If the universe is inescapably personal, then there can be no phenomenon or event in the creation which is independent from God.
{Gary North, Genesis: The Dominion Covenant, 2}
The Dominion Covenant
I have begun reading through some portions of Gary North’s first work on Genesis as I read through the biblical account of Genesis. In this 1982 commentary, North attempts to offer a distinctly Christian view of economics. Going against the vast secular economic agenda and the agenda of many Christians who find economics to be an area of neutrality, Gary North offers at the very least a framework to begin thinking biblically about economics.
North argues that neutrality is a myth, and that creation is directly linked to Providence. “God did not create a self-sustaining universe which is now left to operate in terms of autonomous laws of nature (1).”
Though so many of the older works published by ICE in the 80’s are no longer seen with the enthusiasm it had back then, I strongly urge Christians to consider this economic paradigm. Quickly he will begin to discover that the present paradigms offered by our political leaders and so-called economists truly do not offer us a remedy, but a band-aid to the current woes that assail this nation.
North has done a great service to the Christian community, and he would be the first one to admit his excessive enthusiasm in some applications, but at least he offers something. And to quote Gary North, “you cannot beat something with nothing.”
The Slippery Slope of Wealth Distribution
Demar and North discuss Grudem’s new book: “Politics According to the Bible.”
Proverbs and Sleep
What type of sleep is Proverbs condemning in chapter 10: 5? According to Waltke, it refers to a “person in a state of sleep that is so deep, traumatic, and narcotic-like that he is totally unconscious of his surroundings.” Gary North adds that “the sleeper has failed to understand the relationship between timing and success. He has assumed that he can rest at his discretion.”
Theology and Implications
Gary North writes that, “A shift in a civilization’s theology has implications far beyond the confines of the sanctuary and the study.” The economic impact in this nation comes decidedly from its theological presuppositions. Can a nation live on borrowed capital forever? Can it assume atheism and get progress and civility? The long-term affect of any society with false and anti-trinitarian epistemology is long-term destruction.
Gary North on Sustaining the Protestant Ethic
The Bible affirms the temporal efficacy of hard work, thrift, and the other personal disciplines that we associate with the phrase, “the Protestant ethic.” But these virtues are not sufficient to produce the results hoped for by the wicked. In the language of the economist, the Protestant ethic is “necessary but not sufficient” for long-term economic growth. This ethic must be sustained by the theology that created it. It is not an autonomous ethic that can be effectively adopted, long term, by any and all cultures, because covenant-breaking cultures cannot sustain this ethic indefinitely. They will either abandon it or else adopt the confession of faith that undergirds it.–Economic Commentary on Proverbs
What to say to a celebrity?
Gary North has always fascinated me. His writing style has influenced me greatly. Before I read Gary, I cared little about footnotes. After I read Gary, a typical 10 page paper will have an average of 3 footnotes per page. A simple blog post I write greater than 5 paragraphs will also have a several footnotes. I simply love taking the reader back to original sources. Gary is a master at that.
In his latest article, he writes about his experiences meeting celebrities. For Gary and many of us, we will probably meet 3-5 celebrities in a lifetime. For young theologians like myself, we tend to count our favorite scholars as our own group of celebrities. However one defines celebrity, Gary is masterful at giving us some unique advice on what to say to celebrities.