God is the moral center of the universe. Consequently, there is absolute truth and right and wrong. Adam was created a living being, with a soul and spirit (known as dualism); naturalistic or materialistic views of man, as not having the immaterial is wrong (a heart to love God, a mind to know Him--we have a mind as well as a brain, and a will to obey Him). Man has inherent dignity in God's image only in the Judaeo-Christian worldview. God created man male and female and said it was good. Any other combo is not of God and just because something is legal doesn't mean it is moral. We affirm the inherent worth of the individual and life as inviolate. Man, however, is not basically good nor inherently good, but totally depraved and inherently evil, but having a conscience, and needs the institutions of family, church, and state to curb his evil bent. The Bible is God's gift to man to give him a sense of "ought." We believe in individual responsibility and that everyone is ultimately accountable to God. Christians cite the church father Athanasius, who said that Christ will only fit into a system of thought where He is the starting point. There is an absolute standard of right and wrong that we all know called natural or transcendent law--morality is not relative. Something other than matter and energy exists in the cosmos--mind! God is the Higher Mind, and this mind precedes, creates, and is over matter.
There are several institutions God has ordained: The model for government is given in Isaiah 33:22 as having three branches: Executive, legislative, and judicial. All authority is from God and we are to submit to it for the Lord's sake! A government, has limited powers, rights, and responsibilities, and might attempt to redefine marriage, but God never does. Marriage is honorable as a divine institution predating government and comes from God himself. The Bible sanctions no specific form of government; however, the government is meant to keep evil at bay and protect one's person and property (cf. Matt. 22:21). There is no certain mandated type of government but God ordains it to curtail evil (It is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil, according to Augustine). We "render to Caesar that which is Caesar's," (cf. Matt. 22:21) unless the law contravenes Scripture mandate. Then there does come a time for civil disobedience though when Christians must obey God and not man because of conflict. We believe in the rule of law (no arbitrary rule of men) and that the basis of all Common Law is Scripture. God's law trumps man's law and there is such a thing as obligatory civil disobedience. The Sabbath or blue laws are moral and date from creation itself. God gave man a conscience to know transcendent or natural law and is responsible to God. A clear conscience doesn't mean he is without fault; it must be captive to the Word of God. The sanctity of the family institution predates government. Unalienable rights are conferred from God and not the government, which only recognizes them. Governments have no right to tyrannize. There is no so-called social gospel, a misnomer (turning stones into bread). God demands "social justice" (cf. Isaiah 3:15; Jeremiah 22:26 and Psa. 82:4; Amos 2:6-7; 4:1; Mal. 3:5, et al).
Work ethic comes from God and all work has dignity and can be done to the glory of God--work shows the image of God in us. There is no class system or caste system (property rights are protected though) in the eyes of the law--but all are equal under the law--with respect to liberty and justice. The Bible is reliable historically, prophetically, and in doctrine and the Christian worldview depends upon the veracity of Scripture. We presuppose the existence of absolute truth incarnate in Jesus Christ.
Spiritually speaking: The Church will not usher in the kingdom of God but wait for Christ to come to do it himself according to the Father's timetable--in the meantime we occupy till He comes as our marching orders while we fulfill the task of the Great Commission, and become ready for it to happen at any time. G. K. Chesterton observed: "America is a nation with the soul of a church." Christians have no geopolitical concerns, but await Christ to usher in His Millennial Kingdom--we are not Utopians. Christian theology is Christ-centered! The Bible is the basis of most precedent and principle and is authoritative on moral issues. Christians are to set the example of pure living and be light and salt in a wicked world, where they are in the world, but not of it. Our rights, conferred from God, recognized by the state, are not absolute and end where other's rights begin.
Soli Deo Gloria!
There are several institutions God has ordained: The model for government is given in Isaiah 33:22 as having three branches: Executive, legislative, and judicial. All authority is from God and we are to submit to it for the Lord's sake! A government, has limited powers, rights, and responsibilities, and might attempt to redefine marriage, but God never does. Marriage is honorable as a divine institution predating government and comes from God himself. The Bible sanctions no specific form of government; however, the government is meant to keep evil at bay and protect one's person and property (cf. Matt. 22:21). There is no certain mandated type of government but God ordains it to curtail evil (It is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil, according to Augustine). We "render to Caesar that which is Caesar's," (cf. Matt. 22:21) unless the law contravenes Scripture mandate. Then there does come a time for civil disobedience though when Christians must obey God and not man because of conflict. We believe in the rule of law (no arbitrary rule of men) and that the basis of all Common Law is Scripture. God's law trumps man's law and there is such a thing as obligatory civil disobedience. The Sabbath or blue laws are moral and date from creation itself. God gave man a conscience to know transcendent or natural law and is responsible to God. A clear conscience doesn't mean he is without fault; it must be captive to the Word of God. The sanctity of the family institution predates government. Unalienable rights are conferred from God and not the government, which only recognizes them. Governments have no right to tyrannize. There is no so-called social gospel, a misnomer (turning stones into bread). God demands "social justice" (cf. Isaiah 3:15; Jeremiah 22:26 and Psa. 82:4; Amos 2:6-7; 4:1; Mal. 3:5, et al).
Work ethic comes from God and all work has dignity and can be done to the glory of God--work shows the image of God in us. There is no class system or caste system (property rights are protected though) in the eyes of the law--but all are equal under the law--with respect to liberty and justice. The Bible is reliable historically, prophetically, and in doctrine and the Christian worldview depends upon the veracity of Scripture. We presuppose the existence of absolute truth incarnate in Jesus Christ.
Spiritually speaking: The Church will not usher in the kingdom of God but wait for Christ to come to do it himself according to the Father's timetable--in the meantime we occupy till He comes as our marching orders while we fulfill the task of the Great Commission, and become ready for it to happen at any time. G. K. Chesterton observed: "America is a nation with the soul of a church." Christians have no geopolitical concerns, but await Christ to usher in His Millennial Kingdom--we are not Utopians. Christian theology is Christ-centered! The Bible is the basis of most precedent and principle and is authoritative on moral issues. Christians are to set the example of pure living and be light and salt in a wicked world, where they are in the world, but not of it. Our rights, conferred from God, recognized by the state, are not absolute and end where other's rights begin.
Soli Deo Gloria!