In our previous article on the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23), we explored the original 1646 text of the Westminster Confession. While it correctly established that government is ordained by God, its third paragraph contained a glaring issue for modern readers: it granted the civil government the power to suppress heresies, reform worship, and call church… Continue reading The American Revision: Church, State, and Religious Liberty
Category: Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate
God’s Minister for Good: On the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23.1–23.4)
How should a Christian view the government? Throughout history, believers have often swung between two dangerous extremes: either idolizing the state (treating politics as the ultimate savior) or completely withdrawing from it (viewing all government as inherently demonic). In Chapter 23, the Westminster Confession charts a biblical middle course. Drawing heavily on Romans 13, the… Continue reading God’s Minister for Good: On the Civil Magistrate (WCF 23.1–23.4)