The Administrative State Vs. The American Democratic Republic

 

... and to the Republic for which it stands.  The Pledge of Allegiance has been something that every American has recited in school, during some event or gathering in their lifetime.  But, do most Americans recognize the word "Republic?" It may come as a surprise to many, especially millennials (who have not been taught American history), that we are not a democracy but rather we are a "Democratic Republic." Just exactly what is that?  Why is it important? And is it worth preserving?  In this brief article, we will try to explore and answer these questions.     

                                                                                 

    A few years ago, I was invited to attend The Delaware Family Policy Counsels annual gathering. The special speaker was Sebastian Gorka - a British born Hungarian-American military and intelligence analyst, who served as a deputy assistant to President Trump. During his talk, he referenced that America was a democratic republic.  Toward the end of the session, time was given to take questions.  I stood up and went to the mike and asked him, "Do You Think Most Americans, even here, in this room full of Christians, understand what a democratic republic is?" He responded, of "course they do!"  At that moment, I thought how could he even think that Americans knew this. I didn't.  The only time I even remember some type of teaching on how our government functioned was in seventh grade in 1970.  Like many other Americans, I was educated in the public school system, and in my mind, it is the government's job to educate young people about our history, our form of government, our economic system (based on Adam Smith's free economic theory or John Keynes, Keynesian Economic theory which espouses the need for governmental regulation of the free markets).  These two theories have been with us since the Great Depression and taught in our universities. Both have created a tension in our economic system between the ideas of a self-regulated system vs. a government perspective to make the system accountable.  Neither is Marxist.

    While in seminary in 1988, I took a course in Liberation Theology where I was introduced to Marxism as an economic theory which the professor claim was needed to deal with the unchristian "Greed" built into our American economic system. My professor proposed that until we could find a more "Christianly" economic theory, we should abandon "capitalism," and move our nation to marxism until we could find a better system that would be more favorable to discipling people to resist the "spirit of greed" in our culture. My only problem with his presentation was Communism was embedded with the same greed he was denouncing just as much as capitalism has. Why? Because it's a part of the human condition.  We call it sin. For those who grew up without any experience or view of Marxism as practiced in the 20th century, it's important to note that every Marxist country was based on atheism. Totalitarianism, Dictatorship, or an Oligarchy form of government.  

Let's define a few terms:

• Totalitarianism is a concept for a form of government or political system that prohibits opposition parties, restricts individual opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life.
• An Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may be distinguished by nobility, wealth, education, corporate, religious, political, or military control.
• Marxism advocates socialism in forms both similar and in stark contrast to Marx and Friedrich Engels' conception of socialism, advocating some form of collective ownership over large-scale production.
• Democracy is based on the rule of the majority of the population and is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
• A Democratic Republic is a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections; and exercises power according to the "Rule Of Law" under a constitution, including separation of powers with an elected head of state. It is often referred to as a constitutional republic or representative democracy.

    As a nation, our government is based on a Democratic Republic form of government developed under the contributing works Algernon Sidney's, "Discourses Concerning Government," John Locke's' "Two Tracts On Government" based on the idea of separation of powers, The Political Writings Of William Penn, and Quaker Constitutionalism and the political thought Of JohnDickinson. In Fact, many scholars remain in ignorance that America as we know it was originally invented by the Quakers - It was called, "The Holy Experiment," later referred to as "The American Experiment."  Although this is not a comprehensive history of the country's formation, I have referenced some very important foundational sources largely neglected by mainstream historians and their understanding of why "Philadelphia is the righteous root" and foundation for our nation's democratic republic. Let me state clearly, without these foundations America doesn't work well which is why we are faced with the huge political divide. If you don't understand Quakerism you will not understand why this form of government is so vastly different from other forms of government throughout the world. Too many American's think that the European models offered today is something we should embrace. I would argue that what our founding leadership gave us is a unique gift that needs to be re-explored, discussed, and taught again.

    

Recently, social critic, Os Guinness has written another important book on the American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution of 1789.  Os' insightful work explains why our current American political crisis has its footing in both revolutions and that we need to decide which direction we are going as a nation together.  My claim is that his work is an important contribution, however, without understanding Algernon Sidney's, "Discourses Concerning Government," and John Locke's' "Two Tracts On Government" we are about to lose what "The American Experiment is all about and find ourselves with a form of government being imposed on us by an Elitist Oligarchy.  A few years ago, Through a word that The Holy Spirit spoke to me, and through my reading of these materials I have referenced, I concluded that our democratic-republic was formed for the church to flourish and carry the gospel to the ends of the earth without freedom of an oppressive government.  Most Americans, not only do not know their American History but have no idea about European history and why so many Christians left Europe to come to a new land and develop a new nation.  They did not come here to start a plantation system based on enslavement.  That was brought in by secular commercial interests and had nothing to do with the calling to spreading the gospel in North America. We'll save this thought for another time.  William Penn's "Seed Of A Nation" is the vision and mission is the foundation of why America. It's time to dust off the books and go research this for yourselves instead of having to be spoon-fed by someone else what to believe about these things.  Despite the vision, remember America's founders and contributors were just as flawed as we are.  Romans 3:23 is still true, "For we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our national sin historically is slavery, and just as our world had to become sensitive to the Jewish holocaust and its post-traumatic after effects, we need to confront ourselves, repent as a nation for our national sin of slavery, address dehumanization, make reparations, and assist tow people groups - Native American and the African American communities toward healing the effects and trauma that both communities are still having difficulty overcoming. Enough said.          

                                                                                  

    Now turning to our current political situation, regardless of our national election outcomes, the iniquity of our land is not just going away and we are going to make huge mistakes based on poor decision-making processes. Proverbs 24:4 states that "We make wise decisions by keeping abreast of all the facts." We need to stop being lazy and believing what other people tell us. We need to sit down, make time in our schedule to get to know God's word first, read our own history as a nation, and make choices on our own without depending on so-called "prophets" who declare this is what God is saying, or politicians who tell us what right and wrong is, and preachers who have no idea what they are talking about. I'd like to know why the American church has not judged "prophecy as they are called to do. Why is it a practice to just accept someone else's word for it?  Prophecy is to be judge. There are false prophets, false apostles, and false teachers. I John 4:1 says, "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world."  Where is the discernment? Where is the accountability? Who is responsible to reprimand and discipline those who mislead the Body Of Christ with their false prophecies, teachings, or divisiveness? Proverbs 27:5 states, "Better an open reprimand than concealed love."

    So, where are we now?  During the election cycle of 2016, I felt and came to the opinion that God raised up President Donald Trump to preserve our democratic republic. At the time I had no idea how my thoughts and promptings from the Holy Spirit would turn out so accurately. Here we are right now caught between two confusing ideas; An American idea based on "A democratic republic" model and a European socialism model that is threatening our very foundation and cultural existence." Our president's work has uncovered how deeply flawed our administrative wing of the government is failing. Recently, several commentators have said that the greatest threat to our nation is the perils of an administrative state who want to move us to a form of oligarchy.  Our current election was not a choice between two presidential candidates as some suppose but a choice between William Penn's Holy Experiment and an administrative state ruled by an oligarchy. This is why as the Body Of Christ we have to educate, teach, and pray for the restoration of our democratic republic.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians. 6:12"