CREC Libertarian Pastors Who Insist They Are Theonomists; Sumpter & Wilson

“Tucker Carlson says that there is no Nicene Creed of capitalism, and that’s true enough, but there is a Nicene Creed that says that God is the ‘Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible….’ Invisible things would include market forces, the creativity and ingenuity of men, as well as their created needs and desires. Until or unless God gives a government the authority to step in, it is a violation of the Nicene Creed to grasp power for yourself and violently and coercively prohibit the free actions and creativity of people made in the image of God.”

Rev. Toby Sumpter

1.) Has anybody in all of Church history since the Nicene Creed was developed ever used the Nicene Creed to prove that Capitalism (particularly the Corporatism Capitalism that we are currently living under) is God’s preferred economic order? Honestly, this is such a stretch I can’t believe that people don’t die of embarrassment just reading it. Let me guess… the Council of Chalcedon also proves that minimum wage laws are unbiblical.

Look, I’m a Biblical Capitalist (as opposed to the Crony Capitalism we now have) but I would never try to use the Nicene Creed to support my position.

2.) Technically market forces are not invisible. Market forces are very visible inasmuch as they are merely the decisions made by very visible people.

3.) “It is a violation of the Nicene Creed (by the Government) to grasp power for yourself and violently and coercively prohibit the free actions and creativity of people made in the image of God?” Really? If Sumpter is correct here (and he most certainly is not correct) then it would be a violation of the Nicene creed for the FEDS to craft laws prohibiting illegal immigration. After all laws protecting our country from illegal immigrants certainly prohibits the free actions and creativity of people made in the image of God. This is pure Libertarianism and not Theonomic in the least. Sumpter, like his mentor, Doug Wilson are Libertarians posing as Theonomists.

Clearly, Sumpter’s argument here is specious. A real theonomist like Rushdoony argued very differently about the Government making laws violently and coercively prohibiting the free actions and creativity of people made in the image of God. RJR offered,

“Well, first of all illegal aliens have broken the law. And justice to everyone requires that the law be upheld. So if they are illegal aliens they should be deported. Now that’s justice because it’s comparable to breaking and entering into a man’s house.”

Elsewhere the wise pastor Toby Sumpter writes,

“Others have suggested taking over the public schools and turning them into explicitly Christian schools funded by tax dollars and run by departments of education. All of which, I repeat, gives me the creeping fantods. ”

First, of all let it be noted that Biblical Christians would prefer for the public (government) schools to just be closed down with the responsibility of rearing children returned to the parents as opposed to being taken over by the Humanist state. However, failing that Sumpter should consider;

1.) Clearly  Sumpter doesn’t think neutrality is a myth. Sumpter seems to think that public schools can somehow be religious free and therefore they should not be Christian. Sumpter thinks, so it seems, that it is wrong for Christians to take Dominion over the public schools under the banner of Christ.

2.) Does Sumpter get the creeping fantods over the fact that the schools now are explicitly Humanists schools funded by tax dollars and run by departments of education?

You have a choice Dude. Either the Government schools are Christian or they are Pagan. Choose ye this day whom you will serve, either the gods of the pagans or the God of the Bible. This Libertarian smegma is not theonomy.

And here we find another example of creeping Libertarianism masquerading as theonomy coming from Rev. Doug Wilson.

“Christians must learn to distinguish sins from crimes. If God reveals His will on a matter, disobedience is sin. If God reveals the civil penalty which must be applied, then it is also a crime. But without wisdom from Him on the civil penalty to be applied, the civil order must leave enforcement of God’s law to the church, family, or the providence of God….when pornography is made and distributed, it should simply be used as evidence — of the adultery or of the sodomy, etc.”

Rev. Doug Wilson

Here Wilson is arguing that porn should not be criminalized by the State. It can be used as evidence in particular instances but it, itself should not be criminalized.

In his analogy between adultery/pornography and theft/movies which show theft, Wilson laments,

“Why do we resist punishing what God requires punishment for, and insist on punishments found nowhere in Scripture?”

“Cyberporn: A Case Study”
Credenda/Agenda_, vol. 7, no. 5, p. 11
It bears mentioning that not all modern Theonomists agree with Wilson that pornography is not a crime. For example, R. J. Rushdoony states;

“the link between pornography and revolutionary totalitarianism is a necessary one. The rise of totalitarianism has always been preceded by moral anarchism… the politics of pornography is a moral anarchism whose purpose is revolution, a revolution against Christian civilization. . . . Certainly new and clearer legislation [against porn — BLM] is necessary and urgently needed. . . we need and must have sound legislation”

Law and Liberty, pp. 18-20

In case you are not already aware there are serious problems today in what is left of Institutional Theonomy. Wilson and the CREC crowd might should just be called “the Cringe Crowd.” Gary DeMar over at American Vision has embraced full on Full Preterism. Sandlin is a ship that has no rutter. I seriously doubt the goofballs at Joel McDurmon’s “Baal’s Reign” even want to be known as theonomists.  Indeed, it would not be going to far to say Institutional Theonomy is dead were not for the work that Dr. Adi Schlebusch is doing at the Pactum Institute.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him.

One thought on “CREC Libertarian Pastors Who Insist They Are Theonomists; Sumpter & Wilson”

  1. Curt Doolittle (secular materialist) has done some good work on libertarians. He argues white people create commons (intangibles), and libertarians are just free-riders trying to escape maintaining their upkeep. https://naturallawinstitute.com/2020/05/libertarians-try-to-escape-responsibility-and-liability-to-others-for-the-production-of-commons/

    Thank’s for this classification of Doug. I’ve read Saved to be Warriors, and on reflection I decided the basis for theonomy is love (the president being Jesus’ prohibition on divorce). Biblical law protects the vulnerable, and the alternative happening right now is sacrificing them on the alter of Baal. Doug displayed little love to those suffering from porn.

    P.S. This video by Rushdoony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DgPMxDx0fU

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