: Mark Burrell
: Rediscovering the American Covenant The Duty Is Ours
: Ballast Books
: 9781962202626
: Rediscovering the American Covenant
: 1
: CHF 8.50
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: Geschichte
: English
: 174
: kein Kopierschutz
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The colonial church was critical in training the founding generation on biblical principles for governing justly. When England governed unjustly over a long period of time with no intention of changing course, the leaders of the Continental Congress confronted their civil authority. After many years trying to reconcile, they saw no other option but to follow the biblical template for starting a new nation. They drafted the Declaration of Independence, and God blessed their effort. For many generations, the church embraced its stewardship role to pass on these principles, but for the last fifty years, the modern church has turned away from this responsibility. Is citizenship optional for Christians? What is the compelling biblical argument for active Christian citizenship? This book lays out this citizenship role in strikingly clear terms backed by thousands of verses. All the common objections to political engagement are addressed, pointing the reader to the unescapable conclusion: The Duty Is Ours.

Mark is originally from Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State University with an engineering degree. He has spent forty years in industry and developed a passion for theology. He has helped to start several churches and has had a teaching ministry for over thirty years. Mark began focusing on the American founding in the mid-1990s when seeking to understand whether the Revolutionary War was biblically justified. This led to the publication of his first book, Rediscovering the American Covenant: Roadmap to Restore America, in October of 2022. His latest book, The Duty Is Ours, is a condensed version arguing all Christians have a citizenship duty in the communities and nations in which they live.

Chapter 2

God’s Civic Expectations of Individuals

Once we grasp the biblical principles for starting a nation and governing it justly, the pivotal question arises: Who will step forward and take up the responsibility to apply these principles to establish a just civil authority?

In the latter half of the twentieth century, the evangelical establishment prioritized missions as the paramount activity while downplaying the importance of citizenship. According to their perspective, a spiritually mature Christian focuses solely on sharing the gospel. Contrary to this view, anyone suggesting that political engagement is also an important part of the Christian faith is often labeled as misguided or spiritually immature. They are accused of working against the Great Commission, which aims to evangelize the lost.

In this chapter, I will argue that the exact opposite is true.

Who Is Responsible?

A critical question emerges after recognizing biblical guidelines for establishing a just civil authority for the nations that would form after Noah: Who does God expect to step forward to establish and uphold justice? This question holds particular relevance in today’s context, where many within the evangelical church advocate for Christians simply submitting to and praying for civil authorities.

To explore this further, we can divide the population into several groups to contemplate who God might expect to fulfill this citizenship duty:

Group 1: Is it those who do not know God or the Bible?

Is it reasonable to assume that this group, with little to no knowledge about how to ensure justice, can meet God’s expectations in this regard? While it’s possible for someone who doesn’t know God to be an effective civil leader and approximate the dispensation of justice as God intends, is it this person who God would expect to govern, a person who lacks biblical knowledge of Him and access to His word?

Group 2: Is it those who reject God and the Bible?

It should be evident that God is not looking to this group, which rejects Him, to establish and uphold justice as described in the Bible.

Group 3: Is it those who acknowledge there is a God, or maybe a new believer, but do not know their Bible?

There is a higher likelihood that this group would govern justly as they acquire more knowledge if they were growing in their faith and reading their Bible. However, is this God’s first choice when it comes to governing justly?

Group 4: Is it those who know God and generally read their Bible regularly, especially if they have talent and/or the spiritual gift of leadership or administration?

It appears evident that in this modern age, Christian believers would be the most qualified group to understand what God expects in this area and be capable of dispensing justice fairly to all, provided they have been properly taught how to do this.

It seems clear that Genesis 9:5–6 represents God’s initial call to active citizenship for all people throughout history and that this call is directed at those who claim to follow Him. This call happened before God called Abraham and the formation of Israel. This call entails governing justly as God’s servants, acting for the collective good by defending individual rights. It seems very apparent that today this responsibility is bestowed upon Christians. It isour duty.

This context is crucial when examining New Testament verses like Romans 13, which suggests that the call to submission in Romans 13 is contingent on the presence of ajust civil authoritythatr