TheoPolitico
By Adam Naranjo
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Podcast Description
TheoPolitico is weekly audio publication covering news and political theology from an ecclesio-centric perspective. Topics covered include theology, anarchy, ethics, pacifism, economics, capitalism, socialism, distributism, Church history, historical theology, political theory, the Church, the state, government, corruption, corporatism, statism, penology, left vs right politics, the politics of Jesus, philosophy, voluntaryism, war, theonomy, theocracy, coercion, Romans 13, the Sermon on the Mount, and more.
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 13: Theology of Israel Pt3, David VanDrunen’s Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms, What SB1070 Says About Us, Th | (http://theopolitico.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/tplogo50p.jpg)TheoPolitico Episode 13 for august 14th 2010 I've been reading David L. Baker's Tight fists or open hands?: wealth and poverty in Old Testament law for some conversations I'm involved in regarding economics. And I wanted to comment on his brief treatment of Exodus 22:2-3 which reads: What is interesting is Bakers comments regarding the historical context of this passage. See, the law codes of the nations around Israel treated theft different than God does in His law. Theft, in most societies at that time was treated as a capital crime and theft included actions that we wouldn't define as theft today (e.g., buying stolen goods). In God's law theft is punished by reimbursement and restitution. Furthermore, the life of the thief is still valued in Old Testament law. If a victim willfully murders a thief, the victim is guilty of the capital crime of murder, and the thief becomes the victim. In the Hammurabi law code a man who loots from a burning house is to be immediately thrown into the flames of the house. This signifies to some degree that what we might call the 'right' to property is not at all absolute, particularly when compared to the 'right' to life - or the value of life anyway. Some libertarians today have a tendency to place the right to property above the right to life, so that if one violate property the forfeit their 'right' to life and protecting your property at gun point is considered appropriate. This, however, doesn't comport with God's priorities, where life is to be valued above property. However, this principle works both ways. Many on the other side of the isle - so to speak - will say that the right of one to take from another in order to better their own life is absolute, such that the one from whom property or wealth is to be taken forfeits their right to life should they refuse to relinquish it, and the government - who does the taking on the behalf of the thief - has the right to kidnap, or even murder the victim. This, also, does not comport with God's law or priorities. ================================================================= What does the debate over illegal immigration, and Arizona's SB1070 say about us culturally? ====================================== Mosque Support Tantamount to Treason Ed Rogers * Article III Section 3 of our Constitutions defines treason as giving aid and comfort to our enemies. This, I believe, is exactly what mosque supporters are doing. Mosque supporters such as the New York Times and Mayor Bloomberg cling to the “religious freedom” argument, seeing the mosque as nothing more than the Muslim version of a church or synagogue. Here is where Ed contradicts everything else he's about to say. He asserts that Islam is not a religion like Christianity, or Judaism. For Ed, apparently, a Mosque is not the same sort of thing as a Church or a synagogue. However, he's going to later argue just the opposite, that Islam is a religion and therefore doesn't have a right to involve itself in the affairs of the state. If Islam is a NOT a religion, but a sort of political action committee, then wouldn't Islam have every right to be involved in politics? (Building political action offices through out the country.) Similar political action committees exist all around us. There are conservative based action committees who are pushing for the overturn of parts of the constitution as I write this. Would Ed demand that these conservative groups be tried for treason? I doubt it. * (The Times has tried to calm America’s “irrational” fears by repeatedly calling it a “center” rather than a mosque.) They are blindly ignoring some basic facts that even a little research would reveal. In Islam, religion and politics are tightly intertwined. When any religious movement is seeking political power, it needs a physical presence. This is what mosque construction is all about. | 8/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 12: Theology of Israel Pt 2, The Great Hunger Lottery, And More | Financial speculators are receiving criticism for their role in raising the cost of food in developing countries. Big investment banks, like Goldman Sachs, are betting on the price of staple foods, like wheat, maize and soya and as a result food prices are rising and those in need are going without. The World Development Movement has released a paper on the causal connection between the food commodity derivatives trading and food prices around the world. You can find a link to the paper in the show notes. http://www.wdm.org.uk/food-speculation/great-hunger-lottery-how-banking-speculation-causes-food-crises\ The WDM writes regarding their paper titled "The Great Hunger Lottery: How Banking Speculation Causes Food Crises" "In The Great Hunger Lottery, the World Development Movement has compiled extensive evidence establishing the role of food commodity derivatives in destabilising and driving up food prices around the world. This in turn, has led to food prices becoming unaffordable for low-income families around the world, particularly in developing countries highly reliant on food imports. Nowhere was this more clearly seen than during the astonishing surge in staple food prices over the course of 2007-2008, when millions went hungry and food riots swept major cities around the world. The great hunger lottery shows how this alarming episode was fueled by the behaviour of financial speculators, and describes the terrible immediate impacts on vulnerable families around the world, as well as the long term damage to the fight against global poverty. In the report we describe how the current situation came to pass, the risks of another speculation induced food crisis, and what specifically can be done by policymakers here in the UK as well as in the US and EU to tackle the problem." The report concludes that commodity trading is "dangerous, immoral and indefensible." Hedge funds accused of gambling with lives of the poorest as food prices soar http://bit.ly/dl8Ibb ------------------------------- Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial primary) raised eyebrows when he made some very politically incorrect comments recently. His opponents are not surprisingly mis-characterizing his comments to make it sound as though Lt. Gov. Ramsey was claiming that Islam is not a religion. Now, given the context, that's not exactly what Lt. Gov. Ramsey was getting at. Let me read his statement: "Now, you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult whatever you want to call it," Ramsey said. "Now certainly we do protect our religions, but at the same time this is something we are going to have to face." "Now, you know, I'm all about freedom of religion. I value the First Amendment as much as I value the Second Amendment as much as I value the Tenth Amendment and on and on and on," he said. "But you cross the line when they try to start bringing Sharia Law here to the state of Tennessee -- to the United States. We live under our Constitution and they live under our Constitution." In my opinion Mr. Ramsey is getting at something far more important, and fundamental, than he, or his critics, understand. Not only is Mr. Ramsey correct in asserting that Islam is more than a "private" religion (I say "private" because that's who most people understand religion) - in so far is it demands total submission of civil government and culture - he is correct in warning America that Islamic theocracy is something "we are going to have to face." That is, the question of the global, or cosmic claims of Islam over society will have to be answered. Islam, or at the very least a segment of Islam is willing to utilize violence, and coercion as a mechanism for bringing about this sort of submission. Even non-violent Muslims believe in the eventual total submission of all of life and society to Allah. So, | 8/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 11: Theology of Israel Pt1, Christianity and the State Ch1, and Recent News | [podcast]http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/011-ATheologyOfIsraelPt1.mp3[/podcast] In this episode I begin a series on the theology of Israel in which I critique dispensationalism with an emphasis on the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict... | 7/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 10: The Meaning of Theocracy, Jacques Ellul's Anarchy and Christianity | [podcast]http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/010-RushdoonyOnTheocracyEullulsAnarchyAndChristianity.mp3[/podcast] In this episode I read, and interact with, a column by R.J. Rushdoony entitled The Meaning of Theocracy and have a conversation with Gerald Dalebout regarding Jacques Ellul's "Anarchy and Christianity". Download Mp3 (80mb/96kbps) (http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/010-RushdoonyOnTheocracyEullulsAnarchyAndChristianity.mp3) Download Small Mp3 (28mb/32kbps) (http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/010-RushdoonyOnTheocracyEullulsAnarchyAndChristianity(small).mp3) | 6/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 9: Car-bombing Liberty, The Gaza Aid Flotilla, Arizona's SB1070, and Nigeria's Oil Spill | [podcast]http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/009-Car-bombingLibertyTheGazaAidFlotillaArizonaSB1070andNigeriasOilSpill.mp3[/podcast] In the first of a new series of supplemental shows, Adam discusses Leiberman's expatriation proposal, the Gaza aid flotilla, Arizona's controversial SB1070 and Niger Delta's decades old oil spill. The following show notes are not a transcript of the show, and don't represent the entirety of the show's content. Car-bombing Liberty While debates about civil rights have always existed, the last fifteen years have seen the government prevail in unprecedented conflicts over the issue. During the eighties there were attempts to pass several provisions that would have overturned previous bans on the unilateral power of the executive branch to label groups as terrorist organizations and deport citizens on the basis of their alleged involvement with these groups. These provisions were deemed to be unconstitutional. However, congress had a change of heart following the Oklahoma City Bombing. In response to the event, the Congress passed, and Clinton signed, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. An act which, among other things, limited rights to Habeas review, largely annulled the Posse Comitatus Act, and defined almost every violent crime as "terrorism". If the steps taken in the 1996 act could be considered small, then the steps taken in the acts passed after 9/11 could be considered as massive leaps. What provisions were unattainable in 1996 were up for grabs after 9/11. The USA Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, the John Warner Defense Act, the Homeland Security Act, and the creation of the Total Information Awareness program along with dozens of executive orders represent innumerable limits to civil liberties. Most of these limits go unnoticed by the public at large because the government hasn't flagrantly exploited them - yet. The government doesn't appear to be satisfied with their new powers. They've secured permission to label any group as a terrorist organization without review, but it wasn't until the recent failed attempt by Faisal Shahzad to set off a car bomb in Time Square that the repeal of a ban on stripping U.S. nationals of there citizenship without due process seamed possible. Following Shahzad's crude attempt Senator Joe Lieberman, with bi-partisan backing, proposed a piece of legislation that would allow the State Department to extirpate the citizenship of any U.S. national suspected of providing "material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization or who engages in or supports hostilities against the United States or its allies." The Terrorist Expatriation Act goes beyond debates about whether or not Shahzad should have been read his Miranda warning and asks whether or not citizens suspected of having supported organizations deemed by the government to be involved in terrorist activity should be granted any constitutional protections whatsoever. Such a law would allow citizens who haven't been convicted of any crime to be shipped off to Guantanamo Bay or tried before a military tribunal. While I highly doubt that a law will pass which allows citizens to be stripped of their citizenship based merely on the suspicion that they have supported a "terrorist" group I'm certain, given our government's political reaction to past events, that unless something extraordinary happens it will only be a matter of time before due process is the exception rather than the rule. ---------------- Thoughts on Israels Boarding of the Gaza Aid Flotilla Depending on the news wires you pay attention to, you may have heard one of two headlines: Demonstrators Use Violence Against Israeli Navy Soldiers Attempting to Board Ship Or 19 killed when Israeli commandos seize boats carrying aid to Gaza As I write this, free Gaza activists, and defenders of Israel are reconstructing the event in order to place blame on their political opponent | 6/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 8: On Miranda Rights, Heinrich Bullinger, and Political Premises | On Miranda Rights, Heinrich Bullinger, and Political Premises [podcast]http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/008-OnMirandaRightsBullingerAndPoliticalPremises.mp3[/podcast] The following notes are not a comprehensive representation of the contents of the show, nor are they an attempt to provide an edited transcript. They're merely the unedited notes that we used to prepare for the show. Please excuse the grammar and spelling. ;) In the News Faisal Shahzad's Miranda rights. Questions raised: 1. The various responses to the question of Miranda Rights Many calling for ending, or preventing, modifying, or expanding the so-called public safety exception to the reading of the Miranda warning in cases of terrorism. * [Eric Holder: Miranda Rights Should Be Modified For Terrorism Suspects] http://admin.blacklistednews.com/newspublish/home.print.php?news_id=8608 * Eric Holder Audio * Chris Mathews Audio * It should be noted that the federal government's definition of terrorism includes any felony crime that the executive branch wishes to treat as "terrorism". Even worse, over 200 people have been sent to prison for raising their voices on commercial airline flights, convicted of felonies terrorism under the Patriot Act. One of those 200 people is Tamera Freeman, who spent three months in prison and was convicted of a felony for spanking her misbehaved children and raising her voice to a flight attendant. When the plane landed, she was arrested as a terrorist and eventually forced to plead guilty to felony crimes under the Patriot Act. Since terrorism is considered a public safety issue should we make exceptions for the reading of Miranda warnings in such cases? * Miranda warnings are merely reminders - to someone charged with a crime - regarding what are considered their basic human rights. The notion that by refusing to read that warning somehow alters the defendant's right to remain silent, to not incriminate himself, etc., is ridiculous. But that assumption leads to the conclusion that we have a right not only to interrogate them, but to torture them to talk...because they no longer have a "right". * Lieberman Audio * Lieberman has proposed legislation design to “close loopholes” that allow individuals on the FBI’s terror watch list purchase firearms, explosives and to have basic rights of due process if and when they are tried for a crime. [Controversial terror bill creates unlikely allies, foes - "strip Americans of their citizenship if they support terror"] http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1965/print http://www.infowars.com/lieberman-looks-to-strip-the-citizenship-of-1-million-americans-without-charge-or-trial/ The related common law tradition - Habeas Corpus, right to fair trial, due process, etc. relation to Miranda rights. 2. Justification of further attacks on Pakistan New drone attacks in pakistan http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/world/asia/12pstan.html http://www.infowars.com/ag-holder-blames-pakistan-taliban-for-times-square-fizzle-bomb/ 3. Faisal Shahzad was on "watch list" since 2009 [Watch lists don't work: Shahzad on U.S. Travel Security List Since 1999] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20004263-10391695.html ------ Political Theology from Ages Past [Brad Littlejohn] Here's something I recently blogged from Heinrich Bullinger's treatise A Confutation of the Pope's Bull Against Queen Elizabeth: Vermigli and Bullinger’s political theology seems to combine the worst of both worlds; they insist on a tremendous continuity between the civil and ecclesial realms when it comes to establishing the prince’s authority to manage the Church and its ministers, but they insist on tremendous discontinuity when it comes to any of the influence or authority going the other way. We hear that Christ’s kingdom is a purely spiritual kingdom, and so all the things that he tells his disciples to do and how to live, etc., are only intended to ministers in the Church, not to any other authoritie | 5/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 7: On Reading Romans 13 in Context, WikiLeak's "Collateral Murder" footage, and a review of "Shock Doctrine" | WikiLeaks "Collateral Murder" footage and the apology of two soldiers, a review of "Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein, and Brad Littlejohn on the context of Romans 13. [podcast]http://theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/007-Rom13CollateralMurderShockDoctrine.mp3[/podcast] TheoPolitico April 28, 2010 WikiLeaks "Collateral Murder" footage links: WikiLeaks VIDEO Exposes 2007 'Collateral Murder' In Iraq http://goo.gl/85SY Wikileaks reveals video showing US air crew shooting down Iraqi civilians http://goo.gl/eAeL Pentagon Targets WikiLeaks http://www.infowars.com/pentagon-targets-wikileaks/print/ WikiLeaks to release video of civilians, journalists being murdered in airstrike http://goo.gl/OQsf Neo-Cons Defend Massacre Of Iraqi Journalists, Children http://goo.gl/BHYX U.S. Troops Apologize For Wikileaks Massacre Video http://goo.gl/RC78 An Open Letter of Reconciliation & Responsibility To the Iraqi People http://goo.gl/UZHd Wikileaks is a service that provides wistleblowers a way to release sensitive documents, media, and information with full anonymity. Many Americans had never heard of wikileaks until recently, when explosive footage was released which showed American military killing non-threatening Iraqi civilians - including journalists and children - was released via the wikileaks website in conjunction with a wikileaks press conference. Regarding the Footage The Huffington Post's Dan Froomkin wrote: Calling it a case of "collateral murder," the WikiLeaks Web site today released harrowing video of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Baghdad in 2007 repeatedly opening fire on a group of men that included a Reuters photographer and his driver -- and then on a van that stopped to rescue one of the wounded men. None of the members of the group were taking hostile action, contrary to the Pentagon's initial cover story; they were milling about on a street corner. One man was evidently carrying a gun, though that was and is hardly an uncommon occurrence in Baghdad. Reporters working for WikiLeaks determined that the driver of the van was a good Samaritan on his way to take his small children to a tutoring session. He was killed and his two children were badly injured. In the video, which Reuters has been asking to see since 2007, crew members can be heard celebrating their kills. "Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards," says one crewman after multiple rounds of 30mm cannon fire left nearly a dozen bodies littering the street. A crewman begs for permission to open fire on the van and its occupants, even though it has done nothing but stop to help the wounded: "Come on, let us shoot!" When Saeed (a Journalist) is crawling, clearly unable to do anything, their response is: come on buddy, we want to kill you, just pick up a weapon." Two crewmen share a laugh when a Bradley fighting vehicle runs over one of the corpses. And after soldiers on the ground find two small children shot and bleeding in the van, one crewman can be heard saying: "Well, it's their fault bringing their kids to a battle." The helicopter crew, which was patrolling an area that had been the scene of fierce fighting that morning, said they spotted weapons on members of the first group -- although the video shows one gun, at most. The crew also mistook a telephoto lens for a rocket-propelled grenade. The shooting, which killed Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, took place on July 12, 2007, in a southeastern neighborhood of Baghdad. ---------- The next day, the New York Times reported the military's official cover story: "The American military said in a statement late Thursday that 11 people had been killed: nine insurgents and two civilians. According to the statement, American troops were conducting a raid when they were hit by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. The American troops called in reinforcements and attack helicopters. In the ensuing fight, the statement said, | 4/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 6: On Coercion Pt III, Catholic Abuse Scandal, and Distributism | Part 3 in a series on coercion, discussion of the ongoing Catholic abuse scandal, and Distributism. TheoPolitico Ep 6: On Coercion Pt III, Catholic Abuse Scandal, and Distributism [podcast]http://www.theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/006-OnCoercionPtIII.mp3[/podcast] THEOPOLITICO Published on April 7 2010 In the News There has been a great deal of response to revelations that Pope Benedict was involved in "covering-up" sexual abuse by priests, but before we discuss that I'd like to give a brief history of this scandal for the purpose of contextualizing the current situation in light of the past 30 years. (http://goo.gl/wwvG) 1985: Sex abuse by priests becomes a national issue in the US for the first time, as Louisiana priest Gilbert Gauthe pleads guilty to 11 counts of m*********n of boys. 1992-3: The Reverend James Porter of Fall River diocese, Massachusetts, is accused of abusing children in five US states in the 1960s and 1970s. He later pleads guilty to 41 counts of abuse. 1992: US bishops meeting in South Bend, Indiana, admit attempts by some of their number to hide abuse. 1993: First legal proceedings brought against Dallas diocese over sex abuse by the priest Rudolph Kos. 1998: The Dallas diocese was forced to pay more than $31m to victims of [Rudolph] Kos 1999: Former Massachusetts priest John Geoghan [was] indicted on child rape charges...Later Geoghan [was] convicted of indecent assault and battery of a 10-year-old boy, for which he received a 10-year prison sentence. 2002: The Vatican published guidelines on how to deal with paedophile priests, saying all cases should be reported to Rome. April 2002: Two US men, in Florida and Oregon, begin legal action which symbolically named the Vatican for its alleged role in covering up sex abuse cases. April 2002: Pope John Paul II called an emergency meeting with US cardinals in Rome. May 2002: Paul Shanley was arrested, and would later be convicted of raping at least one boy. Later in 2002 US bishops issued public apologies, and approve a "zero tolerance" national policy on abuse, but the Vatican demanded changes be made to protect the rights of priests. The Bishops, then, made changes to the policy in accordance with the Vatican's wishes. On that same day, Roman Catholic activists from the "Survivors First" group launch an online database listing 573 US priests accused of involvement in paedophilia since 1996. Now that is a very large amount of accusations you would have to agree. They later dropped 100 of the names from that list. (This of course raises the question of care in charging Church elders with crimes.) Also in December of 2002: There were new revelations about eight priests in the Boston archdiocese accused of abusing women and girls, and of taking drugs and supplying drugs in return for sexual favours. Cardinal Law also fled to Vatican city, and resigned as archbishop in late December. Mid 2003: The Boston Archdiocese avoided bankruptcy by agreeing to sell land and buildings for over $100m to fund legal settlements to more than 500 abuse victims. early 2004: A report commissioned by the Church claimed more than 4,000 Catholic priests had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years, in cases involving more than 10,000 children - mostly boys. July 2004: The Portland Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy because of the huge costs from clergy sex abuse lawsuits. This action halted the trial of a lawsuit seeking some $155m against the late Rev Maurice Grammond, who was accused of molesting more than 50 boys in the 1980s. December 2004: After two years of talks, the diocese of Orange County, California, settled a sex abuse lawsuit brought by 87 plaintiffs for $100m. 2005: A US court convicted Paul Shanley, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, California, agreed to pay $35m to 33 victims. 2006: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $60m (£30m) to settle to 45 cases of alleged sexual abuse by priests. | 4/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 5: On Coercion Pt II, Private Property and Theft | Part two in a series on coercion, also private property, theft, and health care [podcast]http://www.theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/005-OnCoercionPt2.mp3[/podcast] THEOPOLITICO March 25 2010 In the News "Lawmakers concerned as health-care overhaul foes resort to violence" [1] Some thoughts from Adam regarding the health care reform that became law this week. 1) If the Church had been providing for peoples needs we wouldn't need government/corporate health care. 2) The legislation is, in point of fact, fascist by Mussolini's definition, and is, in essence, a bailout for the large insurance agencies who are subsidiaries of the big banks. I (Adam) suspect they, like many lobbyist groups, played a large role in writing the legislation. 3) The legislation is not "communist" as the right-wing media has been claiming for months. 4) Some of the reasoning among the legislations opposition is motivated by selfishness. 5) The right is now discussing the constitutionality of a piece of legislation. Where were they when Bush passed the patriot act? Hypocrisy? 6) Speaking of hypocrisy, McCain is attempting to pass a bill that will greatly restrict vitamins, supplements, and nutritional based health products that would prevent the need for health care. ---------------------------------- Property rights and theft Somewhere along the way, conservatives picked up the idea (oddly enough, in direct contradiction to at least the first millenium of Christian teaching) that the Bible is especially concerned to safeguard the right of private property, indeed, that this particularly distinguishes Biblical ethics, over against surrounding pagan nations. (This last part is particularly odd, given that both the pagan societies surrounding ancient Israel and the Roman society surrounding the early Church were noted for legal structures that favored unrestricted and absolute private property rights, against which the Bible seems to be directly aiming.) Christian conservatives have gone even further, and, defining capitalism (again, in my mind, very oddly) as consisting fundamentally in an affirmation of private property rights, have concluded that the Bible is a blueprint for free-market capitalism. Yet Thomas Aquinas clearly subordinates the right of private property to the right of common use, to the point that he justifies a man in great need stealing from a wealthier man to provide his sustenance. This argument seems to be in line with OT gleaning laws (Lev. 19:9-10; Dt. 24:19-22; Dt. 23:24-25) and other passages in the Torah relativizing property rights (e.g Lev. 25) Read more here: http://johannulusdesilentio.blogspot.com/2010/03/will-real-biblical-teaching-on-property.html. ------------------- Feature: Continuing the series on coercion... Anabaptist tradition The Schleitheim Text The Schleitheim Confession - the Swiss Anabaptist confession of faith was written in 1527 in Schleitheim (Switzerland). It contains 7 articles, the 6th article regards the sword. "We have been united as follows concerning the sword. The sword is an ordering of God outside the perfection of Christ. It punishes and kills the wicked and guards and protects the good. In the law the sword is established11 over the wicked for punishment and for death and the secular rulers are established to wield the same. But within the perfection of Christ only the ban is used for the admonition and exclusion of the one who has sinned, without the death of the flesh, simply the warning and the command to sin no more. Now many, who do not understand Christ's will for us, will ask; whether a Christian may or should use the sword against the wicked for the protection and defense of the good, or for the sake of love. The answer is unanimously revealed: Christ teaches and commands us to learn from Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart and thus we shall find rest for our souls (Mt. 11:29). Now Christ says to the woman who was taken in adultery (Jn. 8:11), | 3/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTheoPolitico Ep 4: On Coercion and the Enforcement of Old Testament Economic Law | Part one of a series on coercion, and a discussion regarding enforcement of Old Testament economic laws. Also, Bucer on the scope of civil society. [podcast]http://www.theopolitico.revelationary.com/archive/004-OnCoercion.mp3[/podcast] THEOPOLITICO March 9 2010 News 'They Need to Be Liberated From Their God' The 'Son of Hamas' author on his conversion to Christianity, spying for Israel, and shaming his family. Now 32, Mosab is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder and leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Throughout the last decade, from the second Intifada to the current stalemate, he worked alongside his father in the West Bank. During that time the younger Mr. Yousef also secretly embraced Christianity. And as he reveals in his book "Son of Hamas," out this week, he became one of the top spies for Israel's internal security arm, the Shin Bet. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703915204575103481069258868.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter#printMode ------------ Bucer on the Scope of Civil Society Christians in America today regard the invasion of the State into so many areas of our daily lives as the product of a secular messiah complex that is fundamentally anti-Christian, but historically, and in other countries, Christians have often been among those most strongly advocated an expanded role for civil authority. The Reformer Martin Bucer is a case in point, strongly advocating in his De Regno Christi that the monarch introduce a welfare system, trade regulation, a command economy, state licensing of professionals, compulsory public education to prepare children to fill roles deemed useful in society, art censorship and sponsorship, oh, and of course, state oversight of marriage and family issues. Read Brad's post here (http://johannulusdesilentio.blogspot.com/2010/02/bucer-socialist.html). ----------- ----- Bible and Politics Would these have been coerced, or not? How? Lev. 25:8-22: Law of the Jubilee Lev. 19:9-10, Deut. 24:19-22: Leave the gleanings for the poor and the sojourner Deut. 15:1-18: Sabbatical year law ------- Feature: Part one of a series on coercion. I forgot to mention on the show that while the summaries are mine, the outline and quotes were borrowed from a paper on coercion by Scott Anderson in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/coercion/ Aquinas referrers to coercion, or compulsion, as - essentially - the forcing of an agent to act involuntarily, or against the agent's own inclinations. "For we call that violent which is against the inclination of a thing. … [A] thing is called voluntary because it is according to the inclination of the will. Therefore, just as it is impossible for a thing to be at the same time violent and natural, so it is impossible for a thing to be absolutely coerced or violent, and voluntary" (Aquinas, ST: I Q82 A1). For Aquinas law has coercive power: “the notion of law contains two things: first, that it is a rule of human acts; secondly, that it has coercive power” (Aquinas, ST: I.II Q96 A5 "the governor of a city has perfect coercive power: wherefore he can inflict irreparable punishments such as death and mutilation” (Aquinas ST: II.II Q65 A2) Aquinas also suggests that the law be used to produce fear in those prone to vice, thus coercing them through the threat of violence. In his defense he does contextualize such coercion, at least partially, in training for youth - thought his statement does seem to apply to everyone. "But since some are found to be depraved, and prone to vice, and not easily amenable to words, it was necessary for such to be restrained from evil by force and fear, in order that, at least, they might desist from evil-doing, and leave others in peace, and that they themselves, by being habituated in this way, might be brought to do willingly what hitherto they did from fear, and thus become virtuous. Now this kind of training, which compels through fear of punishme | 3/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Customer Reviews
One of a kind podcast covering the relationship between politics and theology
This is a somewhat academic podcast. Some segements are related to current news and others regard theology and political theory. The hosts do not advocate any particular political theory. Unlike other political, or religious shows the hosts are more interested in learning and dialogue than in posturing and power politics. You won't find any "conservatism" or "progressivism", and there's no attempt to make Jesus into a poster-child for a political party or platform. Whatever your political positions, theological beliefs, or assumptions regarding Christian political theory you will be surprised and informed. If you're interested in both social, or economic, justice, and free-market libertarianism, or anarchism, you'll find the content interesting.
Excellent, thought provoking, and informative.
I really love this podcast! I recently read Murray Rothbard's "For a New Liberty" and was intrigued by the libertarian/anarchist/voluntaryist views presented in that book. But as a Christian, I wanted to do some research and examine these views from a Biblical perspective. I soon found this podcast and was amazed to find that Adam and Brad were discussing these very issues. I love the conversational, relaxed style of the show, and I appreciate the balanced discussions they have on a wide variety of issues. They always begin the podcast by discussing recent political news and then proceed to discuss the main feature of the week's show. I am thankful for the fact that they desire to rely on the Scriptures alone for their insight into politics. It is refreshing to find Christians desiring to be true to the Scriptures with their politics and not simply stuck in the modern left-right paradigm.
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