Category: History

Was The Early Church Uniformly Anabaptist In Its Pacifism? Did The Early Church Always Yield To Their Civil Magistrates?

Alexander Shield a 16th century Covenanter, speaking on the post-advent gospel church early history as concerning the early church resisting their enemies

“To come to the history of the gospel dispensation: It is true in that time of the primitive persecutions under heathen emperors, this privilege of self-defence was not so much improved or contended for by Christians, who studied more to play the martyrs, than to play the men… yet even then, instances are not wanting of Christians resisting their enemies, and of rescuing their ministers, &c., As they are found on record.

(1.) How some inhabiting Mareota, with force rescued Dionysius, of Alexandria, out of the hands of such as were carrying him away, about the year 255.

(2.) How about the year 310, the Armenians waged war against Maximus, who was come against them with an army because of their religion.

(3.) How about the year 342, the citizens of Athanasius their minister, against Gregorius the intruded curate and Syrianus the emperor’s captain, who came with great force to put him in.

(4.) {688} How about the year 356, the people of Constantinople did in like manner stand to the defense of Paulus, against Constantius the emperor, and killed his captain Hermogenes; and afterwards, in great multitudes, they opposed the intrusion of the heretic Macedonius.

(5.) How, when a wicked edict was sent forth to pull down the churches of such as were for the clause of one substance, the christians that maintained that testimony resisted the bands of soldiers, that were procured at the emperor’s command by Macedonius, to force the Mantinians to embrace the Arian heresy; but the Christians at Mantinium, kindled with an earnest zeal towards Christian religion, went against the soldiers with chearful minds and valiant courage, and made a great slaughter of them.

(6.) How, about the year 387, the people of Cesarea did defend Basil their minister.

(7.) How, for fear of the people, the lieutenant of the emperor Valens durst not execute those 80 priests who had come to supplicate the emperor, and were commanded to be killed by him.

(8.) How the inhabitants of mount Nitria espoused Cyril’s quarrel, and assaulted the lieutenant, and forced his guards to flee.

(9.) How, about the year 404, when the emperor had banished Chrysostom, the people flocked together, so that the emperor was necessitated to call him back again from his exile.

(10.) How the people resisted also the transportation of Ambrose, by the command of Valentinian the emperor; and chused rather to lose their lives, than to suffer their pastor to be taken away by the soldiers.

(11.) How the Christians oppressed by Baratanes king of Persia, did flee to the Romans to seek their help. And Theodosius, the emperor, is much praised for the war which he commenced against Chosroes king of Persia, upon this inducement, that the king sought to ruin and extirpate those Christians in his dominions, that would not renounce the gospel.”

Two Major Faults Of The US Constitution

“To return then, to the American Constitutional Order and System itself, we recognize that its two components had a touching point. Both the proponents of Locke’s natural rights thesis and those who perpetuated that which remained of the holy commonwealth idea believed that government should be limited in power. That was their point of agreement.

Dr. Glenn R. Martin
By far the greatest scholar ever to teach at Indiana Wesleyan University

Martin’s point of course was that the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were dualistic documents that could be interpreted either through the lens of Enlightenment Rationalism or through the lens of Biblical Christianity, depending on one’s beginning presuppositions.

Of course the failures in the US Constitution, from a Biblical perspective, was the failure to explicitly recognized Jesus Christ as the Sovereign of the Nation and the failure to require a explicitly Christian religious oath. On the failure of the Oath part it can be argued that since the founders viewed the office holding of Federal officers to be likely drawn from those who were previously holders of political office at the State level there would be no necessity to require a religious oath since the charters and constitutions at the Colonial level were explicitly Christian in so many cases, and did require oaths or professions of Christianity.

A brief overview quickly makes the point,

The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 restricted public office to all but Protestants by its religious test/oath.

The Delaware Constitution of 1776 demanded an acceptance of the Trinity by its religious test/oath.

The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 had a similar test/oath.

The Maryland Constitution of 1776 had such a test/oath.

The North Carolina Constitution of 1776 had a test/oath that restricted all but Protestants from public office.

The Georgia Constitution of 1777 used an oath/test to screen out all but Protestants.

The Vermont state charter/constitution of 1777 echoed the Pennsylvania Constitution regarding a test/oath.

The South Carolina Constitution of 1778 had such a test/oath allowing only Protestants to hold office.

The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 and New Hampshire Constitution of 1784 restricted such office holders to Protestants.

Only Virginia and New York did not have such religious tests/oaths during this time period

Still, the fact that the US Constitution did not include something similar to what we find above makes it a derelict document and the absence of a Christian oath and the acknowledgement of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is one reason that explains the evaporation of our undoubted catholic Christian faith in this country and the corresponding rise of malevolent faiths and behaviors in this nation.

As to why we have surrendered the joint conviction with the Rationalists of the idea of limited government this can be explained by the simple fact that if man will not bow to the God of the Bible and His Christ, who alone has unlimited government, then man will seek to vest unlimited government somewhere else; most usually the State. Americans have abandoned God and in abandoning God they have abandoned His design for Biblical limited Government and the result is Statist Tyranny.

Only repentance and a owning of our sin of rebellion against God can return us to God’s favor and provide solution for Statist tyranny. Men who are in bondage to sin, can never build social orders characterized by liberty.