Biblical Theology

[When Volume 1 of First the Gospel, Then Politics... (Only Genesis), © 1999-2008 John C. Rankin, is updated and republished, a section will be inhabited here as an outline of biblical theology; in the meantime, here is the Introduction and Chapter One of The Six Pillars of Honest Politics: The Biblical Nature of a Level Playing Field, © 2007 John C. Rankin, which has an abbreviated section on Biblical Theology 101]

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Introduction 

   Is it possible for biblical theology to address politics in such a way where most people would be grateful? I believe so.

   What about church and state issues? What about citizens who do not share a biblical worldview? Here I want to submit four ideas for consideration:

1. First, the six pillars of honest politics start with our unique national identity and foundation – unalienable rights which belong to all people equally – life, liberty, property and thus, the power to pursue happiness.
2. Second, these pillars serve a level playing field for all ideas to be heard equally.
3. Third, these pillars serve checks and balances on power in government, according to the consent of the governed.
4. And fourth is the sharp application of Occam’s razor, to “reduce needless redundancies,” or to “keep it simple”; here I propose a model for a simplified state constitution and likewise for the U.S. Constitution, to cut state laws and the U.S. Code by well over 99 percent.

   I start with my home state of Connecticut, and this proposal is well suited for a Constitutional Convention which the voters have the right to call for in the 2008 election. Other states can emulate the same, and all of us together can reform federal law.

     A biblical definition of a level playing field is rooted in the reality of first being “pre-partisan” so that all honest partisan ideas can be expressed. As a minister of the Gospel, I do not want one inch of greater liberty to say what I believe than the freedom I first honor for those who most strenuously disagree with me.

   We all have our partisan convictions on a range of theological and political issues – ideas we hold with conviction, ideas which differ strongly from the partisan ideas of other people. How do we communicate across such barricades of difference? The very language of being a “partisan” is viewed as negative. Yet I believe it is a good word, if by being partisans we agree to be pre-partisan first, desiring all partisan ideas to be equally heard, confident we are in pursuit of truth.

   But at the same time, we cannot pretend to be “objective” observers, to try and keep our “subjective” perspectives at bay. It is not possible to be “non-partisan” unless we also want to be non-human, and the same is true with the notion of being “bi-partisan.”

   As honest participants in political life, we should openly put our deepest partisan beliefs on the table up front, and clearly for all to examine. This simple act then allows the most crucial question to be posed of all partisans in a free nation, namely, do our partisan ideas provide for the freedom for other partisan ideas to challenge ours? To say yes to this question is to express confidence that we are truth seekers.

   Part of such confidence lies in the power of being proactive, or positive. For example, how often are theological or political ideas merely reactions to other ideas, which are reactions to prior reactions, tracing back to a litany of prior injustices into distant memory? Reactions to reactions only produce an increasingly toxic soup in which we will all miserably drown together, unless the cycle can be broken.

   To be truly proactive is a question of origins, and it sets the table for reality. In terms of reality, first is the proactive then the reactive, first is the positive before the negative can exist, and first is the light before the darkness is defined.

   The biblical worldview is unique in its proactive starting point, our common historical origin, and against which all reactions are measured. Here I will sum up most briefly the six pillars of biblical power, of which I write about in theological detail elsewhere. Then I will seek to translate them into the six pillars of honest politics. In so doing, it will not be formal creed or doctrine which is my focus, but ethics which prove to be universal. These ethics are both pre-partisan and honestly partisan at the same time.

   “Ethics,” rooted in the Greek terms ethos and ethikos, is a word which refers to how we treat people. Biblically, ethics are summed up in loving God with our whole being, and thus loving all our neighbors as ourselves. The Golden Rule which flows out of this, and as taught by Jesus, is proactive – treat others as you wish to be treated.

   The proactive also proves to be simple, true and beautiful, consistent with Occam’s razor where the simplest explanation is usually the truest one.

   And by the simple I do not mean the simplistic. As the greatest complexities of advanced mathematical theory require the simple fundamental equation of 1 + 1 = 2, so too in theology and politics we can define one simple interpretive handle for all possibilities – give and it will be given. The six pillars serve this reality.

   In November, 1994, I addressed one in my series of Mars Hill Forums, at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and my guest was Patricia Ireland, then President of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Our topic was “Feminism and the Bible: Do They Share Any Common Ground?” In this series I usually invite lead skeptics of my biblical worldview for an honest discussion of our different ideas in the face of debated topics.

   In the course of the evening I spoke about the nature of marriage. There are three possible equations: 100-0, 50-50 or 100-100.

   In the 100-0 option, it is usually the man who demands 100 percent of the woman and gives nothing in return. In the 50-50 option, the man and woman contract to split responsibilities and freedoms 50-50 – income, housework, child care, discretionary spending, etc. The problem here is that if one party takes 51 percent, trust is broken, and there is war.

   In the 100-100 option, both man and woman give 100 percent of their best to each other, rooted in an assumed power to trust. This is attractive to all of us.

   But there is a catch. Who initiates the first 100 percent in an act of giving which, by definition, does not place demands on the other? If demands were placed, we cannot have a 100-100 relationship. It would deconstruct back to 50-50 or 100-0, where the reactive quenches the proactive.

   The only place in written history where the 100-100 happens is rooted in the nature of the Creator in Genesis 1-2. The Creator, Yahweh Elohim (“the LORD God” in the NIV), initiates the power to give, then teaches the same to his image-bearers, to man and woman in marriage.

   So I spontaneously quipped to Patricia and the audience: “We have two choices in life – give and it will be given, or take before you are taken.” When I said these words, I immediately wondered if they could stand the test of time and scrutiny, for they are so very simple. They have so far. 100-100 is give and it will be given. 100-0 and 50-50 are both take before you are taken. The simplicity of trust versus the increasingly more complex world of distrust.

   My goal is to define and create a level playing field for all partisan ideas to be heard equally, in order to distinguish the proactive from the reactive. I can only do this if I am truly proactive, giving 100 percent of my best with no strings attached, held accountable to being proactive by all others, and able to define and test simple interpretive handles for an open and honest political life.

   American political life is presently drowning in a sea of increasingly complex laws. Can we take Occam’s razor, rooted in the proactive, and cut out all the reactive elements? Can we overcome distrust with trust throughout our common political life? In mathematics, 1 + 1 = 2, and interprets all. In theology and politics, “give and it will be given” interprets all, and the six pillars serve such life-giving simplicity.

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Chapter One

The Six Pillars of Honest Politics 

   If political life were to be influenced by the six pillars of honest politics, I believe the positive transformation would be remarkable.

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1. The power to give affirms that the unalienable rights given by the Creator belong to all people equally, and leaders in human government should serve such a gift.
2. The power to live in the light means leaders in human government at every level should be as fully transparent as possible.
3. The power of informed choice is rooted in an honest definition of terms in political debate, providing a level playing field for all ideas to be heard equally, apart from which political freedom is not possible.
4. The power to love hard questions is in place when political leaders honor and answer those who pose them the toughest questions.
5. The power to love enemies recognizes that even the harshest of political opponents share a common humanity and are to be treated with respect.
6. The power to forgive recognizes the need to address our individual and societal transgressions against each other, and to work toward justice and reconciliation.

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   These six pillars are by definition pre-partisan. In other words, they set the foundation for healthy partisan debates over public policy, in service to the consent of the governed. The deepest partisanship is the creation of a level playing field for all partisan ideas to be heard equally, where the pursuit of truth in any and all matters becomes possible.

   And I would easily vote for political candidates who live and articulate the substance of such pillars, regardless of political party, in contrast with those who do not.

   One reason is that these pillars serve the power of simplicity, truth-telling and transparency. They naturally separate honest politics in service to the consent of the governed, from self-serving political agendas. And out of honest politics flow the healthiest grappling with specific debated issues.

   When these six pillars are examined, is there anything in them which is not attractive to all people of good will? This is equally true for the atheist who may not like the mention of the Creator, yet likewise seeks to have his or her unalienable rights of life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness protected. What other source is there for these rights? Out of unalienable rights comes the freedom for the atheist and all others to be who they are as political equals, under the rule of law in the United States.

   The question concerning the nature and role of the Creator became central in a February, 1997 Mars Hill Forum at my alma mater, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. My guest was Nadine Strossen, President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Nadine quoted the language of the Declaration of Independence which names the Creator as the Source for unalienable rights. This citation and definition of these rights are what makes the United States unique, even to this day. Nadine and I agree that such rights transcend human government, but she does not profess belief in the God of the Bible as I do. And the text of Genesis 1-2 which names the Creator proves to be the only written text in history which assumes such unalienable rights. Despite our different perspectives, we agree on the universal nature of these rights and how every person is due them equally.

   The six pillars of honest politics are rooted in the prior six pillars of biblical power. For those of us who are believers, this is easy to embrace. But what about the skeptics in our midst, e.g., persons who have been burned by impositional or hypocritical religion, or remain unconvinced in the trustworthiness of the Bible, or believe that our nation’s freedoms are rooted in ancient Greek and Roman law? Thus, for all of us, as I seek to define and then walk through the six pillars of biblical power, let’s keep our most critical faculties in tune. Let’s always probe these pillars to see if their ethical nature is truly good and fully attractive to the human soul. 

Biblical Theology 101 

   Since the six pillars of honest politics are rooted in the six pillars of biblical power, it assumes a grasp of Biblical Theology 101. I write about this in Volume 1 of First the Gospel, Then Politics…(“Only Genesis”), written for the intrepid reader interested in a detailed background (TEI Publishing House, 1999-2008; www.teipublishinghouse.com).

   Briefly, Biblical Theology 101 begins with the understanding that the Bible is a unique story line rooted in revealed truth. To place ourselves within the story line is crucial to understanding its teachings.

   Its teachings are summed up in three all-defining realities – creation, sin and redemption. Or to put it in parallel language – the order of creation, the reversal and the reversal of the reversal – the wholeness of creation, brokenness and restoration to wholeness – freedom, slavery and return to freedom.

   Biblical theology starts with the heights of the order of creation, and from there diagnoses the depths of the reversal. “Sin” is a word easily misunderstood. It is first manifested by the brokenness of trust between man and woman toward God, and then between themselves. This brokenness of trust is universal, and we have all experienced it, actively and/or passively. But the depths of broken trust will suck us in unless we have the prior reference point of the order of creation. Thus, when we grasp the heights of redemption which rescues us from the deepest pits of broken trust, we are set free to trust again.

   Genesis 1-2 is the biblical order of creation, the only origin text in human history which is entirely good and trustworthy – prior to the advent of human sin and distrust. All that is truly radical – root level – is found here. The order of creation is simple, sin is needlessly complex, and redemption restores us to true simplicity. Thus the redemption of human culture, the politics of the kingdom of God, always aims at the simplicity and trust first present in the biblical order of creation – give and it will be given, the 100-100 relationship. This is where Occam’s razor is applicable: “Reduce needless redundancies” or the simplest explanation is usually the truest one.

   To put it another way: Honesty can uniquely afford to keep things simple. The priority is first to learn the simplicity of the order of creation. Then, second, in the midst of the complexity of the reversal, the need is to re-apply the simplicity. Thus, finally, we can arrive at the integrity of the reversal of the reversal. To be simple is to be proactive and true, and provides the foundation to interpret complexity; to be simplistic is to be reactive and false, not grasping the complex, especially needless complexity, and thus remaining buried by it.

   All people are made in the image of God, and hence we are all equal – we all seek the qualities of peace, order, stability and hope; to live, to love, to laugh and to learn. The image of God includes our calling to rule over the good works of God’s creation.

   There are four all-defining subjects addressed in the biblical order of creation:

            God → life → choice → sex.

   Every issue we confront finds its basis in how these four subjects are defined and how they relate to each other, and they equal the content of Genesis 1-2:

   "God is sovereign, and his purpose in creation is to give the gift of life, especially human life – man and woman as made in his image to rule over his handiwork. Then follow the gifts of moral and aesthetic choice, and these serve the prior gift of human life. Finally, in the order of creation, is the gift of sex within marriage – here is the power to pass on the gifts of life, choice and sex through procreation to our offspring, to celebrate the height of what it means to be made in God’s image. Or to put it another way, true sexuality is an expression of godly choice which serves the gift of human life which comes from God. 

   The reversal of the order of creation is thus:

            sex → choice → life →/God.

   This reversal order is where sex outside the marriage of one man and one woman employs choice to hide from undesired consequences, and some of these choices injure or destroy human life, all in an affront against God the Creator. In the biblical worldview, God is the Creator of life, choice serves life, and thus man and woman in marriage is the healthy definition of human sexuality. The pagan and secular worldview starts with the justification of sexual promiscuity, presses choice into its service to cover it up, and where such choices lead to sexually transmitted diseases, concubines, disinherited and orphaned children, infanticide and abortion etc., thus mocking the Creator.

   The linkage between the God → life → choice → sex paradigm and the American polis is remarkable. “Polis” is the classical Greek term for the city and shared culture, walled off in safety against marauders and wild animals. From it we derive the English words “politics” and “polity.” The Bill of Rights, the first Ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and especially the First Amendment, are rooted here.

   The Declaration of Independence gives definition to the concept of civil rights and a limited government with these words:

   "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 

   In the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, these rights are legally defined as protecting citizens from the deprivation of “life, liberty or property” without due process of law. The word “men” as used in the Declaration can be understood in its best literary sense as inclusive of all humankind – men, women and children. This commitment to unalienable rights as endowed by God has enabled the United States to overcome inherited evils – to thus remove religious tests as barriers to citizenship and public office, and later to legally emancipate blacks, women and Native Americans to receive such rights, at least in principle.

   The alignment between biblical ethics and the Declaration of Independence is both explicit and implicit, reflecting an understanding of history and human nature by its signatories. The specific language choice of “Creator” and the Declaration’s preceding language of “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” assume an understanding of Genesis 1-2, the order of creation. Here, God set forth the natural order, or Nature, as it was intended to be. In the Constitution’s insistence on checks and balances of power, it realizes that human sin is a destructive reality that accomplished a reversal of the natural order. And the goals of a limited federal government are to serve the religious freedom and social order necessary for all people to seek a reversal of the reversal insofar as possible in human affairs. In other words – the reality of creation, sin and redemption.

   This also equals God → life → choice → sex, and in this paradigm:  

            God = a parallel to the “Creator;”

            life = a parallel to “Life;”

            choice = a parallel to “Liberty;” and

            (biblical) sex = a parallel to “the pursuit of happiness.”

   The Declaration begins with God as our Creator who endows us with unalienable rights. The first right is that of life, followed by liberty, which equals the language of choice or freedom. Then the language of the pursuit of happiness, along with that of “property,” is set forth in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

   Human sexuality in the order of creation is based on the joining of man and woman in marriage, as equals and complements, where the man leaves his parent’s household to join with his wife in order to establish a new household. It equals the completion of the order of creation in Genesis 1-2, summing up these two chapters in how they establish the social order – man and woman in marriage.

   The Greek word for “household” is oikonomos, our root for the English word “economics” (same concept as the Hebrew word bayith). The household, rooted in man and woman in marriage, is the basis for their property rights and economic productivity, which in total yields society’s power for the pursuit of happiness. This is the nature of the order of creation, before the brokenness of trust in matters of human sexuality, and thus, redemption is deeply concerned with marriage.

   The logic of the order of creation shows the source of the Declaration’s use of unalienable rights. In Genesis 1-2, the Creator gives us life, liberty and stewardship over the earth – and the right to receive them as his gifts. No concept of pagan deity or secular philosophy, at their origins, ever approaches this goodness. Unalienable rights for all people are rooted in Genesis 1-2. The God → life → choice → sex reality of Genesis 1-2 assumes that marriage and family are the social foundation through which God gives unalienable rights. Therefore it is incumbent for us who are Christian to embrace our biblical, our Hebrew, our universal roots, and to be radical in the promotion of civil liberties for all people equally, since we celebrate the very power upon which civil rights are founded. The covenant of marriage – one man, one woman, one lifetime – is central.

   Finally, here we can identify the six pillars of biblical power – the first four are located in the biblical order of creation, and last two in the order of redemption – and they sum up the entire Bible ethically speaking.

1.      The power to give reflects the reality of Yahweh Elohim, the Creator whose name, in the Hebrew, indicates the One who is greater than space, time and number, whose power is unlimited, and whose nature is good, giving all blessings to men and women as his image-bearers. The devil and pagan deities are intrinsically finite and destructive, giving no blessings at all. It is either give and it will be given, or take before you are taken.

2.      The power to live in the light reflects the first words spoken by God in Genesis, “Let there be light,” and is traced through the Bible in three arenas – physics, ethics and spiritual domains. In physics, wherever there is the presence of light, darkness by definition will dissipate. Darkness has no atomic weight, and by definition has no intrinsic existence – it is the absence of light. In ethics, we live transparent lives in the sight of God and one another, and people who live in the darkness of deceit or fear flee the presence of those who live in the light. In spiritual domains, Jesus is the Light of the world, and the devil is the prince of darkness. Darkness cannot understand or overcome the Light, and since darkness by definition does not exist, the devil is the prince of nothing, and can only influence people who are not fully living in the light, by dint of accusation and lies.

3.      The power of informed choice reflects the first words of God spoken to Adam, where the metaphor of an unlimited menu of good choices defines the nature of human freedom. Set next to this menu is one prohibited fruit which leads to death, creating a boundary to true freedom. Thus, a level playing field between truth and falsehood, between good and evil, between life and death are defined honestly, so that the good can be chosen, but not forced. This power of informed choice is unique to the Bible, and is present in no pagan or secular construct. Truth is confident enough to allow falsehood to be measured in the open and side by side.

4.      The power to love hard questions is an assumption in place when Yahweh Elohim gave man and woman stewardship over the planet, to cultivate and care for it – an endlessly delightful learning process in his presence. In the face of sin, one powerful way to overcome distrust is by the passion to ask the questions that are most difficult or painful, in the presence of God and one another. This love of hard questions is celebrated