** CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISM AND THE FAR-RIGHT ** The text reproduced below and a brief analysis is a contribution to the debate on the relationship of far-right ideology to paramilitary violence initiated by anti-abortion and other Christian Patriot organizations. ********************************************** * THE CREED OF CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISM * * * * Rev. Andrew Sandlin * * [May be freely reproduced] * ********************************************** A Christian Reconstructionist is a _Calvinist_. He holds to historic, orthodox, catholic Christianity and the great Reformed confessions. He believes God, not man, is the center of the universe -- and beyond; God, not man, controls whatever comes to pass; God, not man, must be pleased and obeyed. He believes God saves sinners -- He does not help them save themselves. A Christian Reconstructionist believes the Faith should apply to all of life, not just the "spiritual" side. It applies to art, education, technology, and politics no less than to church, prayer, evangelism, and Bible study. A Christian Reconstructionist is a _Theonomist_. Theonomy means "God's law." A Christian Reconstructionist believes God's law is found in the Bible. It has not been abolished as a standard for righteousness. It no longer accuses the Christian, since Christ bore its penalty on the cross for him. But the law is a statement of God's righteous character. It cannot change anymore than God can change. God's law is used for three main purposes: First, to drive the sinner to trust in Christ alone, the only perfect law-keeper. Second, to provide a standard of obedience for the Christian, by which he may judge his progress in sanctification. And third, to maintain order in society, restraining and arresting civil evil. He does not believe there is some "higher" or "deeper" standard than the Bible. A Christian Reconstructionist is a _Presuppositionalist_. He does not try to "prove" that God exists or that the Bible is true. He holds to the Faith because the Bible says so, not because he can "prove" it. He does not try to convince the unconverted that the gospel is true. They already know it is true. They need repentance, not evidence. Of course, the Christian Reconstructionist believes there is evidence for the Faith -- in fact there is nothing _but_ evidence for the Faith. The problem for the unconverted, though, is not a lack of evidence, but a lack of submission. Christian Reconstructionists begin and end with the Bible. They do not defend "natural theology," and other inventions designed to fine some agreement with covenant-breaking, apostate mankind. A Christian Reconstructionist is a _Postmillennialist_. He believes Christ will return to earth only after the Holy Spirit has empowered the church to advance Christ's kingdom in time and history. He has faith that God's purposes to bring all nations - - though not every individual -- in subjection to Christ cannot fail. The Christian Reconstructionist is not utopian. He does not believe that the kingdom will advance quickly or painlessly. He knows that we enter the kingdom through much tribulation. He knows Christians are in the fight for the "long haul." He believes the church may yet be in her infancy. But he believes the faith will triumph. Under the power of the Spirit of God, it cannot _but_ triumph. A Christian Reconstructionist is a _Dominionist_. He takes seriously the Bible's commands to the godly to take dominion in the earth. This is the goal of the gospel and the Great Commission. The Christian Reconstructionist believes the earth and all its fullness is the Lord's -- that every area dominated by sin must be "reconstructed" in terms of the Bible. This includes, first, the individual; second, the family; third, the church; and fourth, the wider society, including the state. The Christian Reconstructionist therefore believes fervently in Christian civilization. He firmly believes in the separation of church and state, but not the separation of the state -- or anything else -- from God. He is not a revolutionary; he does not believe in the militant, forced overthrow of human government. He has infinitely more powerful weapons than guns and bombs -- he has the invincible Spirit of God, the infallible word of God, and the incomparable gospel of God, none of which can fail. He presses the crown rights of the Lord Jesus Christ in every sphere, expecting eventual triumph. _Chalcedon Report_, Vallecito, CA, June 1995, p. 2 * * * * * ANALYSIS Tom Burghardt, Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights (BACORR) While Christian Reconstructionists' claim they are not interested in seizing political control of the social order through force of arms, it is apparent that many of the movement's more enthusiastic followers are not as timid as _Chalcedon's_ theoreticians. Within the anti-abortion movement, particularly among more militant factions, the ideology of a North American "Christian Republic" is in the ascendancy. Randall Terry, Joseph Foreman, Michael Bray, Matthew Trewhella, Andrew Burnett, Paul deParrie -- and Paul Hill, are all staunch proponents of dominion theology. Words do have consequences. It should not, therefore, surprise us that the Christian Patriot movement has grafted an almost literal version of Christian Reconstructionism onto many of their founding texts and militia training manuals. The Wisconsin-based Free Militia, with which Rev. Trewhella and other members of Missionaries to the Preborn are associated, begins its 100 page training manual with the following passages: "Before we can rightly consider arming and organizing ourselves as a militia, we must consider whether or not doing so is the right thing to do...But ultimately, right and wrong is determined by God's will, and God's will is determined from the Bible..." "This leads us to the final point which needs to be made about the Bible: The Bible alone is _authoritative_ meaning that it and only it, must be completely believed and obeyed. Since all of the Bible is God's word we cannot pick and choose what we want to obey. Since it is all true we cannot neglect a portion of it by raising doubts about its reliability. Since it contains all we need for our Christian walks we cannot appeal to something or someone besides the Bible as our final authority on some issue." (The following is arranged in a pyramidal diagram, TB) "YOU Obey it. AUTHORITY It must be obeyed. SUFFICIENCY It is all we need to know. INERRANCY Everything it says is completely true. INSPIRATION The Bible is word-for-word the word of God." "We cannot argue with any part of the Bible any more than we can argue with God himself! God has 'laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed' (Psalm 119:4). If we disobey, we will surely fail (Matthew 7:24-25)." ***************************************************************** "WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER WE DO IN ANY DEPARTMENT OF LIFE, INCLUDING THE USE OF FORCE, CONFORMS TO THE TRUTH AND MORAL PRINCIPLES OF THE BIBLE." ***************************************************************** (NA, _Field Manual Section 1: Principles Justifying The Arming And Organizing Of A Militia_, 1994, The Free Militia, pp. 4, 5) [all emphases in the original] Rev. Andrew Sandlin and Dr. Gary North, president of the Institute for Christian Economics (ICE) have sought to distance themselves from anti-abortion proponents of "justifiable homicide" and armed actions initiated by the Christian Patriot movement. That both authors have denounced the murder of abortion providers and terrorist acts of violence against women's clinics, should be noted and commended. However, the underlying _logic_ embedded within Reconstructionist ideology has inevitably led, just as night follows day, to the creation of a reactionary sub-culture of individuals and organizations working to restore "the crown rights of Lord Jesus Christ in every sphere..." _by any means necessary_. Some use words while others use guns and bombs to achieve their political and social goals: the creation of a theocratic, clerical-fascist "Christian Republic." Rev. Paul J. Hill, the architect of "Defensive Action" and "justifiable homicide" emerged from the theological culture of Orthodox Presbyterianism and Christian Reconstructionism. No amount of "damage control" can annul this inescapable fact. May 28, 1995 * * * * * Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights 750 La Playa # 730 San Francisco, CA 94121 Office: (415) 252-0750 Fax: (415) 431-6523 E-mail: On PeaceNet visit BACORR's conference, WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit/BACORR FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit/BACORR ***************************************************************** BACORR: DEFENDING CLINICS, EXPOSING TERRORISM -- BECAUSE NO ONE'S GONNA DO IT FOR US! *****************************************************************