The Family Renewal Plan for America

 

Good Governance Starts With Respect for Families

What is the biggest challenge for America going forward? 

The answers would likely be as varied as the topography. Finance gurus would point to the economics while builders to the infrastructure. Politicians might mention energy crises or education. What about our lack of understanding on Artificial Intelligence and what it portends for future work? But without a common moral thread for our varied (and selfish) thinking it’s not possible to think correctly. Christian Renewal for America starts with the smallest unit, the family. Strong families are the backbone of good governance and with their intentional nurturing of the next generation, they’ll build strong communities.

We need to get back to first principles in governance.

First Principles

I came across this verse in Proverbs “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” (Chapter 29: 1-2) Normally Proverbs doesn’t link one set of verses to the next. The chapters are often disconnected in their content. In this case however, there is reason to believe that weak governance encourages rebellion. In America we elect leaders to legislate, execute and judge.

When we lose our connection with voting rights, we loose our voice. But a country doesn’t just lose voting rights all at once. It becomes less important in a number of ways. The most straightforward one is by trading morality for convenience. We do this by ignoring the school curriculum where our kids attend. Or by trading family time for work, play and personal hobbies. It’s not strange to connect the increasing wickedness in the country to the collapse of the family. The family is the most important unit for civilization, democracy and Christian liberty. It’s the smallest governing body that exists. Accountability, support, education and cooperation all exit within it. Stubbornness plants a seed when we reject the value of family in our lives.

With the family weak it’s much easier to break apart other traditions.  

Don't Trust DC  

If you stop teaching civics, you lose the connection that voting has in the minds of citizens. People get fooled at the ballot box all the time. Politicians make outlandish claims and don’t deliver, tax rates go up even after they were supposed to stay the same. But voting and getting fooled is better than believing you live in a rigged system. I don’t mean it’s rigged from top to bottom, I just wonder how much national elections really matter. We’ve seen federal agencies (FBI, IRS) used like a mafia goon squad to advance a communist agenda. Maybe this was always the case but it’s becoming obvious that our lives aren’t free or private.

It’s clear from all the LGBT signaling the government does, that the family and Christianity are the enemy.

A decadent citizenry is a stubborn one that got that way by ignoring the boundaries of natural law. God’s laws on nature are meant to keep humanity from crossing into debasement. When we allow children to change their sex through surgery and permit sexual deviance of all kinds, we’ve crossed into judgement territory. Those who won’t change will be destroyed “suddenly”. Proverbs implies that these have been “often rebuked” or made aware of their sin on multiple occasions. It’s up to Christians to point the way toward salvation and be very clear about the eternal dangers of chronic wickedness and stubbornness in the face of truth.

Natural Laws

Good governance at its central core is important to keeping out of control wickedness at bay. When criminals don’t fear the law it encourages crime. In San Francisco they’ve basically decriminalized shoplifting. It’s led to gangs of kids teaming up to rob businesses of thousands of dollars of merchandise in one swoop. We’ve seen flash mobs crashing through department stores with arms full of loot. Violent crime has also increased in major cities, the district attorneys aren’t charging with felonies. They’re being let out of jail after a fine, or by giving them a misdemeanor charge. Many large cities have scrapped cash bail for violent offenses. Lawlessness pushes the law abiding out of the cities where they fear for safety.

There is a willful attempt to cede fear and chaos in cities. When the wicked rule the people groan. Proverbs connects the ideas of stubborn people to poor governance. The reverse is also true, respect for law and order everywhere gives citizens a hope for a bright future. Spiritual renewal starts with the family. Big ideas and top down approaches won’t fix the mess our institutions are in. We can rebuild them with a respect for rule of law and Christian liberty.