Wilberforce and Modern Christians

When Christopher Luxon gave his maiden speech, I was astounded by how many Christians were excited by what he had to say. I was disappointed. Yes, he pointed out the difference his faith has made to his life. He pointed out that it was helpful having something bigger than oneself.

Yet he then went to show how ill-thought-out his theology of politics was – a shameful thing in a Christian seeking to lead in civil government, but unsurprising given the weak state of the church in New Zealand. In his maiden speech, Luxon praised and highlighted the work of Christians like William Wilberforce who worked tirelessly for the abolition of the slave trade. Yet in a contradictory fashion, he continued by explaining his faith was personal to him and that he didn’t think religion should dictate to the state, and that politicians shouldn’t use their political platform to force beliefs on others.

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Theology of Government and COVID – Part 2

Welcome to part two of this series looking at a Biblical theology of government and certain applications to our current cultural moment. For links to the other installments, see the list below.

  1. Principle #1 – Civil Governments have a Legitimate Authority
  2. Principle #2 – Civil Governments have a Limited Authority
  3. Principle #3 – Theocracy is Inescapable
  4. Principles Applied

In today’s episode, we are looking at the second principle regarding the limited authority of civil governments.

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COVID Stats in Australia

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Hey Look At That

The Spectator Australia has a great piece detailing the COVID stats there. I recommend you read it.

A couple of stats to whet your appetite.

  • As at 7 September 2021 the CFR for Covid in Australians aged under 50 is <0.034% (16 out of 47,897). This can also be expressed as approximately 4 out of every 12,000 cases.
  • The average life expectancy in Australia is 82.8. As at October 2020 the average age of death from Covid in Australia was approximately 85 and the median age at death approximately 86.
  • Out of 894 cases of people aged over 90 who have tested positive to Covid, 557 have survived (as at 7 September 2021). This means that even those aged over 90 have a statistical chance of over 60% of overcoming Covid.

Read the whole article. It is a fascinating read, and there is only commentary at the end. Most of the piece is just plain statistics.

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Theology of Government and COVID – Part 1

Here in New Zealand, we have once again been subjected to a nationwide lockdown. Churches are closed, the nation is on house arrest, and you can only go to work if the government deems your work essential.

I am convinced that one of the premier problems facing the Christian church is a disgraceful complicity with the idolatry of the state and a woefully lacking theology of government.

By the end of this series, I want to make the suggestion that churches and church leaders are morally obliged to disregard our government’s lockdown orders and reopen the church as soon as possible. But before we get there, we must lay some Biblical foundations. Foundations that have been eroded for decades and are about to cause a collapse of the entire house.

What I want to do here is lay a ground-up foundation for Biblical principles regarding our theology of government and then make application to our current cultural moment. My hope is that we might all be able to take a step back and reconsider some of our assumptions about the role of government and our obligations before God in relation to government edicts.

Across this series, we will look at three core principles and then some applications regarding our current cultural moment. here is where we are heading:

  1. Principle #1 – Civil Governments have a Legitimate Authority
  2. Principle #2 – Civil Governments have a Limited Authority
  3. Principle #3 – Theocracy is Inescapable
  4. Principles Applied

This first installment explores principle one. Enjoy.

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Forgotten Freedoms Fail Fast

Check out this article on our freedoms and the dangers to them at the moment. Kurt Mahlburg writes:-

As I have elsewhere argued, vaccine passports are an ethical disaster. They pose an unprecedented threat to personal liberty; they replace informed consent with coercion; they assume no reasonable grounds for declining vaccination; they create medical apartheid; and they open the door to untold medical control.

To all the Australians reading this: think about the future you want to leave for coming generations. Think what our nation’s social fabric will look like in a few decades if speech continues to be silenced and the State takes mastery over your bodily integrity.

Speak up while you can and remind others of the liberties we once prized, bled and died for. Because forgotten freedoms fade fast.

The Fall of The Hypocritical and Sanctimonious Pink Haired Scientist

Readers of The Sojournal will be aware that we are not huge fans of the Pink Haired Scientist. We’ve complained about her lectures here, and political bias here. Having left home we feel that we do not need to be hectored and bossed around and mothered. While many citizens seem to love being treated like little children, we prefer not to be molly-coddled by females in the public sphere who in some strange paradox deny the natural order of domesticity and motherhood, and then attempt to domesticate and mother the world.

Needless to say, there was anger and frustration in some quarters when the BFD broke the story of Siouxsie’s lockdown jaunt and the ignoring her own advice to mask up when leaving the house. The mainstream media had sat on the story and eventually they were forced to mention it when the BFD published further details which showed that Siouxsie had extended her bubble to include another scientist who seems to enjoy lecturing us about following the lockdowns ‘properly dammit’. Of course the bought and paid for government whore media painted this as an evil right-wing plot and the pink-haired maiden called it misinformation. Yes, Siouxsie, whatever you say. Let’s hope all the drones wake up and smell the hypocrisy of our elites and start asking questions.

The reality is, we now know that Siouxsie does not think this virus is as dangerous as she has led us to believe. She doesn’t seem to think she needs to wear a mask while sitting outside next to a friend, so why should we. As one wag pointed out, “It would be hypocritical of me to complain, as I’ve always ignored her advice as well.”

At least watching this video can give you a bit of light relief in these dark times.

Contradictory Nazis

The Whitehouse. “When people are able to make choices without government interference for themselves in terms of their well being and the well-being of their family in consultation with whomever they may choose, we are a stronger society.“

Also the Whitehouse. If you work for the government you must be vaccinated or lose your job. If you are working in a company of over 100 people you must be vaccinated or be subjected to weekly tests.

I guess people are allowed their own ‘well-being’ decisions when it involves murdering unborn children, but not when it comes to whether they get vaccinated. Murder as a well-being choice is ok, but not getting a prick in the arm…that’s a line too far.

Law and Freedom

What most modern Western people (including many Christians) are asking for in the name of freedom’ is in fact a new slavery, when they attempt to secularize the public sphere and pursue freedom without the Lordship of Christ. To object to this by saying that non-believers are not accountable to God’s covenant law (moral law) is finally to say that we have no basis for presenting the gospel to the unbeliever – since Scripture defines sin as lawlessness and only lawbreakers need the gospel!

The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope for Society by Joseph Boot)