Anyone want to discuss this topic any further?
Yes. I've been hearing these guys out on the issue.. That is , folk like Jeff Durbin, Joel McDurmon, Gary Demar, and the late Greg Bahnsen.
It seems their view of Theonomy goes hand in hand with their eschatology.. Their eschatology involving partial preterism and Post-millenialism.
They believe that on Christ's ascension all power and authority has been given to Him. They believe Christ will use that authority to subdue and make disciples of all nations through the gospel via His Church.
They don't teach, as I previously thought they did, that the Church is to accomplish this by Jihad, or Taliban tactics, but rather through the faithful proclamation of the gospel. Post-millenial eschatology concludes that the world for the most part, not just a small persecuted remnant here and there will turn to Christ, causing them to naturally create governments based on scriptural jurisprudence.
Theonomist don't believe Christians should appeal to some notion of inherent "natural law" but to the scriptures when arguing governance, laws and morality.
Like I said in another thread, It does have me rethinking some things.
Christ did promise that the Church, will destroy and tear down the gates of Hell. What that actually entails of course is in dispute among the different camps.
Many Post-millenialists are convinced that the Church's ineffectiveness in the world has much to do with their eschatological expectations. In other worlds, Evangelicals for the most part today believe that they are bound to lose, that is, to be a small, persecuted minority waiting desperately to be spirited away by the rapture. Or like the Amillenialist believe, to just be a small, chosen remnant from each nation.
Post-millenialists regard those views as pessi-millenielism. (pessimistic)
Bottom line, eschatological expectations and the interpretation of Christ's mandate to "disciple the nations" are the basis for Theonomy..
Personally I'm not totally sold on it, but by no means do I consider them Galatian heretics or legalists.
Concerning their soteriology most of them are solidly in the Reform camp.