Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Christian Freedom, Part 2
Christians know that men are inherently bad and MUST BE GOVERNED. Libertarians believe men are inherently good and don’t need to be governed! So why the tentative alliance? Conservative Christians drew the line a long time ago and the Left has been crossing it over and over again. Thus, I quote A Christian Manifesto by Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer:
“…With the prevalence of Marxist thinking—especially with the attempted synthesis of Marxism and Christianity in certain forms of liberation theology—[civil disobedience] could become a Marxist and terrorist tool to bring anarchy. Or in a similar vein, it could become a tool to impose by force the humanist world view resulting in the loss of humanness (man’s reliance on God for Truth and his freedom of choice, my words) and in some form of authoritarianism.
“Much of liberation theology is built on the concept of Man being basically good, linked with the idea that all people need is to be released from their economic chains. This is utopian, because Man is not basically good (bound only by social, economic, and political chains, Schaeffer’s words). Man is fallen. The Perfectibility of Man was the basis of much of the Enlightenment and of the French Revolution. Theoretically it was a basis of the Marxist-Lenin revolution in Russia. Each place this concept of the Perfectibility of Man has been acted on it has led to tragedy, to political chains, and to the loss of humanness (freedom, mine) (footnoted, How Should We Then Live?, chpt. 6) Every attempt to put this utopian concept into practice has led to failure because it is false to what Man as he now is, really is. Man is not intrinsically unselfish, corrupted only by outward circumstances. He is fallen; he is not what he was created to be.
“Even if some in this general stream of thought do not go as far as to be infiltrated by Marxism and the concept of the Perfectibility of Man, there is still the danger of confusing the Kingdom of God with the socialistic program.”
Sheer brilliance, published originally in 1981 when most of us didn’t get it. Schaeffer doesn’t dwell on this in A Christian Manifesto, nor do any Christian authors really delve into it; at least Dr. Schaeffer said it. The Religious Left (the term as heard on Quinn) is a protected class among Christians. I have no idea why. Personally, they should be the FIRST to go. I’m talking a war of words. What have we with which to reach the lost? One dreadfully broken Church in a divided culture, with two entirely different world views. “Christ and the Cross”, will come the resounding answer. Problem is, that answer is wrong. What purpose has a Cross without a Fall? At least half the Church believes man can save himself through socialistic measures, that men are not truly fallen. The crux of Christian living is surrender to GOD, not GOVERNMENT!
“Jesus said,’You are truly My disciples if you live as I tell you to, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” ~John 8:31,32
Freedom, in other words, can be defined as self-governing. Anarchy is never freedom. In a self-governing society, under God, honesty, sincerity, love and compassion deriving from relationship with God and men in an open and free republic is the source of strength. Freedom is NOT the source of power. Ditch the religion = Ditch the strength.
Just a note: I won't be able to check comments this week but I can't wait till I get back to you all!
“…With the prevalence of Marxist thinking—especially with the attempted synthesis of Marxism and Christianity in certain forms of liberation theology—[civil disobedience] could become a Marxist and terrorist tool to bring anarchy. Or in a similar vein, it could become a tool to impose by force the humanist world view resulting in the loss of humanness (man’s reliance on God for Truth and his freedom of choice, my words) and in some form of authoritarianism.
“Much of liberation theology is built on the concept of Man being basically good, linked with the idea that all people need is to be released from their economic chains. This is utopian, because Man is not basically good (bound only by social, economic, and political chains, Schaeffer’s words). Man is fallen. The Perfectibility of Man was the basis of much of the Enlightenment and of the French Revolution. Theoretically it was a basis of the Marxist-Lenin revolution in Russia. Each place this concept of the Perfectibility of Man has been acted on it has led to tragedy, to political chains, and to the loss of humanness (freedom, mine) (footnoted, How Should We Then Live?, chpt. 6) Every attempt to put this utopian concept into practice has led to failure because it is false to what Man as he now is, really is. Man is not intrinsically unselfish, corrupted only by outward circumstances. He is fallen; he is not what he was created to be.
“Even if some in this general stream of thought do not go as far as to be infiltrated by Marxism and the concept of the Perfectibility of Man, there is still the danger of confusing the Kingdom of God with the socialistic program.”
Sheer brilliance, published originally in 1981 when most of us didn’t get it. Schaeffer doesn’t dwell on this in A Christian Manifesto, nor do any Christian authors really delve into it; at least Dr. Schaeffer said it. The Religious Left (the term as heard on Quinn) is a protected class among Christians. I have no idea why. Personally, they should be the FIRST to go. I’m talking a war of words. What have we with which to reach the lost? One dreadfully broken Church in a divided culture, with two entirely different world views. “Christ and the Cross”, will come the resounding answer. Problem is, that answer is wrong. What purpose has a Cross without a Fall? At least half the Church believes man can save himself through socialistic measures, that men are not truly fallen. The crux of Christian living is surrender to GOD, not GOVERNMENT!
“Jesus said,’You are truly My disciples if you live as I tell you to, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” ~John 8:31,32
Freedom, in other words, can be defined as self-governing. Anarchy is never freedom. In a self-governing society, under God, honesty, sincerity, love and compassion deriving from relationship with God and men in an open and free republic is the source of strength. Freedom is NOT the source of power. Ditch the religion = Ditch the strength.
Just a note: I won't be able to check comments this week but I can't wait till I get back to you all!
