We absolutely should nurture Christian culture across this great nation. We should do this not because of our Christian heritage, but because we are Christians.
History is less charitable about the efforts to deliver on that slogan. Can any of us genuinely say DOGE was an untrammeled success?
Yet slogan or no, we must keep pushing to eliminate the overgrowth of government in our society. We must keep pushing to put government back in its Constitutional confines—by the power of the ballot box and the jury box if we can, by the power of the cartridge box if we must.
One way or another, the government if God absolutely must increase, and the government of man absolutely must decrease. There is no second option available.
“When we are committed to that, we will find we have no need of either law or government, for we shall have God instead.” Ah, there’s the problem. People are inherently too sinful and flawed to follow God perfectly, and so they end up needing a government by man to reign in their misjudgments and evil. (Minimal, let’s hope.)
And, of course, they also need God’s forgiveness, which accepting Christ provides.
Regarding Christian government, there is the additional matter of voluntary acceptance. God, in His wisdom and mercy, allows us free will to choose a Godly path and forgiveness. It has to be of your own free choosing; it cannot work if it’s forced upon you at gunpoint, which a national religion would effectively be doing.
So we have an imperfect governmental situation, and every person must wrestle his own soul into being a better child of God. Thank you and bless you, Peter, for your excellent efforts to guide people towards this result!
The paradox of human government is that we institute it to reign in the misjudgements and evil choices of individual humans, only to see it inflict more and greater misjudgements and evil on all humans.
Even American government, despite its noble aspirations and legitimate steps taken to realize those aspirations, still manages to do extraordinary violence to our Christian notions of justice. We see the truth of that every time we watch the evening news.
Our only solution is to give government back to God, while we put all our efforts into serving Him.
For the present that means corralling government, keeping it confined within narrowly defined boundaries.
The government of God must increase. The government of man must decrease.
“The government of God must increase. The government of man must decrease.” This is a perfect slogan for any candidate running on a pro-Christian, pro-libertarian platform. You’ve got a concise manifesto in you, Peter - one that could be a voice of guidance for all of the West. Watch for your opportunity!
And haven’t you thought many times, as I have, that a candidate would be a sure bet to win if he promised that his administration would go through all of the zillions of laws we now endure, and work to winnow them down by half? Who wouldn’t vote for that!
It's a vote getting slogan.
History is less charitable about the efforts to deliver on that slogan. Can any of us genuinely say DOGE was an untrammeled success?
Yet slogan or no, we must keep pushing to eliminate the overgrowth of government in our society. We must keep pushing to put government back in its Constitutional confines—by the power of the ballot box and the jury box if we can, by the power of the cartridge box if we must.
One way or another, the government if God absolutely must increase, and the government of man absolutely must decrease. There is no second option available.
“When we are committed to that, we will find we have no need of either law or government, for we shall have God instead.” Ah, there’s the problem. People are inherently too sinful and flawed to follow God perfectly, and so they end up needing a government by man to reign in their misjudgments and evil. (Minimal, let’s hope.)
And, of course, they also need God’s forgiveness, which accepting Christ provides.
Regarding Christian government, there is the additional matter of voluntary acceptance. God, in His wisdom and mercy, allows us free will to choose a Godly path and forgiveness. It has to be of your own free choosing; it cannot work if it’s forced upon you at gunpoint, which a national religion would effectively be doing.
So we have an imperfect governmental situation, and every person must wrestle his own soul into being a better child of God. Thank you and bless you, Peter, for your excellent efforts to guide people towards this result!
Thanks always for your kind words and support!
The paradox of human government is that we institute it to reign in the misjudgements and evil choices of individual humans, only to see it inflict more and greater misjudgements and evil on all humans.
Even American government, despite its noble aspirations and legitimate steps taken to realize those aspirations, still manages to do extraordinary violence to our Christian notions of justice. We see the truth of that every time we watch the evening news.
Our only solution is to give government back to God, while we put all our efforts into serving Him.
For the present that means corralling government, keeping it confined within narrowly defined boundaries.
The government of God must increase. The government of man must decrease.
“The government of God must increase. The government of man must decrease.” This is a perfect slogan for any candidate running on a pro-Christian, pro-libertarian platform. You’ve got a concise manifesto in you, Peter - one that could be a voice of guidance for all of the West. Watch for your opportunity!
And haven’t you thought many times, as I have, that a candidate would be a sure bet to win if he promised that his administration would go through all of the zillions of laws we now endure, and work to winnow them down by half? Who wouldn’t vote for that!
Really well said, Peter! Your eloquence in expressing your phenomenal mind is one of many reasons I think of you as Magnificent Man.