If all of the OT death penalty laws are still to be observed (adultery, blasphemy, idolatry, sabbath breaking, sodomy, ect.),
how is restoration after excommunication to be done after the commiting of one of these crimes by a professing christian to be done? For example, if a professing believer commits adultery and is excommunicated and then later repents and seeks restoration to the fellowship of the saints, should he be restored seeing he should have been killed? I have been listening to several theonomic preachers who advocate the observance of all of the OT death penalty laws but I have never heard any address this issue yet. Any thoughts or links to helpful wrintings on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

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1689 Baptist Confession

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
James Farley, Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly.
Husband of Melissa and father of Ann.
www.wildernessroadbaptist.org

Theonomy doesn't necessarily maintain that. Further, I don't think all of those were at all times capital offenses in the Old Covenant.

Same as today? What's the problem? The church isn't the civil government.
Even if he should have been killed (and that hasn't been proven yet), there is no reason why he shouldn't be restored. Remember, the church is not the state. This is what most critics of theonomy do not understand. However, in the early church if this happened the person wouldn't be allowed communion for years.

Bahnsen didn't hold this position. I can probably give you links later.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

When were those crimes not punishable by the death penalty brother? Under what circumstances were sodomites and adulterers not to be killed? I realize that it was rarely practiced under the OC but when was the law suspended in these cases and when should the death penalty be suspended now?
I'm not trying to be argumenative at all. I've been laboring under intense study of this for some time and I'm trying to understand it as much as possible. I realize that there is a difference of opinion on these matter in the recontructionist camp. You help is appreciated.

__________________
1689 Baptist Confession

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
James Farley, Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly.
Husband of Melissa and father of Ann.
www.wildernessroadbaptist.org

Lack of sufficient evidence. Sometimes the situation might be different (would the offended party forgo execution?).
When the law of the land is not God's law: when Israel is ruled by tyrants, etc.

As to specifics, I probably cannot give an answer to that. But God withheld judgment on David, for example? Does that refute God's law? No (A lot of people point to that as if it does, but we won't go there). Why were they withheld? I really don't know.

This is why I think Frame and Bahnsen's multiple perspectives on ethics are helpful. Sometimes the situation just doesn't require it. Assuming that to be the case, how do we know when? I cannot give a straightline answer to that, but maybe I can point you in the right direction. In the flow of biblical history, in the old testament, we see a new move--Wisdom literature comes to the foreground. Does this refute the use of "Law" in ethics? No, but it can perhaps be seen as a commentary on the law and when/how the law should be applied.

You ask fair and good questions. The firewall at my workplace blocks it, but tonight I have some free Rushdoony videos online that should point you in the right direction (they aren't long and he is a good speaker). He sheds some light on these laws.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Try and post the links dear brother.

__________________
1689 Baptist Confession

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
James Farley, Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly.
Husband of Melissa and father of Ann.
www.wildernessroadbaptist.org

I can promise you about 10 (3-8 minute) clips of Rushdoony for free. I don't know if they specifically talk about what we are talking about. However, Rush does illuminate how the law was applied in chuch history.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

I'd be interested...

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada -

Feileadh Mor
The Orthodox Catechism

see if this works

Rushdoony talks


it doesn't really directly answer your question, Bro James, but he does talk about law being applied in life (in most of them). Anyway, they are interesting.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Link is not working for me bro!

__________________
1689 Baptist Confession

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
James Farley, Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly.
Husband of Melissa and father of Ann.
www.wildernessroadbaptist.org

go to youtube and type in "Rushdoony."

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

There was a good series that Gary Demar's people put out: The Ten Commandments for Today. It was really interesting, if basic. It was a series of Rushdoony interviews. I can't find it yet. Still looking. It was more to your question above.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Do Restorationists accept inter-racial marriage?

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada -

Feileadh Mor
The Orthodox Catechism

Do you mean Reconstructionists? I think they do. I haven't interviewed all of them but I haven't read anything/heard anything contrariwise. I mean, I as a modified CR accept inter-racial marriage.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

From wiki: Due to the work's perceived denial of the Holocaust and defense of segregation[9] and slavery,[10] it did not gain an immediate following. In the work, Rushdoony argued against "inter-religious, inter-racial, and inter-cultural marriages, in that they normally go against the very community which marriage is designed to establish."[11] But his condemnation of inter-racial marriage appears to have been his personal view and not related to the biblical text; it was not shared by other Reconstructionists.[12] The book garnered more attention starting in the 1980s when Francis Schaeffer began espousing many similar ideas .[13]

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada -

Feileadh Mor
The Orthodox Catechism

James, found these.

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada -

Feileadh Mor
The Orthodox Catechism

ignore wikipedia. It is a joke. Rush spoke highly of African Americans. Also, Rushdoony wrote over a 60 year period. Things and ideas for him changed.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Ok.

J. Bradford, do you know which countries in Africa are trying to follow Theonomy? Rushdoony mentions it in a youtube video.

Would this be true:

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada -

Feileadh Mor
The Orthodox Catechism

The other night I read a footnote somewhere on the net stating that paedobaptism and theonomy are the logical outcome[s] of covenant theology, would you say this is true?

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada -

Feileadh Mor
The Orthodox Catechism

Sort of. The trick is that *all* sides of CT do recognize some forms of discontinuity. The problem is: 1) Which passages/texts/laws are discontinous; 2) and why those?

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

They might also say the same thing about 'kinism'.

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http://www.villagecommunitychurch.org/

I know what you are talking about. Rush mentioned that about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the African political scheme changes every few years, so no, I wouldnt' know which countries he speaks of.


Let's drop North's bombast and look at it. In America we are fortunate (for the most part) to have some form of liberty (at least before the patriot act). To that degree, let us use it to train our children in Christian education. Assuming that part, what will happen next? At least on the local level, communities will be more "epistemologically self-conscious."

But what about denying liberty to the enemies of God? First, any clever opponent will cloak his position in terms of "religious liberty." This way he can hope his appeal to conscience will soften the other side. Well, who are the enemies of God? Can I deny the Satanist his religious liberty (since it means sacrificing virgins)? Absolutely. Can I deny the sodomite his religious liberty to practice sodomy? Absolutely. What about the Marxist? Keep in mind his goal is the classless society by any means necessary, and keep in mind that all Marxist countries are poor, bloody ones. So yes, deny religious liberty to the enemies of God?

Now, does this mean we go on a Purge against those we don't like? No, we don't prosecute unbelief, only criminal actions from that unbelief.

__________________
J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

here is a rushdoony clip on Paper Money = Socialism
The Chalcedon Foundation - Faith for All of Life

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College