Return to Main Page Site Index - Select a FPCR / Blue Banner Link - Home Online Audio Library FPCR News Blue Banner Articles The Blue Banner in PDF format Feedback Page Links to Other Sites Religious News Headlines Offsite Articles of Interest Free Reformed Software Free Reformed Electronic Books (PDF) Catalog of items for sale and Online ordering Answering the Steelites Search Our Site Free CDs By Mail (U.S. Only) Bible Search Westminster Forum Support FPCR ministries Get on The Blue Banner Mail and Email List,  Free CD Trouble with drop box click here for help     Printing Instructions for Articles

Discussion of George Gillespie's Wholesome Severity Reconciled with Christian Liberty

Subject: Re: WF: Deut.13:6-9
From: Tomas Dombrowsky 
Date: Wed, 7 May 1997 09:05:15 -0600 (CST)

Some thoughts regarding Jonny Kean's excellent post:
>
>  History, however, does not support the
>principle of State domination over the Church, but rather the separation of
Church and 
>State. Moreover, it is contrary to the New Dispensation that authority be
vested in
>the State to abitrarily reform the Church, and to deny the Church the right
of indep-
>endently conducting its affairs as a distinct territory alongside the
State. The New
>Testament does not subject the Christian Church to the authority of the
State that it
>should be governed and extended by political measures, but to our Lord and
King only
>as an independent territory alongside and altogether independent of the
State, that it 
>may be governed and edified by its office-bearers and with spiritual
weapons only.

However the question is what is the responsibility of a Christian
magistrate. Granted that the Church is not subject to the state, what OUGHT
the state to do? (Not what is practical for the state to do at the present time)

>Practically all Reformed churches have repudiated the idea of the
Established Church,
>and are advocating the autonomy of the churches and personal liberty of
conscience
>in matters pertaining to the service of God. . ." I think the above quote
answers
>whether Christian rulers are to put to death heretics based on the judicial
OT law-
>Deut.13:6-9.
>	In considering the above we have to ask "Is the holy catholic Church the
>same as OT Israel?" In the OT the Church was not separated from the
State-but now
>in the New Covenant Age there is a separation between Church and State-it
would be
>impossible to rule the Universal Church by the judicial laws of the
OT-nation of
>Israel.

But the state can be separate from the church and still be informed by
Christian principals IF the majority of the officials are Christians.


>	I was wondering what a blood bath there would be in America if Christian
>rulers would put to death all the heretics-non-Calvinists. I ask also "Do
we have
>Christian Magistrates today?" America is not even a Christian nation-it is
totally
>secular.
>	Well these are a few thoughts I had on Gillespie's interpretation of Deut.
>13:6-9. Jonny
>

In a society where people openly worship Satan it would be ridiculous to
worry about non-Calvinists. Certainly the U.S. is a non-Christian country
but such a situation does not have to endure forever. Calvin did not
advocate death for Christians who disagreed with him. Even Roman Catholics
were merely banished from Geneva. Servetus was put to death for blaspheming
the Trinity as he would have been in virtually any country of Europe at the
time. 
    The fact that the U.S. is a totally secular nation is precisely our
problem. Granted that there were valid historical reasons for this. The
founding fathers wanted to avoid the evils that Europe had experienced in
wars of religion etc. However the cure has become worse than the illness.