Today David offers a second way in which a number of Christians seem to have lost touch with Christ when it comes to politics, law, and public policy. It shocked the Pharisees of old, and it will probably shock today's political pharisees. Find out what it is.

Is there evidence that a number of Christian political candidates (Republican mostly) and a number of the Christians who support them have, in Abraham Kuyper's words, "lost touch with Christ"? Would the Apostle Paul say to them, "Oh foolish Christians, who has bewitched you?" Today David looks at how our view of justification and sanctification affects our view of politics and what it can accomplish.

The question headlining today’s topic comes from Abraham Kuyper’s opening remarks at the First Christian Social Conference convened in the Netherlands in 1891. The news this week makes it clear that our nation is facing the same "social question" addressed by him at that conference: Is socialism or communism a better way to order our social relations in regard to material possessions? What is the Christian’s answer?

Today, David offers his final reflection on our nation’s 250th anniversary by taking a look at what happened to "created equal" on the way to the 21st Century. He uses the insights from two speeches given by Abraham Kuyper at the turn of the 19th century to offer a corrective he believes the church must make if there are going to be another 250 years under our original written Constitution.

Today David traces the meaning of the terms "state" and "republic" prior to 1776 through the constitutional revolutions throughout Europe in 1848 to what republic means now in light of the No Kings protest and use of the term "democratic republic." The change in meaning is very revealing, telling Christians what must change in politics, law, and the church.

Today's episode compares what is said in the Declaration of Independence about how civil governments are "instituted" and for what purpose to what was said on those subjects by John Locke in the late 17th century and Abraham Kuyper at the end of the 19th century. It also offers a vision for how Christians today can be, as William Bradford said, "stepping stones" for continuing the work the Pilgrims at Plymouth set out to do.

Today David gives his answer to whether the following statement in the Declaration of Independence is more influenced by enlightenment hubris than sound Christian theology: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." The difference between the one and the other is manifest in a new version he's authored and would encourage future generations to bring to fruition.

Today, David applies the Apostle Paul's declaration that true wisdom and knowledge are found in the revelation of “the mystery of God, of the Father and of Christ” (Colossians 2:3) to a famous sentence sentence in the Declaration of Independence often quoted by Christians. He asks: Have Christians been taken captive by philosophies of men? Today he documents the philosophy of the time the Declaration was written to set the stage for the answer and way forward that he releases tomorrow.

In today's episode, David explains why he believes some well-intentioned Christian political advocates, notably in regard to the politics of abortion, have been taken captive by the empty traditions and philosophies of men that are “not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). He says why he thinks enacting "righteous" statutes is not really the issue: It's far bigger than many Christians realize.

Recent episodes have put an emphasis on growing in our knowledge of Christ in relation to how Christians should think about certain abortion legislation being proposed nationally. But shouldn't that apply to the way Christians legislators think and talk about law and public policy advocacy generally, or even a Christian with a neighbor? What might that look like? Two passages of Scripture and a comment by John Owen provide an answer, and David offer two challenging applications of it.