Doug Wilson over at Mablog continues to fudge on the issue of how it would be un-biblical to vote for Sarah Palin as a female civil magistrate. Most recently Doug has tried to enlist John Knox on his side. According to Wilson, Knox wrote “The First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Women” aiming at Bloody Mary. According to Wilson, Knox while aiming at Blood Mary hit Queen Elizabeth square between the eyes as Mary died and Elizabeth ascended to the throne just when Knox’s work was being published. Wilson goes on to record that Knox “because of Elizabeth’s attitude toward the Reformation, Knox was more than willing to accept Elizabeth as a godly Deborah, and wrote to Elizabeth, telling her so. Wilson goes on to try and conclude that Knox, therefore, can’t be claimed as somebody who is against women in office unreservedly.
The problem with Wilson’s reasoning is that all that his post proves is that Knox wasn’t against women as Magistrates once they were in the position of Magistrate. If Sarah Palin finally does become Vice President or later President, all Christians would be obliged to work with her and support her, as she rules consistent with Scripture, as Knox supported and worked with Elizabeth as she ruled consistent with Scripture. However, the fact that Knox was willing to accept Elizabeth as a Godly Deborah doesn’t mean that Knox would contend today that Christians should vote for female magistrates to rule over them. Wilson seeks to prove to much by his post in order to serve his movement to supporting McCain.
There is another thing that must be said about this Palin nomination. While Christians must continue to insist that it is against Scripture to vote for a female magistrate as a political covenant head, we must at the same time insist that Palin is right about many of the issues which she has taken stands. There is so much right with Palin’s political positions that we must stand with her in as much as we are speaking narrowly about the issues. We agree with her on 2nd amendment. We agree with her on pro-life. We agree with her on her advocacy that creationism should be taught alongside evolution. (Well, actually we would advocate that evolution shouldn’t be taught at all but being confident that in a battle of ideas creationism would win out we would be satisfied with evolution being taught until it became such a laughingstock that nobody would teach it.) We agree with Palin on teaching abstinence in government schools (Well, actually we advocate shutting down government schools but if they must be tolerated then we are all for teaching abstinence as Governor Palin has supported.) We agree with Governor Palin on the value of life. We agree with Governor Palin in opposition to the coupling of perverts. We agree with Governor Palin in fiscal responsibility. We agree with Governor Palin in the necessity of reforming the political system. Since we agree with Sarah Palin in all these issues we will support her as she speaks to these issues while still insisting that it is against Scripture to vote for a woman to be a female magistrate.
This takes us to another issue and that is the necessity to defend Palin against all those who would destroy her. We must keep in mind that those who seek to destroy Palin are not trying to destroy her because she is Sarah Palin, but rather because she has the Christian convictions that she has. I believe the pregnancy of Palin’s daughter confirms that Governor Palin and her husband might have been better served paying less attention to their respective career and job and more attention to their family. However, having said that I will not stand by and let people rake Governor Palin across the coals for this when it is the case that if they had been in the same position they would have solved it by taking their daughter to the local abortion butcher to have the child in the womb tortured and killed.
On the campaign trail in March B. Hussein Obama called the prospect of one of his daughters having to have a baby because she got pregnant out of wedlock as a “punishment” to be avoided. A person who believes that a baby is a punishment, nor any of his acolytes, has any place to be criticizing Governor Palin because her 17 year old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock.
My opposition to Palin as Vice President is not going to find me in bed with others who oppose Palin for all the wrong reasons. I oppose Palin for honorable reasons and will defend her against those who will attack her because they want to destroy her for the convictions that she holds.
What you have said on Palin and related issues so far has been spot on, but I have to disagree on teaching creationism in state schools. It would not be presented accurately or by the right teachers. It would not be taught as it is presented in the Bible, that is, as the only true and meaningful account of cosmic origins.
I agree with Machen that any “Bible teaching” in state schools will be presented so as to misconstrue and discredit Christianity. Or it will be presented as one of many equally valid options among the world’s religions. Which means that Christianity will not be taught at all. What will be taught under the false guise of being Christianity will be a syncretistic spirituality that is anathema to a biblical understanding of the gospel.
Joshua,
You are absolutely correct!
My writing was assuming that creationism would be taught as creationism. I should have qualified it the way that you just did.
I did say though, that my preference is that the government schools be shut down.
I agree they should be shut down. But before that time comes I really doubt creationism will ever be taught as creationism.
Even though I am a postmillennialist, I have to say that I think attempts at reforming or “taking over” the statist school system amount to “polishing brass on a sinking ship.” And abandoning the state schools is not cultural retreatism because state schools are not biblically ordained institutions. In fact, they are in existence because biblically ordained institutions have been neglected. It is not retreatism because state schools are being abandoned in favor of building positive Christian culture through home and Christian schools. From there we will be in a better position to work towards societal transformation.
Joshua,
We are of one mind.
A hearty AMEN to all that has been said.
Jim K.
Well said, Bret and Joshua. The Machen quote is great (I think his entire testimony on the topic, given before Congress, can be found at Vision Forum’s website), and so sad that fellow Christians today would find it to be radical and nutty.
Nice interaction over at Blog and Mablog, Bret. Thanks for doing the dirty work.
Thanks…
Sometimes its frustrating getting yourself covered in entrails when it doesn’t seem like anybody is listening.
I second the expression of gratitude for all the dirty work you do, including the Blog and Mablog interaction!
Yes, good work at Mablog. I hope some are listening who haven’t been completely blinded by pragmatist and “my party right-or-wrong” politics.
I just re-read Knox’s tract the other night and understand it to be very applicable to the present situation, contra the spin Wilson was trying to put on it. Knox doesn’t mince words; he plainly and strongly opposes civil rule by women (whether tyrannical or not), and also opposes men who support such a rule.
Leave it to slippery Doug to take Knox’s document and turn it into a pro woman civil magistrate document.
You have to admire that guy. He would have gotten an acquittal for John Brown if he had been alive handling his case.