Governed by God Governed by God

This week I look at the concept of thanksgiving. First, I consider the importance of giving thanks as described in Romans 1. Then, I address the historical significance of Thanksgiving, including two Thanksgiving proclamations given by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Their proclamations are nothing short of Christian in their theology and terminology. If those proclamations were given today by a governor or president, I imagine that the person would quickly be labeled a Christian Nationalist.



As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless!






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In continuing our study of John Locke's two treatises on government, today I finish up looking at his second treatise. The premise of Locke's version of Social Contract Theory is that, at some point in the past, everyone was completely independent and free but then explicitly consented to form a government. Locke does not explain when this meeting took place, or why it resulted in a system of majority rule for those who consented. Those who come later still have to consent, but Locke fails to point out that later generations only need to give implicit, or silent, consent. The problem with these two different forms of consent is that no serious long-term relationship can be based purely on consent, whether implicit or explicit. We see the failure of this concept in many different areas within our culture.



As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless!






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Today I shift over to a discussion of John Locke and his works on government. Many consider Locke to be both a secularist and a key influence in the American War for Independence. I challenge both of those notions. More specifically, I look at his first treatise on government, which was a response to the concept of the divine right of kings. Then I begin looking at his second treatise on government regarding the matter of consent of the people. Consent is a vague concept, and one that I think hinders Locke from really reaching an accurate conception of civil government.



As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless!






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Today I finish our study of Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville, by looking at what he says concerning the women of America. In the 1830s, Tocqueville drew a stark contrast between American women and the women of France. He went so far as to say that the prosperity, success, and strength of America was a direct result of "the superiority of their women." But what was it about American women that made them superior? The answer might be surprising.



As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless!






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Today I look at two documents. The first is the book of Philemon from the New Testament, which sets the stage for the peaceful end of slavery. The second is Alexis de Tocqueville's book Democracy in America, in which he discusses the issue of slavery in the southern states. He argues against slavery not only on the basis of Christianity, but also on the basis of economics. Simply put, slave states were far worse off economically than free states, and that is not an accident.



As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless!






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Today I continue looking at Alexis de Tocqueville's work Democracy in America, written in the 1830s. He saw Americans as having an inordinate love of the power of the majority. Yet even so, liberty remained strong in the land. How was that possible? What was restraining the power of the majority in the United States? Tocqueville provides the answer to that by highlighting three things that preserve liberty: demographic/geographic factors, federalism/decentralization, and the Christian faith.



As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless!






Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or go to www.ericluppold.com

Please support me on Patreon!