STATISM AND "JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH"
THE REFORMERS' DOCTRINAL DIVERSION
Having examined the Humanistic Doctrine of the State that was fostered by the Humanistic education received by the
Reformers, we should also examine another deleterious result of their contact with the Univeristy: the exaltation of
"doctrine over works." We have already noticed this tendency (pt. I, p. 34), but it deserves further attention, as it is a
complaint frequently lodged against Reformed churches in our day,
Georgia Harkness observes that
The Calvinist's obligation to glorify God had a potent, yet restricted, incentive to social morality. Man was
enjoined to serve his neighbor, yet if there cane a clash between service of God and service of neighbor, it was
inevitable that service of God would be put first.75
This tendency is seen, for example, in Calvin's Institutes, II,viii,ll. It was a general tendency in that age, as the
primary emphasis of the Reforma-was justification by faith not works.76 The same is true for a number of other
Reformers; Beza sets forth clearly the view that doctrine is more important than a Godly life in his reply to Castellio's
De Hasreticis.77
Thus, as we have seen, since the Anabaptists were more interested in working with their hands to support their families
(Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:8) than in debating "the five points of Calvinism;" since they were more interested in serving others
and showing hospitality than in amassing political power, they were called "other-worldly" by Calvin. Too much of
what the Reformers called "doctrine" was just intellectual humanism, strategies for political advancement, or pseudo-doctrine:
endless manipulations and regurgitations of innocuous theological points that got to the heart of very few of the culture's
prevailing sins, even if they did evoke wails of dissent from other schools of equally irrelevant theology.
An emphasis on "doctrine" over obedience in life all too readily excuses statism.
It is particularly obvious in the area of economics, wherein the state is so dramatically involved. Georgia Harkness
believes that
The Calvinists' exaltation of (the doctrine of) God ... implicitly cast reflections upon any morality not religiously
engendered, and thus was bound to breed a spirit of supercilious intolerance toward those outside the fold. It
tended to exalt the worship of God above the requirements of simple human justice; and has been in no small dgree
responsible for the feeling that religion concerns itself with matters of personal piety, while "business is business"
and not to be mixed up in any embarrassing way with religious scruples.78
The point may be made clearer if this prediction is made: if a Reformed pastor were to meet a self-proclaimed
"Christian" banker and a "Christian" senator, the banker charging 40% interest on loans to poor, hungry,
crippled orphans who need the money to pay the outrageous inheritance taxes levied by the senator to pay for
his Carribean "fact-finding" junkets, the Reformed pastor will probe to see if the two are "Arminian.79"
Equally obvious is the non-economic statism that is too easily encouraged and excused by the belief that "doctrine" is
more important than good works. The Reformers have long been rumored to have established a virtual police state in an
effort to snuff out what at times appear to be very trivial theological deviations. Before I read about Calvin's treatment of
the Anabaptists I wouldn't have believed these rumors. At this point it is difficult not to. The evidence for the Reformers'
police states will be presented later; for now, we merely note Harkness1 conclusion:
75
Harkness, 81
Although, as we pointed out in Part I (p. 33), the problem with the Roman Catholic church was not so much that they believed in
justification by works, which is taught by the Bible, (Pt. I, note 77) but that they demanded ecclesiocentric (church-centered) works not
required by the Bible,
77
Harkness, 82n36
78
[79] Harkness, 82
79
[80] To his credit, Calvin wasn't quite this bad. With a prevailing interest rate (officially) of 3-5%, Calvin would call modern usurers
(18-24% and more) "bloodsuckers," as he did those who in his day charged 10%. The problem was, for every usurer Calvin called a
"bloodsucker," he called ten evangelical, hardworking Anabaptists "mad, foaming dogs," and "lazy asses." His emphases reflected
his principles and set the precedents that govern the modern age (See The Debt Papers, "The Incredible Origin of the Debtor-Slave
Economy" and "Debt and the Spirit of Capitalism.")
76
A similar effect grew out of Calvin's characteristic emphasis upon sound doctrine. Doctrinal requirements were exalted
above moral requirements. To be more exact the morality of enforcing sound doctrine was placed above the morality of
loving one's neighbor.80
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OF THE REFORMERS — SUMMARY
All that you have read so far, gruesome as at times it is, has been somewhat "theoretical." What we have seen
has been the education of the Reformers and the views it produced: views concerning the value of pagan thought; views
concerning the state; and views concerning the relationship of "doctrine" to obedience. Only one step remains before
we can examine the consequences or actions that these views produced.. First we must explore the "Anti-education" of
the Anabaptists.
80
[81] Harkness, 82.