Righteous Change

THE CHRISTIAN GOAL

The goal of any movement is to precipitate change. The goal of the Christian movement seeks to accomplish the same with one very critical variation. The difference between the Christian agenda  and all other movements is that Christianity centers around the type, or the direction, of the change desired. What the Christian movement seeks, whether you call it Christian Reconstruction or Reformation, is a complete cultural overhaul structured according to the standards of Scripture and Biblical Righteousness.

Through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, and the implementation of the precepts of God’s Law, Historical Christianity desires to change the world so that it conforms to a system of Laws which are good, just and equitable. Since Scripture guarantees righteousness by the application of God’s Word to both individuals and nations, once this Biblical standard is in place it yields a societal order which is free from tyranny by curbing the wickedness of man.

The goal for every Christian is as old as the first century church; change the world by advancing the Kingdom of God and the Crown rights of King Jesus over every  element of civilization. This mean educating others and assembling a committed association of individuals that are willing to get involved in the Christian movement, whatever the cost.

THE TRIBAL SYSTEM OF THE HEBREW REPUBLIC

During the Exodus sojourn God assembled His people by tribes. Each tribe was committed to itself but was also committed to the whole of the nation. There was an interconnection within each tribe and among each tribe. This interconnection was strengthened by interaction and communication. Moreover, the tribal system was bound by a common goal and interest. Together they were bound by God, His Law and His Sacrificial altar,  and thus was formed as a Community of the Atonement. Their ultimate goal was to enter into the promised land which they would achieve through obedience to God’s Holy Law.

The Hebrews had a shared vision. They had a shared hope. It was this vision and hope which created a bond by which interaction and communication was necessary for their survival. Without that bond they would be fragmented and vulnerable to pagan enemy tribes of the desert. Unification gave security. It also gave the Hebrews the means to be productive. It gave them an identity. Together they would enter into the promised land of peace and liberty.

A STUDY IN TRIBAL LEADERSHIP

I have long been interested in the study of Leadership and have spent many years researching and acquiring knowledge on the subject. My entire professional life has been one of leadership in both in business and in ministry. The study of leadership is essential for those who desire to bring about productive change. Yet, this training is not only  essential for those who desire to lead but it is necessary to train others in leadership as well.  For the Christian, leadership  is a tool used to engage others in order to bring about Biblical change to a nation which has changed for the worse.

READ BOOKS ON LEADERSHIP

I read a lot of books on leadership. Many of New Geneva’s college courses include a wide array of studies in leadership formulated from some of the books and resources I have studies and used over the years to refine my own leadership skills. Recently I have been reading books by Seth Godin. I like the way he thinks. His writing is clear and to the point which helps me assimilate his ideas into my own.
I can easily subscribe to his leadership principles and philosophy and I find them useful for my own agenda. As for his theological presuppositions we must part at that point. Nevertheless his works are useful.

As with all my reading, I read Godin through a Biblical lens. That means that everything I read  - and I mean everything – is ingested and processed in order to use it in some way to advance the cause of Christ on earth. This is essential when reading secular works.

I also regularly review a number of magazines. Entrepreneur, INC.com, The Economists, Forbes and Wired. These also provide much insight into various aspects of the marketplace which is exactly what the Christian needs to be familiar with since this is what he hopes to influence. Like the books, these too are read with a view to advancing the Kingdom of Christ.

THE MAKING OF A TRIBE
 

There is no lack of insightful information and ideas in Godin’s book “Tribes”.  I highly recommend it if you are interested in some down to earth strategies on leadership. Over the next several weeks I will endeavor to share some of his innovating ideas but through  a Biblical lens for the purpose of Advancing the Kingdom of God. If we can learn to read all things through that Scriptural lens we can make real and lasting changes in our communities, our nation and the world.

THE FIRST OF MANY LESSONS

 

While it may seem that the first thing we ought to be concerned about is assembling a team – Godin calls it a “Tribe” – that is actually the second thing on the agenda. The first thing is talking about what you are trying to accomplish and talking about it with as many people as possible and through every known form of media; Email, Blogs, Web sites, Face Book, Linked In, Twitter, My Space, Your Space, His Space, Their Space, Everyone’s Space… etc. ( You get my meaning?).  In order to assemble a “Tribe” you need to share your vision and passion with potential members. Talking about the Kingdom of God and what it should look like and how we are to get there is essential if you are going to establish a tribal community of dedicated Christians. Moreover, by sharing your vision and ideas you want to get others talking about the vision and ideas as well. This is the interconnecting of the tribal members. This model is actually the Biblical model of the Hebrew Republic. Godin really didn’t come up with this on his own. It was in the Bible all the time. He just fleshed it out and applied it to leadership and the marketplace. We will apply it to the Christian Reconstruction of the culture.

The second thing needed is to actually assemble the group. You can do this through blogs, emails, twitter or even conference calls. Find people who are either influential already or who you think can become influential in their several spheres of influence. Seek to attract Christians who are faithful and who have a passion to see Christ’s Kingdom advance in the real world. Seek visionaries, self-starters and those who are courageously committed to the cause of Christ in the world. Get them interacting with one another. Get them talking. Get them to share their ideas and strategies for the reconstruction of the culture along Biblical lines. Use your blog to both connect these folks to you and to one another. Don’t manage them, lead them. Do this by way of sharing your ideas and the ideas of others. Give them passion and incentive by sharing these ideas. Then get them to act on those ideas. Get them to apply those principles and tactics to the real world, beginning in their communities. Measure the results, then share them with the Tribe. This is where you begin. Build your base. Build your team. Establish your Tribe.

Dedication & Change

CORE PRINCIPLES

“The more we are truly governed by God’s Law and the Spirit of God, the less we are then governed by the state, and the greater our freedom.” R.J. Rushdoony, Larceny in the Heart, p. 26

Before any of us can lead others in the ways of Righteousness and Liberty we must be led ourselves. That is basically the idea behind Rushdoony’s statement. That means that if we desire to advance the causes of Freedom we must be a self controlled individual who is acutely aware of God’s Word and the logistics behind its application to the self and the culture.

Once we find ourselves being consistently led by the Principles of Scripture we can then begin to apply those principles to the social order by educating the masses in the ways of God’s Holy Law. Remember, education is the key to change. To change actions, one must first change ideas. Ideas are the engines for action, and it is action that precipitates change. Since ideas have consequences, once you change the idea or ideology of an individual you change the action. People are not action oriented. They are however idea oriented which results in action. The action is a direct result of the idea. If one seeks to change an action it can only be accomplished through a systematic education process which is unrelenting. The core principles of America’s anti-Christian element must be challenged if Christianity and its yoke fellow freedom are to advance.

A RELENTLESS AGENDA OF INACTION

Modern Christianity is not committed to real change. The modern church has conveniently long forgotten the work of the Reformation and the great advancements of Christianity’s development of Western Liberty. Modern evangelicalism’s erroneous eschatological assumptions frees them from, what Douglass Hyde calls, “Taking the plunge”. (Douglas Hyde, Dedication and Leadership) The eschatological assumption that Christ will return just in the nick of time to rapture the saints out of any tyrannical affliction keeps them comfortably secure in a static mode. It is this ideology in particular which has resulted in “ecclesiastic inaction” and as a result has kept the church invisible in a time when it should have been very vocal, condemning and correcting the gross immorality of the American culture. The strategy of the modern church is one which can only be defined as a relentless agenda of inaction and non-involvement.

TAKING THE PLUNGE: THE CHRISTIAN AGENDA

The pursuit of self satisfaction has pretty much dominated the Christian community for the past 50 or more years. Each year it grows worse and worse. Presently it is at such a fever pitch that it has become pandemic in the United States. If the goal of the Gospel of God is the ‘self’ then the Word of God is made void by this perverse notion. Self is not the goal. The actual goal of the Gospel of God is to transform men and nations, not just men. God’s Word, when applied, transforms men, who in turn go forth to transform cultures. The transformation of the culture is the goal. This transformation means that every aspect and institution of culture is brought into conformity to the Law-Word of God. Since God owns all cultures He claims the right to conform them to His Law. He does this through His people. Since this is very hard work, and often dangerous, requiring self sacrifice, most so-called professors of the faith opt for an easier path. Yet, that path is not the path commanded by God, rather it is the path of the hypocrite.

The only option for those seeking to faithfully fulfill their calling under God is to ‘take the plunge’. The Christian agenda, like the Gospel’s goal, must be bigger than the self. That needs to first be emphasized and then internalized if you or anyone else is to remain loyal to the cause. What Christ demands is an enduring and consistent loyalty to His Kingdom’s call. 

FIRST STEPS

Begin to structure every aspect of your life so that in some way it advances the kingdom of Christ. This does not mean that you must go to seminary or become a pastor. It simply means that wherever God has you He expects you, no…commands you, to use your profession and your providential situation to advance the Crown Rights of King Jesus. The Kingdom’s commission must monopolize your life. That is what is meant by taking the plunge. If you desire Godly change you must be part of that change. You must lead in the way of change.

MAKING DEMANDS

 

God makes demands on all His people. There is a Divine responsibly attached to the forgiveness of sins and the regeneration of the soul. During His earthly sojourn, Christ made demands on Himself because He had been commissioned by the Father to finish His Holy work. Once that work was completed He demanded of His saints to go into the entire world with the Gospel. We must follow His example by first making demands on ourselves then on others. Hyde’s logic is, “If you make big demands on people you will get a big response.” The inverse is also true, “Make small demands and you get small results”. Christ makes big demands on His people because He expects big results from them. In light of that concept we ought to never make small demands if we can make big ones. If we are to expect big changes we must make big demands. Big demands actually result in big changes, and big changes God-ward is what we are looking for. We should never be satisfied with less.

TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

The communists, liberals, and other God hating individuals, believe that if they stand together as a unified front they can change the world. So far they have done a pretty good job in achieving their goal. However, there is one aspect of this conviction which is so very important that we dare not miss it. They not only believe that they can change the world, but they believe that they can do it in their lifetime. Their goal is very specific and therefore it can be measured. Christians need to adopt that mentality. What we need to strive for is to change the world in our lifetime. This paces a real time frame on results. If the Christians continue to put off the victory, or at least measurable progress, until a future time, that victory or progress will remain lost in the abstract. But if we Christians strive for victory and real progress in our time we will be more willing to take responsibly for the results of our actions. We will also be mindful to re-think, refine and re-direct our tactics as we move forward with our agenda adapting them to the times at hand. We can bring about change in our lifetime if we remain focused and galvanized in our efforts.

Tactics to Advance Liberty

Below are some ideas for those who are truly committed to the cause and advance of Liberty. I have also added these suggestions at the end of the LIBERTY OR TYRANNY post since the piece naturally lends itself to this list.

If Christian Liberty is to be preserved it must be advanced. Without a proactive strategy, one which takes the battle to the enemies of Freedom, nothing will change. Defensive tactics are not enough. The Christian community must re-establish itself once again as a dominant force in the culture. This takes time, effort and sacrifice. But more than that it takes a continuity of devotion to the cause. 

By definition a revolution is a return to an original purpose. All revolutions begin with personal conviction. This is absolutely fundamental if anything is to take root and grow. For a Christian revolution to be successful a man must be dedicated to Biblical Reformation. This means that he must be devoted to the advancement of societal righteousness, which includes just and equitable laws as they are defined by Scripture. 

Michael Hyatt's book "Platform: Get Noticed In A Noisy World" is worth a look for those who need creative stimulation for a plan of action.His first chapter suggests that a person first needs something compelling to "sell" before they are given a second look. If the Christian community has anything at all to offer it is most certainly compelling - it is God's Law-Word. Now that's compelling! In fact Hyatt would call this the 'WOW' component.

Through scholarship, Leadership and Action change will come. The Christian, however, must be able to effectually argue and then actually show how the application of God's Law will ensure liberty and prosperity to the nation beginning at the local level.If Christendom can develop a platform for impacting society in such a way as to make a change in ideas, policy and action, progress will be forthcoming. 

Galvanizing others in the cause is also an important aspect for progress. Team building is important but not essential at first. A single person can do wonders alone simply by educating others in the application of God's Word. The team will naturally develop. Once that happens your progress and range of influence will increase. 

It is important not to be overwhelmed or discouraged. Just keep moving forward. As Gary North states, "Stick to your knitting."Consider these suggestions only as a starting point and build from there.
If you come up with any other ideas contact me @ pastor@hisglory.us. I will add them to the blog.

What To Do?

1.   Run for a local office or get responsible like-minded people to run and assist them in the campaign. You may even make a play for the school board in order to run interference on their insatiable desire for more money.

2.   Talk to your local reps and make sure they understand what true liberty is. If they do not dedicate your life to replacing them with men who understand Liberty as it only found under God’s law.

3.   Write consistently to your local newspaper in order to re-educate the masses as to what liberty actually is. Be specific by using examples from the policies of overreaching Federal intrusion and show how it is destroying liberty in the name of liberty.

4.   Write to your state reps. Get others to write as well.  Emails do not usually work but they may be a good backup. Phone calls are best. Make one call every week and get as many others as possible to do likewise.

5.   Talk to local pastors. Make sure they understand the severity of liberty’s demise. Encourage them to speak to their congregation on these issues.

6.   Talk to your local Sherriff and find out where he stands on Federal encroachment. Encourage him to stand with the authorities from Oregon and Wyoming in light of the threat of federal tyranny.

If you are going to make things happen you must take action. Thinking about it will not get the job done.

Deo Vindice!