Returning To Our Founder’s Original Dependence On God

by Leonard John Ransil

Preface

Given the increasing division and polarization in America, largely orchestrated by the Leftist take-over of our major political parties, the Mainstream and Social Media, Labor Unions and even medical and educational institutions, this book is even more relevant now than when I first published it over 10 years ago.

This is not a departure from Jesus’ Gospel of Grace but an extension of it because it is only by His Grace that such chaos can be reversed – to return to relative peace and order in the Seen Realm. And the solution for is not just a “revival” of the status quo “Christianity” – which is still often mixing two contrary covenants of works and Grace. That mixture voids both covenants and is, therefore, no gospel at all! Rather what is required is a Second Reformation in our thinking – to agree with God about the revolutionary benefits of the Finished Work of Jesus’ Cross, Resurrection and Ascension that began the New Covenant of Total Grace for all reborn believers.

This Blog has trumpeted the essence of that growing, Second Reformation for the last seventeen months. Why? Because largely, the “prayers of the faithful” do not reflect that revelation. For example, Christian leaders at the National Day of Prayer are still quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways – then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Do you see the many requirements that must be met before God will act? It is based squarely on Moses’ conditional covenant rather than on our Grace-based covenant which Jesus keeps for us. God “remembers our sins no more.” This verse and all the laws under Moses were never given to us Gentiles. It is a conditional prayer – if we do this than God will do that. That was true for the conditional covenant that the Israelites agreed to – after rejecting God’s “unilateral. unconditional and everlasting” covenant which Abraham entered into by faith.

Similarly, our New Covenant is being kept for all believers by Jesus with our new Father – our Almighty God. Our only hope as a nation is returning to a dependence on God – like our Founding Fathers declared publicly in the “Declaration of Independence.” Pleading with God for what we already have In Christ Jesus keeps us from enjoying the relationship and benefits that Jesus has won for us – God’s beloved children.

Furthermore, Jesus has already given us everything we need for life and godliness – to be His effective army of Ambassadors, equipped in His armor – Himself – to enforce His victory on earth as it already is in heaven. So this book reviews these Unseen realities in Part One and then compares true Christianity with many of the false Worldviews that are based on lies of the kingdom of Darkness in Part Two. I will Post a chapter each week for the next thirty four weeks. If you want to move faster, you can download a copy from Kindle for laptops, androids etc. for only 99 cents. My goal is to get the truth of who God really is – and who we are as His righteous children – to equip you, the Saints, for the work of His ministry on earth.

Permission is granted to share portions of this content for non-commercial use if proper credit and the URL of this Blog are included.

I use italics, bold and underlining throughout the book for emphasis.

Scripture quotations from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.

My other print and Kindle books and songbook are also available on Amazon.com

INTRODUCTION

The Blind Men and the Elephant

by John Godfrey Saxe (1816 – 1887)

It was six men of Hindustan, to learning much inclined,

who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind),

that each by observation, might satisfy his mind.

The first approached the elephant, and, happening to fall,

against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl:

“God bless me! but the elephant, is nothing but a wall!”

The second feeling of the tusk, cried:

“Ho! what have we here, so very round and smooth and sharp?

To me tis mighty clear, this wonder of an elephant, is very like a spear!”

The third approached the animal, and, happening to take,

the squirming trunk within his hands,

“I see,” quoth he, the elephant is very like a snake!”

The fourth reached out his eager hand, and felt about the knee:

“What most this wondrous beast is like, is mighty plain,” quoth he;

“Tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree.”

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said; “E’en the blindest man can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an elephant, is very like a fan!”

The sixth no sooner had begun, about the beast to grope,

Than, seizing on the swinging tail, that fell within his scope,

“I see,” quothe he, “the elephant is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Hindustan, disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion, exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!

So, oft in theologic wars, the disputants, I ween,

Tread on in utter ignorance, of what each other mean,

And prate about the elephant, not one of them has seen!

The writer of this clever poem saw the underlying reason for “theologic wars”: “Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!” Being blind, the six men were unable to see the total truth – the Big Picture – of what the whole elephant actually looked like so they were doomed to disagree because of their erroneous conclusions based on partial evidence. Their limitation kept them from seeing what was obvious to anyone with the gift of sight. We have a modern version of these “theologic wars” which has been dubbed “the culture war.” It is a battle between differing belief systems or “Worldviews.” They can’t all be equally correct views of reality because they are contradictory to each other. So, can we objectively determine which one is the real deal? I am convinced that it is not only possible to do but it is necessary if there is any hope to healing our fractured America.

America’s True Roots

Fortunately for us, America was originally colonized by people with the same basic belief system, a Christian Worldview, within which there were various denominational differences over relatively peripheral issues. Their commonly held Christian Worldview fostered a public agreement of virtuous behavior standards based on the Ten Commandments. This, in turn, provided a culture of relative domestic order and peace among the colonists which was in stark contrast to the many centuries of almost continuous bloodshed that Europe experienced. The only exception, until now, was the bitter Civil War fought over state’s rights and slavery – both contesting the fundamental right of human freedom.

Ironically, the institution of slavery was first legislatively defeated in England’s parliament, thanks to the Christian convictions of William Wilberforce and his supporters. Their Christian worldview, based on the Genesis account, told them that all human beings were of one race because they descended from Adam and Eve. They peacefully challenged and eventually reversed Britain’s culture of immorality and slavery and, thus, effectively ended the inhumane slave trade in both the world-wide British Empire – and later in America.

Because public law and morals were based on Christian principles that protected personal rights, there was not the plethora of conflicting and contradictory worldviews which cause so much social division, turmoil and even animosity in America today – and between warring nations historically. Ironically, we have such diversity precisely because the Christian colonists increasingly understood that freedom of religious expression was a God-given right that allowed each person to respond to, or reject, the God of the Bible according to one’s own conscience. Our Founders’ Christian Worldview caused them to form a Republic based on Biblical principles – rather than a theocracy or civil dictatorship. America is living proof that, when correctly applied, true Christianity has been and is the world’s major liberating and civilizing influence.

Worldview War

We are now engaged in a “culture war” because some people who hold hostile worldviews are seeking to replace America’s Christian foundation from within and from without. As with disease, some worldviews are more virulent, tenacious and destructive than others. Some, biased against America’s Christian heritage, hold to a worldview that seeks to convert or eliminate by force, all “infidels” who do not accept their strict moral code. Others who are more liberal minded, applaud a diversity of thought including amorality and multiculturalism. They blindly believe that all worldviews and cultures are equally valid and worthwhile. Somehow, they miss the fact that Islamo-fascists want their head on a platter.

Simple logic and history definitively demonstrate that worldviews with contradictory premises and goals can’t all be true at the same time in the same way. Clearly, the biggest fault line today exists between theistic worldviews that insist there is a realm beyond the natural and the secularistic worldview which vehemently denies that. Which, if either, view is accurate? How can we know for sure? What is the best worldview on which to base a government? These are not simply pie-in-the-sky questions. Our Founders seriously pondered and debated these because they knew from history that core ideas dictate behavior and forge mankind’s future and, consequently, matter greatly.

Which Worldview Works?

Objectively, the Christian worldview of men like William Penn, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln produced the far better fruit of religious, civil and material freedom for mankind than did the materialistic worldview of atheists like Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot which produced religious, political and economic slavery. The latter are collectively responsible for the deaths of over 100 million people in peacetime, not to mention wartime. Yes, ideas have consequences!

But astoundingly, not all Americans agree that these dictators were evil men who committed evil atrocities. Because of an irrational belief in contradictory worldviews, some would justify these crimes against humanity as merely pruning the tree of evolution of “inferiors.” To them, it is a pragmatic means to a valued end. Others deny that the holocaust ever happened. Still others believe that anarchy and terrorism are justifiable means to a political end, despite any cost in human suffering and death. Again, worldviews greatly matter because they generate ideas which produce policies which produce actions which produce consequences, good or bad, for individuals and for societies.

Theism versus Secularism

Contained in a theistic worldview is the immutable law of reaping whatever is sown, unless a higher law or power intervenes. In an evolutionary-based, accidental, fatalistic, materialistic, non-theistic view of ultimate reality, man is pitted against man in a survival-of-the-fittest power struggle to subjectively decide, at any given point in time, who shall do what, how, when and why. This is the inevitable result of the unprovable belief that nothing and no one exists beyond what our senses tell us.

Secularists believe that man himself decides if truth and goodness exist and, if so, what it is. Meaning and purpose and values change with the decades depending on who rules with tongue or sword. And, still worse, each is left to discover, after death, if he guessed right. How tragic it would be if he guessed wrong. According to the Christian worldview, eternal regret and suffering await those who reject the loving outreach of a benevolent God. Is a risky, blind guess your only option?

What is Your Choice?

So that is the heart of the conflict between these two worldviews. Secularists deny even the possibility that there is a Supernatural Ultimate Originator, Designer and Authority – the God of the Bible – who by definition legitimately declares what is true, lasting, and real. Their insistence on accepting only physical evidence for what is true or real forces them into an untenable position as they attempt to prove the non-existence of an immaterial God. Put simply, one can’t prove the existence of immateriality by the material. Josh McDowell, borrowing the principle from C.S. Lewis, put the question to a testy high-schooler: “Even if you would be smart enough to know half of all there is to know, is it possible that God exists in the other half?” Of course it is. But to be absolutely certain, one would have to be God!

Materialists cling to the tangible world and define that as their total reality, unwilling to allow for even the possibility of unseen parts of a greater whole, the total truth. Theists believe that only an Intelligent Designer who created the elephant (and everything else) can accurately define its essence and declare its purpose. Man’s sight, limited by time and space, cannot factually determine if there is a larger overview of ultimate reality beyond his own senses, let alone what its purpose might be. That is why the discussion and understanding of our origins is the key to understanding the present and the future and the meaning and purpose of all reality – which includes you! For if a Supreme Being exists, the consequences of ignoring or denying that existence, according to Christianity at least, are catastrophic. Is it wise to risk that, since you can’t scientifically prove otherwise? Also, is it wise to spread unprovable assumptions that could potentially ruin other people’s futures as well, possibly for eternity? Can you come to know definitively what is the total truth? That is what this book is dedicated to helping you discover! It is a journey worth taking and could give you never-ending benefits. Welcome aboard!

A Word about Overviews

Two contemporary expressions capture the point behind the elephant parable cited in the Introduction. They are “Overview” and the “Big Picture”.

The western mind is routinely trained to focus on and dissect, analyze and categorize the parts of every whole. Consequently, according to some estimates, our knowledge base doubles every four years. This is a mixed blessing. It is now virtually impossible for one individual to master any broad field of academic knowledge, as was once the case, much less to have an integrated view of all disciplines. This, incidentally, should deepen our appreciation of God’s Omniscience, Total Truth Himself.

We specialize in areas of medicine, engineering, social work, math, etc. in order to thoroughly comprehend and properly perform. This dynamic is reflected in the way schools now typically relay content during the elementary grades and sometimes beyond. For example, rarely if ever does an elementary science textbook give an overview of the entire animal and/or plant kingdoms. Various disjointed parts of the whole are given out over those years until, hopefully, ninth grade biology class presents the overview of both kingdoms.

Unfortunately, without an organizing center, little information is retained by students, except the brightest, who tend to automatically accumulate and synthesize information into an Overview. It is usually the same sad story with history or geography or even the Bible. Thus, during the crucial formative years meant for an efficient learning process of absorbing, retaining and correlating content, fragmentation is modeled rather than integrated Big Picture thinking. This is inevitable when God is not the center – the beginning and the end. He even holds everything in between, together.

Personally, I learned to start to appreciate, look for, and expand into Big Picture thinking only after 24 years of “quality” private education as both a student and teacher. That almost painful mental revolution came as part of the training I received to become a certified Montessori teacher. Only there was I taught to start with the seeing the “whole elephant” then analyze while keeping the whole in mind then integrate again. The whole is always greater than the parts so to think only in parts is to miss the “greater.” In time, I learned to assemble parts into wholes and assembled those into a book called Pathways in 1992 at the request of homeschoolers interested in giving their kids a great head start.

The situation in traditional education has gotten worse in recent years with learning models that reduce rather than expand the student’s span of concentration and attention, and also by the trend to substitute foundational content with “learning experiences,” endless curriculum experimentation, relativism, “new math,” etc. TV has contributed to this fracturing shows like Sesame Street that show quick, exciting snippets of content that lack Big Picture thinking.

Fragmented Christianity

All this is to say that, on the whole, we as American Christians are now typically unable to comprehend and therefore adequately defend our belief system against other worldviews with Big Picture thinking. We might be well versed in some of the parts but usually do not have a full appreciation of total truth – Divine Logic. We don’t understand the “why” behind the assumptions and commands of our belief system, let alone those of other worldviews. It puts us in an undesirable and unnecessary defensive posture toward others who are often better grounded in their worldview than we are. How can we then respond instantly in season and out of season? How can we be effective ministers of reconciliation as God’s ambassadors? How can we be salt and light if we have little grasp of the saltiness, the knowledge and conviction, of our true faith in Christ, Jesus?

God’s Alternative

What I am pointing to is nothing less than seeing the same way God sees – the end from the beginning – as a Big Picture, the Total Truth. Impossible? Then why does Paul insist that we, as new creation saints, “have the mind of Christ” if learning to see that way is not at least available to us? And why does Paul also say that the mysteries that have been kept hidden are now disclosed to the saints? In truth, the living and active Word of God has enough revelation about who God is, who we are, how and what He has done in the finished work of the Cross and what He plans to do, to present His “mind” to those who seek Him.

The Holy Spirit, Our Enabler

I gratefully concede that the gift of faith that enables us to grasp these mysteries comes by the grace of God ministered to us by our guide and teacher, the Holy Spirit, God Himself. Jesus sent Him to personalize the Truth of the Word to us and He is the monumental advantage we have over every worldview that is contrary to the Gospel. Only He can reliably help us to rightly discern false spirits teaching false doctrines.

In Big Picture terms, both the so-called Culture War and the War on Terror are just two of the many battles in the spiritual war between the Kingdoms of Light and Darkness. When Adam rebelled against God, he relinquished God’s delegated legal authority over the earth to Satan. Jesus came to rescue mankind from Satan’s dominion and restore man to fellowship with God through faith in His finished work of redemption. Satan seeks to regain power over individuals through the deception of seemingly countless counterfeits against God’s established Way, Jesus Christ. This on-line book will examine and compare the main representatives of these counterfeits and explain why only Christianity is the correct worldview, the Total Truth.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we operate from a systematic Overview of the genuine Gospel, both for our own sake and to facilitate others’ rebirth into freedom. It is the plumb line to which all other worldviews are to be compared. And fittingly enough, the Total Truth begins with God’s revelation of our origins in Genesis. With a teachable, child-like faith (God’s gift to all who ask), we must begin there, too. What better place to discover our own origin and purpose and future – the Big Picture!

_____________________________________

Coming Next week:

Part One: Biblical Christianity

Chapter One: Beginnings