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I mentioned earlier that a group of bloggers have pointed out John MacArthur’s stance against the Libyan, Egyptian, and Tunisian rebellions as sinful. But as I have argued on Brian’s post, I think placing one’s rules (subjective and quite suspicious interpretation of Romans 13, for example) over that of the sanctity of life is the very defition of legalism that Jesus protested in such gospel passages as Mark 7.
James Bradford Pate shared on facebook, and now I would like to share it too, his post from 2008 when MacArthur said that the Revolutionary War was a bad thing. See here: John MacArthur on Voting, American Revolution.
He is well within his right to interpret Scripture in such a way, and in American history class, we know that the majority of American colonists were against the Revolution. There were reverends who preached that the colonists should submit to Tory rule. So, again, no argument that the history is not there. But is it necessary to call revolution and voting a sin? I question such definition of sinfulness. If participation in democratic republic is such a sin, then participating in that nation’s economy is sinful as well, and by that I mean, having even the coinage which that government provides, let alone joining in the consumption of goods by selling and marketing a study bible name after yourself. As many political theorists keep pointing out, neo-liberal economics and democracy/representative government go hand and hand. You cannot just accept one without embracing the other, and that is what we are seeing in the Middle East (of Europe and the West) right now. So before Tory preachers say they are sinless by avoiding partaking in this democracy, let them re-consider by first glancing at their wallets. 😉
Related articles
- John MacArthur: He Just Cannot be Serious, or He’s Really a Theological Dullard (zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)
