View source for Theonomy

{{Short description|Christian form of government in which society is ruled by divine law}}
{{About|biblical law within Christian reconstructionism|the Christian theo-political movement|Christian reconstructionism|the meta-ethical theory|divine command theory}}
{{Third-party|date=August 2013}}
{{Basic Forms of government}}

'''Theonomy''' (from [[Greek language|Greek]] ''theos'' "God" and ''nomos'' "law") is a hypothetical [[Christianity|Christian]] form of government in which [[divine law]] governs societies.<ref name="Jones2013">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=David W.|title=An Introduction to Biblical Ethics|date=1 November 2013|publisher=B&H Publishing Group|language=en|isbn=9781433680779|page=209}}</ref> Theonomists hold that societies should observe divine law, particularly the [[Old Testament]]’s judicial laws.<ref>{{cite book|title=New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America|last=English|first=Adam C.|chapter=Christian Reconstruction after Y2K|year=2003|publisher=Baylor University Press|location=Waco, TX|pages=113–114|quote=Theonomy &ndash; A system of government characterized by being governed by divine law.}}</ref> The movement’s chief architects were [[Gary North (economist)|Gary North]], [[Greg Bahnsen]], and [[R. J. Rushdoony|R.J. Rushdoony]].<ref name="Neuhaus1990" /> 

Theonomy presumes biblical Israel’s [[Mosaic covenant|Old Covenant]] judicial laws have not been [[Law and Gospel#Reformed view|abrogated]], and therefore all civil governments must enforce them (including the specific penalties). Theonomy holds that all civil governments must refrain from coercion if Scripture has not prescribed their intervention (the "regulative principle of the state").<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bahnsen|first=Greg|date=April 1994|title=What Is "Theonomy"? PE180 New Horizons|url=https://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe180.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112050230/https://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe180.htm |archive-date=2020-11-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bahnsen|first=Greg L.|url=http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/docs/a_pdfs/gbno.pdf|title=No other standard : theonomy and its critics|date=1991|publisher=Institute for Christian Economics|isbn=0-930464-56-7|location=Tyler, Tex.|pages=19–29|oclc=23690584}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Schwertley|first=Brian|title=A Critique of a Critique of Theonomy: An Analysis of Matthew Winzer's Misrepresentations of Theonomy and the Confession of Faith|url=http://www.reformedonline.com/uploads/1/5/0/3/15030584/winzer_a_critique_of_a_critique_of_theonomy.pdf|page=2|access-date=2021-04-09|archive-date=2022-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215062247/http://www.reformedonline.com/uploads/1/5/0/3/15030584/winzer_a_critique_of_a_critique_of_theonomy.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

Theonomy is distinct from the "theonomous ethics" proposed by [[Paul Tillich]].<ref name="Neuhaus1990">{{cite journal|title = Why Wait for the Kingdom? The Theonomist Temptation|date = May 1990|url = http://www.firstthings.com/article/1990/05/002-why-wait-for-the-kingdom-the-theonomist-temptation|last = Neuhaus|first = Richard John|journal = First Things|access-date = 8 August 2013|archive-date = 10 January 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170110120708/https://www.firstthings.com/article/1990/05/002-why-wait-for-the-kingdom-the-theonomist-temptation|url-status = dead}}</ref>

==Origin==
[[Thomas Aquinas]] held, "if a sovereign were to order these judicial precepts to be observed in his kingdom, he would not sin."<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2104.htm Summa Theologica, I-II, q. 104, a. 3]</ref> Some have mistakenly referred to that as "General Equity Theonomy"<ref>Clausen, Mark A., Professor of History, [[Cedarville University]] "Theonomy in the Middle Ages". Paper presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the [[American Political Science Association]], Marriott Wardman Park, Omni Shoreham, Washington Hilton, Washington, DC.</ref> but it is in fact distinct from theonomy insofar as Aquinas believed the specifics of the Old Testament judicial laws were no longer binding. He instead taught that the judicial precepts contained varying degrees of universal principles of justice that reflected [[natural law]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|date=2016-07-16|title=The General Equity of the Judicial Law|url=https://reformedbooksonline.com/the-general-equity-of-the-judicial-law/|access-date=2021-04-09|website=Reformed Books Online|language=en-US}}</ref>

In [[Christian reconstructionism]], theonomy is the idea that God provides the basis of both personal and social [[ethics]] in the [[Bible]]. Theonomic ethics asserts that the Bible has been given as the abiding standard for all human authority (individual, family, church, and civil) and that [[biblical law]] must be incorporated into a Christian theory of biblical ethics.

{{Quote|Theonomic ethics, to put it simply, represents a commitment to the necessity, sufficiency, and unity of Scripture. For an adequate and genuinely Christian ethic, we must have God's word, only God's word, and all of God's word. Nearly every critic of theonomic ethics will be found denying, in some way, one or more of these premises.|The Theonomic Antithesis to Other Law-Attitudes<ref name='Theonomic Antithesis'>{{cite news | first=Greg | last=Bahnsen | author-link=Greg Bahnsen | title=The Theonomic Antithesis to Other Law-Attitudes | publisher=Covenant Media Foundation | url=http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe054.htm | access-date=2008-11-27 | archive-date=2009-05-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521224329/http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe054.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

Critics{{who?|date=March 2021}} see theonomy as a significant form of [[dominion theology]], which they define as a [[theocracy]]. Theonomy posits that the biblical law is applicable to civil law, and theonomists propose biblical law as the standard by which laws may be measured and to which they ought to be conformed.

==Goals==
Various theonomic authors have stated such goals as "the universal development of Biblical theocratic republics,"<ref name= "chilton">{{cite book |last=Chilton |first=David |author-link= David Chilton |title=Paradise Restored: A Biblical Theology of Dominion |publisher= Dominion Press |date=1984 |isbn=0-930462-52-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_NmAAAACAAJ |access-date= March 26, 2021 }}</ref>{{rp|223–335}} exclusion of non-Christians from voting and citizenship,<ref name= "north">{{cite book |last=North |first= Gary |author-link=Gary North (economist) |title=Political Polytheism |publisher= Institute for Christian Economics |date= 1989 |isbn=0-930464-32-X |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ApfYAAAAMAAJ |access-date= March 26, 2021}}</ref>{{rp |87}} and the application of Biblical law by the state.<ref name="bahnsen">{{cite book |last= Bahnsen |first= Greg |author-link= Greg Bahnsen |title=By This Standard: The Authority Of God's Law Today |publisher= Institute for Christian Economics |date= 1985 |isbn= 0-930464-06-0 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jIbnzAEACAAJ |access-date= March 26, 2021}}</ref>{{rp |346–47}} Under such a system of biblical law, homosexual acts,<ref name= "demar">{{cite book |last= DeMar |first=Gary |author-link=Gary DeMar |title= Ruler of the Nations |publisher= Dominion Press |date=1987 |isbn=978-0-93046219-2 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EDC9AAAACAAJ |access-date=March 26, 2021}}</ref>{{rp |212}} adultery, witchcraft, and blasphemy<ref name="north2">{{cite book |last= North |first= Gary |author-link= Gary North (economist) |title=Unconditional Surrender: God's Program for Victory |publisher= Institute for Christian Economics |date=1988 |isbn= 0-930464-12-5}}</ref>{{rp |118}} would be punishable by death. Propagation of idolatry or "false religions" would be illegal<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe179.htm |title=An Interview with Greg L. Bahnsen |access-date= 2007-12-12 |archive-date= 2020-05-14 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200514210715/http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe179.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref> and could also be punished by the death penalty.<ref>Rushdoony, R.J., 1973, ''[[The Institutes of Biblical Law]]'', Nutley, NJ: Craig Press, pp. 38–39.</ref><ref>Schwertley, Brian M., [http://www.reformedonline.com/uploads/1/5/0/3/15030584/webpolitical_polytheism.pdf "Political Polytheism"] {{Webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130515165305/http://www.reformedonline.com/uploads/1/5/0/3/15030584/webpolitical_polytheism.pdf |date=2013-05-15}}</ref> 

More recent theonomic writers such as Joel McDurmon, former President of [[American Vision]], have moved away from this position, stating that these death penalties are no longer binding in the new covenant.<ref>McDurmon, Joel. ''The Bounds of Love: An Introduction to God's Law of Liberty''. American Vision Press, 2016.</ref> Former pastor and theonomy critic, JD Hall, who debated McDurmon in 2015,<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvCJEGM0WMw |title=The Theonomy Debate {{!}} Joel McDurmon vs. Jordan Hall |date=2015-02-27 |last=The American Vision |access-date=2025-06-07 |via=YouTube}}</ref> has argued that abandoning Mosaic penologies such as the death penalty means that McDurmon and others who hold similar positions cannot be said to hold to theonomy in any meaningful way.<ref>Hall, J.D. ''On Joel McDurmon’s Abandonment of Theonomy''. (2016, October 22). Pulpit & Pen News. https://pulpitandpen.org/2016/10/21/on-joel-mcdurmons-abandonment-of-theonomy/</ref>

According to the theonomist [[Greg Bahnsen]], the laws of God are the standard which Christian voters and officials ought to pursue.  The civil law given to the nation of Israel, it is stated, is continuously binding, although apart from what he considers to be surrounding cultural connotations specific to this nation itself.{{r|bahnsen|}}

==Relation to Reformed theology==
Some in modern [[Reformed churches]] criticize any relationship between the historical Reformed faith and theonomy,<ref>See, for instance, ''Theonomy: A Reformed Critique'' published by the faculty of [[Westminster Theological Seminary]] and [[Westminster Seminary California]]. Also [http://www.providencepca.com/essays/theonomy.html "The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Theonomic Document?"] by [[Ligon Duncan]].</ref> but other [[Calvinists]] affirm that theonomy is consistent with the historic Reformed confessions.<ref>See [http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe551.htm ''Theonomic Ethics and the Westminster Confession''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627225735/http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe551.htm |date=2020-06-27 }} by [[Kenneth Gentry]], ''The New Puritanism: A Preliminary Assessment of Christian Reconstruction'' by Robert Bowman, Jr., [http://chalcedon.org/resources/counsel-of-chalcedon-magazine/1997-issue-7/theonomy-and-the-westminster-confession-a-review-and-report'' Theonomy and the Westminster Confession''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903143204/http://chalcedon.org/resources/counsel-of-chalcedon-magazine/1997-issue-7/theonomy-and-the-westminster-confession-a-review-and-report |date=2019-09-03 }} by Martin Foulner, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080227084643/http://www.covenant-rpcus.org/images/calvintheonomy.pdf ''The Theonomic Precedent in the Theology of John Calvin''] by Christopher Strevel, and [http://www.reformed.org/ethics/Jordan_judicial_laws_Moses.html ''Calvinism and the Judicial Law of Moses''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526002401/http://www.reformed.org/ethics/Jordan_judicial_laws_Moses.html |date=2006-05-26 }} by James Jordan, and [http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe144.htm ''The Theonomic Thesis in Confessional and Historical Perspective''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514210635/http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe144.htm |date=2020-05-14 }} by Greg Bahnsen. [http://chalcedon.org/docs/counselpdf/2005_4%20Biblical%20Ethics%20and%20the%20Westminster%20Standards.pdf ''Biblical Ethics and the Westminster Standards''] by Dr. W. Gary Crampton</ref>

==See also==
Related topics in Christianity:
{{cols|colwidth=16em}}
* [[Canon law of the Catholic Church]]
* [[Divine command theory]]
* [[Christian reconstructionism]]
* [[Biblical law in Christianity]]
* [[Neo-Calvinism]]
* [[Law and Gospel]]
* [[Christian anarchism]]
* [[Theodemocracy]]
* [[Christian views on the Old Covenant]]
* ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]''
* [[Postmillennialism]]
{{colend}}
Related topics in philosophy and other religions:
{{cols|colwidth=16em}}
* [[Blasphemy law]]
* [[Macroethics and microethics]]
* [[Halachic state]]
* [[Halakha]]
* [[Islamism]]
* [[Religious censorship]]
* [[Religious law]]
* [[Sharia]]
* [[Supremacism]]
{{colend}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
{{Further reading cleanup|date=March 2021}}
;Primary sources by theonomists
* {{cite book |first=Greg |last= Bahnsen |author-link= Greg Bahnsen |orig-year=1977 |year= 2002 |title= Theonomy in Christian Ethics |edition= 3rd |location=Nacogdoches, TX |publisher= Covenant Media Press |isbn= 978-0-87552-111-4 }}
* {{cite book|last=Clauson |first= Marc A. |year= 2006 |title= A History of the Idea of "God's Law" (Theonomy): Its Origins, Development and Place in Political and Legal Thought|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofthe_clau_2006_000_8495003 |url-access=registration |location= [[Lewiston, New York]] |publisher=[[Edwin Mellen Press]]|isbn= 9780773455986 }}
* {{cite book|last= Gentry |first= Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Gentry|year=2006|title= Covenantal Theonomy: A Response to T. David Gordon and Klinean Covenantalism|location= Nacogdoches, TX|publisher= Covenant Media Foundation}}
* {{cite book|last=Jordan|first= James B|author-link=James B. Jordan|year=1984|title=The Law of the Covenant: An Exposition of Exodus 21–23|location= Tyler, TX |publisher= Institute for Christian Economics}}
* {{cite book|editor-first= Gary |editor-last=North|editor-link=Gary North (economist)| year=1991|title= Theonomy: An Informed Response|location=Tyler, TX|publisher= Institute for Christian Economics}}

;Secondary sources and criticisms
* {{cite book|editor1-last= Barker |editor1-first=William|editor1-link=William S. Barker|editor2-first=W. Robert|editor2-last= Godfrey|editor2-link= William Godfrey|year= 1990|title=Theonomy: A Reformed Critique |location= Grand Rapids, MI|publisher= Zondervan|isbn= 0-310-52171-8}}
* {{cite book|last= Barron |first= Bruce|year=1992|title= Heaven on Earth? The Social & Political Agenda of Dominion Theology|location=Grand Rapids, MI |publisher=Zondervan|isbn= 978-0-31053611-6}}
* {{cite journal|first=Bryan|last= Estelle|journal=[[Ordained Servant]]|title=Review: ''Covenantal Theonomy''|volume= 16 |issue=5|date=May 2007|url= http://www.opc.org/os.html?article_id=45|access-date=23 August 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100620100826/http://opc.org/os.html?article_id=45|archive-date=20 June 2010|url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal|last=Gordon|first= T. David|author-link=Thomas David Gordon|title= Critique of Theonomy; a Taxonomy|journal= Westminster Theological Journal|volume= 56|year=1994|issue= Spring 1994|pages=23–43|url= http://www.tdgordon.net/theology/theonomy.pdf|access-date=23 August 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110822201045/http://www.tdgordon.net/theology/theonomy.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2011 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal|first= Christopher J. H.|last=Wright|author-link= Christopher J. H. Wright|title=The Ethical Authority of the Old Testament: A Survey of Approaches: Part I|journal=Tyndale Bulletin|volume= 43|issue=1|year=1992|pages= 101–20|url= http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1992_43_1_05_Wright_AuthorityOT.pdf |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120126024859/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/TynBul/Library/TynBull_1992_43_1_05_Wright_AuthorityOT.pdf |archive-date= 26 January 2012|url-status= live}}
* {{cite journal|first= Christopher J. H.|last= Wright|author-mask= 3 |title= The Ethical Authority of the Old Testament: A Survey of Approaches: Part II|journal= Tyndale Bulletin |volume= 43|issue= 2|year= 1992 |pages= 203–31 |url= http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1992_43_2_01_Wright_EthicalAuthorityOT.pdf |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120125231839/http://www.tyndalehouse.com/TynBul/Library/TynBull_1992_43_2_01_Wright_EthicalAuthorityOT.pdf |archive-date= 25 January 2012|url-status= live}}

==External links==
* [https://chalcedon.edu/resources/videos/what-is-theonomy What is Theonomy?] by [[Chalcedon Foundation]]
* [http://theonomyresources.blogspot.com/2015/03/proof-that-modern-theonomy-advocates.html Proof that Modern Theonomy Advocates the Historic Understanding of the Judicial Law]
* [http://www.meredithkline.com/klines-works/articles-and-essays/comments-on-an-old-new-error/ Comments on an Old-New Error] by [[Meredith Kline]]
* [http://www.frame-poythress.org/ebooks/the-shadow-of-christ-in-the-law-of-moses/ The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses] by [[Vern Poythress]]
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