Biblical Principles of Government (10b)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
In Christianity, there is a lot of discussion about end times, tribulation, rapture, and similar topics. Mike Winther addresses end times views found in the Bible. The modern church holds different views compared to the traditional perspectives. In this episode, Mike argues in favor of the traditional view rather than the modern interpretation of the end times. He also emphasizes that this topic is not an absolute necessity of the Christian faith. True and honest Christians disagree about the end times and even about what the Bible says regarding them. As believers, this is a subject on which...
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Biblical Principles of Government (10a)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
In this session, Mike Winther discusses government, relativism, and absolute truth. He talks about how the modern educational system teaches relativism instead of absolute truth. A significant part of the modern world's conflict centers on the debate over the existence of absolute truth. The message of this class is that absolute truths do exist, and there may be more of them than we initially thought. In the first week of this lecture series, Mike explored the proper role of government. The core assumption is that there is a proper role for government, as well as improper roles. We should...
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Biblical Principles of Government (9b)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
In this ongoing discussion of Biblical Principles of Government, Mike Winther talks about the ongoing battle over history. He begins with a tribute to King Massasoit and explains how the pilgrims bought land from the Native Americans. This tribute eventually evolved into a plaque commemorating the conflict between the pilgrims and the Native Americans, highlighting two different narratives. There is a battle over history. We learn about some interesting aspects of English and early American history from the pilgrims, legal scholars, and early church leaders. Mike emphasizes that in order to...
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Biblical Principles of Government (9a)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
Mike Winther continues his discussion on Biblical Principles of Government. This episode will focus on history, but he begins the lecture by highlighting two key solutions to our problems: the political solution and the educational solution. All of our efforts to change the world can be divided into these two categories. We either try to change society politically or through education. Unfortunately, we often concentrate all our efforts on the political solution, when focusing on education is the real answer. Spending just one-tenth of what is spent on political campaigns on biblical...
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Biblical Principles of Government (8b)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
Mike Winther continues his valuable teaching on economics, government, and history in section 8a of his Biblical Principles of Government course. Have you ever wondered how an economy grows? Mike begins by discussing growth, inflation, and increasing the money supply, answering these questions using his ongoing small island economy example. He also addresses incentives to invest and explains how market downturns are less severe when people have substantial savings. Additionally, we learn why a fixed economy would benefit more individuals. After covering economic topics, Mike shifts his focus...
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Biblical Principles of Government (8a)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
As Mike Winther continues his Biblical Principles of Government series, we'll explore practical components about how the world works while increasing our intellectual inquiry. All of this is so we can gain a better understanding of how we can make a difference. He kicks off the show by discussing whether the topics covered in the series really matter. For many Christians, they don't. Everything is already seen as a foregone conclusion. This is a view that people have held since the second century AD. If your answer is yes, this matters, then what are you going to do? This lecture will...
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Biblical Principles of Government (7b)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
Mike Winther continues his conversation from last week about charity, highlighting God's plan for generosity and the importance of sharing. He differentiates between God's model of voluntary charity and the concept of forced charity, such as Marxism, which he claims is not genuine charity. He compares the government's approach to God's model, beginning the episode by referencing scriptural passages that outline God's vision. Mike also examines God's "safety net," which includes working, helping one's family, and seeking support from the church. Another critical topic he dives into is the...
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Biblical Principles of Government (7a)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
In this discussion, Mike Winther explores the significant topic of charity. Mike approaches this subject with caution to ensure that our actions align not only with our intentions but also with what God intends. He discusses the arguments for both large and small government structures, highlighting two main reasons why government expansion occurs. Mike examines what the Bible says about charity and assisting the poor, and he contrasts God’s model of charity with that of Karl Marx. Additionally, Mike addresses the issue of inflation, the increase in the money supply, and rising prices. We...
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Biblical Principles of Government (6b)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
This episode of the series begins by discussing the 2007 and 2008 housing bubble, a topic that remains highly relevant today. During that period, prices were skyrocketing and interest rates were low, leading people to refinance and sink deeper into debt. When the collapse occurred, proponents of big government blamed the free market and called for increased regulation. Mike dives into the causes of this housing bubble, highlighting the manipulation of interest rates, the pricing of money, and the economic stimulation by the Federal Reserve. He discusses how low interest rates and the selling...
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Biblical Principles of Government (6a)
Principle Perspective with Mike Winther
Mike Winther kicks off Section 6a of "Biblical Principles of Government" with a poignant quote from Thomas Jefferson: "It's strangely absurd to suppose that a million human beings collected together are not under the same moral laws which bind each of them separately." This assertion underlines the principle of The Collective Application of God's Commands. Mike dives into the concepts of individualism and collectivism, explaining individualism as dealing with individuals, whereas collectivism addresses the group as a whole. He highlights the role of government as a collective entity that...
info_outlineMike Winther talks about asking what the proper role of Government is and what economic system we should have. He emphasizes understanding what socialism is and knowing why it's right or wrong. He also talks about the type of mindset we should have about socialist programs in agriculture.
Some of the items he features include debate and truth, agricultural policy, socialism, and limited government. He also talks about price and economy, subsidies and fairness, and the burden of proof with quality standards.
You’ll Learn:
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[01:02] Sophists were people in ancient Greece who engaged in debate, but they weren't concerned about truth. Debate was a game.
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[01:55] When we debate both sides of the issue, it's easy to walk away from a topic without an actual opinion.
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[02:38] Is there true belief that we should advocate for agricultural policy?
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[03:01] We should ask what the proper role of government is and what economic system we should be operating under.
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[04:07] We spend a lot of time in the area of practicality but not enough in the area of principle.
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[04:36] Socialism is an economic system characterized by government controlled capital or forced redistribution of wealth.
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[06:41] Why might socialism be considered a bad thing?
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[07:26] Socialism violates a number of biblical principles. It violates property rights. There's a Biblical argument for limited small narrow taxation.
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[09:30] Socialism creates poverty. Nations that have free market systems are wealthier.
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[11:57] Taxes reduce production and make prices go up. People also need to be paid to be the redistributors. This reduces the number of people who are actually producing goods and services.
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[13:13] The welfare state reduces production.
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[14:17] Socialism violates property rights, creates poverty, and promotes envy and covetousness. It creates a mindset of givers and takers.
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[14:53] The study of political science is how we allocate the pie.
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[15:50] Socialism also produces idolatry. It creates an idol or a dependency.
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[17:29] Socialism has become a dominant factor in our society because it's promoted in the educational system, it's promoted in the media, inviting people in groups into socialism is also a way to promote it.
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[18:53] We've invited farmers into the Socialist system by giving subsidies.
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[20:31] Stabilizing prices is a common argument.
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[22:07] Price is the key to the economy.
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[28:32] Government providing insurance subsidies is like price fixing.
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[30:07] Who defines what quality is with a government enforced standard?
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[31:41] There may well be a limited role of government for environmental protection.
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[33:23] There needs to be a burden of proof for the argument to a high standard.
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[34:25] All of these questions come back to the proper role of government and what economic system we should have.
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[35:00] There should also be a level playing field for government protections. We need a consistent mindset for government programs.