Reform Society Without Government Intervention

“There oughta be a law.” Have you ever heard this cliché, have you ever said it? In the United States, they make tens of thousands of laws every year. If government intervention were the answer there would be no problems left. The belief that government can solve all of our problems is the problem.

Shortly before his death in the mid 1980's Dr. Francis Schaeffer was asked, “what is the biggest problem facing America today?” His one word answer was, “Statism”. What he meant by that is that Americans had turned to government as their god rather than trusting the one true God of scripture. Think about it. Americans have turned to government to provide almost everything. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that God is our provider.

Dr. R.J. Rushdoony would often quote the truism that every man will create a replacement for everything that he denies of the one true living God. In practice, Americans have denied the existence of heaven. According to Rushdoony they must necessarily look elsewhere for the creation of a utopia. Too many Americans, and sadly way too many Christians, are expecting government to create utopia. Utopia does not exist this side of eternity. Therefore, it does not matter how many laws governments pass. They will never create utopia. Do not misunderstand; antinomianism (no law) is not the answer either. Government needs to punish evildoers and protect the good to do good (Rom. 13).

That is an issue for another article, though. This article deals with the good doing good. Do you want someone to help the poor? Help the poor. Do you want someone to take care of the elderly widow? Take care of the elderly widow. Do you want someone to clean up the environment? Clean up your neighborhood. Do you want someone to educate the children? Educate your own children. Most things that Americans are asking their government to do can be done better by Christian families taking responsibility for themselves, their family, and their neighborhood.

What of the authority that government has relinquished? “There oughta be a law.” So are you just going to sit around and complain about the degeneration of society? For instance, you could join the women's revolution for modest dress. You could complain about how women dress these days, or you can Google modest clothing distributors and begin to dress more modestly yourself. Then share your find with family and friends. Weekly church attendance among Americans is still at 43%, with only 8% never or almost never attending church. By beginning to dress more modestly you can influence those in your church, and the church can begin to influence the rest of society. Join with us in the women's revolution for modest dress.