Our church holds weekly Men's Bible studies. We usually have
a layman-led _Man in the Mirror_ video-taped lesson taught by
their founder, Patrick Morley. Patrick has been successful
teaching men for over 30 years. As with many similar
organizations, economic lessons have been popular recently.
When applied to individuals and groups the Bible offers much
wisdom: avoid debt, don't cheat, live within less than 80% of
income (don't covet) giving at least 10% back to God and
saving at least 10%. Dave Ramsey has made a fortune teaching
these straight-forward Biblical principles. But, _Man in the
Mirror_ follows the politically-correct secularist view when
it comes to macro-economics. I have heard it time and again.
"We don't live in a Theocracy anymore." "Old Testament
Judicial (national civil) law is invalid."
What biblical exegesis is offered for this opinion?
Seriously, I don't think there is any. A few months back
Patrick found himself on an airplane sitting next to the
U.S. congressman, Ric Keller. Ric asked Patrick for advice on
decisions he needed to make concerning economic stimulus
"bailout" bills he needed to vote on. Patrick, said "I can't
offer any advice at all for you on this." Granted, Patrick
may not be personally knowledgeable with respect to
macro-economics from a biblical perspective but over the 30
years of teaching men on a national scale, certainly he would
know a bank president, CPA, or other financial expert who
consciously wants to place God and the Bible as the authority
in their profession; someone who would or should know the
answer. No, Patrick didn't have a person, book, author, or
web-site to direct Ric toward. He didn't even accept this as
a challenge: what does the Bible say about macro-economics?
Even though no exegesis is offered there is no stopping
unbiblical teaching in this area. In a later lesson, "What
Jesus has to say about the Old Testament", Patrick says "He
[Jesus Christ] fulfills the judicial law with His
resurrection. If you were to look in I Peter 2:9 and 10 you
would find that the church is God's new nation. We don't live
in a theocracy anymore, we live in the church ...." Just a
few questions shows his confusion of church authority with
civil authority. Why is murder a civil crime if we don't live
in a nation anymore but in the church? Did the New Testament
church negate the political governments in their day? I asked
Patrick for clarification or a biblical exegesis of this
opinion since it contradicts the one I have read by Dr. Greg
Bahnsen found in _Theonomy in Christian Ethics_. I encouraged
him to contact a seminary professor who would and could answer
the question. I got the usual cold shoulder - dead silence.
Patrick and others like him, such as Dr. Richard Land of the
Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
(ERLC), think they have the upper hand in terms of numbers.
In _The Divided States of America_ Richard Land identifies the
dominionists (reconstructionists) as the "loony fringe"; those
who actually have a biblical exegesis which shows the Bible
does have something to say about macro-economics. There is a
biblical parallel. That generation of Israelites who left
Egypt for the promised land also thought they had the upper
hand in terms of numbers. Indeed, it was the entire nation of
Israel vs Joshua, Caleb, Moses, and maybe Aaron and Mirium.
God answered the revolting majority by swallowing the leader
of the revolt, Korah, in an earthquake. In 1984, after the
United States had abandoned biblical macro-economics
over 50 years earlier, Dr. Gary North wrote in
_Inherit the Earth -- Biblical Principles of Economics_ "we
are self-consciously firing the opening shot. We are calling
the whole Christian community to join with us in a very
serious debate, just as Luther called them to debate him when
he nailed the 95 theses to the church door, over four and a
half centuries ago. It is through such an exchange of ideas
by those who take the Bible seriously that a nation and a
civilization can be saved." What's the result? In the 25 years
since, not much. Thus, The economic earthquake Gary and
others have predicted for quite some time is about to swallow
us all.
However, not all is lost. God always saves a remnant. See
http://www.thegreatreversal.com/ to find out how the
remnant may instigate "the great reversal".
a layman-led _Man in the Mirror_ video-taped lesson taught by
their founder, Patrick Morley. Patrick has been successful
teaching men for over 30 years. As with many similar
organizations, economic lessons have been popular recently.
When applied to individuals and groups the Bible offers much
wisdom: avoid debt, don't cheat, live within less than 80% of
income (don't covet) giving at least 10% back to God and
saving at least 10%. Dave Ramsey has made a fortune teaching
these straight-forward Biblical principles. But, _Man in the
Mirror_ follows the politically-correct secularist view when
it comes to macro-economics. I have heard it time and again.
"We don't live in a Theocracy anymore." "Old Testament
Judicial (national civil) law is invalid."
What biblical exegesis is offered for this opinion?
Seriously, I don't think there is any. A few months back
Patrick found himself on an airplane sitting next to the
U.S. congressman, Ric Keller. Ric asked Patrick for advice on
decisions he needed to make concerning economic stimulus
"bailout" bills he needed to vote on. Patrick, said "I can't
offer any advice at all for you on this." Granted, Patrick
may not be personally knowledgeable with respect to
macro-economics from a biblical perspective but over the 30
years of teaching men on a national scale, certainly he would
know a bank president, CPA, or other financial expert who
consciously wants to place God and the Bible as the authority
in their profession; someone who would or should know the
answer. No, Patrick didn't have a person, book, author, or
web-site to direct Ric toward. He didn't even accept this as
a challenge: what does the Bible say about macro-economics?
Even though no exegesis is offered there is no stopping
unbiblical teaching in this area. In a later lesson, "What
Jesus has to say about the Old Testament", Patrick says "He
[Jesus Christ] fulfills the judicial law with His
resurrection. If you were to look in I Peter 2:9 and 10 you
would find that the church is God's new nation. We don't live
in a theocracy anymore, we live in the church ...." Just a
few questions shows his confusion of church authority with
civil authority. Why is murder a civil crime if we don't live
in a nation anymore but in the church? Did the New Testament
church negate the political governments in their day? I asked
Patrick for clarification or a biblical exegesis of this
opinion since it contradicts the one I have read by Dr. Greg
Bahnsen found in _Theonomy in Christian Ethics_. I encouraged
him to contact a seminary professor who would and could answer
the question. I got the usual cold shoulder - dead silence.
Patrick and others like him, such as Dr. Richard Land of the
Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
(ERLC), think they have the upper hand in terms of numbers.
In _The Divided States of America_ Richard Land identifies the
dominionists (reconstructionists) as the "loony fringe"; those
who actually have a biblical exegesis which shows the Bible
does have something to say about macro-economics. There is a
biblical parallel. That generation of Israelites who left
Egypt for the promised land also thought they had the upper
hand in terms of numbers. Indeed, it was the entire nation of
Israel vs Joshua, Caleb, Moses, and maybe Aaron and Mirium.
God answered the revolting majority by swallowing the leader
of the revolt, Korah, in an earthquake. In 1984, after the
United States had abandoned biblical macro-economics
over 50 years earlier, Dr. Gary North wrote in
_Inherit the Earth -- Biblical Principles of Economics_ "we
are self-consciously firing the opening shot. We are calling
the whole Christian community to join with us in a very
serious debate, just as Luther called them to debate him when
he nailed the 95 theses to the church door, over four and a
half centuries ago. It is through such an exchange of ideas
by those who take the Bible seriously that a nation and a
civilization can be saved." What's the result? In the 25 years
since, not much. Thus, The economic earthquake Gary and
others have predicted for quite some time is about to swallow
us all.
However, not all is lost. God always saves a remnant. See
http://www.thegreatreversal.com/ to find out how the
remnant may instigate "the great reversal".
