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Good Governments
Dr. Jack Goodyear
July 24, 2022
Good Governments
Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup,
And whose princes party all night.
Lucky the land whose king is mature,
Where the princes behave themselves
And don’t drink themselves silly.
-Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 (The Message)
“Despite their radical differences in terms of theology, both Williams and Jefferson agreed on the desirability of religious disestablishment, Williams because he sought to maintain a pure church and Jefferson because he sought political stability...It has lent political stability by diverting social discontent into the religious sphere, and it has ensured religious vitality by guaranteeing untrammeled expression in the free marketplace of American religion.”
– Randall Balmer, Blesses Assurance
1. Good government requires leaders of good character
2. Good government requires good followers
3. Good government requires church and state separation
“The gospel we preach and teach is not an individual gospel or a social gospel. It is a gospel that knows no limits in its application to life. It is a message for the total man, and hence it is also a message for every aspect of the world in which we live.”
– T. B. Maston
“Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“For the church to be the church and the state to be the state requires that the identity of each be clearly maintained. Allegiance to God and allegiance to Caesar are never to be the same, and in fact suggest always a conflict or tension with which the Christian knows he must live. National loyalty is not the supreme allegiance of man…The very mixing of allegiance to God with patriotism, so characteristic of many of the militant organized movements today crusading under the banner of Americanism, is a dangerous threat to both the freedom of the state and the freedom of the church.”
– James E. Wood, Jr.
“Christianity has adjusted itself much too easily to the worship of power. It should give much more offence, more shock to the world, than it is doing. Christianity should take a much more definite stand for the weak than for the potential moral right of the strong.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“The rising tide of American nationalism, which seeks to express itself in terms of religious faith, would make religion in America a culture religion or tribal faith. To be a good American and to be a good Christian are not one and the same and can never be… God and religion are not something our nation can possess or which can be contained within our national life; nor is God some national resource we can harness or use to serve our national interests...The mere claim of a nation that it is on God’s side is of no real consequence at all, and may actually be more an expression of blasphemy than godliness.”
– James E. Wood, Jr.
“To some, you’re too conservative. To others, you’re too liberal. To be a Christ follower is to be faithful amid tension. To stay engaged, to remain hopeful, to love anyway, to walk with integrity, and to bear witness to the love, mercy, and grace of Christ. This is becoming increasingly difficult, but such is our call as followers of Jesus. It’s not merely what we believe but also how we engage.”
– Eugene Cho, Though Shalt Not Be a Jerk
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
– Micah 6:8 (NIV)
View all episodes
Dr. Jack Goodyear
July 24, 2022
Good Governments
Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup,
And whose princes party all night.
Lucky the land whose king is mature,
Where the princes behave themselves
And don’t drink themselves silly.
-Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 (The Message)
“Despite their radical differences in terms of theology, both Williams and Jefferson agreed on the desirability of religious disestablishment, Williams because he sought to maintain a pure church and Jefferson because he sought political stability...It has lent political stability by diverting social discontent into the religious sphere, and it has ensured religious vitality by guaranteeing untrammeled expression in the free marketplace of American religion.”
– Randall Balmer, Blesses Assurance
1. Good government requires leaders of good character
2. Good government requires good followers
3. Good government requires church and state separation
“The gospel we preach and teach is not an individual gospel or a social gospel. It is a gospel that knows no limits in its application to life. It is a message for the total man, and hence it is also a message for every aspect of the world in which we live.”
– T. B. Maston
“Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“For the church to be the church and the state to be the state requires that the identity of each be clearly maintained. Allegiance to God and allegiance to Caesar are never to be the same, and in fact suggest always a conflict or tension with which the Christian knows he must live. National loyalty is not the supreme allegiance of man…The very mixing of allegiance to God with patriotism, so characteristic of many of the militant organized movements today crusading under the banner of Americanism, is a dangerous threat to both the freedom of the state and the freedom of the church.”
– James E. Wood, Jr.
“Christianity has adjusted itself much too easily to the worship of power. It should give much more offence, more shock to the world, than it is doing. Christianity should take a much more definite stand for the weak than for the potential moral right of the strong.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“The rising tide of American nationalism, which seeks to express itself in terms of religious faith, would make religion in America a culture religion or tribal faith. To be a good American and to be a good Christian are not one and the same and can never be… God and religion are not something our nation can possess or which can be contained within our national life; nor is God some national resource we can harness or use to serve our national interests...The mere claim of a nation that it is on God’s side is of no real consequence at all, and may actually be more an expression of blasphemy than godliness.”
– James E. Wood, Jr.
“To some, you’re too conservative. To others, you’re too liberal. To be a Christ follower is to be faithful amid tension. To stay engaged, to remain hopeful, to love anyway, to walk with integrity, and to bear witness to the love, mercy, and grace of Christ. This is becoming increasingly difficult, but such is our call as followers of Jesus. It’s not merely what we believe but also how we engage.”
– Eugene Cho, Though Shalt Not Be a Jerk
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
– Micah 6:8 (NIV)