There is a seemingly endless stream of inaccurate political rhetoric flooding our culture today — rhetoric designed to advance a destabilizing agenda. Do we live on “stolen land”? Are we a “nation of immigrants”? Was this country built by greedy, oppressive colonizers? Absolutely not. In Lecture 8, Pastor Matt examines the complicated, messy history of […]
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 7- Resistance Theory- Tactics of Lawful Resistance
Lecture 7 of Biblical Foundations of Civics explores Christian resistance theory: jurisdiction, God’s law, and historically grounded tactics for lawful resistance by individuals and magistrates.
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 6- The Development of Resistance Theory
In Reformed circles you’ll sometimes hear the phrase “Protestant Resistance Theory.” It teaches that civil rulers are limited—by God’s law, natural law, & their covenant oaths—and that tyranny may be resisted, ordinarily through lesser magistrates & lawful constitutional channels, not private, freelance revolt. But resistance theory isn’t uniquely Protestant. Listen as Pastor Matt shows how […]
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 5- The Creeds Of Christendom- The Foundations of Western Social Order- Part 2 of 2- Political Outworking
Every social order rests on a creed. Last week we saw how the creed of the Roman Empire shifted from completely pagan, gnostic Platonism to the increasingly developed Christianity of the creeds: The Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Creed of Constantinople, the Chalcedonian Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. In this lecture Pastor Matt follows […]
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 4- The Creeds Of Christendom- The Foundations of Western Social Order (Part 1 of 2)
Every social order rests on a creed, on a concept of life & law. The political structure of a society represents a religion in action. If you change the creed, you will eventually change the law, the institutions, and political structure of a people. The early church didn’t just win theological debates; it replaced pagan […]
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 3- Our Heritage: Should We Apologize or Celebrate?
More and more, Americans are pressured to denounce and apologize for their heritage. Many Christians are all too eager to oblige. Should we be? Listen as Pastor Matt considers this sensitive subject and offers a biblical model for understanding the past and looking toward the future.
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 2- History- Meaningless, Cyclical, or Linear?
Skip mere trivia; pursue timeless wisdom. Pastor Matt contrasts three views of history—meaningless, cyclical, linear—and shows why the biblical, linear view both explains the past and shaped America’s civics. Learn what to recover, what to avoid, and how to judge “progress” by an objective good.
Biblical Foundations of Civics- Lecture 1-Civics vs Social Studies?
Whatever happened to civics class?Once upon a time, every student needed two or three semesters of civics to graduate high school. Today, “social studies” has replaced it—and most students can’t explain the difference. What changed? In this opening lecture, Pastor Matt exposes the theological shift behind that subtle terminology change and the seismic worldview upheaval […]
