism are as old as the fall of Adam and Eve into sin.  The first example was Cain, who was prejudiced against his brother because of jealousy and slew him.  The prejudice against the Jews has been fierce throughout all of history.  Haman in the book of Esther during the Medo Persian empire, and Hitler are just 2 examples of leaders who tried to exterminate the Jews.  History is replete with examples of racism from many different cultures against many other cultures.  

3.  The reason for this is that the heart of every person is sinful (Romans 3:23).  Unlike the predominant view in our current culture, no person is exempt from the temptation to be racist and prejudiced.  Racism is not just the problem of one group of people. It is a sin problem that affects all humans. The only solution is teaching the truth of who we are as humans, and the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, which transforms the heart and mind to be more obedient to His word in the Bible.  

4.  The fact that God is our creator and has authority over our lives and defines what is true is a very important truth.  When society rejects this, the consequences are awful.  The Darwinian theory of evolution that came on the scene in the 19th century was used in an ugly way to justify racism against blacks, Jews, and others. This theory only gave wings to the sin already inherent in the heart of man. "Darwin popularized the idea of different races of people-lower races, higher races, primitive races, advanced races, and so on.  What did that do?...Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary history." (from page 81 of One Race One Blood) Many modern forms of racism are due to the embracing of the evolutionary concepts of Darwin.  Darwinian theory rejects God as the creator.  The lie that only the best survive and we are all evolving, has led to grievous patterns of thought and behavior.  It has led to certain groups thinking that they are better than others and thinking they were following science in thinking that.  Hitler heavily leaned on evolutionary concepts to justify his genocide.  The founder of Planned Parenthood thought black babies should be aborted because they were a weak race. That sinful legacy continues today as blacks have the highest rate of abortion in this nation.  When slave owners justified slavery by saying that blacks were childlike and not fully evolved, and therefore needed owners, this was also sinful racism disguised as following evolutionary science.  

5.  God hates partiality.  I have discussed this several times in past posts.  This includes both partiality in favor of someone and partiality against someone.  See James 2 for a personal and not justice related passage where partiality is condemned. Every human should be treated as one made in the image of God, and therefore worthy of equal care, respect and dignity, regardless of who they are.  

6. God hates lies and deception and values truth. A cursory perusal of the Bible is enough to show how many verses God devotes to this idea.  The book of Proverbs is a good book to read to find lots of verses about how God feels about lies and truth.  Here is one: Proverbs 12:22 “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.”  What does this have to do with race?  A whole lot in our current culture.  Many ideas regarding racism in our society and what should be done about it are based on lies, both about who we are as humans, and about what is true in our society.  I will speak more on this in my 2ndpart of this series. We must pursue truth to know how to best address racism.

7.  Each person is only responsible for their OWN sin and not the sin of others. I addressed this several times when I have addressed issues of justice in the Bible, but we need to emphasize this because this is a very key truth in analyzing current policies regarding racism.  God is very clear that we will give an account only for our own attitudes, thoughts and actions, and not for thoseof others. (II Corinthians 5:10 is just one passage. See prior posts for others.) True justice holds the individual responsible only for their ownactions. Judgment on any other basis is a grievous injustice.

8. God calls us to love others.  Biblical love believes the best about others.  It does not assume wrong motives that have not been proved.  I Corinthians 13:4-7.  This is important, because we see lots of times when racist motives are assigned to someone when that was not in fact their motive.  This is also  important in being dedicated to biblical concepts of truth and justice.  Additionally, loving others according to the biblical concept of love means that we need to listen to one another, not assume anything, and be courageous to confront someone who believes error, or is destroying themselves in a sinful pattern of behavior.  

9. The current cultural rage to group everyone as part of one group or another, and reject individual identity rejects the basic principles that God has set forth in Scripture.  It rejects the truth that as image bearers of God we are individually worthy of respect.   It rejects the truth that each person is responsible for only their own sin. It also rejects individual responsibility for sin, and gives the sinner someone else to blame for what they should take responsibility for.  

Post #16: Now we discuss the practical implications of biblical truth on race issues.  If you have not read my prior post on biblical truths regarding race, please take the time to read that before you read this post. I am writing this post assuming everyone who reads it has read the foundational truths we need to know from the last post.  The Bible calls us to tell the truth in love.  I am going to attempt to do that here, even though this is a very difficult and emotional topic.

There is no question that racism exists in every society the world over.  All of us have experienced it to one degree or another.  The political question is whether the government is complicit in acts of racism or not.  Does the government support racism by policies that discriminate against a certain race? It is a fact that in the past, our government did have policies that discriminated against certain races.   But is this true today?  We need to know our past, but we also need to understand the truth of where we are today in order to have correct solutions to any problems that are still present in our society.  

It is important to understand the most dominant view on race in our culture in order to make sense of anything in our society. The dominating idea in our society that defines discussions of race issues is that of critical race theory.  This is the idea that the problem with humanity and society is NOT that every man has a sinful heart as the Bible teaches, but rather that all problems are due to an oppressed group of people (nonwhites) being oppressed by another group of people (whites).  It doesn’t matter what each person within these groups has experienced (i.e. Oprah Winfrey is still considered oppressed, and an impoverished white Appalachian resident is still considered the oppressor).  Nor does it matter whether each person within the oppressed group is racist or does racist things.  Simply being white means that they are an oppressor.  It is a wildly unbiblical and dangerous theology.  I use theology intentionally, because this has become a religion in our society.  A person must adhere to the tenets of critical race theory or be cast out. Those minorities who dare to reject it as seen as tools of the oppressors, rather than those who are thinking for themselves.  When those in the “oppressor” group try to bring facts and truth into the conversation about race, it is assumed that this is only confirmation that they are an oppressor and are showing their “privilege”.  Feelings and group identity are more important than truth and facts in critical race theory.  

But, in reality, truth and facts are crucial to rightly diagnosing and solving problems.  It is especially important to stand firm on biblical truth.  Critical race theory defies biblical truth in these ways:

1. It denies that the heart of every person is sinful.  God tells us that it is not just those in the “oppressor” group who are sinful, but every single person on the face of the earth.  

2. It denies that all humans are part of one race, the human race, and are all descendants of the first humans that God created, Adam and Eve.

3. It denies the God given worth and dignity of each individual, but instead relegates them to 2 hopeless groups.  

4. It denies the biblical view of justice. Justice is to be impartially meted out, and is to be based on what each individual does.  Relegating guilt due to group identity rather than individual action is defying God’s principles of justice at every level.  

5. It does not define sin as God defines it. Rather, it defines sin as being in an oppressor group, and therefore guilty of whatever that group has ever done, or is thought to have done.  Instead sin needs to be defined as God defines it.  Sin is any action, thought or motive that goes against God’s revealed moral will in the Bible.  Everyone has committed sin.  

6. It offers no hope to either group. It is almost like the caste system in India: whatever group you were born in is where you remain.  It offers some sort of penance to the “oppressor” group who can bow before the oppressed group and declare their guilt of racism, but there is no hope of true salvation from either being an oppressor or being oppressed.  The only possible solution given is a full embrace of Marxism/socialism/communism, which is to tear down society and remake it into a government run “utopia”. As you read in my post #13 on this subject matter, this is entirely unbiblical.

7. It defies God’s call for unity in the church.  As Christians, our primary identity needs to be as born again followers of Christ. Our race and culture are not important in the church.  God unifies us in Christ.  I have much more in common with someone who knows Christ who has a completely different ethnic and cultural background than I do, than I do with someone who is white who is not a believer.  

8. It denies God’s clear call for personal responsibility for our actions, and choices.  If times are hard for a person in the oppressed group, then critical race theory says that it must be because they are in the oppressed group and not because of poor personal choices, or a very specific set of circumstances that led to the problem.  It also makes them feel it is hopeless to even try hard to succeed. That is cruel and deceptive.

Another dominant view of race in our society, that is in large part based on critical race theory, is the idea that there is systemic racism in our government, and that police are hunting down black men in the streets every day.  God calls us to seek truth, even if it is uncomfortable. In addressing this, we need to remember God’s view of justice.  It is impartial, it is definable, it is predictable.  Are there definable laws we can point to that discriminate against a certain race today?  No, in fact there are laws specifically against it.  A person has the right to bring a person or organization to court if they feel that they were discriminated against because of their race. The idea of systemic racism is a phantom we are chasing to support pushing for equality of outcomes instead of equality of opportunity. Equality of outcomes is not biblical.  Equality of opportunity is.  If we seek to rid ourselves of this phantom of “systemic racism”, we will miss the truth of what the real problems are that poor communities face. The idea of systemic racism rejects definable and discoverable problems, and instead insists that we need to tear down the whole system.  And that is getting back to the push for socialism and Marxism, which are very unbiblical.  We are doing the minority community a disservice if we do not seek the truth and seek definable solutions, other than a call to “burn it all down”.   There are identifiable problems that need to be addressed in order to help minority communities.  A couple of the biggest problems facing minority communities are fatherlessness encouraged by the welfare system, and a lack of quality education for youth so that they can rise out of poverty and embrace those opportunities our society has for them.  

But, you say, aren’t blacks being hunted down by the police daily?  The facts do not support this.  This is difficult to even bring up, because I know that some people have experienced very hurtful things related to their race.  I am in no way denying the reality of that, but I grieve with you, and hope that I can be a true sister in Christ by weeping with you when you weep, and helping you when I am in a situation to offer you help.   At the same time, we need to seek truth.  So many people are taught to fear things which may or may not be true, and that fear immobilizes them into not reaching for opportunities to better their situation because they feel that it is hopeless and useless.  Instead, that fear enslaves them to a life of poverty, anger, and hopelessness.  If I am to speak the truth in love like the Bible calls me to, I need to address these fears.   I cannot be loving if I do not do that.  

Regarding police hunting down blacks: First, we need to acknowledge that most police forces are made up of a very diverse group of people.  You cannot say that police are white.  That is not true.  if you accept the narrative that it is only whites who are hunting down blacks, you cannot insist that the police are hunting down blacks.  There are a huge number of minority police.  It does not make sense in the anti white narrative to say that they are also hunting down blacks. That is not logical.  Let us talk about some facts.  In 2019, there were about 50 million interactions the police had with the public. Of those, there were 1,004 people killed by the police.  Of that number, 41 were unarmed (however this does not mean that they were not a threat or were not charging police officers or grabbing for their weapons).  Of that number, 19 were white, and 9 were black. Unfortunately, there is a much higher crime rate in poor minority communities, which leads to more police interactions and greater likelihood of the use of police force.  

Every time a black person in recent times is killed or shot by the police, it is followed by rioting and a reiteration of the narrative that police are abusing blacks.  No one stops to learn the facts of each case. In almost every case (except George Floyd), there are circumstances that made it a difficult situation where the police needed to use some kind of force (yes, even the Breona Taylor case where abundant lies have been perpetuated).  

In addition, every case that is used by rioters and organizations like Black Lives Matter groups as proof of “systemic racism” and police abuse of minorities, has a matching case of a white being killed or shot by the police in almost the identical way that is never discussed.  No one rallies behind these families and protests in the streets.  The facts suggest that the answer is not to address “systemic racism”, but rather police reform.  

Let us remember that the police are an integral part of God’s purpose for government: to punish the evildoer and protect those who do right.  We cannot follow after God’s truth and reject police. In reality, we need to support them in their mission.  We can, however, support commonsense reforms that would make policing better and more fair.  Police need more training in general.  I am also in favor of more training for the police in de-escalation techniques.  In addition, we need to address the stress and trauma they go through every day in their job.  They need counseling available.  Hopefully it would be truthful, and helpful counseling, or it will be useless or harmful!

I also think we need to address the issue of how to enable the police forces to be able to fire bad cops.  Unions make firing a bad cop extremely difficult.  All of us acknowledge that there are bad cops and they need to be dismissed.  Let’s rally behind making it easier to do so!  Police are lumped into a group of “bad” people no matter who they are and what they actually do.  This is defying God’s truths we have discussed, in the same way that critical race theory does. Police are also humans made in the image of God and worthy of respect and honor, and as such are also worthy of impartial, truth based justice that every person is entitled to.  They also serve a crucial God given role in our society.  We need them.  

Perhaps you will say that the justice system does not give justice to blacks when they are arrested. I will respond with cases where whites also did not receive justice.  The issue is not “systemic racism” but rather an arbitrary application of the law based on the whims of those in charge.  We need to find the root issue, which is that judges and those in authorities are not being impartial, and predictable in how they apply the law and give punishments to those who break them.  I can give you so many examples of this, but time forbids it.  The answer is to push for impartial, predictable application of the law. See more on this in my 14th post in this series.

There are so many other issues we could address related to race: reparations, laws giving favor to those in the “oppressed” group, immigration, etc.  I think this will suffice for now to help us think through how biblical truths apply in real life on this issue.  I urge you to reject critical race theory.  You cannot say you hold to biblical truth and embrace it. For more on race issues, I would highly encourage you to read the brilliant African American economist Thomas Sowell’s extensive writing on issues related to race and economics. I also recommend you read Fault Lines by Voddie Baucham and Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth by Thaddeus Williams. I have also posted 2 links under this paragraph.  One is an article on critical race theory from a biblical perspective, and the other is a video by Allie Stuckey that goes into a lot of detail on what is true in this sensitive topic of race, and how we need to seek truth and biblical principles as we analyze these things.  May we show biblical love to each other, which is humble, gentle, compassionate, patient, and truthfully encouraging each other to live righteously.

Post #17: Today we will talk about money and the government. Government activities are run by money.  So it is important to have a solid understanding of how God wants us to use and manage money if we are to consider money in government.  There is so much I want to say about this, but I am going to have to pick the essentials.  First, some biblical foundational truths about money:

1. God owns everything.  (Psalm 50:12).  Everything we have is from Him.  That is true of money governments use.  Just as a government cannot rise to power without the Lord providentially allowing it, so any resources they have come from the hand of God.  Because all that we have comes from God, we need to acknowledge His authority over our use of money.  Because of that, we need to follow His principles for using it.  

2.  We are stewards of the money He has given us. See the parables of the stewards (there are several) in the book of Luke.  He will ask us to give an account for how we used the resources He gave us. He calls us to faithfulness, which includes only making commitments we can keep, and living only within our means.  

3. God calls us to be prudent and plan ahead.  Luke14:28-30 “For which of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘this man began to build and was not able to finish’”  Proverbs has many admonitions for paying close attention to our resources and caring for them so that we can avoid disasters.  One reason we need to plan ahead is that we do not know what the future holds. We cannot spend all that we have now because we may face a much leaner time in the future.  James 4:14-15 commands us to not assume we can do this or that, but to say if the Lord wills, we shall do this or that.  That is an important acknowledgement.  If we know that the future is uncertain, it will drive us to make some plans and savings for problems that could arise.  

4.  God calls us to self-control, and to reject greed and covetousness.  This is so important if we are going to be good stewards of the resources God has given us.  In Hebrews 13:5 we are told to keep free from the love of money.  How many untold government officials throughout history have been enticed into doing evil by bribes?  Only God knows. How many governments spend money freely because of a lack of self-control and a desire to be approved by men?

5. God calls us to reject seeking fortune quickly, but instead to work hard for what we have. There are so many passages on work ethic in the Bible!!!  This is very important to God.  In Ephesians 4:28, we are told not to steal any longer, but rather labor with our hands.

6.  Jesus tells us to pay our taxes in Matthew 22:21.

How do all of these concepts apply to money in the government?  In most governments in history, there was a dictator who did as he pleased. He did not subject himself to any rules and scorned input from the people.  He spent money as he pleased and raised taxes to feed his spending habits.  Our country is different.  We are supposed to have a voice in how government is run.  We elect officials who we send to Washington DC to represent us. The House of Representatives is where decisions are made in how money is going to be used, and how much money.  Once a budget has been passed, if the Senate votes yes on it, and the president signs it, that is the guide map to how the taxpayers’ money will be used by the government for that year.  So, we can have a voice in how our money is spent.  Not only in what it is spent on, but in how responsible the government is in spending money.  

As Christians, we need to encourage the government to not spend money on what dishonors God (such as abortion), and to spend the rest responsibly, keeping in mind the principles I have discussed in all of my other posts.  One key principle to remind you of is the basic function of government given by God: to punish evildoers and protect those who do right.  We need to support money being spent in our government mostly for this purpose.  That will help us know what the government should prioritize and what it is not a government function to spend money on.  

We know from the principles I have discussed in my other posts, that it is foolish to support a powerful central government, because it will only oppress the people, because the heart of every person is sinful, and power makes that sin more painful to others under that person’s power.  Since the government is run by money, money issues are integral to either getting an overly powerful government, or one that delegates responsibility and power to as small and local a level as possible, thereby preserving individual liberty.  

Socialism/communism/Marxism all require very large governments with very large budgets because they require the people to be completely dependent on them.  The government under these regimes doles out money as they see fit. As you can read in my other posts, I cannot support this type of government because it defies so many biblical principles. Unfortunately, there are a very large number of politicians who are wanting our government to become this way.  They offer “free” everything, but it actually comes at great cost to personal liberty, prosperity, safety, and future resources.  

Many governments have been brought to their knees by irresponsible overspending.  Many were conquered because they spent so recklessly, that they could not raise money to defend their borders.  In our own day, we have seen the collapse of governments, like Greece, because of overspending.    Our government has a serious problem with overspending.  Unfortunately, neither side of the political aisle seems to have an interest in addressing this very critical issue. The government deficit is rising at an alarming rate.  And yet politicians speak about spending more money on bigger programs and ideas (often very socialistic ideas) as if money grows on trees.  We need to encourage our representatives to be responsible and realistic. We need to call them to faithfulness and self-control over the biggest budget in the world.  Frankly, there needs to be no new programs until the budget is balanced.  And there needs to be a serious look at current programs to see what can be cut. That is the only responsible thing to do.  They need to stop promising the world to their constituents.  That is a lie. There simply aren’t the resources to give what is promised.

Another issue that is essential to look at in getting responsible government spending is the seemingly eternal nature of a government program.  Once it gets funded, there is no going back.  It is forever funded whether or not it is effective. And government spending, if not closely monitored, is a beacon for fraud.  A very large portion of the money the government spends is given to people who conned the government into giving them the money. Because the government thinks that they can just raise taxes to get more money, they are not interested in efficiency and effectiveness in how the money is spent, which blinds them to why it costs more than it should to do something, like build a road. This is irresponsible and reckless, and a great boon to con artists. There is almost no politician who isn’t guilty of this. We need to urge our representatives in government at every level, to strive for efficiency, effectiveness, and oversight that catches fraud, and analyzes whether a program is really achieving what it is supposed to do.  That is being a good steward of the resources God has given them.

Post#18: I thought I was done with my Facebook musings on political subjects, but the issue of womanhood keeps coming up.  Our society is very confused about what womanhood is and what we should do about it.  The safety, and well being of women is on the line here, as well as even the ability for women to have a place of their own under the law.  I felt compelled to address this topic.

As I have with all my posts, I will start with fundamental biblical principles we need to know before we talk about policies.

              1. God created humans as males and females. (Genesis 1:27) There is a distinct difference between the two genders, and there                   are only two genders, by the sovereign will of the Creator.  
              2. To deny the difference between males and females is to shake your fist in the face of God and declare that you know better                   than He does.  It is to say that the all knowing, omnipotent, good, holy, gracious God doesn’t know as much as you, and you                   are going to create your own reality apart from what God created.  God creates what is reality because He is the Creator.                   But, we in our foolish sinfulness, want to create a different reality because we don’t like the true one.  Every time we depart                   from God’s definition of reality, there are grievous consequences, and often those consequences hurt women and children                   the most. This is particularly true in the discussion of gender and womanhood.
             3. Though God created 2 distinct genders, He gives each equal worth in His eyes, while at the same time uniquely gifting                    them for different roles in this world. There are some things men are called to do and are able to do better than women.                    There are some things that women are called to do and are able to do better than men.  There are some things that both                    genders can do equally well.  This is a beautiful thing, and not something to be scorned.  We should rather embrace it                    wholeheartedly. Women should not covet those things that men are uniquely made to do, and men should not covet those                    things that women are uniquely made to do.
              4. God has made clear that women are precious to Him. Throughout His word we see the special care and honor He gives to                   women.  He repeatedly tells His people to care for widows, who are the most vulnerable women.  An outcast foreign woman                   and a foreign reformed prostitute woman were given the honor of not only being in the genealogy of the Savior, but also                   named in the genealogies repeatedly for future generations to read.  There are 2 whole books in the Old Testament that tell                   the story of courageous women who served God: Ruth and Esther.  In the New Testament, Jesus took time to talk to women,                   heal them, allow them to be part of the disciples that followed Him, and to minister to Him. He lovingly speaks to Martha and                   Mary when they are complaining, rather than dismissing them.  He gives women protection and respect when He calls on                   men to not lust after them in thought or action except with the protection of marriage.  And in the biggest honor of all, He                   allowed women to be the first humans to see the risen Jesus.   God then spoke through the apostles in their epistles to give                   women high honor by requiring their husbands to love them, and treat them as fellow heirs in the grace of life.  Women are                   given a special place of ministry in the church, and in their home.  These honors were given to women in a time when                   women were treated poorly and were given no respect.  It was a radical concept to treat women with honor and respect.                   Those words are our commands and example to this day.  To reject the uniqueness of women and their abilities and role that                  God created them for is to reject the honor and respect they have been given by their Creator.  Indeed in every culture where Christianity has been widely accepted, women are treated far better than anywhere else, because the Creator demands it in                  His word.  Now that our culture is rejecting the Creator and His word, women are being marginalized, dismissed and                  endangered more and more.