Christian Life & Character of the Civil Institutions of the U.S.
Hardback, 1060 Pages
About the Title: "I was debating an ACLU attorney at Christmas on an NPR station. I pulled out a Xerox copy of
The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States and said to her: 'Until you answer this book, the ACLU can't make a case against America's Christian founding.' She was shocked when she saw it. She asked where I had gotten it. The only thing that gave her relief was the fact that the book was not in print. But now it is."
Be afraid ACLU. Be very afraid. Morris packs The Christian Life and Character with page after page of original source material making the case that America was founded as a Christian nation. The evidence is unanswerable and irrefutable. This 1000-page book will astound you and send enemies of Christianity into shock. Keep in mind that it was published in 1864 and has been out of print for more than a century. It has been newly typeset using a very readable font and added subheads. A new Foreword written by my long-time friend Dr. Archie Jones describes the background of the book and provides a brief biography of the author. Gary DeMar
Benjamin Franklin Morris' book has been out of print for more than 100 years. If you can find an original copy, it's only because you have looked in the deep recesses of university libraries where the volume is probably collecting dust on dimly lit library shelves. Organizations like the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have done their best to ignore the content of the massive compilation of original source material found in this book. If Americans ever become aware of the content assembled by the author, the arguments for a secular founding of America will turn to dust.
Reprinted for the first time in over 140 years in 2007, this book has already been through it's seventh printing. Don't miss out on the fantastic wealth of information this book has in store!
Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States could very well be responsible for rediscovering the truth of America's Christian foundation.
Copyright: 2007
Passing the Torch of Liberty to a New Generation
Hardback, 500 Pages
About the Title: Most ministers would be afraid to preach these messages today. The men who witnessed the birth of our nation understood that even civil magistrates and politicians are obligated to place themselves under the sovereign hand of God. Can you imagine how atheists will respond if this book gets out to millions of Americans who begin reading and applying the principles found in these powerful messages? Not only will atheists be upset, but many ministers will object to these messages. Many ministers today have tried to remain neutral in the face of politics which has become increasingly godless. You've heard ministers tell their congregations to stay out of politics with some of the following half-truths:
- Politics is dirty.
- Jesus didn't get mixed up in politics.
- There's a separation between church and state.
- Our citizenship is in heaven.
- Were not supposed to judge.
- You cant impose your morality on other people.
These excuses are foreign to the men who penned these pamphlets. They would recoil in disbelief if they heard these excuses coming from ministers of the gospel. Joseph Strong stated in 1802 that our fathers adhered to the principle that none ought to be elevated to public office except those whose opinions and behavior were strictly Christian and that righteousness exalts a nation. When is the last time you heard anything like that?
How about this? In the judicial department, a high regard to law and justice must never be subordinated to party interest or a fear of rejection from office. Wow! This is just a taste of what you will find in this 500-page volume!
These are principles that many Christians have forgotten. Were not in a mess today because of unbelievers; were in a mess because we are a nation that has lost its memory of its Christian beginnings.
Copyright: 2008
Establishments and Limits of Civil Government
Hardback, 180 Pages
About the Title: Foreword by Gary DeMar, Introduction by Dr. Archie Jones
It cant happen here! How many times have we heard this claim? But it can happen here. Many will tell you that it is happening here. It seems that almost on a daily basis we are losing our God-given rights. Some even make the case that there is a direct assault on the Christian religion because it is the only belief system that is greater than government and puts limits on governments. Relegating God to a distant corner of the universe empowers and emboldens governments to do what they will. In pre-Nazi Germany, many Christians were under the false assumption that they had to go along with whatever their civil rulers demanded. For decades before the rise of Hitler, Christians were subjected to arguments like the following from pastors and theologians:
- The Gospel has absolutely nothing to do with outward existence but only with eternal life, not with external orders and institutions which could come in conflict with the secular orders but only with the heart and its relationship with God.
- The Gospel frees us from this world, frees us from all questions of this world, frees us inwardly, also from the questions of public life, also from the social question. Christianity has no answer to these questions.
- Once the Christian understands the moral significance of the state he will consider obedience to the government to be the highest vocation within the state. For the authority of the state on the whole, resting as it does upon authority of the government, is more important than the elimination of any shortcomings which it might have.
While many Christians might have been opposed to Nazi policies, they had been conditioned to believe they could not do anything about them. Much of their thinking was shaped by a misreading of Romans 13 and a misapplication of Matthew 22:21 where Jesus says Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars. As with all authority, there are limits, including limits on civil government. It might also help to realize that we do not live under Caesar. Our civil rulers took an oath to uphold the Constitution which is the supreme law of the land. Neither the president nor the members of Congress are Caesar. If we have a Caesar, it is the United States Constitution. But even the Constitution recognizes its own limits and the right of the people to (1) express their grievances, (2) vote corrupt and oath-breaking rulers out of office, and (3) change existing laws.
The Bible tells us that civil rulers are ministers of God. The Greek word translated ministers is the same word used to describe ministers in a church. There are civil ministers and church ministers. Both serve as Gods ministers within their jurisdictions. It is unbiblical to assume that civil rulers are autonomous, that they can legitimately rule independent of Gods limiting authority of them. It is a serious mistake to take Pauls instructions in Romans 13 and claim that civil rulers cannot be challenged by the citizenry.
Notice the use of governing authorities in Romans 13:1. There's not just one ruler; there are many. Even Rome had governors and other civil officials. Our own system of civil government follows the biblical model of multiple civil rulers with county, state, and national authorities. American civil government was designed to be decentralized and limited at all levels. We have a United States Constitution and 50 state constitutions. Its unfortunate that as a nation we have turned unwarranted and unconstitutional authority over to the national government to the exclusion of state and county governments.
Civil authorities are to rule in terms of good and evil. There is no room for tyranny in these words. Those who rule are bound by the same laws as the rest of us. That's why there is no divine right of kings in the Bible. The prophet Nathan challenged King David to do right. Daniel was not a revolutionary when he opposed the kings law. John the Baptist rebuked King Herod for his sexual sins. Jesus even called him a fox. Peter continued to preach, obeying God rather than man, even though he was commanded to stop by the authorities of his day. Paul used his Roman citizenship to challenge the Roman Empire. Paul spent a great deal of time in prison because he was seen as a threat to the Empire.
To obey Romans 13 is to call our civil officials to uphold their oath of office, an oath that nearly all of them took by repeating So help me God!
James Willson's study of Romans 13 is needed more than ever. Whats most helpful about it is that it was written in a time that is not muddied by the politics of our day. There are no current or recently passed politicians named. He sticks to principles based on the Bible. If we are to save our Republic, then we are bound to heed his instruction and warnings.
Copyright: 2009
No Substitutions.