Vine & Fig Tree: A World Without Priests

The Institutions of Church and State are unBiblical. They reflect rebellion against God's Law.

The whole history of man as recorded in the Bible is the history of sinful rebellion against society as created in the Garden of Eden, and the construction of institutions based on religious rituals rather than faithful obedience to God's Grace.

Family vs. Church and State: A History

The Bible Describes the Battle

True Catholicism

“Roman Catholicism”: A Contradiction in Terms. Ecclesiocentrism: racism; statism.

The History of Gospel Triumph

False Catholicism
The Fall of Rome and the Triumph of the Gospel --
A History of Christians and Christianity Outside the Roman Ecclesiocracy

A Theonomic Defense of the Anabaptists

1. Introductions
Personal Involvement * The Major Issues * The Recent Controversy * Goals of this Examination

2. Who Were the Anabaptists?
Different Groups Distinguished * New Sources of Anabaptist History * The Medieval Church * The Medieval Reformers

3. In Praise of Humanism
The Tenets of Humanism * Humanism and the Establishment * Reformation and Accreditation

4. Anabaptists and Heresy
Anarchy * Revolution * Pacifism * Communism * Perfectionism

5. Anabaptists and Orthodoxy
Biblicism * Trinitarianism * Justification * Sanctification * Humility

6. Baptism and Statism
Mode of Baptism * Members of the Church * Infant Baptism

7. When Did Protestantism Begin?
The Great Reformation Flip-Flop * Waiting for the State (or someone like him) * Acts 5:29

8. Pagan Education and the Reformers
Calvin: Ambition * Seminary * Law School * Classics * Parallels in Zwingli:

9. The De-Education of the Anabaptists
Ambition * University * Education under Zwingli * Rejection of Paganism * Berean Mentality (Acts 17:11) * Obedience and Systems

10. Politics from Seneca to Calvin
Conversion and Humanism * State and Freedom * State and Spirit * The Organic State * The State Glorified * Parallels in Zwingli

11. Theonomy and Justification by Faith
The Church vs. The Gospel * Living Faith * Doctrine and Obedience

12. Statism and Justification by Faith
Doctrinal Diversions * Doctrine from the Outside

13. From Victory to Defeat: The Reformers and Theonomy
Natural Law * The Expansion of the Faith * Lang * Rushdoony * Nelson

14. Should We Celebrate Reformation Day?
Universal Priesthood and Reform * The Myths of Theology * Rome and Justification

15. Deformed Reform
The Early Reformers * The Threatened Reformers * The Later Reformers

16. The State as Pastor
Calvin and the "Reconstructionists" * The Ninth Commandment * Crushing the Opposition

17. Macho Theology
Verbal Pyrotechnics * Intimidation * Coercion * Politics and Put-Downs

18. Police State, Police Church
Omnipotent Regulation * Socialism as Discipline * Winning Through Intimidation

19. Plato and Calvin: Artistry in Dictatorship
Plato's Laws * Empire Medieval * Roman Law and Plato's Laws * Momentary Reform * Power vs. Reform * "Anabaptists!" * Plato Resurrected

20. A Legacy of Compulsion
Through One Man's Eyes * Luther * Calvin * The Puritans * The Pendulum Swings

21. Fascism and the Reformation
Fascism Defined * Westminster's Arguments Against God's Law * Fascism and the New "Christian Right"

Patriarchy and The End of Churchianity

Patriarchy, Church and Worship
Patriarchy and Obedience
The Duties of the Pastor
Ordination and Patriarchy
The Pastoral Functions of an Attorney at Law

A Summary of Each Essay Below is Found Here

Essay No.

1. INTRODUCTION

PATRIARCHY, CHURCH, AND WORSHIP

2. Life-as-worship vs. Institutional "Worship" 3. Patriarchy and Community 4. Revolution, Repentance, and Redemption: 5. Revolution and Church History
6. History and the Hidden Patriarchs
7. Who Were the True Reformers? (The Priesthood of All Believers): 9. Objection -- Believer-Priests in the Old Testament
11. Christian Radicalism

PATRIARCHY AND OBEDIENCE

12. Authority, Submission, and Obedience in the New Covenant: 14. Objection -- On Being "Willing to Obey"
15. "The Depravity of Man" and the Fear of Patriarchy 16. Spontaneous Obedience 17. The Promise of World-Wide Patriarchy 18. The End of Teachers 19. "The Pastor" vs. The Patriarch

THE DUTIES OF THE PASTOR

In this section we examine the duties of the "Elder" (Pastor) as spelled out in "The Form of Presbyterial Government," drawn up in 1645 by the writers of the Westminster Confession of Faith. We argue that every legitimate duty set forth for the "Elder" is a duty for all believers.

Duties Relating to Scripture Dissemination

20. The Bible: Monopolies and Famines 21. Pastors Must Pray 23. Pastors Must Read the Bible 25. Pastors Must Feed the Flock 27. Pastors Must Catechize 29. Pastors Must Comfort 31. Pastors Must Exhort 33. Pastors Must Convince 35. Pastors Must Teach: 37. Are You "Apt to Teach"?

Pastors Must Preach

38. Word Study

39. Objection -- The delivery of Religious Lectures

40. Lexical Observations by Craig A. Evans
41. Biblical Styles of Preaching and Teaching

42. Pulpits and Peripatetics - The Greek Origin of the Sermon

44. The Primacy of the Preacher (by James B. Jordan).

45. What is "Authoritative Preaching"?
46. Who Should Excommunicate?

47. Pastors Must be Mysterious

Duties Relating to Rule and Discipline [?]

48. Pastors Must Administer the Sacraments

Traditional Considerations

50. Objection -- "Sacerdotalism"
51. What is Sacerdotalism?
52. The Sacraments as "Discipline"
53. Sacramental Retrogression?

Sacraments in the New Age

54. Sacraments and the Sacral Society
55. Baptism: Spirit vs. Water
56. "Till I Come": The Parousia and the "Christian Passover"
57. Footwashing and Shallow Sacramentalism

58. Pastors Must Bless 59. Pastors Must Take Care of the Poor: 60. Charity and Church Government
61. Pastors Must Be An Example 63. Pastors Must "Oversee": 65. Objection -- Clergy in I Peter 5:1-6
66. Objection -- Office or Function?
68. Pastors Must Lord it Over the Flock: 69. Statism in the Churches
70. Objection -- Elders in the Old and New Testaments
71. Objection -- Spiritual vs. Appointed Elders
72. Objection -- Pastors: Among vs. Over.
73. Equality as a training ground for Leadership
74. Robes in Review
75. Pastors Are Worthy of Double Honor

ORDINATION AND PATRIARCHY

76. Ordination: 77. Objection -- On God's Desire for Empires
79. Ordination in the Westminster Standards
80. The Laying on of Hands: 81. Objection -- Its True Purpose; 82. Study Questions -- Hands and Voting
83. Are Presbyterians Democrats?
84. Perpetual and Ordinary Officers
85. Ad Hoc Authority vs. Institutionalism
86. Natural Ordination
87. Amateurism and Professionalism

88. CONCLUSIONS

APPENDICES

151. Gary North: "Family Authority vs. Protestant Sacerdotalism"
152. James B. Jordan: "God's Hospitality and Holistic Evangelism"

Every man a Lawyer -- No man a lawyer
THE CHRISTIAN LAWYER AND THE LAW OF GOD
Showing the Pastoral Functions of an Attorney at Law

In their own way, every vocation has pastoral responsibilities. The Attorney is but one example.
189. What is "Theonomy"?
190. What is "Law"?
191. Every Man a Lawyer
192. The "Theonomic" Lawyer
193. The "Judicial Law"
194. Unconditional Surrender and the "Attorney"
195. The Sacerdotal Attorney

THE DUTIES OF THE PATRIARCH/LAWYER

Now we parallel our discussion of the "Pastor's" duties by examining the same list of duties in "The Form of Presbyterial Government" and showing how those responsibilities are particularly incumbent upon any who would take upon themselves the mantle of "Christian Attorney."

Duties Relating to the Dissemination of Scripture

196. Lawyers: Keys and Closed Doors
197. The Shepherding Lawyer Must Pray
199. The Pastoring Lawyer Must Read the Bible.
200. The Pro-nomian Pastor Must Feed the Flock: 202. Pastoral Lawyers Must Catechize; 204. Christ-like Attorneys Must Comfort; 206. Shepherding Lawyers Must Exhort; 208. Pro-Nomian Patriarchs Must Convince.; 210. Shepherding Attorneys Must Teach; 212. Pastoral Lawyers Must Preach
214. Christian Attorneys Must NOT Be Mysterious

Duties Relating to Rule and Discipline [?]

215. Shepherding Lawyers Must Administer the Sacraments

Traditional Considerations

216. Baptism -- The Covenant Sign of Unconditional Attorn

218. The Lord's Supper -- Communion and Government

Sacraments in the New Age

219. Jeremiah 31: The End of Sacraments

220. Theo-Nomic Pastors Must Bless
221. Pastoral Lawyers Must Take Care of the Poor: 122. Justice and Poverty
224. Shepherding Attorneys Must Be an Example
226. Patriarch/Lawyers Must "Oversee"
228. The Servant-Lawyer Must Shepherd
230. Doctrinally-sound Attorneys are Worthy of Double Honor: 231. Law and Doctrine; 232. Working for a Living

THE LEGAL MINISTER
PATRIARCHY AS RIVAL GOVERNMENT/LAW-SYSTEM

234. Law, Religion, and State

The Attorney as Patriarch

235. Government and the Patriarch

236. Elders, Lawyers, and Judges

237. Levites and Lawyers

The Lawyer as "Church Officer"

238. The Myth of the "Separation of Church and State"

239. The Lawyer as Priest

240. The Magisterial Pastor

241. The War of the Pastors

242. Excommunication and the Lawyer

The Lawyer as Reconciler

243. The Legal Pimp

244. The Theonomic Lawyer

245. Resolving Disputes in the Home Church

Legal Mediation and Arbitration in I Corinthians 6

246. The Arbitrators

247. State Enforcement of Church Arbitration

248. Arbitration and the "Rash Vow"

249. The "Local Church" vs. The Christian Conciliation Service

250. Punishment, Criminal Defense, and Patriarchy