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“Christian Manifesto
Francis Schaeffer
January 14-19, 2008
Preface
Schaeffer's books seek to carry the Lordship of Christ into all areas of life.
"What is the Christian's relationship to government, law and civil disobedience?" Page 417
Chapter One - The Abolition of Truth and Morality
It is the secular humanist (materialist) worldview vs. the Biblical worldview. The two are in antithesis and produce different results. The culture is moving away from a basically biblical worldview to a humanist worldview and the church has not been quick to see the shift.
"law is 'the majority vote of that nation that could lick all others.'" Oliver Wendell Holmes, Page 429
"Christ's example, because of who He is, is our standard, our rule, our measure. Therefore power is not first, but justice is first in society and law. The prince may have the power to control and to rule, but he does not have the right to do so without justice." Page 249
A part of preaching the Gospel is to relate an understanding of what it produces in contrast to what humanism produces? nlk
Chapter Two - Foundations for Faith and Freedom
John Witherspoon - See Wilberforce references in A Practical View bibliography
"If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants." William Penn, Page 433
The original purpose of the First Amendment was twofold: 1) Ensured no established, national church where creeds were enforced by the state. 2) Ensured the free practice of religion from government.
"What we find then as we look back is that the men who founded the United States of America really understood that upon which they were building their concepts of law and the concepts of government. And until the takeover of our government and law by this other entity, the materialistic, humanistic, chance world view, these things remained the base of government." Page 436
"The wheel of history is turning" We an no longer assume that people understand the foundation of government. That Christianity is the basis of law must be assumed. There could be no other. -nlk
Chapter Three - The Destruction of Faith and Freedom
The abortion ruling was an arbitrary ruling of an elite.
Chapter Four - The Humanist Religion
We battle for Truth, not for the sake of our own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but for the sake of lost souls. If it be the will of God that the USA ceases to exist, so be it. We are but pilgrims on the earth. The battle must be the battle against the devil for human souls. The enamouring of the USA is its way of life. It is a commentary on the church if we are ultimately concerned about a way of life. -nlk (not sure I would write this, this way today 01/29/2008)
"Some of us may perhaps have some questions about the Moral Majority and some of the things they have said." Page 447
"Pages 447-448 for a good summary of the consequences of rejecting a personal Creator from their own perspective.
Page 450. Two paragraph quote on the Moral Majority, where he voices his concern with it but supports it in that at least they have acted. One dichotomy would be "showing the headship of Christ in the totality of life" vs. "submitting to Christ by ultimately submitting to a corrupt government"? Not exactly apples to oranges. I think what must be remembered is what is our most important value, freedom or souls. We speak of the Christian basis of freedom for the purpose of redeeming souls. People are not barriers to our freedom if they disagree. They are our mission field, etc. - nlk
Chapter Five - Revival, Revolution and Reform
The revivals of the past not only called for personal salvation but also for social reform. Page 457ff
"the making of an open stand against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness which overspreads our land as a flood, is one of the noblest ways of confessing Christ in the face of his enemies." John Wesley, Page 452. It would also be a way to give the Gospel to men. - nlk
Page 452 mentions Wilberforce.
"These men did not do thse things incidentally, but because they saw it as a part of the Christian good news." Page 452
Abortion seems to be a special case. The murder of innocent children must be opposed at all costs. More so than the sanctity of marriage, prayer in school, etc. It is very similar to slavery. -nlk
Chapter Six - An Open Window
It seems that the battle is to keep the country based on its Christian foundation.
The election of conservatives in 1980 was not a moral victory. It came about because they believed it would help them attain peace and affluence.
This book was written (1983) prior to the great economic boom of Reagan. The economic pressure did not come about.
Chapter Seven - The Limits of Civil Disobedience
Schaeffer calls being thrown to the lions a form of civil disobedience. Page 469. This is disobedience to authority but not to the extent of forming parties or revolution. Ultimately, they submitted themselves to the corrupt government to be killed.
Netherlands: Battle of Leyden 1574
Sweden: Gustavus Adolphus
Germany: Thirty Years War - Peace of Westphalia 1648
Scotland: John Knox
"Throughout his ministry, Knox appealed for moderation and compromise whenever truly fundamental issues were not at stake." Page 471
Admonition to England 1554 - "justification of revolution"
France: St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre 1572
Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661) Lex Rex. "The law is king and if the king and the government disobey the law they are to be disobeyed." Page 473 Rutherford challenged the divine right of kings.
Was the American Revolution justified? -nlk
Chapter Eight - The Use of Civil Disobedience
Locke secularized Lex Rex: 1) inalienable rights, 2) government by consent 3) separation of powers 4) right of revolution
Os Guiness - Dust of Death
See example of Arkansas passing a law that allows teaching creation being challenged by the ACLU and Arkansas duty to protest and refuse to submit. Page 479
Another example: A law is passed that homsexuality cannot be called sin in a sermon. What would happen? Homosexuality would be preached as a sin (form of civil disobedience). Authorities would come in to enforce law, ... The early church would say submit yourself to be killed. Bunyan submitted himself to prison. -nlk
Schaeffer quotes the Boston Tea Party on Page 480 in the Arkansas context.
"humanistic, material-energy, chance worldview" is a religion and should be shown as such. We need not be defensive but on the offensive in this area. -nlk
Stripped to its foundation, there are two, and only two, competing worldviews to consider and they are completely antithetical, as Schaeffer in this book has contended. Matter + pasmotion + time + chance vs. Personal Creator. Not many people have considered this issue so basically and it would be a shock if they did. -nlk
"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." Page 482
Ron Paul, with all his faults, is at least a step in this way toward a limited government. What we can't do is see in him the embodiment of Constitutional perfection. A voter has to decide in the areas of disagreement (Iraq War as an example) how they will vote. In lieu of a perfect candidate, this is always the case. -nlk
Chapter Nine - The Use of Force
"one who violates man's law must be prepared to suffer the consequences." Page 485 Dr. William Barker, Covenant Theological Seminary
"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." Page 487
"there is still the danger of confusing the Kingdom of God with the socialistic program." Page 488
"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." Page 489
"If there is no final place for civil disobedience, then the government has been put in the place of the Living God, because then you are to obey it even when it tells you in its own way at that time to worship Caesar. And that point is exactly were the early Christians performed their acts of civil disobedience even when it cost them their lives." Page 491
Chapter Ten - By Teaching, by Life, by Action
"We have been utterly foolish in our concentration on bits and pieces, in our complete failure to face the total worldview that is rooted in a false view of reality. And we have not understood that this view of reality inevitably brings forth totally different and wrong and inhuman results in all of life." Page 493
"Christians must not only speak and fight against these things, but then must show there are Christian alternatives." Page 494
Conversation which conveys the difference between the two worldviews not only is helpful in discussing freedom, it is also necessary in our evangelism for people living in the 20th century. God's truth encompasses all of life. Naturally in conversation, whatever it be, God will have a say. It may simply be Tim's point that the Gospel cannot be left out. Everything must point to the Gospel. -nlk”
Nate K wrote this review Saturday, March 29 2008.
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