Episode 431: Church and State Theological Polity Muddle

Church and State Theological Polity Muddle

– Mayhew, Stiles and Schaeffer

See the link for the video of ‘Church and State Theological Polity Muddle’ at Rumble or YouTube

How is the history of 1766, 1783 and 1976 tied to the ‘Church and State Theological Polity Muddle’ of our present day? To get the perspective I delve into the 1766 Sermon by Johnathan Mayhew, the 1783 Sermon by Ezra Stiles and a 1976 book from Francis Schaeffer.

My marked and commented Mayhew sermon.

I want to be clear that I was researching this effort to educate on this topic longer than the present evangelical controversy that is playing out across the web-sphere. Although, the relevance of our present age is not new when it comes to how mankind addresses culture, government, politics and church polity; the root of how truth is treated is centered at how a culture, a nation or the church view the absolute sovereignty of God.

This week I introduce us to the ‘Repeal of the Stamp Act’ as delivered by Rev. Jonathan Mayhew. We will only get into the very first part of the historic colonial view as Mayhew relates it. In this, I interject the same inferences of injustice, influencers of government decisions and the responses of the Colonists. I also mention the intersection of Ezra Stiles and Francis Schaeffer as part of a trifecta that sets the stage for our present dilemmas.

Opening Comments

If you don’t understand what is happening in the United States Evangelical churches at present you can go to the references for what I believe is one of the best explanations and considerations of situation. This is a church theological polity muddle. Yet, there were similar jumbles, mishmash and confusion brought on by the Tory pastors during the whole of the Colonial Founding Era. Interestingly, Sam Adams addresses some of that confusion in a series of Articles.

In this podcast / vlog, I introduce quotes from Francis Schaeffer and Ezra Stiles that help set some of the tone for the connection between Mayhew’s sermon, the past and to the present lessened about fifty years.

Jonathan Edwards’ sermon establishes that the people properly engaged in remonstrance in fighting the Stamp Act. They knew their English constitutional rights. They also had faith in the complete sovereignty of God over all that is. In segments two and three, I delve into the initial key points of this sermon and their relevance for us today.

Somewhat our of context for the flow of the program but pertinent to the cultural political situation of our nation, Schaeffer in 1976 implored US, specifically Evangelicals, I paraphrase these quotes:

‘Please repeat the term, “Establishment elite” in your mind until the term is permanently stuck there.’

‘Whether it is a Left Wing elite or Establishment elite, the result is exactly the sam. There are no real absolutes controlling either. In both cases one is left with only arbitrary absolutes set by a totalitarian society or state with all the modern means of manipulation under its control. Both the Left Wing elite and the rising Establishment elite are a threat.’

Remember, defining the ‘elite’ as such was in 1976. How foolish we have been for not heading and having the afore mentioned term ‘permanently stuck’ in our minds.

But there is hope in Truth of a nation as Ezra Stiles preaches about in 1783 with the formation of the Articles of Confederation:

I. What reason we have to expect that, by the blessing of God,