The Use of Force, Part 5 (A Christian Manifesto Today #58)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Force, Part 5 (A Christian Manifesto Today #58) with Daniel Whyte III

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #58. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Pastor and Christian philosopher, Francis A. Schaeffer, warned us and created the war plan that we as Christians need today to deal with a society that is increasingly moving away from God, the Bible, and moral principles. He wrote “A Christian Manifesto” over 33 years ago and its words are just as relevant today as they were back then.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Matthew 22:21 which reads: “Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Thomas Jefferson. He said: “If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Force” (Part 5):

And fourth, we must say that speaking of civil disobedience is frightening because there are so many kooky people around. People are always irresponsible in a fallen world. But we live in a special time of irresponsible people, and such people will in their unbalanced way tend to do the very opposite from considering the appropriate means at the appropriate time and place. Anarchy is never appropriate.

But these very real problems do not change the principle that the men of the Reformation and the Founding Fathers of the United States knew and operated on. This principle is that there is a bottom line that must be faced squarely if the state is not to become all-powerful and usurp God’s primacy. We must recognize that there is a bottom line if we are to have real freedom of thought and action at the present time—even if, happily, we never reach that bottom line. If we have not faced the possibility of civil disobedience, if needed, our thinking and action at the present time will lack the freedom they should have. Locke understood that. Without the possibility of his fourth point—the right to resist unlawful authority—the other three would have been meaningless.

All the problems which do indeed exist do not change the need of thinking about the possibility of civil disobedience. Let us remind ourselves that Jonathan Blanchard and Charles Finney in their day thought through and taught this bottom line in regard to the need for the abolition of slavery. They taught this—facing the possibility that they might have to pay the price of going to jail, or more, if that was the result of civil disobedience.

The colonists followed Rutherford’s model in the American Revolution. They elected representatives from every state who, by way of the Declaration of Independence, protested the acts of Great Britain. Failing that, they defended themselves by force.

The Declaration of Independence contains many elements of the Reformation thinking of Knox and Rutherford and should be carefully considered when discussing resistance. It speaks directly to the responsibility of citizens concerning oppressive civil government.

After recognizing man’s God-given absolute rights, the Declaration goes on to declare that whenever civil government becomes destructive of these rights, “it is the right of the people to alter and abolish it, and institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” The Founding Fathers, in the spirit of Lex Rex, cautioned in the Declaration of Independence that established governments should not be altered or abolished for “light and transient causes.” But when there is a “long train of abuses and usurpations” designed to produce an oppressive, authoritarian state, “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government…”

Simply put, the Declaration of Independence states that the people, if they find that their basic rights are being systematically attacked by the state, have a duty to try to change that government, and if they cannot do so, to abolish it.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Force, Part 3 (A Christian Manifesto Today #56)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Force, Part 3 (A Christian Manifesto Today #56) with Daniel Whyte III

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #56. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Exodus 1:15-21 which reads: “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He said: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Force” (Part 3):

Second, it is frightening when we realize that our consideration of these things, and this book, will certainly get behind the Iron Curtain and into other tyrannical countries where Christians face these questions in practice every day of their lives, in prison or out of prison. Their position is very different from ours. We have freedom from physical oppression and they do not.

The early church carried out their civil disobedience in the only way available to them. They came to the clear issue of worshipping Caesar or not, and rebelled in refusing to do so, though they knew the cost.

It seems to me that in most of the Iron Curtain countries the Christians are in about the same position as the early church. They are not in a position to change the system because of their low numbers, because as Christians they are systematically shut out of places of influence, and because of the iron control. Thus they must resist, in the manner the early church did, when they are commanded to disobey God. An illustration would be the state’s command not to give their children religious training. To do so is considered an act of civil disobedience under the Criminal Codes of the Soviet Union. Jan Pit in Persecution: It Will Never Happen Here? writes about one of the restrictions on religious freedom in Iron Curtain countries: “Christians are forbidden to teach religion to children; therefore Sunday schools and youth gatherings are not allowed. Even within the home, Christian training is not to take place.” That clearly disobeys God’s commands—as well as the parents’ deepest longings if indeed the parents believe Christ is the way of eternal life—and the law would have to be disobeyed. Civil disobedience in that case would be continuing the instruction and, if apprehended, paying the price of being sent to the labor camps in Siberia, which at times still means certain death, and certainly great suffering. The labor camps take the place of the lions.

In the communist countries and in other countries in Africa, etc., God’s leading might be to further action as in Poland at the present time—or at some point to an even more violent action.

With their idea of the “Perfectibility of Man” the Soviet leaders expected the “New Man” to be brought forth by changed economic conditions. This, of course, has not happened. The Christians have the opportunity to show that Christ, and the Christian understanding of reality, can, and do, bring forth the “New Man”—not perfectly of course until Christ returns, but still in a substantial way, whereas the Soviets have failed. In order for Christians to show forth the New Man they must demonstrate a positive practice and exhibit a caring Christian community in the group and care beyond the Christian group. But showing forth the New Man also means a standing against the law of the state which would destroy the very things Christians should produce in society. The civil disobedience forced upon them by the tyranny of the state is an essential part of being the New Man, because to obey would destroy both what Christians should be and also what they should be producing in society.

Three things must be stressed for those in all totalitarian countries:

A platonic concept of spirituality which does not include all of life is not true biblical spirituality. True spirituality touches all of life, including things of government and law, and not just “religious things.”
We who are outside of such countries must allow those in these countries to know what “the appropriate level” is in their time and place. We in our place of lesser physical danger must not heap guilt on them. That is not to say that some of them will not compromise, but that is their responsibility before God.
They should understand that there is a bottom line of civil disobedience on the appropriate level. They should recognize that this is biblical because any government that commands what contradicts God’s Law abrogates its authority. It is no longer our proper legal government, and at that point we have the right, and the duty, to disobey it.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Force, Part 2 (A Christian Manifesto Today #55)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Force, Part 2 (A Christian Manifesto Today #55) with Daniel Whyte III

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #55. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from C.S. Lewis. He said: “If war is ever lawful, then peace is sometimes sinful.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Force” (Part 2):

Fourth, the State must be made to feel the presence of the Christian community.

State officials must know that we are serious about stopping abortion, which is a matter of clear principle concerning the babies themselves and concerning a high view of human life. This may include doing such things as sit-ins in legislatures and courts, including the Supreme Court, when other constitutional means fail. We must make people aware that this is not a political game, but totally crucial and serious. And we must also demonstrate to people that there is indeed a proper bottom line. To repeat: the bottom line is that at a certain point there is not only the right, but the duty, to disobey the state.

Of course, this is scary. There are at least four reasons why.

First, we must make definite that we are in no way talking about any kind of a theocracy. Let me say that with great emphasis. Witherspoon, Jefferson, the American Founders had no idea of a theocracy. That is made plain by the First Amendment, and we must continually emphasize the fact that we are not talking about some kind, or any kind, of a theocracy.

In the Old Testament there was a theocracy commanded by God. In the New Testament, with the church being made up of Jews and Gentiles, and spreading over all the known world from India to Spain in one generation, the church was its own entity. There is no New Testament basis for a linking of church and state until Christ, the King returns. The whole “Constantine mentality” from the fourth century up to our day was a mistake. Constantine, as the Roman Emperor, in 313 ended the persecution of Christians. Unfortunately, the support he gave to the church led by 381 to the enforcing of Christianity, by Theodosius I, as the official state religion. Making Christianity the official state religion opened the way for confusion up till our own day. There have been times of very good government when this interrelationship of church and state has been present. But through the centuries it has caused great confusion between loyalty to the state and loyalty to Christ, between patriotism and being a Christian.

We must not confuse the Kingdom of God with our country. To say it another way: “We should not wrap Christianity in our national flag.”

None of this, however, changes the fact that the United States was founded upon a Christian consensus, nor that we today should bring Judeo-Christian principles into play in regard to government. But that is very different from a theocracy in name or in fact.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Force, Part 1 (A Christian Manifesto Today #54)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Force, Part 1 (A Christian Manifesto Today #54) with Daniel Whyte III

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #54. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from R.C. Sproul Jr. He said: “Christians should be at abortion mills, all of them, every day. And we should not be silent. What we should be doing is proclaiming the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be imploring butchers, butchers’ assistants, boyfriends, grandmothers, pregnant moms to turn from their sin, to repent and throw themselves on the mercy of God in Christ. We should be pleading with the blind that they not further sear their consciences, and dance across the precipice of hell. We should be calling men to be men, to protect rather than murder their children. …The Christian Right stands now at a crossroads. Our choices are these: Either we can play the game and enjoy the honor that comes from being players in the political arena, or we can become fools for Christ. Either we will ignore the silent screams of the unborn so that we might be heard, or we will identify with the suffering and speak for those who are silenced. In short, either we will speak for the least of these, or we will continue to sell our souls for a mess of political pottage.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Force” (Part 1):

There does come a time when force, even physical force, is appropriate. The Christian is not to take the law into his own hands and become a law unto himself. But when all avenues to flight and protest have closed, force in the defensive posture is appropriate. This was the situation of the American Revolution. The colonists used force in defending themselves. Great Britain, because of its policy toward the colonies, was seen as a foreign power invading America. The colonists defended their homeland. As such, the American Revolution was a conservative counterrevolution. The colonists saw the British as the revolutionaries trying to overthrow the legitimate colonial governments.

A true Christian in Hitler’s Germany and in the occupied countries should have defied the false and counterfeit state and hidden his Jewish neighbors from the German SS Troops. The government had abrogated its authority, and it had no right to make any demands.

This brings us to a current issue that is crucial for the future of the church in the United States—the issue of abortion. What is involved is the whole issue of the value of human life. A recent report indicates that for every three live births, one child is aborted. Christians must come to the children’s defense, and Christians must come to the defense of human life as such.

This defense should be carried out on at least four fronts:

First, we should aggressively support a human life bill or a constitutional amendment protecting unborn children.

Second, we must enter the courts seeking to overturn the Supreme Court’s abortion decision.

Third, legal and political action should be taken against hospitals and abortion clinics that perform abortions.

In order to operate, many hospitals and abortion clinics receive tax money in some form-at least from individual states. Our representatives must be confronted with political force (if they will not do so out of principle) into introducing legislation cutting off such funds. If this fails, then lawsuits should be initiated to stop such funds from flowing to such institutions.

Simultaneously with these steps, some Christians have picketed. I greatly admired Dr. William S. Barker, President of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, when he supported seminary students who had been arrested for picketing an abortion clinic in St. Louis. The Covenant Seminary students said:

“We feel we owe the Covenant community an explanation. First, we consulted a lawyer on what is the most effective way to combat this problem; according to him, it is through being arrested which most effectually draws attention to the situation.

“Second, we wanted to demonstrate to the media and to the courts that abortion is not primarily a Catholic issue.

“Third, we felt the need to demonstrate our commitment in the view of the media and the pro-life organizations. We felt our Christian testimony was at stake here.

“Finally, we wanted to get involved in the court system: our case will receive a trial and could possibly be taken to higher courts. If abortion is to be eradicated, it will have to be through the proper legal means.

“It was not an easy decision to be disobedient to the magistrates, but in light of the facts—the destroying of human life on a grand scale—we felt this was the most effective way to respond. It is an urgent situation which requires response now.”

Dr. Barker acknowledged some differences within the seminary community but explained that he personally supported the students:

“Such non-violent civil disobedience is proper, I believe, when other channels have been exhausted or will not serve to avoid or oppose the evil which one finds he cannot in obedience to God ignore or tolerate. At the same time one who violates man’s law must be prepared to suffer the consequences.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 6 (A Christian Manifesto Today #53)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 6 (A Christian Manifesto Today #53)

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #53. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Abraham Lincoln. He said: “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Civil Disobedience” (Part 6):

One of the unhappy things in our country is that when states have objected to the continued encroachment on the original rights of the individual states, the objection has usually been motivated by some selfish end. However, if this could be put aside and the matter considered objectively, then we must realize that the individual states, in the origin of the United States, did not trust an overly powerful Federal Government, and the Constitution limited the Federal Government to definite areas. It was understood that powers not specifically granted to the Federal Government were not its prerogative.

James Madison (1751-1836) in The Federalist, no. 45, wrote: “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which remain in the state governments are numerous and indefinite.” In the intervening years this has been totally reversed.

Having lived in Switzerland for thirty-three years, I am especially sensitive to this. The individual Swiss cantons have courageously resisted the growth of Federal encroachment in Switzerland much more resolutely than the states have in the United States. Thus, the checks and balances in government between canton and Federal Government are functioning for governmental freedom in Switzerland much better than those between the individual states and the Federal Government in the United States. In our day, the checks and balances in government which resulted from the Reformation are functioning in this regard more consistently in Switzerland than they are in the United States. In Switzerland, federal statism has thus been somewhat restrained.

We must realize that the Reformation world view leads in the direction of government freedom. But the humanist worldview with inevitable certainty leads in the direction of statism. This is so because humanists, having no god, must put something at the center, and it is inevitably society, government, or the state. Russia is the perfect example. But with the weakening or loss of the Christian consensus the Reformation countries have also become an example—including the United States. Thus, if the United States is to move back toward the original Reformation basis, this would mean severely limiting the scope of Federal State authority.

It is curious that the present Socialist Government in France, out of sheer pragmatism, is trying to dismantle its overly centralized government. It may be only pragmatic and “political,” but it is instructive. This overcentralization is the outgrowth of Napoleon’s Governmental Code. They are trying to dismantle the authoritarian result which was produced by the chaos caused by the French Revolution. These results of chaos and then Napoleon’s resulting authoritarian regime with its network of administrative bureaucracy were the very opposite of that which was produced by the American Revolution on its base which placed God above the government. It is worth repeating James Madison’s statement concerning the purpose of the United States Constitution: “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which remain in the state governments are numerous and indefinite.” But as the Judeo-Christian consensus in the United States has weakened and all but disappeared, with lack of vision even from a pragmatic perspective, let alone principle, the United States federal government has continually taken over the very power the original government of the United States did its best to curtail, limit, and resist.

Again we must see that what we face is a totality and not just bits and pieces. It is not too strong to say that we are at war, and there are no neutral parties in the struggle. One either confesses that God is the final authority, or one confesses that Caesar is Lord.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 4 (A Christian Manifesto Today #51)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 4 (A Christian Manifesto Today #51)

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #51. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Acts 5:40-42 which reads: “And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Thomas Jefferson. He said: “If a law is unjust a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Civil Disobedience” (Part 4):

Another illustration would be Christian schools resisting the undue entanglement and interference of the state into their affairs. This same thing is equally true for other private schools. That might include resisting the Internal Revenue Service’s use of its tax rulings if they were used to enforce such undue entanglement and interference. Again there would be trials and possibly jail for someone. But at a certain point there may be no other effective protest.

The problem in relation to a state public school system is not just an abstract possibility. As I write, a case of undue entanglement and interference is in the courts in a situation that corresponds exactly to Samuel Rutherford’s concept of the proper procedure for a corporate body to resist.

The state of Arkansas has passed a law allowing creation to be taught in the public schools. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is trying to have this law revoked, saying it violates the separation of church and state.

Here is a clear case fitting Rutherford’s criteria. The state of Arkansas has passed a law. The courts are being used by the ACLU to try to nullify a state law which has the support of the original meaning of the First Amendment. The ACLU is arguing its case based upon a certain concept of the separation of church and state. But it must be stressed that this concept is entirely new and novel from the viewpoint of the original intent of the First Amendment and the total intent of the Founding Fathers. This new separation concept is a product of the recent humanist dominance in the United States and is being used in this case to destroy the power of a properly elected state legislature’s “sovereign” ruling.

The ACLU is acting as the arm of the humanist consensus to force its view on the majority of the Arkansas state officials.

If there was ever a clearer example of the lower “magistrates” being treated with tyranny, it would be hard to find. And this would be a time, if the appeal courts finally rule tyrannically, for the state government to protest and refuse to submit. This fits Rutherford’s proper procedures exactly.

It is a time for Christians and others who do not accept the narrow and bigoted humanist views rightfully to use the appropriate forms of protest.

In this case in Arkansas the ACLU has shown that it is the reverse of a civil liberties union. It is trying to make the schools totally secularism, against the majority wishes of the Arkansas Legislature, and probably the majority of the citizens of the state of Arkansas. Under the guise of “civil liberties” it is tyranny, and not only the individual states should resist but the people should resist. The Humanist forces have used the courts rather than the legislatures because the courts are not subject to the people’s thinking and expression by the election process—and especially they (the courts) are not subject to reelection. This is also related to the courts increasingly making law and thus the diminishing of the Federal and state legislatures. The people must act against tyranny by returning these issues to themselves. The Time magazine article of January 18, 1982 reporting on the lower courts ruling against the Arkansas legislature spoke of “a poll showing that 76 percent of the United States public favors the teaching of both theories”—i.e., evolution and creation. Thus if the poll is accurate, the lower court’s ruling is openly contrary to the will of not only the legislature of Arkansas and the people of Arkansas but to 76 percent of the United States population. Any election figure getting such a percentage would consider this a mandate. Surely, the Founding Fathers would have considered this situation to be tyranny. It would be appropriate to remember the Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 3 (A Christian Manifesto Today #50)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 3 (A Christian Manifesto Today #50)

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #50. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Daniel 6:10-13 which reads: “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Calvin Coolidge. He said: “Men do not make laws. They do but discover them. Laws must be justified by something more than the will of the majority. They must rest on the eternal foundation of righteousness.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Civil Disobedience” (Part 3):

As Knox and Rutherford illustrate, however, the proper use of force is not only the province of the state. Such an assumption is born of naivete. It leaves us without sufficient remedy when and if the state takes on totalitarian dimensions.

One factor today that is different from Rutherford’s day is that due to the immense power of the modern state there may be no place to flee. The Pilgrims could escape tyranny by fleeing to America. But today this is often much more complicated and for many in the world today the frontiers are closed.

At this time in our history, protest is our most visible alternative. This is because in our country the freedom that allows us to use protest to the maximum still exists. However, we must realize that protest is a form of force. This is very much so with the so-called “nonviolent resistance.” This was, and is, not a negation of force, but a choice of the kind of force to be used.

In our day an illustration for the need of protest is tax money being used for abortion. After all the normal constitutional means of protest had been exhausted, then what could be done? At some point protest could lead some Christians to refuse to pay some portion of their tax money. Of course, this would mean a trial. Such a move would have to be the individual’s choice under God. No one should decide for another. But somewhere along the way, such a decision might easily have to be faced. Happily, at the present time in the United States the Hyde Amendment has removed the use of national tax money for abortions, but that does not change the possibility that in some cases such a protest would be the only way to be heard. One can think, for example, of the tax money going to Planned Parenthood which is openly a propaganda agency for abortion.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 2 (A Christian Manifesto Today #49)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 2 (A Christian Manifesto Today #49)

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #49. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Pastor and Christian philosopher, Francis A. Schaeffer, warned us and created the war plan that we as Christians need today to deal with a society that is increasingly moving away from God, the Bible, and moral principles. He wrote “A Christian Manifesto” over many years ago and its words are just as relevant today as they were back then.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Exodus 1:15-21 which reads: “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one [was] Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see [them] upon the stools; if it [be] a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it [be] a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women; for they [are] lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Martin Luther King Jr. He said: “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Civil Disobedience” (Part 2):

In a similar way John Locke (1623-1704) approached the same problem. Locke took Rutherford’s Lex Rex and secularized it. Locke, though secularizing Lex Rex and the Presbyterian tradition, nevertheless drew heavily from it. Locke made four basic points:

inalienable rights;
government by consent;
separation of powers;
the right of revolution (or you could word it, the right to resist unlawful authority).

These were the four points of Locke which were acted upon by the men among the American Founders who followed Locke.

Witherspoon certainly knew Samuel Rutherford’s writing well. The other Founding Fathers may have known him. They certainly knew about Locke. And for both Lex Rex and Locke there comes a time when there must be civil disobedience on the appropriate level. One begins not on the highest level, but on the appropriate level at one’s own point of history.

Many within the Christian community would agree that Christians can protest and take flight in the face of state oppression. However, force of any kind is a place where many Christians stop short.

Force, as used in this book, means compulsion or constraint exerted upon a person (or persons) or on an entity such as the state.

When discussing force it is important to keep an axiom in mind: always before protest or force is used, we must work for reconstruction. In other words, we should attempt to correct and rebuild society before we advocate tearing it down or disrupting it.

If there is a legitimate reason for the use of force, and if there is a vigilant precaution against its overreaction in practice, then at a certain point a use of force is justifiable. We should recognize, however, that overreaction can too easily become the ugly horror of sheer violence. Therefore, the distinction between force and violence is crucial. Os Guinness in The Dust of Death writes:

Without such a distinction there can be no legitimate justification for authority or discipline of any kind, whether on a parental or on a presidential level. In a fallen world the ideal of legal justice without the exercise of force is naive. Societies need a police force, a man has the right to defend his wife from assault. A feature of any society which can achieve a measure of freedom within form is that responsibility implies discipline. This is true at the various structural levels of society—in the sphere of the state, business, the community, the school, respectively.

In a fallen world, force in some form will always be necessary. We must not forget that every presently existing government uses and must use force in order to exist. Two principles, however, must always be observed. First, there must be a legitimate basis and a legitimate exercise of force. Second, any overreaction crosses the line from force to violence. And unmitigated violence can never be justified.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 1 (A Christian Manifesto Today Episode #48)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Use of Civil Disobedience, Part 1 (A Christian Manifesto Today Episode #48)

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #48. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Daniel 3:8-18 which reads: “Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, [that] he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in [his] rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, [Is it] true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; [well]: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who [is] that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Samuel Rutherford. He said: “When the supreme magistrate will not execute the judgment of the Lord, those who made him supreme magistrate, under God, who have under God, sovereign liberty to dispose of crowns and kingdoms, are to execute the judgment of the Lord, when wicked men make the law of God of none effect.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Civil Disobedience” (Part 1):

Civil disobedience is, of course, a very serious matter and it must be stressed that Rutherford was the very opposite of an anarchist. In Lex Rex he does not propose armed revolution as an automatic solution. Instead, he sets forth the appropriate response to interference by the state in the liberties of citizenry. Specifically, he stated that if the state deliberately is committed to destroying its ethical commitment to God then resistance is appropriate.

In such an instance, for the private person, the individual, Rutherford suggested that there are three appropriate levels of resistance. First, he must defend himself by protest (in contemporary society this would most often be by legal action); second, he must flee if at all possible; and, third, he may use force, if necessary, to defend himself. One should not employ force if he may save himself by flight; nor should one employ flight if he can save himself and defend himself by protest and the employment of constitutional means of redress. Rutherford illustrated this pattern of resistance from the life of David as it is recorded in the Old Testament.

On the other hand, when the state commits illegitimate acts against a corporate body—such as a duly constituted state or local body, or even a church—then flight is often an impractical and unrealistic means of resistance. Therefore, with respect to a corporate group or community, there are two levels of resistance: remonstration (or protest) and then, if necessary, force employed in self-defense. In this respect, Rutherford cautioned that a distinction must be made between a lawless uprising and lawful resistance.

For a corporate body (a civil entity), when illegitimate state acts are perpetrated upon it, resistance should be under the protection of the duly constituted authorities: if possible, it should be under the rule of the lesser magistrates (local officials). Rutherford urged that the office of the local official is just as much from God as is the office of the highest state official. Rutherford said, “When the supreme magistrate will not execute the judgment of the Lord, those who made him supreme magistrate, under God, who have under God, sovereign liberty to dispose of crowns and kingdoms, are to execute the judgment of the Lord, when wicked men make the law of God of none effect.”

Samuel Rutherford and Bob Dylan would have understood each other. In “When You Gonna Wake Up” from the album Slow Train Coming. Dylan has the lines:

Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools
You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules

When you gonna wake up,
When you gonna wake up,
When you gonna wake up,
And strengthen the things that remain?

The difference in the centuries, and the difference in the language used, changes nothing.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!

The Limits of Civil Obedience, Part 7 (A Christian Manifesto Today Episode #47)

Gospel Light Society Podcasts · The Limits of Civil Obedience, Part 7 (A Christian Manifesto Today Episode #47)

Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #47. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.

Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is 1 Peter 2:13-15 which reads: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:”

Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from Samuel Rutherford. He said: “Arbitrary governing hath no alliance with God.”

In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Limits of Civil Obedience” (Part 7):

Rutherford argued that Romans 13 indicates that all power is from God and that government is ordained and instituted by God. The state, however, is to be administered according to the principles of God’s Law. Acts of the state which contradicted God’s Law were illegitimate and acts of tyranny. Tyranny was defined as ruling without the sanction of God.

Rutherford held that a tyrannical government is always immoral. He said that “a power ethical, politic, or moral, to oppress, is not from God, and is not a power, but a licentious deviation of a power; and is no more from God, but from sinful nature and the old serpent, than a license to sin.”

Rutherford presents several arguments to establish the right and duty of resistance to unlawful government. First, since tyranny is satanic, not to resist it is to resist God—to resist tyranny is to honor God. Second, since the ruler is granted power conditionally, it follows that the people have the power to withdraw their sanction if the proper conditions are not fulfilled. The civil magistrate is a “fiduciary figure”—that is, he holds his authority in trust for the people. Violation of the trust gives the people a legitimate base for resistance.

It follows from Rutherford’s thesis that citizens have a moral obligation to resist unjust and tyrannical government. While we must always be subject to the office of the magistrate, we are not to be subject to the man in that office who commands that which is contrary to the Bible.

Rutherford offered suggestions concerning illegitimate acts of the state. A ruler, he wrote, should not be deposed merely because he commits a single breach of the compact he has with the people. Only when the magistrate acts in such a way that the governing structure of the country is being destroyed—that is, when he is attacking the fundamental structure of society—is he to be relieved of his power and authority.

That is exactly what we are facing today. The whole structure of our society is being attacked and destroyed. It is being given an entirely opposite base which gives exactly opposite results. The reversal is much more total and destructive than that which Rutherford or any of the Reformers faced in their day.

Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.

Let’s Pray.

* * * * * * * *

Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!