The kingdom of God is no democracy.

[Xeno.of.athens]

In our culture democratic elections and popularly chosen governments are marked as a sign of secure and prosperous societies while dictatorships, communist regimes, oligarchies, and numerous undemocratic forms of government are regarded as inferior as well as corrupting. Such governments are seen as somewhat evil. Yet the biblical pinnacle of Government is a kingdom in which God is king. So, is our culture godly and biblical or is it ungodly and man-made?

 

[Tuur]

The Kingdom of God is no democracy, but God is not corrupt. The same cannot be said of humanity. Among corruptible humanity, which is better: a government where power rests with each corruptible citizen, or a government where power rests on one corruptible person or on a corruptible few?

 

[Bob Crowley]

The reason God has allowed the development of democracy is not because we're all so good and wise we deserve a say in government, but because we can't be trusted with power over our fellow Man. Even when the Christian Church had a much greater say in society eg. the Medieval Church, it descended into corruption.

The difference between God and human beings is that God is good. We're not, regardless of any form of government we may devise.

I'm not an unmitigated admirer of the Reformation, but one thing it did was to encourage democratic forms of government, although it didn't happen overnight. Russia never had a Reformation and the Tsarist mindset still seems to be a part of Russian culture, or so it seems to me, with wealth and power concentrated in relatively few hands.

Wealth by percentile Russia 2021 | Statista

In 2021, the average personal wealth of the richest one percent in Russia was valued at over 2.5 million euros.

www.statista.com

Average wealth held by percentile in Russia 2021​

Published by Statista Research Department, Aug 4, 2023
In 2021, the average personal wealth of the richest one percent in Russia was valued at over 2.5 million euros. In the same year, the bottom 50 percent of the country's population held an average wealth of 3,300 euros, or just over three percent of the total national wealth.

Mind you the West is heading in the same direction.

One thing that surprised me was something my old pastor said once. He was conservative to his boot laces and I doubt if he voted for the Labor Party in his life. He told me once that he and another pastor wrote the social security policy for the National Party adding "It was a document that stood for years!"

Despite this he said to me once in his office "I think Marxism was God's idea, given through a Jew. It's got an almost Biblical ring about it - 'From every man according to ability; to every man according to need."

He added "But the devil got hold of it first! You'd never get the churches to agree to it now!"

So we'll go on with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

 

[hislegacy]

In our culture democratic elections and popularly chosen governments are marked as a sign of secure and prosperous societies while dictatorships, communist regimes, oligarchies, and numerous undemocratic forms of government are regarded as inferior as well as corrupting. Such governments are seen as somewhat evil. Yet the biblical pinnacle of Government is a kingdom in which God is king. So, is our culture godly and biblical or is it ungodly and man-made?

From the moment Israel placed their first King, there has been no theocracy on earth. Every form you mentioned is not God’s best.

There are some that are more beneficial, but none Biblical.

 

[hislegacy]

It is an interesting observation that there are some promoting a socialistic form of government in the US over capitalism.

Yet we receive millions of people fleeing socialists style government. It might sound good, even scriptural (if you don’t really know scripture), but there has never been a form of socialism in the world that people did not flee from.

 

[The Liturgist]

It is an interesting observation that there are some promoting a socialistic form of government in the US over capitalism.

Yet we receive millions of people fleeing socialists style government. It might sound good, even scriptural (if you don’t really know scripture), but there has never been a form of socialism in the world that people did not flee from.

Indeed, on this we agree: totalitarian governments especially when featuring Marxist features, tend to be deeply unpopular and the implementation of socialist command economies such as that seen in the UK implemented under the government of Clement Attlee, even when democratic, tend to cause capital flight and “brain drain” and more severe forms of socialism such as that of the DDR and Eastern Europe or South America tend to cause a mass exodus, just like the Islamist dictatorships of the Middle East.

I do not see any scriptural warrant for such Marxist governmental systems, particularly since Christians are obliged to provide alms to the suffering and this obligation is not conditional on the absence of state socialism.

 

[Richard T]

In our culture democratic elections and popularly chosen governments are marked as a sign of secure and prosperous societies while dictatorships, communist regimes, oligarchies, and numerous undemocratic forms of government are regarded as inferior as well as corrupting. Such governments are seen as somewhat evil. Yet the biblical pinnacle of Government is a kingdom in which God is king. So, is our culture godly and biblical or is it ungodly and man-made?

Part of most democracies is a constitution. So far that has held the USA together. God was involved in the U.S. constitution, with principles like the division of powers, inalienable God-given rights, etc. God is not and does not want to be an earthly King in the New Testament. He is involved in government but mostly he wants Christians to be not of this world. Economic society has changed too. Kings seem unlikely to be creative, so all that really is left is to determine the amount of state intervention one desires in an economy. I doubt God is overly concerned unless the government is using money to commit evils like funding abortions or committing corruption. If wealth gets too concentrated and harms the poor, it is up to them to vote and make changes in the USA. I suppose when that fails another depression can reset wealth equality more like what occurred after the Great Depression. Likely we are not far from that now.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

God was involved in the U.S. constitution, with principles like the division of powers, inalienable God-given rights, etc.

Really?

 

[Richard T]

Really?

Yes, some of the founding fathers preferred biblical principles and some of the Federalists insisted upon the bill of rights to get the Constitution to pass. Some of these principles were from earlier English documents such as the Magna Carta but the idea is not new about giving the King, or President too much power. Also,

Isaiah 33:22 (KJV)
22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. Here God performs the different roles and distinguishes them. This distinguishment was allegedly carried over to the 3 branches executive, legislative and judicial.


Some will go as far to say that God also outlined democracy. Here is an excerpt from https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2305-08532021000300001

This latter introduction to democracy is new to me, but it seems possible if not likely the author is on to something.
"The appointment of judges and officials is the task of the whole community" Duet 16:18-20

"Verse 18 starts with the exhortation: 'You shall appoint judges and officials.' Literally, the text reads: 'Judges and officials you are to give to you.' As supported elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, the combination of the verb give (נָתַן) with the prepositional pronoun connotes 'to make/appoint a person(s) for a specific function or position' (Grisanti in VanGemeren 1997.3:209; cf. Labuschagne in Jenni & Westermann 1997:785). In the context of verse 18, the interpretation and translation of the verb as 'appoint' is fitting (cf. amongst others NRSV; ESV; NIV; New American Standard Bible [NASB]; New King James Version [NKJV]).

The appointment of these judges and officials is to be done by 'you' (singular). As determined above in the discussion of the structure of the passage, verses 18-20 employs the second person singular throughout, indicating that Israel as a whole, namely as a corporate personality, is addressed. In other words, the people were to appoint these judges and officials; it was the task of the community. Vogt (2006:210) correctly stresses that 'the significance of this … has not been as readily appreciated'. Presumably the judges and officials were selected from amongst the local elders (or Levites [so Christensen 2001:361, comparing Dt 17:9]) on the basis of some sort of popular consent of the people; amongst others, 'their community reputation for fairness' (Olson 2007:52), with other elders acting on behalf of the people with their appointment (Block 2012:402; Christensen 2001:361; McConville 2002:286; Tigay 1996:160, 364; Weinfeld 1977:87; cf. Wright 1996:204). Whatever the case may have been in practice, the text indicates that the burden of appointment rests on the shoulders of the people.22"

 

[Hawkins]

The true nature of democracy is to force the minority to be ruled by someone they didn't choose. True democracy is to allow all to choose who to rule them. That's God's way of democracy. He doesn't force anyone into His ruling. That's actually what the nature of free will is, that is, one is given the ability to choose to oppose God.

 

[The Liturgist]

Yes, some of the founding fathers preferred biblical principles and some of the Federalists insisted upon the bill of rights to get the Constitution to pass. Some of these principles were from earlier English documents such as the Magna Carta but the idea is not new about giving the King, or President too much power. Also,

Isaiah 33:22 (KJV)
22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. Here God performs the different roles and distinguishes them. This distinguishment was allegedly carried over to the 3 branches executive, legislative and judicial.


Some will go as far to say that God also outlined democracy. Here is an excerpt from https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2305-08532021000300001

This latter introduction to democracy is new to me, but it seems possible if not likely the author is on to something.
"The appointment of judges and officials is the task of the whole community" Duet 16:18-20

"Verse 18 starts with the exhortation: 'You shall appoint judges and officials.' Literally, the text reads: 'Judges and officials you are to give to you.' As supported elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, the combination of the verb give (נָתַן) with the prepositional pronoun connotes 'to make/appoint a person(s) for a specific function or position' (Grisanti in VanGemeren 1997.3:209; cf. Labuschagne in Jenni & Westermann 1997:785). In the context of verse 18, the interpretation and translation of the verb as 'appoint' is fitting (cf. amongst others NRSV; ESV; NIV; New American Standard Bible [NASB]; New King James Version [NKJV]).

The appointment of these judges and officials is to be done by 'you' (singular). As determined above in the discussion of the structure of the passage, verses 18-20 employs the second person singular throughout, indicating that Israel as a whole, namely as a corporate personality, is addressed. In other words, the people were to appoint these judges and officials; it was the task of the community. Vogt (2006:210) correctly stresses that 'the significance of this … has not been as readily appreciated'. Presumably the judges and officials were selected from amongst the local elders (or Levites [so Christensen 2001:361, comparing Dt 17:9]) on the basis of some sort of popular consent of the people; amongst others, 'their community reputation for fairness' (Olson 2007:52), with other elders acting on behalf of the people with their appointment (Block 2012:402; Christensen 2001:361; McConville 2002:286; Tigay 1996:160, 364; Weinfeld 1977:87; cf. Wright 1996:204). Whatever the case may have been in practice, the text indicates that the burden of appointment rests on the shoulders of the people.22"

Indeed, here is the text from Deuteronomy:

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

 

[RDKirk]

Despite this he said to me once in his office "I think Marxism was God's idea, given through a Jew. It's got an almost Biblical ring about it - 'From every man according to ability; to every man according to need."
.

That's clearly how the 1st century congregations operated, particularly the Jerusalem congregation.