To stir conversation among Christians in regard to the upcoming presidential election in the US, we are offering the Kindle ebook of David Lipscomb‘s classic work On Civil Government for only $0.99! (Through 31 Oct 2012)
Get your copy of this book today:
http://amzn.to/OnCivilGovernment
David Lipscomb (January 21, 1831 – November 11, 1917) was a minister, editor, and educator in the American Restoration Movement and one of the leaders of that movement, which, by 1906, had formalized a division into the Church of Christ (with which Lipscomb was affiliated) and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). James A. Harding and David Lipscomb founded the Nashville Bible School, which is now known as Lipscomb University in honor of the latter. (bio via Wikipedia)
Here is an excerpt from On Civil Government on the topic of voting:
To the claim that a Christian is bound to vote, when he has the privilege, for that which promotes morality, and to fail to vote for the restriction and suppression of evil is to vote for it, we have determined that, to vote or use the civil power is to use force and carnal weapons. Christians cannot use these. To do so is to do evil that good may come. This is specially forbidden to Christians. To do so is to fight God’s battles with the weapons of the evil one. To do so is to distrust God. The effective way for Christians to promote morality in a community, is, to stand aloof from the political strifes and conflicts, and maintain a pure and true faith in God, which is the only basis of true morality, and is as a leaven in society, to keep alive an active sense of right. To go into political strife is to admit the leaven of evil into the church. For the church to remain in the world and yet keep itself free from the spirit of the world, is to keep alive an active leaven of morality in the world. If that leaven loses its leaven, wherewith shall the world be leavened? or if the salt lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted or saved? God has told his children to use the spiritual weapons, has warned them against appealing to the sword or force to maintain his kingdom or to promote the honor of God and the good of man. When they do as he directs them, and use his appointments, he is with them to fight their battles for them and to give them the victory. When they turn from his appointments to the human kingdoms and their weapons, they turn from God, reject his help, drive him out of the conflict and fight the battles for man’s deliverance with their own strength and by their own wisdom. Human government is the sum of human wisdom and the aggregation of human strength. God’s kingdom is the consummation of Divine wisdom and in it dwells the power of God.
To use the human [power] is to reject Divine wisdom and divest ourselves of Divine help. To use the Divine is to follow Divine wisdom and to seek and rest upon Divine help. There can be no doubt as to which is the Christian’s duty. Then the Christian most effectually promotes public morality by standing aloof from the corrupting influences of worldly institutions and maintaining a pure religious morality. The same difficulty was propounded in the early churches: … the same objections were made to the positions of the early Christians, that are made today to this position. They then beyond doubt held the same position we advocate. We make the same reply these early Christians made. We occupy the same position they did. Let us serve God with all our mind and strength and soul in his kingdom, and he will be our strength and our shield.
And true faith in God will lead us to trust him do his will, use his appointments diligently and faithfully and leave results with him; knowing that when we obey him and so “work out our salvation with fear and trembling, it is God which works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.” And when Gods works in and through us, all good results must follow. (p. 145-146).
Download your copy of this book by David Lipscomb:
http://amzn.to/OnCivilGovernment
We also have a Kindle edition of David Lipscomb’s book On Christian Unity
available for only $3.95: http://amzn.to/OnChristianUnity
Other Kindle ebooks available from The ERB:
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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