Covenant Hearts’ Blog

The Puritan Board.

Calvinism in History, By Loraine Boettner (excerpt on puritanboard.com is from ch3)

Witherspoon of Paisley and Princeton, By John A. Mackay (an excerpt? published in Theology Today Vol 18, No. 1 - January 1962)

Church History: America once an Episcopalian nation, Article found on Free Republic orig. from The Daily Citizen)

The Church History article conflicts with the argument provided in the previous link (Witherspoon). Both use numbers or statistics to make their point.

Point: “The Presbyterian Church, moreover, was the principal Christian denomination in the America of that time, both during the Revolutionary War and in the years that immediately followed.”

Counterpoint: “Statistically no group of Christians held a greater influence over the founding and initial direction of the United States of America than the Episcopal Church.”

Found one of the articles after taking the bunny trail of Little Geneva’s broken link. But here is the other missing article. Of course it only exists in the archives and I have saved the image so…

More info on the origins but not defense…I’m working on it. Wiki-pedia may have the answer…

Here is a good resource: Political Sermons of the American Founding Era. (2 vols.). In it can be found the political theories of colonial ministers.

Summary: While attempting some semblance of research, what I have found is a discussion of the socio-political origins of the “Presbyterian Parson’s War.” Or perhaps a psychology that provided a willingness to go to war due to the Calvinists’ recent history: Cromwell, War of the Austrian Succession, religious persecutions, antithesis with the Church of England, etc. Thus the climate was one of libertarian ideals/classic liberalism.

Wikipedia mentions the Hebrew Scriptures as a possible source for a Biblical defense. The colonialists saw themselves as Israel rebelling under Pharaoh, etc. Or maybe that they were the divinely appointed tool being used by God.

I also found that there was the fear of losing their religious freedoms due to a soon to be had Bishop of the Church of England being installed in the colonies. Obviously this would have been someone under the influence of the king and as such would result in a diminishing of religious and political freedoms.

“After the Seven Years’ (French and Indian) War ended in 1763, Whitefield arrived in America for his sixth tour. On April 2, 1764, he held a private conversation in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with Samuel Langdon and other established ministers that alarmed Americans already worried about their liberty. Whitefield was quoted as saying: ‘I can’t in conscience leave the town without acquainting you with a secret. My heart bleeds for America. O poor New England! There is a deep laid plot against your civil and religious liberties, and they will be lost. Your golden days are at an end. You have nothing but trouble before you. . . . Your liberties will be lost.’ Whitefield outlined the secret plans (as he said) of the British Ministry to end colonial self-government and to establish the Anglican Church (William Gordon, The History of the Rise, Progress and Establishment of the United States . . . [2d ed., 3 vols. New York: Samuel Campbell, 1794], 1:102). This episode galvanized the clergy in their opposition to British policy, especially when the intelligence proved true and the 1765 Stamp Act was adopted.” (Ellis Sandoz on George Whitefield’s BRITAIN’S MERCIES, AND BRITAIN’S DUTIES)

Still inconclusive as to the “Why?“. Too exhausted to continue. This will have to suffice for now.

Update (9/7/08): I think I am slowly beginning to understand…The Church of England was an imposition on the Puritans/Presbyterians in Britain and prevented them from worshiping God with clear consciences, thus their revolt and Oliver Cromwell and such. This sentiment carried over into the New World as they were seeking religious freedom on these shores. But with the threat of British consolidation of power (taxation is a form of control) they feared that they would lose their religious liberty. I suppose then that the War for American Independence was seen as a defensive war.

Would you not practice civil disobedience if your religious liberty was constrained? Civil disobedience comes in various degrees. And to the early American Presbyterians taking up arms to defend their right to live and worship how they pleased was important enough to them.

What is freedom? Is there anyone truly free? It is a question of perspective really. I am not talking about determinism and human free will; I am referring instead to ascription of sovereignty.

Sovereignty is an inescapable concept. It is not a question of “sovereignty or no sovereignty?” but of “who is sovereign?”. To the religious, God (or a god) is sovereign. To the atheist, man is sovereign. And in turn, in the modern state, the state is sovereign.

So according to this, there is no freedom. Choices may be made however. You may choose to serve God, man, the state or anything else vying for control over you. I prefer to serve a benevolent dictator. Man and the state rarely prove themselves as such therefore I find myself in service to God. Man and the state will not show benevolence. They are extreme, intolerant, and have the insatiable craving to run other men’s lives.

Check out the this article. Great Britain will destroy itself due to destroying freedoms…That is, unless heavy intervention takes place to prevent the natural course of society, tampering with men’s freedoms to serve God will remove incentive to build a lasting civilization.

Read 1984 and Brave New World. These books show two very different (though not unlike) conceptions of where the ruthlessness of man will lead him when ascribes all sovereignty to himself (or the state by extension).

Conclusion: If you want to be free to serve God you must resist evil in all its forms. Evil in personal piety, evil in public society, evil in the church (the fabric of society) and evil in office over society all must equally be dealt with.

Is college necessary?

Growing up as a child in suburbia in the late ’80’s through the ’90’s, college was never a question. It was presupposed that everyone would go to college. In this presupposition it was assumed that higher education was the answer to a high paying job. It was also assumed that if you did not go to college that you had very low aspirations and that you were not normal (end result=peer pressure to send your child to college). But why am I using the past tense, for this is still true today.

Did you know about half of all college students fail to graduate with a degree? I wonder how they survive. What are they doing now? I for one am in the US Navy. I went to school at the behest of my parents, but for only three semesters. I did not have enough savings to pay for college, did not want to take out a loan for college, and was not interested in college at the time. I should not have been there without clear direction of what I intended to accomplish by going to college. Without clear direction it is a waste of time. I tried to redeem some of the time by holding Bible studies on campus to some avail. I also debated and was exposed to several types of individuals: “christian” cultists, cult-like Christians, atheists, pagans, wiccans, and new agers. I in turn exposed them to Biblical Christianity. May God’s Word not return void. Now that I am in the Navy I am getting my degree paid for by the Navy. Through Thomas Edison State College I will get many credits for my Military training as well as transfer credits for my time in college. It is a distance learning degree and will cost me only the price of the books. For me college is not necessary to have a productive career. I am only one example of the proof that college is not necessary. I will summarize some more examples:

My brother-in-law started working full-time when he was 16 yrs. He is now a traveling campus preacher. He gets support from churches to spread the gospel on campuses across the nation and works during “off” times to supplement the gifts. He has no lack or “want” for which God does not provide. He is not a college graduate. His current vocation is what he wants to do. Not many in the private sector can say the same about their employment.

An acquaintance of mine owns his own construction business. As I told a young friend of mine: “Start working while you are young. Pick up a trade, learn it. Spend those “four years” learning your job while making contacts in the field you are working in. By the time college graduates are looking for a job, you will be applying for a business loan to support starting your own business. When the graduates are promoted to floor manager in some corporate entity, you will promote yourself to “CEO” of your own small business.” That is what this acquaintance of mine did.

I know of a young man who straight out of high school started a franchise Subway. At 19 yrs old he owned his own business…If i am not mistaken, he is now attending college and is able to afford it.

Have you ever considered not going to college?

Now break the shackles of “common” persuasion and make up your own mind. If you want to go to college and you have a purpose to go there (id est to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, et cetera), then by all means go to college. I must ask, however “What do you expect out college?”. Do you think it is healthy for young, developing minds to be intellectually and morally assaulted? In our day and age education has been replaced by indoctrination into secular humanism (see also Thought Reform 101). And morality…Send young people hundreds of miles away from their God given guides: parents and you can imagine the results (see The Dorm-Key Ritual).

Also remember to stay out of debt and owe no man anything (Ro. 13:8). “Impossible,” you say. Not impossible if you know where to look: cheap education. Seriously check out this link. If you are interested in this manual Dr. Gary North wrote, I can sell copies for $97.00 to anyone interested (it is in the purchase agreement that you can resell but it must be for $97). Email me at msdavis1984@gmail.com

Are there any alternatives to college?

College alternatives to traditional styles are online degrees or correspondence course degrees from fully accredited universities. There are also apprenticeship programs for trades (carpentry, plumbing, etc). Additionally you can start working right away for a job that trains their employees and offers degree programs (paying for a degree in their employees’ field of work). That is sort of what I am doing. I went to college for three semesters but stopped because I ran out of money and I joined the Navy; the Navy is paying for my degree and my degree is related to my job field.

Update: Draft edited, post in its ‘finished’ form.

Here are homeschooling curricula to consider:

Robinson Curriculum

Cost: $195, or $275 w/G.A. Henty collection on CD. Saxon math textbooks ordered separately (avg $61 eaX9).

Focus: Christian Worldview. Math and Science to develop reason.

The ultimate “teach-yourself” and “all-in-one” system (except for the Saxon math textbooks which must be ordered separately). Five Stars (*****).

Principle Approach - FACE

Cost: $217.50/$229.70(?) for Noah Plan Curriculum Guide Package. $199.95 for Principle Approach Foundational Set. Note that additional books would more than likely need to be purchased. See the Product Guide for more info.

Focus: Christian Character and Christian Political Involvement.

The method the founding fathers used. That is how it is advertised. They sell a book that teaches the Christian History of the Constitution, but this is at odds with the idea that the “ratification of the United States Constitution in 1787–88 was not an act of covenant renewal. It was an act of covenant-breaking: the substitution of a new covenant in the name of a new god.” (source: Dr Gary North, part 3 of Political Polytheism). You be the judge. Three Stars (***).

Christian Liberty Academy School System

Cost: Tuition varies from $200-$545 depending on type of enrollment and grade. Electives cost extra and would probably be desired by most. Additional resources are offered through Christian Liberty Press.

Focus: Christian Worldview and Academics.

For those who want to homeschool and have the prestige of a private school (with CLASS administration enrollment) the CLASS system is for you. Two Stars (**).

Veritas Press

Cost:~$1000 a year (my estimate)

Focus: Classical Christian Education

This is the traditional Greek/Roman styled system of learning. One Star (*).

Old Fashioned Education

Cost: Mostly free; some materials must be purchased.

Focus: Christian Worldview. Free online books/textbooks and primary source documents.

Similar sites: Simply Charlotte Mason and Ambleside Online

Provides many free resources/links for a homeschool curriculum for “students” of all ages (beneficial and cheap for adults to brush up on some learnin’). Will most likely have to be supplemented with purchased materials. Three Stars (***).

Then of course there is the “‘Shelly-esque’ (as in Mary Shelley) hybrid of multiple curriculums (sic).” I plan on using the Robinson Curriculum supplemented with books I already own and resources from some of these other educational organizations. Five Stars (*****).

The truth shall set you free, not lies. Where is truth to be found? In Scripture to be sure. Is Scripture accredited? Not by any secular agency. The Bible however has been accredited. It is self-accredited, accredited by the Holy Spirit and the spirit which is man and in man.

So the Bible tells us everything? No. You will need extra-Biblical education if you want to know more. So then, I should go to a secularly accredited institution of un-truth? No. To suggest that that is your only option for education versus non-education is a false dilemma.

Here are the options:

1. You choose to attend a secular school.

There are many reasons for this choice. The premier reason is usually lack of knowing a better way. For shame, it is too bad that many Christians send their children to be indoctrinated in institutions that hate God and will remove God from every area of life. The children may not lose their faith but that is all they will be left with when the school gets through with them. They will lose a God-centered perspective of history. They will forget why God created the heavens and the earth. They will accede far too much territory to the enemy to stay below the radar and get good grades. This is not a criticism. They have no choice; the teacher “knows” more than the student.

If they resist intellectually they will live and work in turmoil knowing that lies are being spewed forth daily and few of them will ever be contested in class; there is simply no time for debate. Memorize the “facts” (deny Him once), write it all down on the test (deny Him twice) and pass the course (deny Him thrice); get a good grade and move on to the next course in humanism. Make no mistake they will be influenced. Even for those who resist the lies will be influenced.
The only way to counteract the intellectual atheism of “higher” education is to train your mind in the opposing arguments.

If you are in chemistry or biology, in addition to your course load, read “Darwin’s Black Box” or similar books. If you are taking history you may want to get books/audio by Rushdoony or Wilkins or the like. Math is fairly “neutral,” just don’t listen to what your teacher says about things other than math. Science; know that the modern science is man’s present day mythology. Science is savior. Secular humanism is the religion. Modern science is based not on absolutes but on relativity. Quantum theory has stood rational science on its head.

The pitfalls are many and the benefits are few. Think about why you choose this path. There are many wrong reasons for choosing this kind of school.

Get Informed (Required Reading):
Must Your Children Run the Collegiate Gauntlet?
The Dorm-Key Ritual
Running the Collegiate Gauntlet at Age 17
Thought Reform 101

2. You choose to attend a “Christian” school.

This school, while apparently the safe alternative, far too often proves the more dangerous option. Many “Christian” schools simply teach a “baptized” secularism. They concede the point to the secularists removing God from education everywhere it would be important to keep Him. They acknowledge His existence merely as an unproven and crudely held belief. Losing one’s faith in a Bible College is no uncommon tragedy. As with anything, evaluate the school yourself. There are good “Christian” schools but they are few. Christ College is one example of a school I would trust to send my children. No others really come to mind (they may be out there though…Geneva College?).

3. You decide not to go to school.

This is a safe decision. You may not be educated to the world’s standards, but that is a good thing. Education in America means giving up God and becoming “enlightened.” For those who are educated and Christians, they are often stigmatized as being biased and not a respectable authority/source. A Ph.D. is a waste of time and money.

True education doesn’t need to be expensive. It will cost something though; motivation. There are public libraries, school libraries, internet, and educational organizations. There are conferences, lectures and simple networking that can be done to garner an above average education. It is there if you want it.

4. You decide to get an education the cheapest way you know how.

Not going to school for the first two years is the first suggestion. CLEP’s or AP credits are highly recommended. You may be able to get life experience credit. If you know a lot about the subject from high school or your own studies you may be able to test out of the class. Minor fees are involved in getting college credit for any of these but you will save some money and a lot of time.

Then “attend” class by taking online courses. Behold the power of the internet. You can work from home in your pajamas. You do school work around your own schedule. Again motivation is needed in order to save time and money. With less motivation you will at least save some money. Young people can pay for their own education this way, thereby taking ownership of it. There are hundreds of accredited online schools. The secular learning without the secular influence and pressure of conformity.

I would also suggest Whitefield College. It is non-accredited. You can go at your own pace or you can follow the semester time-line. I am currently registering for my first class at Whitefield. (Note: This is a small educational ministry with few people involved in administration. It took two months for me to get accepted and to begin the process. Don’t get impatient if you decide on this school. If you do decide on this school, email me for a phone number you may want. michaelsei@hotmail.com)

Conclusion: I have mentioned nothing about financial aid. That is something you must work out with the school you choose. There are many options. Working to pay your way through college is one of them. In addition there may be other schooling options than those I have mentioned…If so, then they help make my case. You do not have to send your children to a godless institution. If you want them to learn something, have them read a good book. If you want them to learn the arts of the enemy they could even buy a textbook out of a school’s bookstore. Do they know how to read and write? Good. Can they write a college level paper? There are books that teach it. Can they write an objective research paper? It is not that difficult to learn. Seriously if you have questions on education email me. michaelsei@hotmail.com I am in school and dealing with all of the humanist propaganda passing for education. I take this issue personal. Don’t do it to your children without a clear understanding of what it is that you’re trying to accomplish.

More links on education:
Timely Advice to College Students
America’s Textbooks and America’s Wars
The Self-Serving System of Peer Review
Why the Job Market is Slanted in Favor of College Graduates

2 Chronicles 16:12 In
the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his
feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not
seek the LORD, but the physicians.

I don’t think that the Bible is here being antogonistic to medicine but the abuse of it. God must be first. All else comes second to Him.

Once the proper order is established, then all things are lawful, though maybe not expedient.

Posted by Me on an OAO Message Board:

joem said:…exhaustive foreknowledge…equals exhaustive predestination…

jesse said:…If God eternally foreknew all that will unavoidably occur, God could never decide what will occur…

I think these statements are mutually exclusive. And as such, one or both statements must be wrong. And if wrong, then the philosophical underpinnings of these statements must also be wrong. So which one is wrong?

I agree with foryou that in God’s perfection He could foreknow all events in time including His active role in it and not need to change anything. God is powerless to originate a current idea/action in the same way that He is powerless to sin, IE change from being perfect.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

In addition, God is the creator…Including being the creator of time. If you say He sovereign; He is not limited by time. There can be no “moment” for Him in eternity. To discuss sequence or moments, presupposes that He is limited by time. Is God in time or eternity? Time begins and ends. God has given us this picture in creation/natural revelation. God has no beginning and no end. If you can comprehend this, you can comprehend the incomprehensible.

I being a creature in time and space cannot fathom anything that is beyond time or space. This is why God has to reveal Himself for someone to know Him. That is why He uses Parables, analogies (heck, all knowledge is analogical), poetry, allegories, prophetic imagery and such the like. He cannot say I am like “X”. Because there is only one “x” like Him and that is the “X,” IE Himself; thus all knowledge of God is derivative and is in universal terms: the three “universal” omni’s or universal negative (versus affirmative) definitions: eternal (without time) and pure/holy (without blemish). For we know not what “eternal” or “pure” really mean since we experience neither eternity nor consummate holiness.

I agree with foryou that we must always return to scripture. We cannot start with the scripture and finish with philosophy. We must start with scripture, and be always checking our philosophy each step of the way by scriptural principles; concluding with something that does not contradict scripture or else we have erred in our surmising.

Posted on OAO Message Board, Topic: The future as both CERTAIN and CONTINGENT

I believe that God created the world, because that’s what the Bible says. I believe that God has an elect and that He will lose none of them, because that’s what the Bible teaches. But I think that we are missing something, all of us. How do we determine these ideas to be philosophically equivalent? But that is what God is calling us to. The Bible is true, it is God’s word. We are required to understand His Word comparing scripture with scripture. I don’t really have a great answer for the scripture you quoted (scriptures which seem to imply that man is a free moral agent), I can give you the textbook response:

God’s eternal decreetal [perfect] will is what must happen because God has determined that it will be so. And yet nothing happens but by the will of God, thus it is by His permissive will that He foreordains that sin will enter the world and His plan of redemption executed (no pun intended).

God doesn’t want some poor soul to be raped, murdered, mutilated, castrated or incarcerated/tortured. Except for the restraining work of the Holy Spirit, we would see quite a bit more evil in this world. It is not that he chose this person to be decimated, but that He chose you or me not to be…THIS is the grace of God…God hates sinners, while I was a sinner Christ died for me, Christ died for someone He hated. Love is a decision that God made according to His own pleasure.

If the Bible teaches that God has predestined the elect and yet calls all men to repentance, then we must hold both as scriptural not rejecting the one we don’t like. One day we will fully understand how they are consistent with each other.

If the Bible teaches that God hath declared the end from the beginning and that He is not the author of sin, then we must hold both as scriptural not rejecting the one we don’t like. One day we will fully understand how they are consistent with each other.

If the Bible teaches that God changes His mind and says that He changeth not, then we must hold both as scriptural not rejecting the one we don’t like. One day we will fully understand how they are consistent with each other.

If perfection was required before anything could be done, nothing would be done. But God in His manifold wisdom and grace has elected to work with that which is imperfect, viz. humanity. “Be ye holy as I am holy.” God has no priorities. Priorities are required of finite creatures. We do not have the time, stamina, ability, etc to do it all. Thus we prioritize. But what is God’s priority? Would He have us achieve internal perfection before attempting to reform the world? Are results more important to God than means? Is orthodoxy more important than orthopraxy?

To all of these statements I give a resounding “NO.” I do believe in the importance of orthodoxy, but how can we separate it from God’s requirements? This is my perception of a problem in the Reformed movement. The youth are “jumping ship” as they say. Ought we to focus our efforts on the church before trying to reform the world? Some think so, “judgment will begin at the house of God,” is true but is it everything?

The more I learn the more I see moderation. “Moderation in everything,” even in moderation? Moderation for moderation’s sake? Again NO. This ignores the express point of it all. “What does God require of man?” How do we learn what He requires? What does He require? He requires us to live righteously, believe orthodoxy, evangelize the lost, occupy till He comes, be fruitful and multiply, and on and on and on.

I have long championed right thinking over right living as the more important thing. Why did I do this? For one to excuse my own sins because at least I believed the right thing. But Proverbs tells us a different story. Wisdom as defined by the first 8 chapters (this is as far as I got with an in depth look at this concept) is not just right thinking but also right living. Proverbs assumes continuity. What one believes affects the way he lives. “Wisdom is the principal thing.” Get wisdom.

So what does God require? Everything. But how are we to prioritize? Let me lend my thoughts here. We will not be perfect. We should not try to achieve perfection before trying to influence this world for God. If we were to try this we would logically end up as hyper-isolationists, if I can say that. We would be ultra-introspective so much so that we would be of no earthly good. We would spend a lifetime of possibly asceticism trying to reach personal holiness without interaction with anyone else. With interaction comes influence. And if you cannot influence until “you are ready” then you will never interact.

You are not required to be perfect before getting married. Some tend to think so. But God gives grace so that we may grow through the process. We live more righteously because of the complementing aspect of relationships; because God makes it work that way to our benefit.

Parents are not required to be perfect before having children or else there would never be any children. But God gives them to us and expects us to grow through the process.

Churches should not isolate and internalize without influencing the world. They should actively seek dominion in all spheres. The church is not perfect but it will grow through the process.

Children should not be excommunicated following their baptism. They should be able to eat with Jesus and grow through the process learning by participating.

I am an advocate for activism; activism in personal lives, activism in the family, the church society.

The fractured and splintered churches and their “pet” doctrines simplify the truth. In many cases several groups understand aspects of what God wants from us. We prioritize not God.

Moralism is not holiness, activism is not righteousness, purism is not perfection. God requires a pure and active moral creature; He demands it all. How we prioritize is seen by our denominational affiliations. How do we encompass all of the correct and complementary views? Whose doctrines and practices are closest to the “truth?”

I do not think the issue is as much about how much we know as it is how we know it. In the garden, Adam and Eve through obedience (i.e. growing through the process) would learn what was good and evil, but they chose differently. What does God require? Obedience; that is what I mean by “everything.” God requires perfection of thought, word and deed. But this is a practical impossibility by man. Thus God in His omniscience gave us simple (not easy) instructions: obey!