Both reason and religion have been acknowledged by scholars to have had a profound impact on the foundation and formation of the American regime. But the significance, pervasiveness, and depth of that impact have also been disputed. While many have approached the American founding period with an interest in the influence of Enlightenment reason or Biblical religion, they have often assumed such influences to be exclusive, irreconcilable, or contradictory. Few scholarly works have sought to study the mutual influence of reason and religion as intertwined strands shaping the American historical and political experience at its founding. The purpose of the chapters in this volume, authored by a distinguished group of scholars in political science, intellectual history, literature, and philosophy, is to examine how this mutual influence was made manifest in the American Founding—especially in the writings, speeches, and thought of critical figures (Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Charles Carroll), and in later works by key interpreters of the American Founding (Alexis de Tocqueville and Abraham Lincoln). Taken as a whole, then, this volume does not attempt to explain away the potential opposition between religion and reason in the American mind of the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth- centuries, but instead argues that there is a uniquely American perspective and political thought that emerges from this tension. The chapters gathered here, individually and collectively, seek to illuminate the animating affect of this tension on the political rhetoric, thought, and history of the early American period. By taking seriously and exploring the mutual influence of these two themes in creative tension, rather than seeing them as diametrically opposed or as mutually exclusive, this volume thus reveals how the pervasiveness and resonance of Biblical narratives and religion supported and infused Enlightened political discourse and action at the Founding, thereby articulating the complementarity of reason and religion during this critical period.

America has entered troubling times. The rule of law is crumbling. The massive expansion of Federal government power with its destructive laws and policies is of grave concern to many. But what can be done to quell the abuse of power by civil authority? Are unjust or immoral actions by the government simply to be accepted and their lawless commands obeyed? How do we know when the government has acted tyrannically? Which actions constitute proper and legitimate resistance? This book places in your hands a hopeful blueprint for freedom. Appealing to history and the Word of God, Pastor Matthew Trewhella answers these questions and shows how Americans can successfully resist the Federal government's attempts to trample our Constitution, assault our liberty, and impugn the law of God. The doctrine of the lesser magistrates declares that when the superior or higher civil authority makes an unjust/immoral law or decree, the lesser or lower ranking civil authority has both the right and duty to refuse obedience to that superior authority. If necessary, the lower authority may even actively resist the superior authority. Historically, this doctrine was practiced before the time of Christ and Christianity. It was Christian men, however, who formalized and embedded it into their political institutions throughout Western Civilization. The doctrine of the lesser magistrates is a historic tool that provides proven guidelines for proper and legitimate resistance to tyranny, often without causing any major upheaval in society. The doctrine teaches us how to rein in lawless acts by government and restore justice in our nation. "Use this sword against my enemies, if I give righteous commands; but if I give unrighteous commands, use it against me." -Roman Emperor Trajan, speaking to one of his subordinates This is the first book published solely addressing the doctrine of the lesser magistrates in over 400 years. Matthew Trewhella is the pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church. He is a graduate of Valley Forge Christian College. He and his wife, Clara, have eleven children and nine grandchildren, and reside in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. His research and teaching on the lesser magistrate doctrine is reshaping the thinking of Americans. He was instrumental in publishing the Magdeburg Confession in 2012 - the first English translation of the document since it was written in 1550.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “bracing” (Vox) guide for surviving and resisting America’s turn towards authoritarianism, from “a rising public intellectual unafraid to make bold connections between past and present” (The New York Times) “Timothy Snyder reasons with unparalleled clarity, throwing the past and future into sharp relief. He has written the rare kind of book that can be read in one sitting but will keep you coming back to help regain your bearings.”—Masha Gessen The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. On Tyranny is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come.

Hayek spoke of nations travelling a road to serfdom: This book points to the only real exit ramp. If you're like most Evangelicals, you've been taught that Romans 13:1-7 gives you, the Christian citizen, a blanket duty to "render unto Caesar" an unqualified obedience. Modern teachings on the sticky relationship between God and government, church and state, seem to be little more than restatements of what any dictator would want you to believe. It hasn't always been that way within Christianity. Does even an antichrist government have a right to command your meticulous fidelity? Did you sin against God when you broke the speed limit? Or is it possible that Thomas Jefferson got it right when he said, "Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God?" American society is sliding into political ideologies like socialism and raw democracy. The Bill of Rights is under assault, both in the court of public opinion, and through nightmarish government maneuvers like domestic drones, NDAA indefinite detention, a Presidential "kill list," ever-increasing assaults on Second Amendment rights through gun control, and attacks on religious liberty inherent in Obamacare. it's more important than ever that those who claim to be sent into the world as salt and light have a solid foundation in Scripture. And, let's be honest, the over-reaching big government bullies, the would-be icons of Orwell's Big Brother, could have no greater friends among the citizenry than supposedly Bible-believing pastors who urge their flocks to comply, and submit, and stand for nothing. But, thankfully, there is always a remnant that has not yet bowed the knee. In this 79 page book, Christian pastor, author, and patriot, Gordan Runyan brings his conversational, often humorous style and characteristic clarity to bear on these issues. The reader will feel both challenged and encouraged to stand up for true liberty. The first section of the book is a close examination of the controversial text of Romans 13:1-7, which many have used to teach unconditional obedience to tyrants and despots. Is that what it really says? This commentary on Romans may surprise you. In the next section, common objections to the concept of resisting wicked government are answered. (e.g. Shouldn't we give Caesar what is Caesar's? Shouldn't Christians avoid entanglement in politics?) Finally, "Resistance to Tyrants: Romans 13 and the Christian Duty to Oppose Wicked Rulers" concludes that Christian resistance ought to be recognizably Christian in nature. Not bloodthirsty, or vicious, etc. He gives some suggestions for Christians who want to fight wicked government in the here-and-now, which a lot of Romans 13 commentaries are content to avoid discussing. This book is a joyful volley against the walls of the God-hating establishment, from Happy Siege. Arm yourself with the truth of the Word of God. Join the Resistance.

"In 1548, Charles V imposed his infamous Augsburg Interim which was an attempt to smash the Protestant Reformation. While all of Protestant Germany conformed to his decree, one city decided to take a stand and resist his authority -- the city of Magdeburg. The pastors of Magdeburg issued their Confession and Defense of the Pastors and Other Ministers of the Church of Magdeburg on April 13, 1550 AD. Five months after issuing their Confession, Charles V's forces marched on Magdeburg. The people of Magdeburg burned everything outside the city walls and closed the city gates. The siege of Magdeburg had begun."--Cover, page 4.