In the political and spiritual battles of our time, the question of who governs us is not merely political—it is theological. At its core lies a deeper question: Who has the right to define good and evil, right and wrong, truth and lie?
For Christians, the answer is simple: God alone has that right, and His authority is revealed in His law, in creation, and supremely in Christ. But the world—particularly the Progressive Left, dominant in today’s Democratic Party—rejects that answer. Instead, they elevate man’s autonomy as the highest good and human elites as the new moral architects.
The Republican Party, though not without flaws, increasingly stands as a political bulwark for those who still believe in transcendent moral order, inalienable rights granted by a Creator, and the God-ordained structures of family, church, and nation. These convictions are not incidental—they are theological commitments rooted in the image of God and the call to live under His lordship. The Republican Party, in essence, operates upon a diminishing borrowed capital from Christianity.
What follows is an exploration of the two visions of autonomy—one grounded in freedom under God’s authority, the other in slavery under man’s—and how this conflict reflects the ancient rebellion recorded in Scripture: the nations raging, the rulers plotting, and the people seeking to throw off the “cords” of the Lord (Psalm 2). But the One enthroned in heaven laughs—not because the battle is unimportant, but because the outcome is already assured.
Two Competing Visions of Autonomy
The word “autonomy” means self-law—autos (self) and nomos (law). It’s the idea that the individual determines right and wrong apart from any external authority. This idea has taken radically different forms in American political thought.
The Republican View (Traditional)
At its best, the Republican Party upholds a vision of limited autonomy, constrained by:
- Natural law
- Divine revelation
- The rights of others
- The necessity of order
This is the biblical view of liberty: freedom within God’s created design. Man is not a beast to be caged, nor a god to be worshipped—but a creature to be governed by God’s truth.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul…” (Psalm 19:7)
The Democrat View (Progressive Faction)
In contrast, the Democratic Party—especially in its Progressive wing—champions radical autonomy, where:
- The self defines identity (e.g., gender, pronouns)
- Morality is fluid and subjective
- All institutions must affirm personal choices
- Restraint is oppression unless it advances leftist goals
This vision leads inevitably to chaos, and then to tyranny, as human nature cannot sustain unlimited freedom. So elites step in—not to restore God’s order, but to impose their own.
The Democratic Drift Toward Tyranny
The modern Democratic Party is not classically liberal in the Jeffersonian sense. It has evolved into a Progressive, technocratic machine driven by:
- Identity politics
- Neo-Marxist ideology
- Radical egalitarianism
- State-enforced morality
Its goal is not simply to govern—it is to reshape society in a new image. When family, church, biology, and nation stand in the way, they must be torn down. The result is anarcho-tyranny:
- Anarchy at the street level (crime, riots, border chaos)
- Tyranny from above (surveillance, mandates, speech control)
The great irony is that a party claiming to fight oppression has become the vehicle for a new ruling class—unaccountable, intolerant, and determined to crush dissent.
The Institutions Progressives Despise
To build their new order, Progressive elites must dismantle the old. The following institutions are consistently targeted:
The Family
- Traditional roles are declared patriarchal
- Marriage is redefined
- Parental rights are diminished by state authority (especially in education and medicine)
The Church
- Faithful Christianity is labeled as bigoted, dangerous, or extremist
- Public expression of biblical morality is increasingly restricted
- Religious liberty is reinterpreted to mean private belief only
Biological Reality
- Male and female are treated as social constructs
- Children are taught they can redefine their sex
- Scientific dissent from gender ideology is punished
The Nation-State
- Borders are xenophobic
- Patriotism is suspect
- National sovereignty is replaced by globalist ideologies
Objective Law and Truth
- Truth is “lived experience”
- Legal standards are redefined by race, gender, or class
- Speech is regulated by subjective “harm” rather than actual legality
In short, they seek to tear down what God has established, so they can build in their own image—a godless utopia built on the ashes of order.
God’s Law and the “Cords” of Restraint (Psalm 2)
This rebellion is nothing new. Psalm 2 describes it perfectly:
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’” (Psalm 2:1–3)
In this passage, “bonds” and “cords” are God’s laws, His moral order, and His sovereign rule. The rulers and nations hate them. Why? Because God’s law limits their desire to be gods themselves. They do not want to reflect God’s image—they want to replace it with their own.
The elite of today—whether in government, media, or academia—carry the same torch. They demand the casting off of God’s cords:
- No more absolute truths
- No more fixed moral standards
- No more limits on sexual expression
- No more family authority over children
- No more recognition of God’s sovereignty
In their minds, freedom means the destruction of all constraint—even the constraints that make true freedom possible.
But Psalm 2 does not end with their triumph.
“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” (Psalm 2:4)
God is not threatened. He is not anxious. He is enthroned. And His response is not panic, but judgment—first delayed, then decisive.
The Consequences of Rebellion: When God Gives Them Over
Romans 1 is the New Testament’s commentary on this global revolt:
“Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him… Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts… God gave them up to dishonorable passions… God gave them up to a debased mind.” (Romans 1:21, 24, 26, 28)
This is the worst form of judgment: not fire from heaven, but freedom from restraint. God steps back and says: “You want to rule yourselves? Then rule yourselves—and reap what you sow.”
The result is:
- Gender confusion
- Sexual perversion
- Economic injustice
- Corrupt leadership
- Cultural collapse
This is not just sociological—it is theological. God is vindicating His law by letting us see the alternative.
“They sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7)
And indeed we are.
The Beauty of Lawful Freedom
The tragedy is that God’s law is not oppressive—it is liberating.
“I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.” (Psalm 119:45)
True freedom is not the absence of form, but the presence of godly structure. Just as a train is most free on tracks, and a fish in water, man is most free within the boundaries of God’s design.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
By contrast, the rule of man—especially autonomous man—always becomes tyrannical. Why?
Because man, when given godlike power, becomes a monster. He does not seek to serve, but to mold others into his image, punishing any who resist.
The Refusal to Accept God’s Gentle Rule
Why, then, does man resist the Lord’s kingship?
Because the unregenerate heart is hostile to God:
“The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7)
Man wants to be free—but on his own terms. He wants to define his own morality, own identity, and own destiny.
But God will not share His glory:
“I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” (Isaiah 42:8)
So man either bows or rebels—there is no third option.
The Two Kingdoms in Conflict
Reformed theology has long spoken of the two kingdoms:
- The Kingdom of Man, governed by pride, rebellion, and human glory.
- The Kingdom of God, marked by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
These are not merely “spiritual categories.” They play out in culture, law, government, and policy.
Jesus said:
“My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18:36)
This doesn’t mean His kingdom has no effect in the world—but that it does not rely on coercion or worldly power. Christ rules by truth, not tyranny.
But the Kingdom of Man demands conformity—and when people resist, it crushes them.
Think: DEI officers, cancel culture, compelled speech laws, medical mandates, drag queen story hours, and the criminalization of Christian counseling.
These are not neutral policies. They are the tools of a rival kingdom—and they reveal that the conflict is not merely left vs. right, but God vs. man.
In Whose Image? Christ vs. the Elite
Nowhere is the clash more stark than in the question of formation.
- The Christian believes that man is made in the image of God, and that through salvation, he is being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
- The Progressive elite, having rejected God, fashion their own image, and then attempt to conform others to it.
This is the most profound irony of the Progressive movement: in the name of individual liberation, they seek to mold the masses into a uniform image, defined by:
- Radical gender ideology
- State-approved moral narratives
- Political obedience
- Psychological submission to elite categories
This is nothing less than a counterfeit discipleship—a parody of sanctification.
In the Kingdom of Christ, believers are made holy by the Spirit, through grace, in joyful submission to God’s Word.
In the Kingdom of Man, citizens are made “virtuous” by coercion, fear, and state-approved dogma.
In Christ:
“You were taught… to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)
In the world:
You will wear the badge, speak the slogan, confess the sin of your race or sex, and conform—or else.
They may not use crosses or altars, but the elite have their own sacraments:
- Pride month
- Pronouns in bios
- Land acknowledgments
- Anti-racism pledges
All of them form the liturgy of a false gospel, and those who refuse are treated as heretics.
The Voice of the Faithful: What Our Christian Thinkers Say
Many respected Christian thinkers—Reformed pastors, theologians, and cultural commentators—have recognized this conflict and spoken with clarity and courage. Here is what some of them might contribute to this discussion:
R.C. Sproul
The sinfulness of sin is that man dares to assert his autonomy in the face of the absolute sovereignty of God.
Sproul would call Progressive ideology what it is: cosmic rebellion—an attempt to dethrone God and enthrone man.
John MacArthur
When a nation suppresses the truth, God gives them over.
MacArthur sees in our cultural chaos the outworking of Romans 1 judgment—where society collapses morally, sexually, and spiritually because it has rejected God.
Voddie Baucham
The problem is not the system—it’s sin.
In Fault Lines, Baucham shows how modern “justice” movements are built on Critical Theory, not Scripture. They form people into identity groups, not image-bearers of God.
Francis Schaeffer
When truth dies, law becomes tyranny.
Schaeffer would interpret today’s Progressive morality as an escape from reason, leading to lawlessness from below and dictatorship from above.
Greg Bahnsen
Autonomy is idolatry.
Bahnsen insisted that all law is moral law, and when God’s law is removed, man doesn’t become free—he becomes enslaved to his own lusts and the elite who manipulate them.
Abraham Kuyper
There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’
Kuyper would urge Christians to challenge the false sovereignty of the state and elites with the real sovereignty of Christ—who alone has the right to rule.
Melvin Tinker
What we are seeing is not just cultural change—but a cultural revolution driven by an anti-Christian worldview.
Tinker understood the spiritual roots of cultural Marxism and the Progressive push to deconstruct Christian civilization. He would urge Christians to name the idols and proclaim the truth boldly.
Conclusion: The Vindication of God’s Rule
We are living in a moment of moral inversion, institutional collapse, and cultural tyranny masquerading as compassion. The Progressive vision has promised liberation but delivered confusion. It has promised equality but delivered manipulation. It has promised autonomy—but only under elite supervision.
But Scripture tells us: this too is part of God’s plan.
He allows the nations to rage. He permits the cords of His law to be scorned. And then, He vindicates His rule—first by judgment, then by redemption, and finally by the return of His Son.
Psalm 2 ends not with despair, but with this call:
“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:10–12)
We must choose. Will we live under the rule of the gentle Shepherd, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light? Or will we serve the petty tyrants of a dying empire who seek to mold us into their image, only to cast us aside when we do not comply?
Christ frees. Man enslaves. The cords of God’s law are the rails of liberty.
Let us walk in them.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
MMXXV
christiannewsjunkie@gmail.com
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