Biblical Landmarks

What is the meaning of original intent?

The legal framework of the western world has been challenged by a new doctrine.

The older doctrine is the idea of “original intent”. This means that the law, usually the Federal Constitution, is to be interpreted as it was originally intended.

The newer idea of reinterpretation of the Constitution to produce a different outcome is the result of a different view of life, the Constitution, and its purpose. Legal positivism, as it is called, is the idea that there is no inherent connection between law and morality.

Without a moral basis, you get reinterpretation after reinterpretation. There is no fixed law.

Have you noticed, though, how this pattern of legal theory mirrors what has gone on in interpretation of the Bible?

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HOW WE GOT OUT OF THE MESS — ONCE!

Are you one of those people who think America is about to collapse?

If so, let me tell you the sign you need to see to indicate the end is near.

There are many commentators who tell us that the USA is no longer a great nation, that financial irresponsibility has driven the value of the dollar down, inflation is rampant, and only the right presidential candidate will solve the problem.

If you’re like me, you’ve heard these challenging commentaries and predictions for many years. The present financial issues with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are an indicator, they say, that the end is nigh.

There are, of course, some parallels with the Roman Empire. It, too, collapsed from within. Excessive taxation, debased currency, and a social welfare system gone astray.

But there is one particular aspect of the fall of Rome that is not present in the USA or any other western nation –at least, not yet, anyway. It is this.

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If the Roman Empire Collapsed Internally, What Brought About the Demise of Christendom?

The Medieval period in Europe, for all its faults, was a system of low taxes, local self-government, and a period of economic expansion.

This is in contrast to the Roman Empire which it replaced. it is also in stark contrast to those non-European nations that had not embraced Christianity.

We, however, no longer live in the medieval world. Instead, we live at the end of a period that has seen the rise of the nation-state that has effectively replaced localized self-government.

This change to the medieval world could only take place when three steps were completed:

1. The kings/rulers got control of the courts.
2. The kings/rulers got control of taxes (and money)
3. People were willing to abandon loyalty to family and church in favor of the state.

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Life is a journey, and so is understanding the Bible. One of the significant “shifts” in my thinking came about when I read a book, Baptism, by G.R. Beasley-Murray. It is purported to be the defense of the adult/immersionist position.

Now the book is a challenge to read. It is hard going. Until you get to page 94:

“In this kind of study it must be admitted that certainty is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. But if probability be the guide to life, I am of the opinion that the way forward is tolerably clear here.” G.R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism, Macmillan, 1973, p. 94.

The author recognizes the difficulty he is having in establishing his view from historical data. Certainty, he says, is difficult, if not impossible.

What’s the solution?
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The “Golden Age” of Applied Christianity

The victors write the history books, it is claimed.

Yet history is being rewritten in our own age by a new breed of scholars who are telling us a different story about the “Dark Ages.” In this case, it is not only a different story, it is a better story.

With the rise of the Enlightenment and its rampant anti-Christianity came a view of the past called the “Dark Ages”. It referred to the period after the collapse of the Roman Empire, and covered the next few hundred years; for some people, the “Dark Ages” remained until the humanistic Renaissance appeared. Why? Enlightenment thought was so critical of Christianity it could not face the facts. The facts being that the Bible and Christianity were the cultural reference points that replaced pagan Rome.

Imagine this. You are the last Roman Emperor. Your area of jurisdiction is dissipating in front of you. You have insufficient money to wage war, even defensive war. The tax demands you have inherited have created such hostility among the citizens, they don’t care any longer. Anything is better than this.

Among this mess was a veritable army of Christian monks and citizens who had answers. In fact, your predecessor, Constantine, not only permitted Christianity to exist, but helped established the local priests and monks as a surrogate source of justice. The Roman courts were too expensive for justice, whereas the local church was not only a cheap alternative, it had some better answers to the problems of life. So magnificent was the result of their Christian answers, that one historian noted: “[T]he early Middle Ages represented the age par excellence of ‘applied Christianity’.” (Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom, 2nd ed., Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2003, p. 25, emphasis in original).

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If a Thief Hands You Stolen Money, What Should You Do?

Returning to Australia for my son’s wedding, it did not take long to be reminded of many of the issues that dropped out of sight while living in America.

At the top of the list is the Australian concept of socialism. Socialism is the idea that the government takes control of all resources within the nation and allocates them in some fashion. Frederick Hayek drew the distinction between communism and socialism when he observed that in communism, the government owns everything and allocates according to government plan. Under socialism, ownership remains in the hands of individuals, but the government determines the allocation of the privately-held resources. The Australian government pretends it is neither socialistic nor communistic. But as Ludwig von Mises argued so clearly, the middle-of-the-road policy is the road to full socialism. You cannot control part of the economy without controlling all of it.

The key issue here is one of ownership and the meaning of the idea of ownership. “Thou shalt not steal” establishes the right of private ownership, ownership being the right of dispossession. This is the key. If you cannot dispose the things you own in the manner in which you would like, you don’t own the thing. Whoever controls the dispossession is the real owner, even though there may be official papers giving title to the individual.

In the modern world, it is taxation, perhaps more than anything else, that determines the biblical framework of ownership. The government not only takes for itself the right to tax, but it also allocates to itself the right to determine how much tax it might be entitled to. This is important because it raises the question of property ownership in money. It doesn’t exist any more. But it did exist at one time, when the Bible provided the prevailing philosophy.

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When Is It Time To Disobey?

Almost everyone knows the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. What is not so well understood is the specific reason why Daniel came into conflict with king Darius.

Darius had appointed a number of officials to assist in ruling his kingdom. These officials became jealous of Daniel, who had distinguished himself in the service of the monarch. They sought his downfall, but could find nothing in his work habits that would give them cause to complain to the king.

These officials, however, knew that Daniel was a religious man. And they knew enough about his religion to be able to devise a trap that would ensnare Daniel and bring about his political downfall. They were certain that they could only destroy him if they brought some issue to the fore concerning the law of God, forcing Daniel to choose between the law of his God and the law of the king.

Appealing to the political philosophy of the time which put the king’s law above everything else, they suggested that he should pass a law forbidding any person in the realm from making a petition to any other god or man for thirty days. On the surface this did not seem such a harsh law. Only thirty days. These advisers were not greedy men. All they wanted was enough rope for Daniel to hang himself. And it would be a good test of the king’s ultimate authority. So this suggestion had some ego appeal for the king.

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When you speak of Christian culture, what do you mean? What do you understand by the idea of Christian culture?

There is a tendency by many to think of Christian culture in terms of things: movies, art, music, business, money, economy, property rights, and so forth.

In the past, however, when Christianity did influence the culture, it had an advantage. The key elements of Christianity were constantly a reminder to the people, not just through the implementation of music, art, literature, and law, but through a series of events that spread throughout the calendar year.

I’m referring to the Christian calendar. This created what Robert Webber calls “Christian-year spirituality”. According to Webber,

Through Christian-year spirituality we are enabled to experience the biblical mandate of conforming to Christ. The Christian year orders our formation with Christ incarnate in his ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and coming again through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost. In Christian-year spirituality we are spiritually formed by recalling and entering into his great saving events (Ancient-Future Time, p. 22).

I know many of you personally on this e-zine list. I know your religious background, and the journey we share to understand our faith.

So when was the last time you had a Christian-year calendar that recalled the major events of God’s saving work through Christ, and participation in that and his future as King of kings, and Lord of lords?

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The sky is falling. Doom is near. Buy this or that stock. Buy gold. Buy anything that is a hard asset. Get rid of paper.

Why?

The economy is falling.

Why?

Because house prices have fallen.

So?

Bankruptcies are up.

So?

Doom is nigh.

That’s funny, I thought you just told me that house prices are falling? This means the purchasing power of my money in relation to homes has gone up. How is that a disaster?

Silence.

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I know what you’re thinking. What would this Australian know about American politics? Right?

You may be right. I don’t know much.

But I do know my Project Director Carol. She’s almost my age , and one of the hardest workers in the company. She works to support her husband and daughter. Why?

For one thing: health insurance.

You see, Carol had her own consulting business. Making decent money, her husband, 10 years older, was in real estate. They had been paying their health insurance for 19 years. On time, too.

Then it happened. She had a car accident. Her back was broken in two places. Three months later, her husband had the first of three heart attacks. She sued for the insurance money, got paid, but had to settle earlier than was possible in order to get money.

Her husband was in hospital, ready for an operation, when the news came. Your health insurance has been canceled.

For an American, those six words are some of the deadliest it is possible to hear. “Your health insurance is canceled.” Now what do you do?
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