What are Biblical Doctrines and Values that should influence Politics? The following is a short, broad sketch from a neo-calvinist perspective.
The Concept of Sphere Sovereignty is crucial to Neo-Calvinist Political Science. The Bible teaches that God created people in His image. They would be like Him and they would represent Him. He gave then a mandate, as His representatives, to care for and cultivate all that God had made. This is known as the Cultural Mandate.
As part of this plan, God ordained three institutions. First is Marriage (defined as the life long covenant commitment of a man and a woman) with the consequent extended family. Married couples and families are to work together to keep the Cultural Mandate. Second, God created the Covenant Community, which became the Church, and third, God created Civil Government. Each of these three institutions, known as a "Sphere", is autonomous, but under God- responsible to Him. One Sphere is never to interfere with or usurp the authority or sovereignty of the other. This is known as Sphere Sovereignty.
There are extensions of the Marriage-Family and Church Spheres, which become other, secondary institutions in society, i.e.-voluntary associations of individuals for work and the production and distribution of goods and services (Business and Trade). Other voluntary associations will naturally arise for Education, Communications, the Arts and Recreation. None of these Spheres are autonomous, but cooperate with each other. Each is meant to function according to the Law of God and is accountable to Him.
There are serious consequences of this Doctrine of the Spheres and Sphere Sovereignty. For example, the education of children is the right and duty of their parents. The State can never rightfully (in God’s eyes) claim that those children belong to it or that it is the State’s right and duty to educate children against the will of their parents. Parents are not to acquiesce to this claim by the State or relinquish their privilege and duty to educate their children.
In practice, this Doctrine leads to the support of Home Schooling, Parochial Schools and the use of Vouchers to use tax money for school choice. At the very least, this Doctrine should lead Christian parents to become involved on local school boards and in the selection of text books, as well as leading Christians to become professional educators, who will promote and teach Biblical values in State schools, which most children attend.
The Family also has the responsibility to teach work or vocational skills, as well as the Biblical work ethic. People who do not work do not eat; but more than that, working is a God-given duty, a commandment, laid upon all to support themselves and their extended family. This is a major way to carry out the Cultural Mandate and thus serve God. The State has no business to interfere with this duty or to care of those who shirk it.
This Doctrine of the Spheres gives the responsibility for welfare and the care of the sick, the widowed and orphaned, the unemployed and the homeless to the Family and Faith Community. The State has no business to interfere with or usurp these God-given responsibilities either. Calvinists oppose the concept and practice of the “welfare state” and the liberal ideology behind it and are very suspicious of all entitlement programs and oppose the popular entitlement mentality. The State has no right to take money (taxes) for most such programs (at the most, such axes should be minimal) That would be compounding error
with theft.
The voluntary civic associations are not to forgo their independence and look to the civil government for support. These groups, whether for business or the arts, are extensions of the Family and Church. Again, the State has no right to interfere with them in any way. In practice, this Doctrine leads to a rejection of “tax breaks”, as well as government funding and subsidies. In our Society, it means advocating for privatization of just about everything.
The Faith Community or Church has its God-given privileges and responsibilities which include public corporate worship and evangelism, as well as its ministries of charity. The Civil Government has no lawful right to abridge or interfere with the Church in its duties.
The only legitimate, God-given responsibility for Civil Government is maintenance of Law (involving Legislation in harmony with the principles of Biblical Law) and Order, (Law enforcement, Courts and a legal system guaranteeing due process- as well as the Military) all to maintain peace and to protect citizens from harm and danger from any quarter. Taxing the people for this is not theft. It is the obligation of citizens to pay for these services.
Civil government is not autonomous, nor is it to be of the People, for the People or by the People. It certainly is not meant to be of, by and for those who govern. Civil Government is of God, for God and according to the Law of God. It is accountable to Him in all things. It will be judged by Him.
Neo-Calvinists, being in the Reformed Tradition, also hold to other Doctrines which greatly influence their politics. Prime among them is the "Total Depravity" (Radical Corruption) of Human Beings. This leads to the emphasis on the negative role of the Civil Government. Because people who rule are also fallen sinners, there is among all Calvinists a serious mistrust of all those in power and of any particular government Administration. One consequence of this is the strong advocacy by all Calvinists of a division of powers, wherein there will always be a system of checks and balances to inhibit the government from becoming an instrument of evil.
Finally, because we hold to the infinite value of the person, Calvinists also believe in the necessity of the consent of the governed to be governed and the right to rebel when such freedom is denied and human beings are enslaved. This means the Reformed Christian is very much concerned with the possibility of totalitarianism, in which the State becomes God and takes over total control of the minds and lives of its citizens. Thus, we are very much opposed to an ever growing government and in favor of an ever decreasing government presence in our lives and business. This, of course, flies against all the current trends and practices of our Government and the desire and beliefs of most of our politicians and citizens today, especially the so-called Progressives and Left-leaning Liberals among us who are now in control (Spring 2009).
The State is not to interfere with the life and work of the Church and the Church has no business doing the work of the State (this is the original intent of the First Amendment). However, the Church, in its prophetic preaching and teaching ministry, has the duty to remind the State of its responsibilities under God and of His judgment upon it when it fails in them. Apparently, the church also needs to teach its members the Biblical function of Civil Government! Changing the Country must begin with changing the Church.
