Book Review: You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble
Book Review: You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble Dr. Alan Noble is an associate professor of English at …
Book Review: You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble Dr. Alan Noble is an associate professor of English at …
A more baseless assumption, one more in direct conflict with God’s teaching, was never made by man, than the idea that when the civil authority commands the Christian to do something contrary to the law of God, and he does it, the responsibility rest upon the civil authority, and not on the individual who violates the laws of God at the behest of the civil ruler.
This guest post was written by Kollin Fields. …Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight …
Jesus Christ enjoyed the greatest privilege imaginable, and yet he did not hoard it for himself. Instead, he lovingly sacrificed …
“There is not a word of intimation in the Sacred Scriptures that indicate that it is the duty of any Christians to support, maintain, or defend any institution or organization of man, farther than a quiet, passive, but conscientious and faithful submission to its requirements, may have a tendency to sustain it. That submission he must render, not as a duty he owes to government on account of any virtue or merit it possesses, but as a solemn duty he owes to his Maker. This sense of duty to God connects him with all the governments and powers of the earth just alike. It permits him to become the partisan of none.”
This article continues a series of weekly posts originally authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
In this entry, Lipscomb continues his thesis that ordinances of God are not all intended to be carried out by his set-apart people, the Church, using the examples of heaven and hell.
A common objection to the idea that the state is founded in rebellion against God is the language of the Bible describing various kings and leaders as “God’s servants” or “ministers”. Romans 13 can be included as one of these texts. But do such verses justify their actions?
Lipscomb approaches the issue with a new tact this time around, and brings up Romans 13 in the process. He suggests that if Romans 13 is the justifying scripture for allowing Christians to participate in bloodshed, then “Nimrod and Abraham, Pharaoh and Moses, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, Paul and Nero, stand precisely upon the same footing as approved and accepted subjects [of God].” Of course, he says this is illogical, and we must reject the former premise.
This article continues a series of weekly posts originally authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
Notable in this piece is the way in which Lipscomb and his co-authors argue for their firm non-violent stance. They are to “submit quietly” to the government save where submission would require violation of God’s law. Their view, of course, is that joining an army to kill would be a violation of God’s law. Would only Christians today see the wisdom in such a firm belief?
Having stridently argued for the position that the kingdoms of the world are not of God through both Old and New Testaments, Lipscomb now seeks to differentiate the particular spirit of the Church versus the world-powers.
We wish to call attention to the biblical use of the term Babylon. It is given in Scripture as the name of the first, and in many respects, the head of the world-governments. It is derived from Babel, and means confusion. In the early days of the human family, and even to the present time, among the ruder nations of the world, all names are significant. This is especially so of the Bible names. Adam, means of earth, hence, he that was made of earth was called Adam. So of Babylon, it means confusion, strife; therefore, that which especially introduced confusion and strife into the world, was termed Babylon.
Lipscomb now addresses the symbols in Revelation in greater detail, ultimately to level a scathing indictment of the 19th-century church. Some protestants interpret the “mother of harlots” as the medieval era Roman Catholic Church (Constantine and beyond). Fine, Lipscomb says, but who are the daughters of this harlot? Are they not the protestant churches?
This article continues a series of weekly posts originally authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
This article continues a series of weekly posts originally authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
This article continues a series of weekly posts originally authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
In our investigations we have found that God, at all times, kept a wide gulf of separation between his Jewish kingdom and subjects, and the world-institutions by which they were surrounded. No alliances—no affiliations—no courtesies as equals with the man-governments or their subjects, were never engaged in without receiving a signal mark of God’s displeasure.
This article continues a series of weekly posts originally authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
This article begins a new series of weekly posts authored by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of …
The article below was written in January 1866 by David Lipscomb, an important figure in the Churches of Christ in …
Our dear friend Larry Reed, an advisor to LCI and former President of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), recently …
A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of being on David Gornoski’s excellent A Neighbor’s Choice radio show to discuss contagious violence, capitalism, Christianity, and some of science and economics around the pandemic (that’s what you get with me — science, econ, and theology!).
Doctor Wright points to how the early church revolutionized the way we think about our fellow human beings by caring for the poor and downtrodden and how those actions must be emulated in our current age as well. But what about some of the questions that split the churches right down the middle? Questions like: Should we employ coercion in our attempt to care for the poor and educate people? Can we implement the Sermon on the Mount in the world of politics?
There is a powerful spiritual force that makes men obsessed with gaining and maintaining political power by tapping into their fear, hatred, and greed. Men who take a turn down this dark path become unconcerned with right and wrong, seeing them as mere matters of opinion, and focus their attention instead on the never ending quest for “unlimited power.”
America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 had a Frankensteinish effect. It created a monster.
Sometimes I don’t understand why Southern Baptists are so threatened by Christian libertarianism. We just don’t like violence – at …
The Libertarian Christian Institute is an ecumenical Christian organization which brings together Christians from a variety of theological backgrounds. Though …
“It is very biblical to enforce the law.” – Sarah Sanders Romans 13 is in the news, and is being …
God has gifted us with free will. We can choose between right and wrong, good and evil. We are free …
We equip followers of Jesus Christ to make the Christian case for a free society.
Sign up and receive updates any day we publish a new article or podcast episode!
Take our short quiz to find out how you rank!