Theocracy, Theonomy, and Civil Society

Review of Joe Boot's The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope for Society (part 5 of 10)

Should Christians be in charge of nations? If they were, how should they rule? Can we apply Biblical Laws within Church and civil society? What happens when we don’t? Is theocracy inevitable?

Following on from the nuanced treatment of a more faithfully Biblical correlation of mission and justice, the next obvious step to consider is: how might Christians go about bringing justice to society?

It is one thing to proclaim a vision of God’s justice in society, but another thing entirely to see it manifested, and to build towards it. Boot shows this should not be such an outlandish idea given the significant historical precedents of such direct Christian influence via the application of the Word of God to law, crime, and punishment within nations. Whether King Alfred, the New England colonists, or William Wilberforce, many such Christian examples serve not merely as historical precedents but wield ongoing, present-day influence and authority.

Law, Justice, and Theonomy

In revisiting the connection between Biblical Law and societal justice, Boot draws upon the expertise of Jonathan Burnside, ‘Professor of Biblical Law’ at the University of Bristol, whose role itself indicates the ongoing significance of the Bible to issues of contemporary legality. Knowing what the Bible says still matters in Law, however much has been forgotten by however many. In a lengthy citation of Burnside we hear much about this ongoing connection:

unlike sharia law, biblical law is nascent in the history of English law and so continues to be an influence on many citizens. It is simply unrealistic to suggest that we live in a wholly secular legal system…nor have politicians been successful in finding a dominant alternative discourse to the ethical language of the Bible. (255)

In our secular, pluralistic, post-Christendom society, even most Christians appear to have been convinced that previous instantiations of God’s Law within society were ‘wrong’. Perhaps they may not be fully supportive of modern legislation on issues like abortion, euthanasia, or same-sex marriage, but many have still implicitly accepted the ‘progress’ narrative which says that – exceptions aside – laws are now broadly more just and fair than they were in the past.