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BIBLICAL SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT
1. BIBLICAL SCHOOL The
Biblical School of Government is the valid answer to the most burning problems
in Latin America: poverty and misery, unemployment, low income, class hate, high
crime rate, political oppression and violence. “The Bible is for the
government of the people, by the people, and for the people”, says the
original phrase of John Wicleff, English translator of Holy Scripture, which was
then rephrased by Abraham Lincoln in order to make a definition of democracy.
In addition, Friedrich Hayek stated in his speach at the Mont Pelerin Society in 1949 that is necessary to join christianism and libertarianism to reinforce free market movement because excessive rationalism of some libertarians is destroying normal relations between them. 2.
ENDS AND PURPOSE The
aim of the school is to educate clergy, pastors and laypersons of all
denominations - Catholic and Jews included - in the "Advise from God to the
Nations" (AGN), or the three biblical principles of limited Government,
free markets, and social institutions independent of power and politics.
Governments doesn't exist in order to make the good but to avoid certain wrongs,
and not even all of them; that’s the only formula for “good Government”,
if such expression could be. These
principles are translated in: --
Government confined to their own natural functions: repression of crime,
judiciary, and genuine public works; --
respect to private property, and full use of markets in economy, currency and
finances; --
the keeping of education, science, culture, medical practice, arts, religion,
etc., as private and autonomous spheres, free of Governmental interferences. For
centuries those principles were known in the world as "liberalism"
(now adjetivated and prefixed "classical"), and practiced by
successful nations along universal History. But although not many people know,
they are firmly established in the Old Testament (Deut 17: 14-20; I Sam 8 and
concordants), and confirmed in the New Testament (Mt 20:25; Mr 10:42; Lc 22:25;
1 Tim 2:2 and concordants). 3.
GOVERNMENT (THEONOMY Theonomy,
or the law of God for humanity in general, comprehends: --
AGN, the good will or law of God for nations, their Governments and leadership
circles, centered in the aforementioned and described principles; --
Advise from God in administration for private persons and institutions, of their
own material properties of people, families and companies. This is the biblical
"stewardship", established mainly in books called of Wisdom, such as
Proverbs. Among
others, principles of stewardship are: --
intelligence, diligency and perseverance in work; --
limit and measure in expenses; --
wisdom in savings, care in credit, and sagacity in investments; --
and fair dealings with associates and collaborators, clients and suppliers, and
wisdom in selecting and choosing them. Both
series of teachings constitute the Advise of God respectively for ruling in
public and private spheres; and separation between one and others is another
well established biblical principle. 4.
PRACTICE Certain
countries practiced AGN: Medieval Spain, then Holland and Switzerland, Scotland,
and later England and the USA. As a result, they were the most developed and
advanced countries in the world, successively in each era. In that condition
they continued, until they rejected and abandoned these roads, to turn
progressively into the practice of contrary principles to AGN: unlimited and
irrestricted Government, captive markets, and social institutions in strong
dependency of power and politics, amid tremendous confusion between public and
private spheres. On
the other hand, countries and whole continents that didn’t practice AGN in a
consistent way, remained and continued sunk in backwardness, poverty, and other
calamities, not intended by God, but they are natural consequences of behaving
peoples contrary to AGN. And
it can be observed at an individual level, that people, families and firms that
rule their private businesses according to a healthy and wise Bible-based
stewardship prosper - except under extremely dominant and oppressive Governments
- and not the other way round. 5.
THEORY --
Given the previous observations of successes and failures, certain schools of
thought developed the doctrine contained in AGN, in several disciplines or
departments of knowledge and in different times. Examples: Aristotelian realism
in Philosophy, Phisiocracy and Austrian School of Economics, iusnaturalism in
Law, cognitive Psychology, etc. --
Unfortunately, in all disciplines and ages, contrarian currents to those
orientations have multiplied and spread in all nations, mainly in the past two
centuries. Examples: relativism, nominalism, determinism, positivism,
utilitarianism, pragmatism, behaviorism, socialism, feminism, ecologism, etc.;
and in Theology and biblical Exegesis, "Teología de la Liberación." Although
mistaken and deceiving, the last tendencies above have prevailed in the academic
world, education, culture, media and public opinion. And they have dominated
with the false arguments that reason lies on the biggest number or authority,
and not on free and honest examination and contrast of tests and conclusive
evidences, independently of the quantity or position of the people that support
them. Along
with other factors, this paramountcy of phony, poverishing and destructive
knowledge and concepts, has ended up imposing the philosophy of collectivism
completely; and its practical concretion: statism, in all its bizarre and
oppressive forms and manifestations, and with all its lamentable consequences,
like endless conflict and violence. This degenerative process began in the so
called "developed" countries, far away from CDN long time ago, and it
continued in the underdeveloped ones, many of which never practiced CDN, or not
completely, or never knew about it.
6. WEALTH AND PROSPERITY IN THE TWO BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT Bible
presents us a complete "worldview", or vision of world and man, life
and society. Including concepts, principles, values, and norms of individual,
family, social and political behavior. Theonomy is an important part of that
vision, diametrically contrary to that of collectivism and statism. On
the whole, the law of God for the nations and the wise stewardship for people
and private institutions, constitute the "secret" of the creation of
wealth and prosperity for countries and people. It is not really a secret: God
wanted to reveal it to Humanity in a public document, broadly well-known and
mentioned, but few times correctly studied. The Bible is the Guide of God for
the life, and that includes this life and this world.
As
is natural and comprehensible for their human language, some biblical passages
on further and coming world are not of easy interpretation, and they are a
factor of division between different credos and churches. But when the Guide of
God deals with matters of this life and this world - as in fact it does in good
part - it is extremely clear and very easily interpretable by man and woman
(nevertheless, it has been distorted and abusively interpreted by people in
favor of statist collectivism). 7.
PLAN OF LEARNING The
School will cultivate the two branches of Theonomy, the public and private
one. Besides offering the solutions in Political Economy and Government, it will
also offer certain Bible-based tools for personal and professional improvement
to Managers and Entrepreneurs, small or not. And it will also offer them courses
in Administration, Accounting, Finances and Economics, following the scientific,
philosophical currents and techniques developed in agreement and harmony with
the established and advised principles from God. In particular: --
to Christian and religious people the Institute will let them know the means and
ways in which the Common Grace of God set up that the resources are possessed,
stewarded and exploited for the well being of successive generations of families
and nations, in conformity with the natural laws of Economics. --
To people more interested in Economics, politics and public matters - of all
orientation or ideological persuasion, and very especially to liberals -, the
Institute will let them learn that revealed Word of God in its written or
positive law, doesn't oppose free market and liberal capitalism. It opposes all
form of oppression and injustice, those that reign in each collectivist and
statist Government or social organization. --
To workers, employees, managers and businesspeople - especially in informal
Economics - the School will offer practical tools of growth and personal
development, and for their jobs and companies. 8.
THE MESSAGE AND ITS DIFFUSION The
message is clear: God doesn't want statism, because of its terrible
consequences, which we suffer today; and in fact advises liberal régime, today
forgotten, discredited and defamed, and practically unknown. Once
well educated and familiari with AGN, alumni of Institute will be multiplying
agents of this message, especially in Hispanic America. They will take the
biblical message to all kinds of people, with the answer of God to the questions
and problems that today causes enormous anguish, concern and difficulty to
people: --
Which problems? Unemployment, low income and revenues, growing poverty and
misery, sharp social and political conflict, violence, etc. --
Which questions? About the causes of those problems, and effective solutions. To
know advisable directions toward the future, we must know what has brought us
until the present. These serious problems have been and are caused by statism;
and by lack of opportunities to ventilate and to debate ideas freely, giving to
know and explaining non-statist solutions and their foundations, in order to
allow their concretion. 9.
PREACHING AND EVANGELISM As
a foundation and ultimate end of its existence, the Biblical School Of
Government also intends to draw the attention of people toward God; but this is
done in a novel way in our environment: beginning with the daily and immediate
economic and political problems that oppress, confuse and hurt people. The
biblical answer for the world is that God has the solution, and nobody else
does: it is His Advise; and we can put it successfully into practice, in the
public sphere, and in the private ones as well. In
the Old Testament this preaching form is called testifying to God by means of
justice, wisdom and perfection of His laws and statutes for the mankind (Deut 4:
1-10); and in the New Testament it is called "to be the light of the world
and the salt of the earth" (Mat 5: 13-19).
10. METODOLOGY
Before begin the Biblical School is necessary to take note that it has a period of maduration estimated in one-year. The project has considered to recruit 3 pastors, to teach them and to create a permanent staff of Deans for this school. One requierment is to pay them and to dedicate full time to study books, articles, papers and attend in all seminars and workshops that the project considers necessary. The key is to have high level Deans with leadership to preach free market supported by the holy scriptures.
They would be Deans of Business, Economics & Philosophy and Government
The second part of this project is to elaborate a strategic plan , establish contacts with churches and to offer courses, seminars and other kits of teaching leaded by these pastors.
The project is scheduled to finish in 18 months. The Bible school must be running by itself.
11. BUDGET
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