Pat Necerato's Reaction to Gay "Marriage" Legislation Debate

The Reformation Versus the Enlightenment Being Promoted by the Media

While many in the media praise the Enlightenment, it resulted
in the bloody French Revolution. As Benjamin F. Morris
notes, "its results shocked the civilized world with horror
... their atrocities were committed with a wanton levity and a
brutal merriment; the reign of atheism was avowedly and
expressly the reign of terror."

by Randy Pope

Modest Clothing Distributors

Christian Worldview of History and Culture

The news media has dubbed the Obama era as the “new Enlightenment”. Just Google how many times the Akron Beacon Journal has referred to President Obama's policies as “enlightened”. This moniker is intended to be complimentary toward the president and his policies. A cursory understanding of the original Enlightenment will reveal two things; one, the label fits, and two, if you love God and freedom, there is nothing complimentary about it.

Most media personalities look upon the Enlightenment with favor because they, along with most Americans, have been taught to believe that the American Revolution of 1776 is a result of Enlightenment thinking. In addition the vast majority of media people do not believe in God. Nothing could be further from the truth on both counts.

The Enlightenment, or what should more accurately be called the Endarkenment, was a system of thinking that attempted to understand the world in terms of human reason alone. Because they denied the existence of God, Enlightenment thinkers defined the world and its institutions by replacing the sovereignty of God with the sovereignty of man. The true result of the Enlightenment was the French Revolution. This short excerpt from a description of the French Revolution by Benjamin F. Morris in “The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States”, which was first published in 1876, is enlightening about the Enlightenment; “The atheism of France in 1795 had engulfed that empire in anarchy and blood. It was the first experiment in the history of the world, of the national reign of infidelity, and its results shocked the civilized world with horror, and demonstrated its terrific nature and evils on civil government and society...their atrocities were committed with a wanton levity and a brutal merriment; the reign of atheism was avowedly and expressly the reign of terror...”

Now you understand why it should rightfully be called the Endarkenment. It was this kind of darkened thinking that led to the American Revolution of the 1960's and is indeed risen to prominence in the Obama era.

This Endarkenment thinking brought us the sexual revolution, the acceptance and legalization of the evils such as abortion, homosexuality, and theft (taking from the citizenry to give to other citizens). The women's revolution for modest dress is a response to the degeneracy spawned by the very thinking that the media is lauding. The women's revolution for modest dress is a return to the Biblical principles that reigned during the American Revolution of 1776.

The thinking that inspired the American Revolution of 1776 is the thinking of the Reformers of the 16th century. Because Americans believed and lived by the principles of Biblical Christianity they rejected the influences of the Enlightenment. It is a return to the principles of the reformation that will defeat the Endarkenment that threatens civilization once again. The stakes are too high to ignore the heritage bequeathed not only by the founders of America but by the Reformers. Reject the darkness of humanism and turn to the light of Biblical Christianity.

originally posted at The Examiner.com
    

IF (part two)

By Buddy Hanson

Grace and Law Christian Worldview Resource Center 

Last week we looked at seven Spiritual Mind Expanding thoughts designed to remind our brothers and sisters in Christ of their commanded duties as a member of God’s family and Christ’s Kingdom. This week we add six more IF’s to share with your friends. Remember to write down any IF’s you think of and send them in. If we have enough to publish in a Part Five, we’ll do so.

IF

We continue to live as though God’s Word doesn’t exist by hiding it “under a basket,” how will our neighbors “see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven?” (Matt. 5.15-17) Do we not have numerous promises from God that He will use our obedience to confound our opponents in His perfect timing? (1 Cor. 1.27) 

IF

We really believe that God created an orderly cause-and-effect creation, then we agree that the only way we, and other Christians across the world, can bring about positive results is to live according to God’s truths, instead of man’s lies.

IF

Our pastors don’t begin to systematically instruct us in how to apply the truths of Scripture to our everyday situations and circumstances, how can we expect to demonstrate lifestyles that are distinctively different from that of our non-Christian neighbors? (Romans 12.1-3) And

IF

Our daily goal is not to “bring glory to God in all we do and say” (1 Corinthians 10.31), aren’t we imaging Satan, instead of Christ?

IF

This is the case, are we not testifying that we are merely a well-intentioned, but misguided and pragmatic conservative moralist, instead of a Christian whose life on earth, as well as our eternal existence, is based upon our subjective imaginings of how to live, rather than upon the objective truths on the pages of our Bible? And,

IF

This is the case, why bother to go to church or study the Bible, when for all intents and purposes, we have decided that each of us is, in effect, our own mini-god? (Rom. 1.25-26) 

(Scripture quotes may be paraphrases) 

Buddy Hanson is President of the Grace & Law Resource Center, which helps fellow Christians provide a visual model of what a redemptive world will someday look like by assisting them to re-suppose what they pre-suppose by interpreting the Bible in terms of our present days, instead of according to the last days. www.graceandlaw.com, 205.454.1442

To send in more IFs, contact Buddy Hanson at bhanson@graceandlaw.com. If enough are received, Hanson plans to incorporate them into a Part Five.

Laws from Charlemagne's "Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae" (Theonomy Applied)

Charlemange, also known as "Charles the
Great"

Charlemagne (742-814), or "Charles the Great," King of the Franks from 771-814 and Roman Emperor from 800-814, issued in 782 a body of laws for Saxons called Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae. Below are several more or less theonomic laws from that code.  

Law against falsely accusing someone of being a witch and burning or eating him:

If any one deceived by the devil shall have believed, after the manner of the pagans, that any man or woman is a witch and eats men, and on this account shall have burned the person, or shall have given the person's flesh to others to eat, or shall have eaten it himself, let him be punished by a capital sentence. (Law no. 6)

Law against human sacrifices to the devil:

If any one shall have sacrificed a man to the devil, and after the manner of the pagans shall have presented him as a victim to the demons, let him be punished by death. (Law no. 9)

Law against scheming against Christians:

If any one shall have formed a conspiracy with the pagans against the Christians, or shall have wished to join with them in opposition to the Christians, let him be punished by death; and whosoever shall have consented to this same fraudulently against the king and the Christian people, let him be punished by death. (Law no. 10)

Law against Sabbath breaking:

That on the Lord's day no meetings and public judicial assemblages shall be held, unless perchance in a case of great necessity or when war compels it, but all shall go to the church to hear the word of God, and shall be free for prayers or good works. (Law no. 18a)

Law against idolatry:

If any one shall have made a vow at springs or trees or groves, or shall have made any offering after the manner of the heathen and shall have partaken of a repast in honor of the demons, if he shall be a noble 60 solidi, if a freeman 30, if a litus 15. If, indeed, they have not the means of paying at once, they shall be given into the service of the church until the solidi are paid. (Law no. 21)

Law against perverting justice:

Concerning presents and gifts: let no one receive gifts to the detriment of an innocent person; and if any one shall have presumed to do this, he shall pay our ban. And if perchance the count shall have done this (may it not happen!) he shall lose his office. (Law no. 28) [1] 

read the Lex Saxonum in its entirety 

Notes

---

    

     [1] Dana Carleton Munro, Selections from the Laws of Charles the Great ( Kessinger Publishing, 2004), 2-5.

Note about the Theonomy Applied Series: In quoting any particular law, we do not necessarily endorse every aspect of that law as biblical, whether it be the prohibition, sanction, court procedure, etc. Rather, we are merely showing the more or less attempt to apply biblical law in history, whether or not that application was fully biblical. Moreover, in quoting any particular law, we do not necessarily consider those who passed and/or enforced such a law as being fully orthodox in their Christian theology. Professing Christian rulers in history have ranged in their theology from being orthodox (that is, Reformed Protestants) to heretical (for example, Roman Catholics).