Liberty – Thinking Accurately Education

“A Republic, if you care to keep it.”

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 9

Make us a king to judge us like all the (other) nations.”
1 Samuel 8:5

There’s a famous quote making it’s way around the Internet, about Benjamin Franklin being asked what kind of government the United States was founded to be. It is said that he replied:

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Our founding fathers knew that the history of republics was not good, and that they often tended to end in tyranny.

For example, the once very successful Dutch Republic, formed in 1588, had declined and decayed until it had all but disintegrated by the time of the American founding. And in their own history, their ancestors had formed a republic named the English Commonwealth, in 1649, but it had only lasted for 11 years, until 1660.

But the primary example that the founding fathers looked to – which had been the model for all later republics – was the Roman Republic, which lasted 482 years, but it ended tragically in 60 years of civil wars and the rise of the dictator, Julius Caesar.

Why do republics fail?

In pondering this question, I was drawn back once again to a study of the world’s very first tyrant, Nimrod (first referenced in Genesis 10:8).

“Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.” (the Hebrew word used here is “gibôr“).
Genesis 10:8

Gibor = "strong, mighty, impetuous" (Genesius' Hebrew Lexicon)

Impetuous = "acting or done quickly and without thought or care," (Bing) marked by impulsive vehemence or passion (or) by force and violence.." (Merriam-Webster)

God had commanded mankind to spread out and take dominion over the earth, but instead the people congregated together in a city and started dominating each other, and Nimrod was the worst of them.

So, why do people follow tyrants?

An article in Psychology Today claims that people hunger for “strong parental figures,” and that they are afraid to take responsibility for their own lives, preferring instead to stay on the sidelines, and “let someone else run the show,” even though the people they follow are often “narcissistic,” “calculating,” and “cruel.”

Do you think that is true? That people are afraid to take responsibility for their own lives, and that they would rather follow the directions of someone else, even if they have demonstrated themselves to be narcissistic and cruel?

That’s exactly what the Bible says that the ancient people of Israel did, although they were warned against it.

“‘This is how a king will reign over you,’ Samuel said… ‘He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage… He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves…'”
1 Samuel 8:11-18

When told that George Washington had turned down an offer to become America’s first king, King George III of England said: “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

But the people who rule our country today have little resemblance to George Washington.

The Psychology Today article goes on to say this about tyrants:

“They tend to have a blend of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorder traits such as a lack of empathy, grandiosity, thirst for power and control, lying and deceit, indifference to conventional laws or rules or morality, and more.”
Psychology Today, February 2, 2017

It remind us of a warning by one of the Founding Fathers, James Wilson of Pennsylvania:

“Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money. Separately each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects. Place before the eyes of such men, a post of honour that shall be at the same time a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it… And of what kind are the men that will strive for this profitable pre- eminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best of characters? It will not be the wise and moderate; the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits. These will thrust themselves into your Government and be your rulers.”
James Wilson, Constitutional Convention of 1787

In Chapter 3 of our book, we talked about God’s plan for self-government, and the wise advice for doing so from Thomas Jefferson, Alexis de Tocqueville, and William Penn.

Back in the 1970’s and 80’s there was an old album cover that was pretty popular.

The artwork on the cover of the album depicts the scene where Haman, the Prime Minister of the Persian Empire is passing by, and everyone is bowing down to him – everyone but one man named Mordecai, and Haman tried to have him killed.

Some years earlier, another man named Daniel, had to disobey the king of his day, and his political enemies tried to have him killed.

And when that same king went to throw them into a fiery furnace, Daniel’s three friends replied:

“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Daniel 3:17-18

William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, once said:

“Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.”

And in our third chapter, we quoted from Thomas Jefferson’s 1787 Notes on the State of Virginia, where he wrote:

“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”

What is venality?

venality = "openness to bribery or corruption" (dictionary.com)

One thing that Mordecai, Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego definitely had in common is that they were not open to corruption. They were incorruptible, in the same way that George Washington was incorruptible. If we want to be able to stand against tyranny, and against manipulation – even when your government is telling you otherwise, we have to take responsibility for our own lives.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God is ready to heal our land. Are we ready to do our part?

History is the Life-Blood of a Free People

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 7

The book of Exodus opens this way:

“The children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.”
Exodus 1:7

400 years earlier, Joseph had saved Egypt from destruction during the seven years of famine.

But, during those 400 years:

“There arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.”
Exodus 1:8

It is never a good idea to forget your history.

England had experienced a religious reformation and had grown to be a world power under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I.

But everything changed in 1603, when the King of Scotland also became – for the first time – the King of Great Britain (and thus the King of England). He didn’t know much about English history (such as King John and Magna Charta). He didn’t know much about the Rights of Englishmen, nor did he care.

When people (like the group we know as the “Pilgrims”) chose to separate from the Church of England, King James had some unkind words for them.

“I shall make them conform or I will harry them out of the land or else do worse”
King James I (1603-1625)

And that is exactly what he did.

“For some were clapped into prison, others had their houses beset and watched, night and day, and hardly escaped their hands. And most were feign to flee and leave their houses and habitations and their means of livelihood.”
William Bradford, Of Plimouth Plantation, 1630

You see, King James believed in something called “the Divine Right of Kings,” and that his power as the King over England was absolute (meaning that it could not be questioned).

One website says:

“James’s great failure as an English king stemmed from his inability at first to perceive wherein the English assembly differed from the Scottish Parliament, and from his unwillingness to accept the differences when at last he became aware of them.”

In fact though, the problems didn’t end with James I. They went on for many years, with struggles between various kings and Parliament, until the English Bill of Rights was signed into law in 1689. But that only came after the King at that time (James II) fled the country, which became known as The Bloodless Revolution!

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wasn’t writing it from within the bubble of the current events of his time. He was writing it from within the context of the hundreds of years of history since King James and the Pilgrims. And not only that, he was writing it from within the context of the ancient rights of his ancestors going all the way back through history to Magna Charta.

That is the our heritage as American citizens, and we would do well to remember it.

Do you desire a better country?

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 6:

The Embarkation of the Pilgrims

In 1532, Niccolo Machiavelli published his famous work on political theory, called “The Prince.” He had used Spain’s King Ferdinand (the same one who sent out Christopher Columbus) as a model for perfect governance.

Unfortunately, his model included brutality and ambition, and always endeavoring, “above all things,” to gain “the reputation of being a great and remarkable man” (like Nimrod at the Tower of Babel [see Genesis 10:10 and 11:1-9]), and to always keep “the minds of his people in suspense and admiration” of King Ferdinand and his ambitious pursuit of gold and glory.

Statue of Ferdinand in Greek/Roman style

Therefore, it should not surprise anyone that the Spanish Conquistadores who colonized America brought with them Machiavelli’s views that in politics, the end justifies the means and that political and public morality are unnecessary, and even to be avoided.

It is important that we understand that these are the fundamental ideas that the “Spanish Golden Age” was built on.

The Spanish Golden Age (the 1500s-1600s) may be considered to have been contemporaneous with what we often call the Renaissance, and its accompanying zeitgeist.

zeitgeist = "the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time." (Bing)

The defining spirit of the Renaissance was “Rebirth,“ which sounds good… But it was actually only the rebirth of pagan Greek and Roman values and ideas that stood in direct contrast to those of Christianity, upon which Medieval Western Civilization had been built.

And interestingly–but not surprisingly–it was (this same) Ferdinand’s grandson, King Charles I of Spain, who later, as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, would condemn the Christian reformer Martin Luther as a heretic, ban him as a political outlaw, and order his writings to be burned.

Yet, soon afterward, Luther working in hiding, translated the Bible into the common language of the German people, inspiring a young Englishman named William Tyndale who just happened to be living in exile in Luther’s hometown in Germany at the time. Tyndale then translated the Bible into English, and had it smuggled back into his home country in England.

60 years later, Charles’ son, Phillip II (Ferdinand’s great-grandson) became the champion of what became known as the Counter-Reformation.

The Counter Reformation was an all-out cultural, religious, and even military war intended to reverse the the work of Luther and Tyndale.

Philip II sent the Spanish Armada (the largest fleet ever seen in Europe up to that time) to attack England, and to restore the religious and political status quo of what had been Spain’s Golden Age. The Armada was destroyed by a storm.

In fact, the Spanish Armada was sent three times to destroy England–in 1588, 1596, and 1597–but it was destroyed three times, each time by bad weather!

Providentially, then, William Tyndale’s Bible seems to have ended up making its way into the hands of a generation of common Englishmen, just as their King Henry VIII was making himself the head of a whole new church in England, and just as England was preparing to replace Spain as a world power.

And it was these same Englishmen who brought that same Bible–and its ideas–to the New World.

In 1607, Captain John Smith was among 100 colonists who planted Jamestown in Virginia. In 1608, Smith became the leader of the community, and established measures to save it from ruin, including an instruction from the Bible.

“If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat”
2nd Thessalonians 3:10

This is not to say that Captain John Smith was, necessarily, a Christian–only that the Bible was already starting to affect the way that everyday people chose to live their lives.

But soon after (in 1620) a group of Christian people established Plymouth Plantation as a Christian community–based on the example of the early church (in the book of Acts).

Their Governor, William Bradford (in his book, Of Plimouth Plantation), called the Plymouth settlers pilgrims, referring to the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 13.

The chapter goes on to say:

“…Those who say such things (calling themselves pilgrims) declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country...”
Hebrews 11:14-16

And that’s the way they lived. They left behind all that England was, and whatever comfort it had been for them, and looked forward to life in this New England, and what they dreamed would be a better world for them and their families.

Other Christians followed them to New England, setting up what they called the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Governor of the Massachusetts colony, John Winthrop, saw New England prophetically, quoting from Matthew 5:14.

“For, we must consider (he wrote) that we shall be like a City upon a Hill; the eyes of all people are on us.”
John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity,” 1630

And just a few years later, in 1639, Christians from the (then) small towns of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield in Connecticut drew up “the first written constitution known to history...” The “Fundamental Orders” (as they called them) were based on a sermon by Reverend Thomas Hooker on May 31, 1638. The text for his sermon had been Deuteronomy 1:13.

“Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you…”
Deuteronomy 1:13

In his sermon, Hooker asserted that based on the Old Testament example of the ancient Israelites (which was imitated by early Christians in the New Testament book of Acts), “the foundation of authority is laid in the free consent of the people…”

That idea could not have come out of the Spanish Golden Age. It could not have come out of the Renaissance, or the thought of Machiavelli.

The Bible says that:

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
2 Corinthians 3:17

But the Bible also says that:

“The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs (because it has been subjected to corruption) …”
Romans 8:20

That is why the American experience has not matched up with the prophetic voices of Winthrop and Hooker, or all their hopes and dreams for America.

But one day,

America and “the creation itself…will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the (revelation of the) children of God…”
Romans 8:19, 21

It is time for the children of God in America to shake off the chains of corruption, to step out of the grave-clothes of past experience, and to walk in what has been prophesied over this land.

That is our legacy (and America’s legacy), and (as John Winthrop wrote) “the eyes of all people (shall be) upon us.”

The Bible, Christianity & American Government

Chapter 4: God’s Plan for Self-Government, Then and Now

“I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel…” (Benjamin Franklin)

In the last chapter, we talked about Noah, and Nimrod, and how the people got together to disobey God and build a centralized empire around their Tower of Babel.

Soon afterwards, God thwarted their ambitions and scattered the tribes, with the children of Japheth heading off toward the North, the children of Ham heading toward the South, and the children of Shem spreading out through the Middle East. Some people have even gone so far as to say that Noah himself–even before the Tower of Babel incident–headed East and founded ancient China.

The Book of Job–considered by many to be the oldest book of the Old Testament–seems to recall what had happened to Nimrod’s ancient empire:

“He (God) leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the mighty. He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the discernment of the elders… He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”
Job 12:19-20, 24-25

The point here is that man–us, we–no matter how smart we get, no matter how advanced we become–can never be smarter, or more powerful than God, and thankfully, He is good, and kind, and wants the best for us.

A case in point may be observed in the Book of Jonah.

The people of Nineveh (in the Neo-Assyrian Empire) had become cruel and ruthless, and were threatening the nation of Israel. So, God was not happy with them. So what did He do? Did He send down fire from heaven to consume them? No, instead, He sent a prophet–Jonah–to warn them. And this is what God said to Jonah about the city of Nineveh–which (coincidentally) had been part of Nimrod’s ancient empire:

“…Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”
Jonah 4:11

Benjamin Franklin once said:

“I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel…”
Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention, 1787

But some people today are no longer impressed with the ideas of Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson, or Plato and Aristotle:

“In a certain sense, then, today’s preschoolers are smarter than the greatest thinkers of the ancient world.”
Steve Stewart-Williams Ph.D., evolutionary psychologist and cultural evolutionist

This is the kind of thinking that leads people to say things like this:

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”
Barack Obama, campaign visit to Columbia, MO

Back in ancient times, God chose Noah to build the ark and save the human race, but only a couple of generations later, it is Noah’s grandson Nimrod–not Noah–who built the first empire and set himself up to lead it. Benjamin Franklin would have called that laboring in vain–in vanity–in the idea that Nimrod was smarter-better– than the people around him.

Elitism is defined as “the attitude or behavior of a person or group who regard themselves as belonging to an elite.” (Bing)

Why is elitism so prevalent? One source says:

“Abraham Lincoln’s dream of governance ‘by, of, and for the people’ has mutated into a deathless trope, emanating from megaphones in the hands of charlatans, philistines and fools.”
DAVID MASCIOTRA, SALON, OCTOBER 25, 2015

So how do these “elite” come to power?

We put them there.

My favorite president was James A. Garfield. And he once said:

“Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. . . . If the next centennial does not find us a great nation . . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.”
James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, 1877

If the people who are running any particular area of our culture–whether it’s government, or media, or higher education, or whatever— have values that are different than ours, we have a responsibility–a duty–to do something to rectify the situation. If we don’t, we are accepting it. We are, in fact, saying “This is the type of culture I deserve.”

Is it?

We are very fortunate to live in the greatest republic–the freest democracy–that has ever existed throughout the history of the world. And we do not have to see it fall into ruin.

Let me leave you with this quote from Richard Maybury (the writer of the wonderful “Uncle Eric” series of books):

“Perhaps more than anything else, (we) should assume humans have the ability to overcome their problems and move forward… One of the most noteworthy characteristics of America’s founders is that they were aware of their own world, and indeed (that) their own characters and personalities, were not the best that humans could do. They worried about slavery, poverty, and war, and wanted something better. More importantly, they knew enough law and economics to believe something better was possible and they were working toward this goal.
“They were not utopians. They realized a perfect society is not possible. But they knew we could do much better and they were trying to create the legal environment that would enable this to happen…
“The belief that a better tomorrow is possible is absolutely essential not only for the rescue of our country but for the mental well-being of the individual. Young people need it desperately. However, we need to visualize this better future…”
Richard J. Maybury, from “What Would Thomas Jefferson Think About This?” 1994

Available on podcast and YouTube:

Also, see our book on Worldviews:

The Bible, Christianity & American Government

Chapter 3: God’s Plan for Self-Government

Genesis 3 details the historical account of the “fall” of Adam & Eve, and how they were turned out of paradise (the Garden of Eden). Adam became a farmer, and later, in Genesis 5:28-29, we see that Adam’s descendants, the children of his son Seth, even hundred of years later, were still farmers.

Each man was commanded (in Genesis 2:24) to “leave his father and mother” and “cleave to his wife.” These were new commands, added to the earlier ones (back in Genesis 1:28-29). So each family was to establish a new, independent household, just as people do today.

Think of “Little House on the Prairie” or the 1991 movie, “Sarah, Plain and Tall“–homesteads spread out from each other, several hours, or perhaps a day’s travel, but not totally isolated from each other. Though always honoring their parents, the new couple would no longer be subject to them.

subject = "Being under the power and dominion of another." (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

In taking on the responsibilities of managing this new, independent household, they became–for all intents and purposes–their parents’ equals. It became the man’s responsibility to provide for and build a home for his wife and their children. The wife was his companion and helpmate (see Genesis 2:18). The husband/father answered directly to God, and was directly responsible to Him for how he lived, how he treated his wife, and they were both responsible for how they raised their children.

They were to owe no man anything, and they were totally free to enjoy their God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Each family tilled their own land, tended their own field, garden, and orchard–though they were also free to pursue their individual gifts and talents. One man, who lived by a stream, might build and operate a mill. A person might choose to operate a loom, or a forge.

But if a miller, or weaver, or smith did not do the work he had promised to do, his customers had no government to go to for satisfaction. Business dealings were done by covenant, an agreement between the two parties that was considered to be enforced, when necessary, by God Himself.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that:

“Those who labor on the earth are the chosen people of God…whose breasts He has made His peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1787, Notes on the State of Virginia

That well describes the culture of the early patriarchs. But it wasn’t easy to be a farmer. You had to get up early in the morning to begin a long day of work; and you had many responsibilities. If you don’t milk the cow, it will stop giving milk. If you don’t feed the chickens, they will stop laying eggs. If you don’t plant your crops, you will have no harvest. In short, if you don’t work, you don’t eat.

And if you’re a day’s travel from your neighbors’ house, you have to learn how to do a lot of things yourself. Think of that Mel Gibson movie from 1984, The River. If your roof leaks, you learn to mend it yourself. If your equipment needs repair, you learn to repair it yourself. In other words, you become self-reliant (see Proverbs 6:6-11).

Many of Seth’s descendants were the kind of people that Jefferson would later say possessed “substantial and genuine virtue”

Yet, at the same time, another culture also existed, the descendants of Adam’s other son Cain, which began with the building of the first city (Genesis 4:16-17). Contrast their lifestyle to Seth’s farming community. If your roof leaks, you call the landlord. If something needs to be repaired, you take it to the repairmen. If your tools need sharpening, you go the hardware store. If you need bread, you buy it at the bakery. In other words, you become dependent.

In his same Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson wrote:

“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1787, Notes on the State of Virginia

And in the Bible, we find this:

“For I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around on its walls; iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.”
Psalm 55:9

But Seth’s descendants looked at the glitter of urban life–the beautiful starlets and the famous personalities. And they traded away what they now saw as their simple, unsophisticated farms. But at what cost? They chose not to see the difference in the values of the culture they were becoming part of.

One of Cain’s descendants said this, admiring and wanting to imitate his famous ancestor:

“…I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Genesis 4:23-24

Even though Cain had murdered his own brother, his descendants still thought of him as a great man, and tried to follow in his footsteps. And Seth’s descendants closed their eyes to the violence and strife, and closed their ears to to the cries of the oppressed, even though they knew it was wrong. And when the Great Flood came, both cultures were destroyed, except for 8 people–the family of Noah. And after the flood, Noah went back to farming.

However, the people–Noah’s descendants–began again to build a city–known as Babel (see Genesis 11).

William Penn, a wise man, and the founder of the state of Pennsylvania once said:

“Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.”
William Penn, 1668, “The Sandy Foundation Shaken“

And the Bible–in Genesis 10:8-12–tells us about the world’s first tyrant, Nimrod.

Why do you think the Bible tells us that Nimrod was a mighty hunter? What do you think that has to do with his rise to power?

In any case, he was what the King James version of the Bible calls a man of renown (see Genesis 6:4).

And the Bible quotes Jesus as saying something about men of renown:

“The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’”
Luke 22:25

Here’s a quote from John Locke, a famous English philosopher who is often called the “Father of Liberalism.”:

“A man may owe honor and respect to an ancient, or wise man…and gratitude to a benefactor…but all these give no authority, no right to any one, of making laws over him from who they are owing.”
John Locke, 1689, SECOND TREATISE OF GOVERNMENT

It sounds like Locke was agreeing with Jesus’ criticism of the great men of His time. And later, Alexis de Tocqueville, from whom we have quoted before, gave this warning to his friends in America:

“It would seem that if despotism were to be established among the democratic nations of our days, it might assume a different character; it would be more extensive and more mild; it would degrade men without tormenting them…”
Alexis de Tocqueville, 1840, Democracy in America

despotism = "The exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way." (Bing)

Remember that de Tocqueville was a Frenchman, and he was writing in the 1800’s:

He went on to say:

“It would be like the authority of a parent if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood… For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness; it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances: What remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living?
“…Thus it every day renders the exercise of the free agency of man less useful and less frequent; it circumscribes the will within a narrower range and gradually robs a man of all the uses of himself. The principle of equality has prepared men for these things; it has predisposed men to endure them and to often look on them as benefits.
“After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.”
Alexis de Tocqueville, 1840, Democracy in America

The Bible says this:

“Wisdom is better than strength… Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war…”
Ecclesiastes 9:16-18

And it says this:

“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
James 3:17

What can we do to gain such wisdom? We can listen to the words of those who have gone before us, and learn from their experience. Maybe Thomas Jefferson, Alexis de Tocqueville, and William Penn have something they can teach us–even us, in the 21st century.

Available on podcast and YouTube:

Also, see our book on Worldviews:

The 2020 Presidential Election

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Abraham Lincoln

It seems like something has been released upon America, and it reminds me of an old Star Trek episode.

The Bible (and an old song by Barry McGuire) says that there is a time for everything, including a time to keep silence, and a time to speak, as well as a time to hate, and a time of peace.

Regardless of one’s political views, it’s fair to say that it’s getting pretty ugly out there. And I think that one of the reasons this is happening is because people are confused.

For example, a lot of terms are thrown around by politicians and the media which we would do well to look at briefly:

Democrats = political party, started by Martin Van Buren, to support the candidacy of Andrew Jackson in 1828. In the 1850's, the part split over the issue of slavery, allowing Republican Abraham Lincoln to win the 1860 election. (History.com)

Republicans = political party, founded in 1854 to oppose the westward expansion of slavery in America. It's first presidential candidate was Abraham Lincoln. (History.com)

In his book, Are You Liberal? Conservative? or Confused?, Richard J. Maybury claims:

“Both (parties) tend to hover close to the center, which is where they perceive the bulk of the voters to be.”
Richard J. Maybury (“Uncle Eric”)

That was the way it was in the 1970’s (think Gerald Ford), but if you think back, American Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy could also be considered centrists or moderates.

Moderates (Centrists) = "One who is in the middle of the left-right spectrum...not to the extremes..." (Richard Maybury)

And even in the 1980’s, we had Conservatives and Liberals, like Ronald Reagan, “Teddy” Kennedy, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro. But it was still an era of compromise.

Modern Liberalism = "based, in general, on faith in progress and in the ability and goodness of man, and on the firm belief in the importance of the rights and welfare of the individual...Liberalism advocates steady change"  (Columbia Encyclopedia, 3rd Ed.)

Conservative = "the desire to maintain, or conserve, the existing order...Conservatives value highly the wisdom of the past and are generally opposed to widespread reform." (Columbia Encyclopedia, 3rd Ed.)

But nobody’s moderate now, and compromise has not happened in Washington D.C. since Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton produced The Contract for America (“one of the most significant developments in the political history of the United States“) in 1994.

Today, everyone–to quote Richard Maybury–is “to the extremes.”

But what would our Founding Fathers think of the nation that we’ve become? (For an excellent understanding of their point of view, I recommend, What Would Thomas Jefferson Think About This? by Richard J. Maybury.)

The popular musical Hamilton does a pretty good job of trying to tell us about them (See our blog ). They were Classical Liberals.

Classic Liberalism = "One who believes that the country should have a small, weak government, and free markets, and that the individual is endowed by his Creator with inalienable rights to his life, liberty, and property. Also, one who believes in Natural Law and common law, or Higher Law (think Thomas Jefferson)." (Richard Maybury)

But they were not radicals. Radicalism results in “widespread hysteria,” burning, and looting.

And it leads–in the end–to despotism, and the all-powerful State.

Statism = "The opposite of the original American philosophy (Classical Liberalism). Says political power is a good thing. Government is our friend, our protector, the solution to our problems, and there is no higher law than government's law." (Richard J Maybury)

There are many, many examples of this in history–in France, in Germany, in Russia, in China.

The Bible says:

“This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.”
1 John 4:3

One of my pastors once said something very wise about this. He said that every generation has an antichrist waiting in the wings. I think that is true. Yet, it’s really up to us. The Bible says:

” You know what currently restrains him…”
2 Thessalonians 2:6

The American people have restrained him before, and we can do it again.

“Wait for It…” (“What are you waiting for?”)

“Wait for It”

By now, most of us have seen the musical, “Hamilton.” (If not, I recommend you do!) The musical centers around the relationship between founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and “Aaron Burr, Sir.“

The men, Hamilton and Burr, remind one of several famous several pairs of counterparts in the Bible, such as Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Esau, and even Moses and the Pharaoh of Egypt.

First, let’s look at Abraham and Lot–the differences between them. Abraham is often referred to as a man of faith, though he screwed up a number times.

Genesis 12:1, God says to Abraham (then known as Abram), “Go…to the land that I will show you…”
Genesis 12:4 tells us, “So Abram went…”
Verse 7 “He built an altar to the Lord…”
Verse 8, he built another altar.
Genesis 13:8-9, there’s quarreling between Abram’s men, and his nephew, Lot’s.
The two men choose to separate.
Abram lets Lot choose west or east.
Verse 10, Lot chooses the east–the “better” land (the Jordan Valley).
Verse 12-13, that includes the city of Sodom.
Genesis 13:14-17, God’s promise to Abraham (not including Lot):

“Lift up thy eyes, and look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. All the land which thou seest, I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever.”
Genesis 13:14-17

Verse 18, Abram built another altar to the Lord.
Genesis 15:6 “(Abram, now called Abraham) believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. In other words, despite Abraham’s failures, God considered him to be a righteous man.

righteousness = "the quality or state of being just or rightful." (Dictionary.com)

We’ve all got to have something to believe in.

A song in the “Hamilton” musical says: Hamilton doesn’t hesitate.” Hamilton held strong beliefs, and acted on them. But the song points out that Burr was, instead, “lying in wait.” Burr was what the Bible calls “double-minded”

The Greek word originally used in the Bible to describe that is dipsos, which is G1373 in Stong’s Concordance: “wavering, uncertain, divided in interest, vacillating.”

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was like that.

Genesis 19: 7, Lot calls the wicked men of Sodom, “my brothers.”
Verse 8, he offers his own daughters to the men of Sodom.
Verse 9, the men of Sodom treat him like a hypocrite, saying, “he’s acting like a judge!”

In the Hebrew, the word that’s used is shaphat, H8199 (to act as law-giver).

Verse 14, When Lot advises them to flee the city for safety, “his sons-in-law thought he was joking”
Verse 18 When the angels tell Lot to flee to the mountains, Lot replies, “No, my lords—please…I can’t run to the mountains…I will die. Look, this town is close…Please let me go there…”
Verses 30-36, It didn’t turn out well.

But 2 Peter 2:8 calls Lot:

“The just soul…”
Douay-Rheims Bible

Other translations call him:

“That righteous man”
King James Version

How can that be?

Is it possible that right-standing with God is based on our beliefs (despite our less-than-virtuous behavior)?

In Genesis 25:34, we find the statement, “Esau despised his birthright.”

despise = "feel contempt or a deep repugnance for." (Bing)

The Hebrew word the Bible uses is bazah, which is H959 in Stong’s Concordance: “to despise, hold in contempt, disdain.”

Even a cursory look at the book of Genesis shows that Jacob did not have sterling character, but there was a difference between he and Esau, just as we will see that there was between Hamilton and Burr.

To begin with, as we said before, Esau revealed his character, see Gen 25:31).

This seems reminiscent to Shakespeare’s:

“This above all- to thine own self be true…”
Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3

Peoples’ choices–often made when under pressure, quite often end up determining their destinies.

From this perspective, let’s look at Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s early lives.

Their love stories and the births of their children could have been an opportunity for both men to turn their hearts in God’s direction.

In the song, “Dear Theodosia,” Burr says, “When you cried, you broke my heart.” Hamilton says, “When you smile I am undone… I fall apart, and I thought I was so smart.“

The Bible says:

“The Lord is near to the broken-hearted…”
Psalm 34:18

And:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart…”
Psalm 51:17

This reminds one of David, the man who committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed.

But in the New Testament he is called:

“A man after mine own heart…”
Acts 13:22

So what did happen to Hamilton and Burr?

In the song, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” Alexander Hamilton says, ““I take the children to church on Sunday / A sign of the cross at the door / And I pray / That never used to happen before.” In Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton, which was the inspiration for the musical, he writes: “It is striking how religion preoccupied Hamilton during his final years.”

♫“Forgiveness, can you imagine?”♫

The grace of God was available to both Hamilton and Burr’s lives, just as it had been to both Jacob and Esau. Yet, their legacies are the result of their choices.

The New Testament, looking back on Esau’s life in hindsight, calls him:

“(An) ‘immoral (and) godless person…who sold his own birthright for a single meal…though he sought for (the blessing) with tears.”
Hebrews 12:16-17

Under pressure–when “push came to shove“–Esau revealed his true nature by his choices. And this was the case with Hamilton and Burr.

In 1800, Aaron Burr had been elected Vice-President under Jefferson, but Jefferson said of him:

“[H]is conduct very soon inspired me with distrust…I habitually cautioned Mr. Madison against trusting him too much.”
Thomas Jefferson (Notes on a Conversation with Aaron Burr, January 26, 1804)

“I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.” and “I am a sinner. I look to His mercy.”
Alexander Hamilton

“On that subject I am coy.”
Last words of Aaron Burr

Burr’s enigmatic legacy, once considered a patriot hero, but later a rogue and probably, a conspirator in a “treasonable scheme” to take up arms against the government and seize land in the frontier of the Louisiana Purchase.

Burr’s is a notorious case. But was he outside the reach of God’s grace? That is a not only a profound question, but also a very practical one, that has ramifications for all of us. One might say that it (God’s grace) “doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints.“

In fact, the Bible distinctly says that:

“The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9

Does that mean that God’s promises are for everybody–that God’s “salvation” is universal?

No, but it is available to all who accept it, in spite of anything they may have done, in the same way that Hamilton seems to have done.

But is it possible to resist God’s grace?

Yes, we know that Esau must have rejected it (Hebrews 12:16-17).

Lot, though he seems to be a lot like Esau, did not. How do we know? (2 Peter 2:7).

Hamilton seems to have not.

“It is striking how religion preoccupied Hamilton during his final years.”
Ron Chernow

This apparent mystery is made clear in the story of Moses and Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Why? The Bible tells us that Pharaoh, like Esau, despised God.

despise = "feel contempt or a deep repugnance for." (Bing)

“Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice…?'”
Exodus 5:2

God was aware that Pharaoh held him in low esteem. But God did not react to Pharaoh in indignation.

indignation = "anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment."

Instead God gave Pharaoh ten opportunities to turn to humble himself before Him. But Pharaoh did not.

Have you ever seen the movie and TV show, Stargate SG-1? They really did an excellent job with their visualizations of the Goa’uld as the rulers of ancient Egypt.

These were wicked, evil, and arrogant people. And, like a lot of people in powerful positions, they were paranoid and petty.

“Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.“
Exodus 5:7

Think of Henry VIII of England.

God brought ten plagues upon the land of Egypt. Why?

The Bible tells us:

“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt…”
Exodus 7:5

People will argue that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. That’s true. But do you not know that God allows all of our hearts to be hardened, if we allow it? It’s true. Each “plague” that life throws in our path is an opportunity for us to harden our hearts, to raise a fist toward the heavens and curse God (Sovereign of the Universe). It may be a mystery, but it’s not a secret.

It’s simple. God wants us to want Him. Why? Is God insecure? No, God only wants authentic believers in His kingdom.

authentic = "not false or imitation" (Mirriam-Webster)

“Now for a little while…you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith…may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:6-7

“The Father seeketh such to worship Him.”
John 4:23

“I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me.”
Proverbs 8:17

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Acts 17:24-27

That is why the Bible tells us at least three different times:

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart…”
Psalm 95:6-11; Hebrews 3:7-19; Hebrews 4:1-8 (and see Deuteronomy 1:26-38)

Like Aaron Burr (who lost his wife, grandson, and precious daughter), Pharaoh lost his own son–his heir.

“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD…”
Exodus 12:30-31

And like Burr, Pharaoh–even at that point, even after all that suffering–turned away from all those opportunities to humble himself, to soften his heart, and to accept God’s grace.

“And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, ‘Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?’ …And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them… And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen… And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them…. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”
Exodus 14:5-29

Grace is always available to those who turn to God. And He, in His mercy redeems our life–our story.

redeem = "to buy back, repurchase;" "to free from captivity by payment of ransom;" "to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental;" "to release from blame or debt, clear;" "to free from the consequences of sin." (Mirriam-Webster)

So what about you? What are you waiting for?

Will you accept God’s offer of reconciliation and redemption? Will you accept His grace?

“Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When the Bible says (in the book of Nahum):

“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; He will never leave the guilty unpunished.”
Nahum 1: 3

A lot of people laugh.

Those people look around, and see riots, and fires, and hapless government leaders without solutions. They certainly do not see the guilty –if they actually believe there actually are any–punished.

The Bible (in Genesis 4) tells us that Cain killed his brother, Abel. Why did he do it?

The answer is there, in Genesis 4.

“Sin is crouching at the door…”
Genesis 4:7

What does that mean?

If you believe the Genesis account is moral fiction, just mythology, as Jordan Peterson does, then sin–as a concept–becomes a nothing more than a metaphor for chaos (contrasting with order).

But the Bible (in the book of Ecclesiastes) says:

“The hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts…”
Ecclesiastes 9:3

So, sin is the normative human condition.

This is confirmed in the book of Jeremiah:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick…”
Jeremiah 17:9

Racism is sin. Murder is sin. Rioting and looting are sin. Hating your brother is sin.

How do we fix the human heart?,

The book of Hebrews in the Bible was originally written to Jewish Christians, who knew the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, and it quotes from the 31st chapter of that book:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant… not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke… For this is the covenant that I will make… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people…”
Jeremiah 31:31-33

In other words, God will, through His Spirit–living within individual Christians–empower them to overcome sin, a feat that is otherwise impossible to humanity.

The book of Romans says:

“None is righteous, no, not one… no one does good, not even one… By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight…”
Romans 3:10-20

So, the rioters in the streets are wasting their time. The people in Minneapolis who are disbanding their police force, they’ve got it all wrong.

Then what’s the answer?

“On the way down the mountain trail, in the middle of a storm, Alvin (York) meets his God, in the form a lightening bolt, which melts his gun, and throws him from his mule. From that moment on, Alvin becomes a transformed man of faith, apologizing…for his former behavior… Under the leadership of the Pastor Rosier Pile (Walter Brennan) Alvin starts living his life according to Biblical teachings, growing his faith in God and His word.”
Howard Hawks’ “Sergeant York,” 1941

Alvin York, medal-of-honor winner from World War I, is a real life example of a man who learned to be a contributing member of society by becoming a Christian.

Another example is Desmond Doss, a medal of honor recipient from World War II.

Desmond Doss, hero of 2016’s “Hacksaw Ridge,” receiving medal-of-honor

According to People Magazine:

“Doss’s faith and courage were forged growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia… He was particularly intrigued by a illustration of the Sixth Commandment, showing Cain murdering his brother Abel.”
“The True Story of Hacksaw Ridge and Desmond Doss: the Medal of Honor Winner Who Never Fired a Shot“

The article goes on to say:

“Private Desmond Doss walked into the bloodiest battle of World War II’s Pacific theater with nothing to protect himself save for his Bible and his faith in God…”
“The True Story of Hacksaw Ridge and Desmond Doss…“

And heroics still happen in Lynchburg, VA:

Christians respond to racial strife in Lynchburg, June 1, 2020

So what’s going on in Lynchburg, VA?

In an effort to understand, we found a book about Jerry Falwell, Sr., the founder of both Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University (both in Lynchburg), whose son, Jerry Falwell, Jr., is currently being trashed on social media and being widely accused of racism. The book, titled, Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy, was written by Jerry Sr.’s wife, Macel Falwell, in 2008.

In the first chapter, she wrote:

“When angry protestors at Harvard University asked Jerry (Senior) if he was a racist, he replied, ‘I once was.'”
Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy

What did he mean?

Later in the book she elaborates:

“Jerry would realize that the Lord had been dealing with him about racism for years… Finally, Jerry realized that right was right and wrong was wrong, and he had to take a stand for what was right… He thought of the children in that Dominican Republic orphanage (where he had once done some missionary work), and the Christians he’d worked alongside in Jamaica, Haiti, and Puerto Rico… This day, he realized, had been coming for a long time…”
Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy

And this is how seemingly beleaguered Jerry Falwell, Jr remembers his father:

“The day before he died, Dad dropped by my office and said, ‘Go with me up to the (LU) monogram on Liberty Mountain.’ I was swamped with work and couldn’t afford the time… Then I saw the look on his face. It was rare to see him so disappointed. ‘You know (Jerry Jr said), on second thought, I would love to go.’ We sat up on top of the mountain and talked to Liberty University students. It was one of Dad’s last gifts to me, and I will always cherish the memory.”
Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy

Hebrews 10:16 says:

“I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds…”
Hebrews 10:16

Mrs. Falwell, in the book, was careful to point out the rough-and-tumble life that Jerry Falwell had known before God got ahold of him–just like Alvin York. She included all the tasty tidbits that so many people have used to try to destroy what has happened here in Lynchburg. But through it all, making a difference in the world–and doing what he thought God wanted him to do, is what this man was all about (in spite of his faults, in spite of his critics).

The Bible says:

“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Romans 4:3

And John Wesley (founder of Methodism, and largely credited with transforming nineteenth-century England to such an extant that it was spared from the revolutions that were occurring all over Europe at that time) said:

“Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.”
from a letter in the Works of John Wesley

Wesley is often quoted as saying:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
In all the ways you can, in all the places you can,
At all the times you can, to all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
Attributed to John Wesley

Those words certainly apply to Jerry Falwell’s life as well. And just as Abraham’s, and Wesley’s legacy lived on for many generations, the same will be said about Falwell’s.

This modern worship song could be said to express Falwell’s story well:

“Revival’s in the Air“