Understanding America's Governance: Biblical Foundations, Election Integrity, and Civic Responsibilities

What if the key to preserving our rights lies in understanding the biblical and historical roots of governance? Join us as we unravel the intricate relationship between faith, culture, and elections in America. This episode kicks off by tracking the evolution of governance from the creation of individuals and families in Genesis to the establishment of civil laws and government structures. By emphasizing the responsibilities of individuals, families, civil government, and religious institutions, they provide a holistic view of governance as divinely intended, setting the stage for effective engagement in the election process.

Ever wondered how America's constitutional republic differs from other forms of government? We will break down the seven main types of governance, from Totalitarianism to Republic, with a special focus on America's unique system influenced by biblical principles. By exploring the historical context of these systems, we shed light on the founding fathers' prioritization of individual rights, the rule of law, and the consent of the governed. This chapter underscores the belief that government should protect God-given rights and operate with specific roles and limits, distinct from the church.

America is a constitutional republic, not a democracy—why does this matter? In the final segment, we highlight the dangers of mob rule and the importance of voting responsibly. Through historical and biblical references, we emphasize the significance of choosing candidates who uphold biblical principles and being actively involved in the political process. We promise valuable insights into the current political landscape and the importance of staying informed and engaged. Tune in for an enriching discussion that bridges faith, culture, and governance.

Chapters

• 0:07 Intersection of Faith, Culture, and Elections
• 10:57 Forms of Government and American Ideals
• 18:50 Understanding America's Constitutional Republic
• 26:30 Looking Forward

Transcript

Rick Green

Welcome to the Intersection of Faith and Culture. It's the WallBuilder Show, taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical and constitutional perspective. Hottest topic of the day right now we are just weeks out from maybe the most important election of our lifetime. I know everybody says that every election, but this year feels like one. So we're going to get some sage advice from David and Tim Barton. This election special today. You want to share it with as many friends and family as you possibly can and just encourage people to participate. Be a part of the solution. Let's jump into this election special with David and Tim Barton.

David Barton

Elections are a core foundation of our American government. In the early days, political debates were held in theaters and lecture halls across America, like this one, drawing large crowds from every corner of society. Now we engage with the candidates through TV screens and Twitter feeds, watching as the elections unfold.

Tim Barton

The spotlight may be on the top contenders, but it's really about the people. Today, we're going to talk about our role in this important election process.

David Barton

By understanding where elections came from and how they work, you can help determine who will be in the room when our nation's most important decisions are being made. Today's lawmakers are tomorrow's history shapers. I'm David Barton. 

Tim Barton

I’m Tim Barton and this is Elections. 

In this series, we're going to be talking about elections and specifically today we're going to talk about forms of government and ask the question what form of government is the best and what form of government do we have in America? Because I hear some people say America is a democracy, but I've read some documents that seem to say America is a republic. So what's the difference between a republic and a democracy? Or does it even really matter? To answer those questions, we want to back up and see well, what does the Bible say about this and what can we learn from history about the difference and maybe the best forms of government?

David Barton

When you look back into the Bible, we start with God made man, Adam, and then God made Eve, and so we have man and woman, which creates a family, and so from that we have man and woman and a family, and now we're in Genesis 3. And as you continue to go through Genesis 3 and 4 and 5, you find that there's more and more people, and so, as the world grows, they have relationship with each other, but it's not always good, especially in the way they behave. So you see, there's a lot of murder, there's a lot of theft, no respect for private property, a lot of rape, no respect for individuals. And by the time you get to Genesis 6, God says this is not good at all. We need to wipe everything out and start again. So here comes Noah, here comes his three sons and their wives, and so that's the family that God saves, and all the animals on the ark.

And so by the time we get to Genesis 9 and they get off the ark, God says, okay, we're going to restart things here and now I'm going to tell you how to behave with each other. And so he comes up with what we would call civil laws. He says if murder occurs, this is what you're going to do, and if theft occurs, here's what you'll do. And so there's actually seven categories of laws that God gives. We call them the Noahide laws, and that is the very first civil government. So we start with individuals, then we start with a family, then God gives us civil government. That's right up front in Genesis and from that everything kind of develops outward.

Tim Barton

Yeah, and it's interesting too that when you look at government, government was originally designed for the preservation of rights, that, the preservation of life and liberty and property, things that actually in America we talk about and we try to preserve. Well, part of the reason is going back to Genesis 9, looking and saying this is what God thought needed to be preserved in everything going on. And certainly we see that acknowledged in our declaration and enshrined in our constitution, kind of in our form of government. But I think it's even interesting looking at the fact that there was first the individual, then there was the family and then came government, and this is before God's even made the institution of the church, which would seem to indicate that government is a really big deal in God's eyes.

David Barton

Yeah, government is a big deal in God's eyes and as you go through the scriptures, he develops it a whole lot more and you find more and more details for government. And as God goes through the scriptures, by the time you get to Israel and he forms the nation, he says okay guys, here's your laws that will deal with immigration and economics and education and military and everything else. God covers it all in there and it's interesting that, as he does, he also recognizes the fact that he created four different types of government.

Tim Barton

And even, as we say, government that would probably also be known as responsibility where there's different responsibilities for each section, where you have responsibility for the individual responsibility, for the family responsibility inside the government, their role, and then when the church comes along and I guess specifically if you look in Exodus it was the formation of the temple but that's where you worship God and we would kind of know that as the church. But they had a responsibility and a duty in what god created them and their purpose as well.

David Barton

so, as we say, kind of the individual governments, also their individual responsibilities as God created them yeah, when you look at the scriptures, for example, God says raise your children and then nurture and administer the lord. Now, when you get a command like that, did God command the government to do that, the church to do that, the family do that, but the individual do that? Well, answer is the family. That was not a command to civil government to raise our children, nurture and admonish the Lord. And then when God says things like, for example, if someone is a murderer, they're to be dealt with, that's not a command to the individual, that's not a command to the family or the church, that's a command to civil government. So even as you look at the commands on government in bible, you have to say which government is he talking to? Is this for individual self-government? Is this for the family government? Is this for the church government or is this for the civil government?

and there's a lot of verses, but they deal with all those different four forms of government 

Tim Barton

and this is something too, as we look at scripture and if we ask the question what form of government does scripture really lay out? What is? What does maybe God encourage? When you go throughout the Bible, you see there's a lot of monarchs which actually, interestingly enough, when Israel wanted a king, and Samuel comes along and says that's a terrible idea, we don't want a king. This is going to be really bad. He's going to tax you and take your sons and your daughters and your property and your livestock. This is terrible.

And the Israelites said but everybody else has a king, so we want a king. Well, clearly that wasn't God's idea, because Samuel was trying to explain to them. On God's behalf, let's stay away from this. Well, before there were kings, you have Moses, and so you had prophets, you had leaders. And, what's interesting, when God leads the Israelites out of Egypt and this is another one of those kind of defining setup moments, just like after Noah was on the ark and he gets off and God says we're going to redo interaction with people, we're going to kind of redo some of this government structure when Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, god is talking to people who have been in a different nation for more than 400 years, and they've been slaves in that nation, and so they've had to learn to live according to the rules of Egypt, which were different than the rules of God. God had a different idea.

David Barton

I mean they had 400-year habit of being slaves and having a Pharaoh and that was not God's plan for government for them. And that's why, after he gets them across the Red Sea and after he gets them delivered from Egypt with the 10 miracles, the 10 plagues, he's got them out there at the mountain. He says okay, I've now got your full attention, and when I have your full attention, we're going to redo government and here's what I want. And he goes through and lays it out. So Moses gives all these principles that God gave him off the mountain.

God actually writes down specific laws to guide the nation. This is something they've never experienced. It's nothing in their lifestyle, it's never happened in the world at this point in time. But God builds a nation and says here's how you operate your nation. And it is very specific on civil laws. It is very specific on saying here's what the temple is to do, here's what civil governments to do, here's what families are to do and here's what individuals are to do. So God recognizes all four even at that point in time. But that really is the genesis of what actually kind of becomes the American system. We had monarchs and everybody in Europe seemed to have monarchs. You had the king of Italy and of France and of Spain, and you had the king of Scotland, you had the Haitian kings and the Helvetian kings, and America comes along and says, no, we're going to be all right without a king. And they really drew that model from what you see in the book of Exodus.

Tim Barton

Well, and as God gave laws dealing with basically every topic. You can imagine there's 613 commands in the Old Testament, and so every topic is covered. In the midst of covering all those topics, though, moses was the main leader. Moses was the guy, and Moses was getting overwhelmed trying to handle everything. So his father-in-law, Jethro, comes along and says Moses, what are you doing? This is not good for you or for all the people. He says what we need to do is we need to choose out leaders from among the people, and they can be leaders of tens and fifties and hundreds and thousands, and we should choose them out and let them rule over the people.

Now it's significant.

The ruling over the people was not them determining what was morally right and wrong, because God had already determined what was morally right and wrong.

God already told them this is what's right and wrong, but they needed people to help uphold those standards or teach those standards, or to lead in different areas. And so when Jethro comes along and says we need to choose out leaders from among us, this is really this notion of a Republican form of government, where you choose a leader, so the people get to vote, the people get to choose, but it's the leaders who actually are the ones that are in charge of some of the enforcement of the laws, some of the operation of the laws. And again, it was significant that in the Old Testament this wasn't them getting to determine what they thought was morally right and wrong. God had already determined what's morally right and wrong. But this was the kind of birth of what we would see as the Republican system of government. A Republican system is where you choose out leaders and those leaders represent you to enact and enforce and kind of carry out the laws on your behalf. And as we say this, there really are lots of different forms of government.

David Barton

You know, across the centuries there've been various different forms of government that have produced widely different results, some good, some bad. What are those different forms of government? Let's take a look.

Rick Green

Quick break, folks. We'll be right back. You're listening to the WallBuilder Show.

Break

Rick Green

Thanks for staying with us on the WallBuilder Show. Jumping right back into today's election special with David and Tim Barton.

Speaker

The type of government a nation has determines a lot about that country. It determines the way laws are made, how laws are carried out, who is subject to which laws and how many freedoms the people are able to express. There are seven basic forms of government. One totalitarian the people are able to express. There are seven basic forms of government 1.

Totalitarian this is a highly centralized government that has total power and doesn't tolerate individualism or differences of opinion. 2. Monarchy this is a government headed by a king, queen or emirate. Power is usually passed down from family member to family member. 3. Oligarchy With this one, the power resides in the hands of a small elite group. Four anarchy or revolutionary no government, no laws. Supreme power belongs to the individual, who does whatever he wishes or has the power to do. We have seen small moments of this type of transitional government throughout history.

Five Theocracy A government run by immediate representatives claiming to act on behalf of God. 6. Democracy the power belongs to the people, who exercise law-making power through direct majority votes rather than elected representatives. Under this government, passion or mob rule often prevails over reason and deliberation. 7. Republic or Constitutional Republic this is a government in which the power is exercised by representatives elected by the people. A constitutional republic means the representatives are subject to a higher law or constitution during their leadership, putting a limit on their power. These seven systems make up the main forms of government that we have seen throughout history.

David Barton

Those are the seven basic forms of government. The founding fathers looked at numerous options when forming America's first government and in the end, they ultimately took their cue from the Bible.

Tim Barton

Yeah, they knew that's the best place to find the information for what you're going to do going forward in the future.

David Barton

Now in the republican form of government. We have a constitutional republic, which goes back to the Bible sense. A lot of republics exist in the world, and their laws are created by the individuals that get elected. Ours we have a higher law, which is called the constitution, and that higher law all of our leaders uphold the higher law, and that's kind of what happened in the Hebrew Republic. God wrote it all down and so you could choose your leaders, but they're all tasked with enforcing that higher law that God gave. And so when you have a written law like that that everyone enforces, that is the best form of government, because it's not the government of my opinion, it's the government of no. We've got fixed laws that govern us.

Tim Barton

In America we were different than much of the rest of the world, and especially even the founding fathers. They recognized the rights of the individuals and that government should protect those rights 

David Barton

and that's one of the things that made America really unique.

As you look at the early columns that came the pilgrims and puritans and others they were really steeped in what was called the reformation, which was a back to the bible movement at that time. And the more they got in the bible, the more they saw what bible said about government and the more they saw what it said about government. They said that's not what's happening in europe and that's not what the king is doing with us over here. We need what god says about government and so very early on in those early colonies, they created self-government built on god's principles, to protect individual rights. And if you go back even to what God gave Noah, those Noahide laws, they were all there to protect individual rights the right to life, the right to liberty, the right to property. So very early on, you find that pastors were really addressing what God said about government and that developed our thought that there are individual and alienable rights that no government gives. They come from God and governments need to respect what God says.

Tim Barton

Which is why, you see, even in the Declaration of Independence, when the founding fathers decide that we need to separate from Great Britain, they identified a lot of basic principles that were probably fairly well known, at least for people in the Reformation who were back to the Bible. But they acknowledged that we believe there are the laws of nature and nature's God. That God has given a fixed moral law is what they argued. And after they argued that moral laws come from God, that God's already determined what's right and wrong, that that's not for us to decide. God's already determined right and wrong, they said we do believe there's a creator, God, and he created everybody equal. There's not classes of people, there's equality because we're all children of God. And not only is there equality, he's given every individual rights.

And so when the king says you don't have rights, when the government comes and says you don't have rights, no, God has given us rights, they then identify that the primary purpose of government is to protect the rights of the individual.

They then go on to the declaration and they say that the way that God really wants us to operate is there should be the consent of the governed, where we, the people, should be involved and our vote and our voice should matter.

And then they kind of conclude the declaration by saying if we ever come to a place where government fails to recognize these basic principles, it's the right or maybe even the duty of the people to throw off that government and to institute a new government that recognizes that there are moral rights and wrongs, that there is a creator, God, and that God gave us rights and government's job is to protect those rights. And the consent of the government becomes very important that we have a voice in what goes on. All of this was laid out by the founding fathers in the declaration and this is something that we see all the way back, even, would you mention, from Noah. This is what God laid out as the point and purpose of government that it should exist to protect people's rights

David Barton

 and in the American tradition we didn't consider government to be a secular institution.

It it was a God-given, god-ordained institution and it had its limits and roles. It's not the church. It's not supposed to do what the church does and the church is not supposed to do what government does. They're both institutions given by God, but it's not secular. And it's interesting, you're talking about the Declaration.

The guy in Congress who made the motion that we should separate from Great Britain, become our own nation was Richard Henry Lee. And Richard Henry Lee later said he said we wrote the declaration. He said, quote we copied it out of Locke's Two Treatises of Government. What in the world is that? Well, John Locke was a British philosopher, also a lay theologian, and in 1690, he did a piece looking at government of Great Britain, what it's supposed to do, what it shouldn't do. And in that little piece it's a book less than 400 pages long and he references the Bible over 1,500 times to show the proper operation of civil government.

And Richard Henry Lee said that's the book we use to write the Declaration. So nothing secular about the concept that God gives rights. He gives individual rights. It's the duty of government to protect them. That's what God said from the beginning. And so as you move from the Declaration of the Constitution, a lot of people they say, oh, the Constitution is a secular document. No, it took all the principles of the Declaration and put them into our form of government that we have today, where we do recognize inalienable rights.

Speaker

Fisher Ames, a congressman who authored important pieces of legislation, including helping draft the First Amendment, once said "Democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. In other words, it's only a matter of time before democracy erupts and destroys everything around it" Fisher Ames wasn't alone in his thinking. Many other founding fathers, including John Adams and James Madison, had a lot to say about democracy and, as it turns out, they weren't big fans. Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention. James Madison, remember. Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide, john Adams.

So why do so many Americans today think our government is a democracy? There are some big differences between a democracy and a republic, and even between a republic and a constitutional republic, which is the form of government our founding fathers believed was the best for the United States. Check out the differences. A democracy is a government run solely by the people, by all the people. At the same time. Everyone votes on every law, no matter how big or small it might be. In America, that means over 300 million people voting on every policy. The problem with this the majority always wins, even if others get hurt. A republic is a government in which all the people choose representatives to the government. In America, our 300-plus million people choose 535 congressmen and senators to represent the entire nation at the federal level. Those representatives then vote on policies and decide what the majority of votes wins.

A constitutional republic is a republic in which all elected officials are governed by a written document which is the highest authority. That written document protects all citizens with specially protected rights, called inalienable rights, which include the right to religious freedom, speech, self-defense, private property ownership and a number of other important rights. Not all republics are constitutional republics. For example, great Britain and Israel are both republics and neither has a written constitution. In a constitutional republic, neither the majority nor elected officials can vote to take away the constitutionally protected inalienable rights of individuals or minorities. In democracies, tyranny often emerges, with the majority crushing or targeting the minority, because a democracy is often guided by the passion of the moment. Our founding fathers described democracy as a mobocracy. There's a big difference between a democracy and a republic, and America is definitely not a democracy. How can we know for sure? By looking at Article 4, section 4 of the US Constitution, which makes it very clear the United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a Republican form of government. And there you have it America is a constitutional republic.

Tim Barton

According to the Constitution, America is a republic. This is something that becomes very evident as you start to study any of our governmental documents. We're not a democracy and this becomes significant. A lot of people today think because everybody gets to vote, therefore we're a democracy. But we've kind of confused how a Republican a democracy works, because a democracy is when everybody votes on every single law. That is done. Well, we don't vote on every single law. There's a lot of laws that are passed in state legislatures. There's a lot of laws that are passed in federal Congress in Washington DC, and democracy was very scary to many of the founding fathers because they saw it as a mob that, whatever the emotions of the people led them, that would lead even their behavior, their votes, and it could cause great tragedy to occur.

In fact, if you think even of the Bible, when Jesus enters in Jerusalem one weekend on, we would call it Palm Sunday and people are celebrating him, they love Jesus. He's amazing. Less than a week later, those same people are the ones crying, crucify him. Democracies can swing very quickly and go in the wrong direction and that's why, for America, we said we don't want to be swayed just by the emotions, the whim of the people. We're going to be a republic, but our republic was built on the constitution saying that we have to follow these basic principles. But to enact these basic principles, we will elect leaders that will go and represent us, and those leaders will enact and uphold these constitutional principles that we have enshrined in this document. And so we are, in effect, a constitutional republic, 

David Barton

and that constitutional republic actually puts laws above the opinions of individuals.

So we're governed primarily by laws, not merely by the opinions of who our governors might be or our president or our congressman. It's not that their opinions don't matter, that's just not what governs us. We have written laws and it's interesting, God did that in the Bible Even when he had kings. He would tell the kings that before you're anointed king, you go over and I want you to handwrite a copy of the law of God. And once the kings did that, then the people would make a covenant with the king to follow it. But the king had to agree to follow the law. So in America the highest authority is not our elected officials.

The highest authority is our constitution, which is fixed laws built on biblical principles, 

Tim Barton

which is why, even though we have elected officials so we have a governor, we have a governor, we have a president, we have congress you might hear people say sometimes what they're doing isn't constitutional.

The reason is because every elected official we have is bound by the laws of the nation, bound by the laws of the state. So what they do has to be constitutional or they're not allowed to do it. So, even though we do elect representatives, we have a Republican form of government. Those representatives are bound by the laws in the Constitution, which is why we elect leaders to pass laws that everybody, even the governor, even the president, is subject to, because we are a nation of laws, not merely a democracy. And the reason that matters is, even though everybody gets to vote, we are going to vote and elect representatives, and those representatives are going to be bound by the laws of the land. But the reason it matters that we actually vote and it matters who we vote for, is because the leaders that we choose will be able to enact their philosophy and their worldview on how we enact the laws that are written. So we are a republic, a constitutional republic, and it does matter that we get involved.

Speaker

The civil arena can be an intimidating place, but the more informed you are, the more empowered you will be to get involved. Voting is not just a right, it's a responsibility. As Christians, we are called to steward the nation God has placed us in. But stewardship starts long before you head to the polls. First, remember this choose principles over party. Look at what the Bible says about education, life, economics, marriage, family, immigration, religious liberty, and then choose the party and the candidates that best mirror those values. Principles over party. Second, it's important to support the good quality candidates running for public office. Although the candidate who stands for godly values may often be bullied, belittled, attacked or ignored by the media, this is not an insurmountable problem. A candidate can overcome the media with a strong Brass Wreaths team lifting him up. So when you find a good candidate, get involved. Offer whatever financial support you can, volunteer some of your time, even if it's only an hour or two. Voice and show your support for those candidates in the community. Vote at all primaries and main elections. Call or write his or her office to let them know that you support what they're doing.

Unfortunately, too few Christians communicate directly with those elected to represent them. Politicians are constantly making decisions that will affect your city, state and country, and a well-written letter or email can have more impact than you can imagine. Third, once you have become active as an individual, it may be time to lead community change. Yes, you! Gather others who believe as you do and start a local group in your community. Effective change most often comes through well-organized and well-led groups that represent a body of the electorate.

Finally, pray. Become active in praying for leaders and officials at all levels, as instructed in 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 through 4,. Pray for elected officials, issues, court cases and potential candidates. There is power in prayer. As a founding father, john Hancock, wisely challenged Christian citizens in his day. I urge you, by all that is dear, by all that is honorable, by all that is sacred, not only that ye pray, but that ye act. Do all four of these action steps and you can shape the future of your city, state and nation. It's time to put your influence to work through election season and beyond.

Tim Barton

A big election is approaching and some major decisions are about to be made. Voting is one of our most important rights and responsibilities as US citizens, and this next election will ultimately determine who makes the calls on all the issues that you and I care the most about In this upcoming election. Your voice and your vote counts.

David Barton

The president who takes office will have the opportunity to make some major decisions this term that will impact generations to come. The one-third of the Senate we vote in office this election will determine just how far that next president can go in making those decisions, and all the House of Representatives seats will be up for grabs. So this is the year to show up and vote your values.

Tim Barton

We have a chance to shape history, one vote at a time.

Rick Green

Well, thanks for listening. Folks Appreciate you listening today to the Wal Builder Show. That was David and Tim Barton Election Special and we're actually going to do a little bit more of this tomorrow. So tune in tomorrow and share both these programs with your friends and family. Thanks so much for listening to the WallBuilder Show. Thank you.