American Idols
Every so often someone will ask me why Christian Agrarianism is critized so often by other believers. The answer is simple, we have embarked on the greatest idol smashing campaign this country has seen in some time. While most of conservative christendom gives lip service to the idea that the bible speaks to every area of life and gives us a blueprint on how we should live, it is always assumes it will be done within the confines of modernist American thinking. When we wrote against marxism our “conservative” brothers cheered, when we heated up the melting pot and lowered in the golden calf of capitalism…..well, they stopped cheering and called us traitors. Biblical economics is fine, if it is done within the confines of a godless system, you see. Our crime was to ask if capitalism was biblical in the first place. Americans have come to love their idols, just as Israel of old. Industrialism, materialism, hyper-specialization, capitalism, rugged individualism, and the messianic state are the untouchable idols of our time. Church is for Sunday and Wendsday, the rest of the week is MINE. Our approach to building a biblical culture is too basic for the masses these days. They have not, as yet, offered anything but strawman aguements. Their love for mammon and wealth consumes their hearts. God will not be mocked, however. He will cause our nation to repent or he will dash us to bits with His rod. We must, as a nation, humble ourselves and submit to King Jesus. It is my prayer that the conversations we have started will lead to a true reformation in the church and a true national repentance.
October 4th, 2006 at 7:17 am
Amen brother. That is getting to the root of our problems…idols. Another one I have been thinking of, which may be a sub-idol of one or some of the ones you mentioned, is education. Americans, and the world, hold education and knowledge in higher esteem than wisdom. Sometimes it isn’t even education or knowledge but a ‘degree’ that they idolize. And they pursue it at what expense? Tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention the sacrifice of children on altars of evolutionism, humanism and sanctioned immorality.
October 4th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Scott,
Once again, you have said it well.
October 5th, 2006 at 8:13 am
Scott,
Just a friendly question. Do you think capitalism can be redeemed, so to speak, if we just get rid of usury, fiat money and monopolies? It seems to me those are the idols, not so much a free market.
October 5th, 2006 at 8:50 am
AMEN & AMEN!!!!!
October 5th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Not to answer for Scott, but if we got rid of usury, fiat money, and monopolies, then capitalism as we know it would cease to exist.
As for a FREE market: as the New Testament clarifies, FREEdom is FREEdom FROM sin, and FREEdom TO obey God (that is, being set FREE from being slaves to sin) — and I suspect that within the bounds of operating according to God’s law (FREE), then a FREE market would not be a bad thing.
My two cents worth …
October 5th, 2006 at 9:42 am
Justin
I agree with you about education. Education without Wisdom results in the high number of educated fools that surround us.
Herrick and Marci
Thank you both. Lets keep knocking down Americas “wooden gods”. You folks are great examples how the Gospel transforms people.
RG
I have to agree with JFC on this(by the way Jon, you can answer for me anytime:) Agrarian economics is what I describe as “Free Market economics with in the confines of God’s Law”. I don’t think you can have capitalism without the things you mentioned getting rid of. Capitalism makes “The Market” its god and can tolorate no interference, not even from the King of Kings. It took me a long time to feel comfortable publicly criticizing capitalism. Its just so “American”, or so we’ve been told. But I have really come to the point that I think it has to be scraped. I was reading a book by one of Americas great patriots, John Taylor, the other night and could not beleive how he railed against capitalists. Capitalists have always been an enemy to Christian Agrarian Culture. Taylor knew it in 1818 when wrote this book. He saw the republic falling apart and wrote the Arator essays in responce. These are my thoughts on matter.
October 5th, 2006 at 5:13 pm
I guess I better define some terms. When I refer to a free market, I mean the ability to price our own products and labor without interference from the civil authority. I fully agree that everything and everyone under heaven should come under the rule of God.
The ‘rule of God’ would balance the protection of private property (thou shalt not steal) with personal contentment (thou shalt not covet). At least, that’s my opinion.
Scott, what book are you refering to, and where can I get a copy?
October 5th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Let me rephrase slightly.
The ‘rule of God’ would balance the protection of private property (thou shalt not steal) with social and perhaps legal incentives to promote personal contentment (thou shalt not covet).
October 5th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
It always helps to be discussing the same definitions
The book is Arator, subtitled Being a Series of Agricutural Essays, Practical and Political: In Sixty-Four Numbers. Written by John Taylor who was a southern agrarian. Taylor fought in the War for Independence and was elected to the legislature several times and sent to the US Senate twice. He was a member of the Episcopal church and owned several plantations. Though he wasn’t a “Covenantal Agrarian” he was a Christian and an agrarian and he had many interesting ideas and insights. My copy was published by Liberty Classics, I don’t know if it is still in print or not. Very interesting read if you can find one. If you want, I can loan you this one. The offer stands to any of my readers, about loaning books. If you ever want to borrow any books we talk about, just let us know. We have sent books all over the country and always get them back and are happy to pass them along.
October 8th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Not too long ago I was discussing the plantation model with someone and I expressed reluctance to affirm it as truly agrarian or biblical, especially compared to the yeoman way of life. I am leaning toward the idea that the plantations were part of the problem and were already compromised with industrialism, which spurred the vast demand for cotton. Sounds like the book might address this question in some way? If so I may be interested in taking you up on your book loan offer.
October 10th, 2006 at 8:43 am
James, I’m beginning to think like you - the monocropping and the wasteful use of the land were definitely anti-agrarian.
October 10th, 2006 at 8:56 am
Hi James and Kelly
I tend to agree with you folks on this. Thats why I take anything these folks wrote with a grain of salt. They had already let the enlightenment seep into there thinking and they were not very conserned with “thinking biblically” You find no reference to God’s Law or very much scripture in anything produced at the time. It dosen’t mean we can’t find some value in their works however. With a decerning eye, is how they should be read.
James, Send me an email if you want to read it.