Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Gary North: Meet "Scary Gary"

The late Rousas John Rushdoony and his son-in-law Gary North, were members of the Council for National Policy. [1][2] If you recall, Dominion Theology comes out of Christian Reconstructionism, a fundamentalist creed that was propagated by Rushdoony. Although North was later personally estranged from his father-in-law, he has carried forward Rushdoony’s Calvinist Reconstructionist philosophy and teachings, and further maintains that Christians and Christian churches must become involved in Dominionist-type political activism. [3] 

The significance of being a CNP members is that they have powerful ties with the CIA and the Council on Foreign Relations, not to mention association with high-level Freemasonry for which many believe is related to those bringing in world government. 


A Little About Gary North
Long before North and Rushdoony publicly parted ways, North had already aggressively sought out political influence. In 1976 he worked in Washington, D.C. as a research assistant for Texas Representative Ron Paul. After Paul’s defeat, North wrote a warning to Christians that Washington was a cesspool that can’t be changed overnight. He turned his back on national politics and began developing practical tactics for churches to deploy at the grassroots level.

Unlike Rushdoony, who focused most of his attention on ideas, North worked to pull together Charismatic and Pentecostal congregations in the South. It was in an effort to fuse Reconstructionism’s grassroots activism with committed congregations.

North believes that when American society collapses under the combined weight of massive foreign debt, military overstretch, and internal decadence, he hopes to have a network of churches ready to step into the breech, apparently to take dominion. In preparation, he has written book after book aimed at educating Christians on how to live debt free, avoid electronic surveillance, and develop the skills necessary for surviving economic collapse. “In short, North’s version of Reconstructionism blazed a path for the militia and Christian survivalist groups of the 1990s to follow. [4]

Y2K
Prior to the year 2000, North predicted that the Y2K computer glitch would lead to the total collapse of the global economy, leaving Christians in the United States to pick up the pieces. North's articles and rhetoric eventually earned him the nickname "Scary Gary."

North's believes in a fusion of libertarianism and postmillenarian eschatology, and it is sharply different than Rushdoony's view. Rushdoony envisioned the church and family as two separate, exclusive spheres. For Rushdoony, the family is the primary social unit while the church represents a limited ecclesiastical organization of believers in Christ. Conversely, North believes men owed their allegiances to a church first and the family second. [3]

Theonomy
The books North has written and co-authored range with some interesting titles, and they obviously reflect their contents, as well as his ideas. In the book Christian Reconstuctionism, he said,
"In winning a nation to the gospel, the sword as well as the pen must be used."
Dominion theology, is a type of theonomy. Theonomy posits that the Biblical Law is applicable to civil law, and theonomists propose Biblical law as the standard by which the laws of nations may be measured, and to which they ought to be conformed.

Theonomists support public policy changes in accord with Biblical principles, but see those changes as coming about as a result of the conversions to Christianity in the coming days. Many seek a future earthly "Kingdom of God" in which much of the world is converted to Christianity (Dominion Theology). They cite the numerous scripture passages referring to God's collective judgment upon unrighteous nations, and God's blessing upon those rulers and societies heeding His Word. The presence or absence of Christian values may profoundly influence the rise and fall of nations.[4]

Civil Law today stems from Biblical Law, but the punishment if far more harsh than what exists today. In accordance with Theonomy, Sabbath breakers are put to death, children are stoned for certain offenses, but at the same time they feel it protects the accused.

For more about Theonomy, go here.