1/ Here is a very recent quote from Jerry Falwell Jr. in the WPost: "You almost have to believe that this is a theocracy to think that way, to think that public policy should be dictated by the teachings of Jesus." washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/maga… In the first posed question about Xians
2/ being "nice guys," Falwell responds that whatever Jesus said in the NT about human behavior at the individual level does not apply to the operations of the USG. Specifically, Falwell said, "Jesus never told Caesar how to run Rome" and "you render unto Caesar that which is
3/ Caesar's." His statement runs counter to the dominionist project pushed by the Coalition on Revival and its biblical worldview documents; by the Christian Right and its view that America was founded as a Christian nation and that a Christian government is the ideal government.
4/ Elizabeth Breunig at WPost washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/… criticized Falwell on the grounds that he misinterpreted Augustine's "two kingdoms." John Fea notes Augustine but cites writers who look at the "two kingdoms" in light of Martin Luther. thewayofimprovement.com/2019/01/02/jer… . I cannot
5/ address either Augustine or Luther. That is not my expertise. But, I am suggesting that Breunig, Fea and others are overlooking a strategic mistake by Falwell. The Christian Right, based on Francis Schaeffer, Rousas Rushdoony, John Whitehead, Timothy LaHaye, and Marvin Olasky
6/ that a secular government was inherently illegitmate because it was based on secular humanism, reason, man-made law, or judge-made law and was not in accordance with Old Testament principles. For the last few decades we have had efforts by the Christian Right to make their
7/ biblical standards supreme (COR, and Manhatten Declaration, the Nashville Statement, the Dallas Statement), as well as carving out religious exemptions allowing evangelical Christians to discriminate against the LGBT. And, we have the current Project Blitz operation to push
8/ Christian ideology and symbols into schools and state law. Now, I don't think Falwell made a mistake. I think he is outright lying. The dominionist project has not abated or lost steam. Falwell is trying to sound reasonable by lying. And, he apparently got away with it,
9/ judging by discussions of the theological correctness of the "two kingdoms." Dominionism is based, if I understand it, on the belief that the earthly kingdom has to be brought as close as possible to the heavenly kingdom. That is a combative political project. It is based on
10/ the epistemological premise that Christians must choose between God's law and man-made law; there is no neutrality between the two. It is a war of good versus evil. I will be curious to see what anyone else thinks about this Falwell statement. @brucewilson @FredClarkson
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