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Biblical Principles of Government (9a)

Release Date: 05/29/2024

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...

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...

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...

Biblical Principles of Government (9a)

Principle Perspective with Mike Winther

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

More Episodes

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 education could significantly influence the outlooks of future generations. Mike also emphasizes the importance of reading physical books, underlining, and bookmarking the best passages.

Mike kicks off the history portion by breaking down the etymology of the word "history." He discusses how history is important to God and uses the Bible as an example. Mike then explores the six philosophical views of history that shape how people perceive it. We learn that history is the study of the consequences of ideas. Mike strives to make history interesting and ties it back to the Biblical Principles we cherish.

You’ll Learn:

[01:02] The political and educational solutions to our problems. We either try to change society politically or through education.
[01:41] Sometimes we get our focus wrong and put all of our effort on the political solution and neglect education.
[05:32] If we spent 1/10 of what is spent on political campaigns on education and teaching High School students this course, it would change society.
[12:16] Mike talks about the importance of reading and how we all need to be readers.
[16:06] History and the etymology of the word. His story or the working out of God's story.
[19:15] History is important to God. Just try to find a book in the Bible that isn't about history.
[19:44] Psalm 78 and Joshua 4 and Judges 5 and the New Testament.
[22:23] Mike talks about the six philosophical views of history that frame how people view history.
[23:15] The state of society, good or bad. Early time and later time. This charts the views of History.
[23:46] 1. The random view of History. Things are sometimes better and sometimes worse.
[24:13] 2. The pendulum view of History where we swing from one extreme to another.
[24:51] 3. The evolutionary progress view. This is where everything evolves over time and gets better.
[25:39] The first three views of history are atheist or agnostic. The next three are compatible with Christianity.
[25:41] He also talks about what all Christians agree on.
[27:13] 4. The pessimistic view. Things get worse and worse until the second coming.
[27:46] 5. The neutral view. We're not getting more or less righteous, things just vacillate back and forth.
[28:08] 6. The optimistic view. Over time, the church has more influence, and the level of righteousness improves.
[28:46] Psalm 110
[36:37] History is simply the study of the consequences of ideas. It gets exciting when you think about the stuff that really happened.
[37:48] The Magna Carta was the first time a king was seriously challenged.
[38:36] The Great Charter was the start of a multi-millennial challenge to the power of the king.
[39:46] Mike shares the history before the landing of the Mayflower.
[40:30] The Gutenberg Bible gave more people access to read God's word.
[42:28] Separatists were people who were tired of the Church of England and were separating. The Puritans were trying to purify and solve all the flaws.
[43:11] The pilgrims lived in Holland before they came to Plymouth. John Robinson preached all of God's words.
[44:14] The number one reason they left Holland was because their children were too influenced by the secular nature of Holland. The fifth reason was to evangelize the natives of North America.
[48:20] The Mayflower Compact. The first constitution in the US.
[51:51] The providential view of history says that Providence or God intervenes in history.
[56:24] The pilgrims didn't have enough crops to sustain themselves.
[01:00:35] The first experiment in socialism was a failure. Once it was abandoned they had more food than they could use.

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