Lord - How Would You Vote?: What Works for a Country?

By Rocky Sackville

This book is about 80 percent bible study/research and about 20 percent politics and American history. America is founded on the belief that we receive our rights from God — not man. If man chooses who gets rights and who doesn't then God help us! If God chooses, then we are all equal and are under the same system of justice and can all pursue our same unalienable rights! This is the watershed difference between our government and all or most others. The founders did not want to force religion on others, but they wanted a civil society ordered the best way possible to achieve liberty and justice for all. Those of faith could accept it as from God, those not of the same mindset, could accept it as a better way to order society - as it clearly is. The politics and history in this book tries to illustrate that the founders were right and that America is in danger of losing our God given blessings of liberty and justice for all. The bible study part of this book will likely surprise you. It did me. There is so much in the Old and New Testaments about God's preferences for how we live. You need only look at chapter six in this book (Parable of the Talents Luke 19:11-27) to see His support of free markets/capitalism and His disdain for the basic elements of Marxism. But, it is not just that. His demonstrated use of, and support for, opportunity for all, and expectation of personal responsibility for all, can guide or counsel our thinking. Check it out — there is a lot in this book about what God has demonstrated as his preferences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098334079

Book preview

Lord—How Would You Vote?

What Works for a Country?

by Rocky Sackville

Copyright © 2020 Rocky Sackville

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-7354355-0-3 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7354355-1-0 (ebook)

Rocky Sackville

New Market, MD

Cover and interior design by Tami Boyce

www.tamiboyce.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Tom Hedstrom for his editing and encouragement.

Don Stallone for his invaluable aid with copyright issues.

Don Cober for telling me not to forget the Parable of The Talents. (Which I would have.)

God for gently cautioning me from putting words in His mouth. (He is a faithful and loving Father.)

PREFACE

The Why and Some Important Parameters…

The Catalyst:

I heard a talk show host, Austin Hill, on WMAL Radio ask one time, where is the Christian case for capitalism? It always intrigued me being both a Christian and a conservative (a product of the Jesus movement of the 60’s... born again... saved... crammed Christ down people’s throats in my early Christian days but learned that is not what Jesus wants... the whole 9 yards.) So, I started noting things that pertained to it in the Bible and thinking about it. AND...I wrote the book Do I Have to Vote Democratic to Help the Poor—A Christian Case for Capitalism / Free Markets... and I revised it to include more on the Christian underpinnings of our nation and other issues we might wonder about, hence the new title: LORD—HOW WOULD YOU VOTE? (And I lowered the price – the previous publisher wouldn’t let me).

The Concern Stated Simply:

I am very much afraid and grieved for America and the path liberalism has taken us on, from FDR to the present, so this is an effort to support the America that I believe God gave us, and which included His blessing of a free market. This is an effort to show that the free market, in its proper pursuit, is God’s preference and possibly the apple of His eye!

For Those Who Want More:

I have a longer and more detailed statement of concern at the end, if you are so inclined, but it goes into the politics of our time. You may only be interested in the essay, however, so I put the essay first, but the concern is why I wrote the essay. I think the detailed concern gives context and import to the essay.

President Reagan said:

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. (From Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin—a great and necessary read!)

Levin, M. (2009). Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto (p.13). New York: Threshold Editions.

Tyranny: Abraham Lincoln explained liberty and tyranny so well in 1864:

We all declare for liberty, but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name—liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names—liberty and tyranny."

Levin, M. (2009). Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto (Acknowledgments). New York: Threshold Editions.

So, when I use the term tyranny I am referring to men doing as they please with other men and the product of other men’s labor. This could be under socialism, fascism, Marxism, communism, despotism, dictators, kings, what have you. Tyranny can be either soft or hard, but in any of its forms liberty is diminished to a greater or lesser degree.

I believe the underlying reason tyranny exists is because men do not accept that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights from God. The only alternative is that they come from man, and if so, then man determines who has rights and who doesn’t. This takes on many forms. More on this later.

One More Most Important Thing:

I have placed a short commercial for Christ at the end of this essay. You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to, but I really think each person’s final home is even more important than the decline of our Nation because one day all Nations will come to their end and heaven and the Lord will go on forever with or without us. Hope to see you there! We can discuss who was right. If I’m right, you owe me a heavenly Starbucks.

Briefly:

Where to begin??? Please bear with me as this is not an exhaustive discourse on God by a theologian. It is only a single believers conclusion after years of knowing God to a certain degree, and believing in Him and following and obeying Him to some degree. I don’t claim to be perfect in life or complete on this subject, but I am forgiven (essential for when I leave this world) and commanded by God to do good. Therefore, being at liberty both from my sin and in America to speak, (as long as the liberals don’t get their way with the First Amendment) I submit the following for your consideration along with this statement: I love a good debate and I think God does too. (Job chapters 38–42). He says in Proverbs How long will you love simplicity O naïve ones? He is no stranger to complicated issues and would have us take them on and grow thereby.

Not a Typical Topic:

After working on this for over a year, I have come to the conclusion that unlike topics such as original sin, sanctification, the ontological case for the existence of God, baptism and many others, this topic about God’s preference for the free market has to be discerned from His character, His ways, His statements, and His actions over time. In short, from who He is. I found no theological birth moment, or definition, or growth, or momentum of thought, or apex, or denouement. Consequently, several times when I found evidence of my premise standing on its own as most of the evidence does, I spoke to that. If I did that too often, please bear with me for the sake of the issue and its importance. America needs all the help it can get patriot.

Just Plain Important:

God made the world and called it good knowing that sin would occur and mar His creation. Similarly, capitalism or the free market are good things even though sin and greed occur within them and mar their reputation.

Capitalism is a term used by Karl Marx when he wrote the Communist Manifesto. His definition assumes wrongful, immoral, or even criminal acts on the part of all the bourgeoisie, or capitalists, which simply is not the case. Others attribute various evils to capitalism and use the term to flame the envy of class warfare.

Paraphrased from Webster’s Dictionary capitalism is where the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit. Generally, the tendency in capitalism is to concentrated wealth and large holdings. These things in and of themselves are not evil. They can be the result of wisdom and prudence or God’s blessing: Proverbs 10:22: It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. Proverbs 8:20-21: (wisdom is talking) I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, To endow those who love me with wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. (Proverbs also warns against seeking riches and wealth hastily or for wrong reasons. Revelation chapter 18 has a dire warning about exalting money, riches, and economics above human life.)

Chapter 1:

Clues from God’s Character

The Year of Jubilee

God commands that we not wrong one another regarding the value of our property nor the opportunity for increase from our labor. The year of jubilee, found in Leviticus chapter 25:10-13, was a very important event in Jewish life. God commanded that every fiftieth year each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. After seven sets of seven years i.e. forty-nine years the land would revert back to its original owner without cost. This practice was revered and celebrated. It was termed by God the year of jubilee! As for most of us who pay mortgages or rent which requires much of our focus, the Israelites lived their lives, their plans, their buying and selling of land in light of the land reverting to its original owner every fiftieth year. Some say this was to preserve the record of the lineage of Christ from the tribe of Judah and proof of the fulfillment of prophecy. It accomplished that to be sure (which may have been the primary purpose) but it also taught how God wanted us to live which, would be like God, the first of the ways of God (more on that later). Consider God’s command in verse 14 and following:

If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend’s hand, you shall not wrong one another. Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God for I am the Lord your God.

God was very concerned about people doing wrong to one another in regard to buying and selling of the land for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. Increase its price if the buyer would receive a large number of crops or much gain. Diminish its price if the buyer would receive just a few years of crops and a smaller gain before it reverted to the original owner. In proportion to the extent of the years.

In God’s eyes we have a right to whatever gain or property our time, labor, and industry produces or achieves, and it is not to be taken from us wrongfully:

God is protecting the seller when He commands an increase to the price that is proportional to the number of crops the buyer will receive. The seller is due something of value for that which he is giving up or exchanging. If he gives up much, he should receive much in return.

Suppose a crop was worth