Conclusion to Part 1
Christian Economics: Student's Edition
You have just read five brief chapters. I am now going to ask you a few questions.
First, if you were asked to teach a class in Sunday school on the first three chapters of the book of Genesis, would you review the five chapters you have just read? If you did review them, do you think that you could teach the class? Do you think that you could teach five sessions? If not, why not?
Second, if you were asked to teach a class session in Sunday school on Christian economics, would you review the five chapters you have just read? If you did review them, do you think that you could teach the class? Do you think that you could teach five sessions? If not, why not?
Third, if you were asked to teach a class session in Sunday school on covenant theology, would you review the five chapters you have just read? If you did review them, do you think that you could teach the class? Do you think that you could teach five sessions? If not, why not?
Have you ever been taught anything like these chapters from the pulpit? Have you ever been taught anything like these chapters in Sunday school? I think I can safely answer for you: "no."
This leads to my next question: why do you think no one has taught you this? With respect to the topics of Christian economics and covenant theology, I think the answer is simple: your pastor and your Sunday school teachers have never heard of any of this. With respect to the first three chapters of Genesis, the answer is less clear. You have probably been taught about the first three chapters of Genesis. You have probably not been taught about the implications of these three chapters for economic theory. Yet what I wrote in the five chapters dealt with a good deal more than just economic theory. Again, why have you never been taught these things?
Here is the correct answer: there is abysmal understanding of the Bible in Bible-believing churches. This is especially true whenever the Bible speaks to important issues of the day. Economics is surely an important issue of the day, and it will be an important issue tomorrow, next week, and a century from now. Yet most pastors do not focus on these practical issues when they preach most of the time. This is not a new phenomenon.
You now have greater knowledge about the covenantal structure of economics than the overwhelming majority of Christians have ever understood, yet it only took five short chapters to impart this knowledge to you. That is not much. You also have greater knowledge about the structure of the biblical covenant than the vast majority of preachers who have ever called themselves covenant theologians. They are completely unaware of the five-point structure of the biblical covenant. This may sound unbelievable, but it is true. Yet it only took five chapters to impart this knowledge to you.
What you have learned so far is not that difficult. You should be able to teach this in a Sunday school. You might have to review the chapters, but so what?
This raises the issue of your personal responsibility. If you are capable of doing it, should you be doing it? Should you be helping other people learn these fundamental principles? If not, why not?
Now you are going to read Part 2. Anyway, I hope you are. Your knowledge after you read Part 2 will be substantially greater than it is now. You will therefore have even greater responsibility for teaching this material to others. That is because you will have even greater capability of doing so. With greater capability comes greater responsibility. I hope you understand this covenantal principle.
You have learned a great deal about what economics was before the fall of man. You learned a little about what it was after the fall, especially with respect to the curse of Adam and the ground. You have learned about the world we have lost. In Part 2, I will provide information on how Christians have the capability of regaining a great deal of what we have lost. But if they have the capability of doing this, then they have the responsibility of doing it. If they don't do it, God will hold them responsible. You know enough about covenant theology at this point to understand why.
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For the rest of this book, go here: //www.garynorth.com/public/department188.cfm