Canada will assist the mentally ill by terminating their life, starting in March of 2023. This assistance euphemistically takes the name, medical assistance in dying (MAID). MAID is euthanasia. It terminates life. The mentally ill in March 2023 and those impoverished due to disability can now choose to receive a sponsored death from the state. [Read more…] about Does Government only Restrain Evil or also Commend the good? the Question MAID Forces
Political Theology
Christ Reigns over All Governments Now
Christ reigns over all governments.
Christ is not waiting for politicians to submit.
Christ is not waiting for our Prime Minister to adopt biblical law so that he can be Lord of Canada.
Christ reigns. He is Lord. [Read more…] about Christ Reigns over All Governments Now
If Christ Reigns, He Reigns over Church and Government
Simply put, Christ reigns over church and creation through church and government offices: elder and magistrate. This one rule is distinguishable but united under Christ who reigns as Lord and Messiah.
In either case, if pastor or Premier sins, they retain the authority God gave but are accountable to God for their sin. They are also accountable to whatever body keeps them accountable (elder board, legislative assembly, etc.). Some sin obviously disqualifies too.
[Read more…] about If Christ Reigns, He Reigns over Church and Government
Brief Thoughts on the Two-Kingdoms
The reformers recognized that God reigned over the universe, but that we could distinguish how God reigned through his administrations of church and government.
We render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Since grace does not destroy nature, we belong to heaven even while having obligations to administrations on earth. So we pay taxes to whom taxes are due (Rom 13:6). And we honour God with our conscience, worship, and so on.
This kind of thing represents what the reformers meant by two-kingdom theology. It was not two discrete kingdoms but two distinguishable administrations of God’s one reign. [Read more…] about Brief Thoughts on the Two-Kingdoms
A Reformed Harmony between Church and Civil Authority (The Leiden Synopsis)
After the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619), faculty from the University of Leiden spent years disputing reformed orthodoxy to create a synopsis that defined the norm of reformed orthodoxy.
During these disputations, Johannes Polyander (1568–1646) rejected the Roman Catholic position, as expressed in the Council of Trent and elsewhere, that “clerics are entirely and unconditionally exempt from the yoke of the political magistrate” (§50.21).
[Read more…] about A Reformed Harmony between Church and Civil Authority (The Leiden Synopsis)
FAQ on Romans 13
What does Romans 13 have to say about the myriad of civil matters that we face today?
Here I want to make a few observations that come out of the heart of the nerd who has been studying reformation theology and writings. Granted, these observations on Romans 13 in reformed thinking do, of course, touch on all the issues we have today.
Even so, I am not writing this as some sort of online battle, which normally I would not say but today I feel I must due to how volcanic the internet seems. I offer this little FAQ as simply my thoughts on Friday morning and later updated in the day. [Read more…] about FAQ on Romans 13