<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]John Winthrop was hardly an "obscure" figure. He was a major puritan leader in New England and the first puritan Governor of Massachusetts in the early 17th century. His Journal is a major primary source document for New England puritan studies.</font><hr></blockquote><p> Though Winthrop was “good” in many areas I do not wholly agree with him in all he did. The Puritans have their good sides and their bad (
look at John Endecott, who is most often recalled for advocating the torture and execution of Quakers). Everyone has their
limitations, save Christ, whom we should be an
imitation of. As I understand your many quotes, you support Winthrop’s dealings with individuals, communities, and society as a whole. His methodology is one of your examples of theonomy at work in society. But, was not John Winthrop “extreme” in some of his views? <br><br>Though I am no advocate of Antinomianism (
a system of doctrine which naturally leads to licentiousness of life), did not the Massachusetts theocrats continue, after the excommunication of Anne Hutchinson (which Winthrop presided over), to froth over the Hutchinsonian heresy for some years to come, variously
[color:red]whipping</font color=red>, [color:red]
banishing</font color=red>, and [color:red]
in one case executing</font color=red> those who continued to espouse Antinomianism (look at the history Colin). Is this your theonomy, your Winthropianism at work? Is this what we are to expect during the next 36,000 years (the estimate for reconstruction according to “your” David Chilton)?<br><br>It appears as if theonomists have replaced the [color:blue]
Good News of the Gospel</font color=blue> with the [color:red]
Guillotine News</font color=red>, if Winthrop is your example and not Christ! Are we to change Matthew 22:9, which says, [color:blue]
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage</font color=blue> to the theonomists version, of [color:red]
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, <span style="background-color:yellow;">execute</span> before the marriage</font color=red>. Or maybe, you would have us believe that Paul missed his [color:red]
theonomist calling</font color=red>, when instead of sharing the Gospel call at Mars Hill (Acts 17:17-34), he should have variously
[color:red]whipped</font color=red>, [color:red]
banished</font color=red>, and [color:red]
executed</font color=red> those that did not embrace Christianity. Paul tried the stoning bit before his conversion with Stephen (consenting unto the death, Acts 8:1)—God corrected him, in his conversion! Colin, Winthropianism and theonomy are NOT [color:blue]
the Gospel</font color=blue>! As Paul says,<br><br><blockquote>[color:blue] Galatians 1:6-11 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto [color:red]
another gospel</font color=red>: Which is not another; [color:red]
but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ</font color=red>. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. </blockquote></font color=blue> Thus, Winthrop denies your assertion by his actions, that [color:red]
Theonomists are not blind followers of men even if they are puritans. Instead they desire to follow the Word of God,</font color=red> for clearly Winthrop embraced something other than
[color:blue]the Gospel</font color=blue> by his actions.<br><br><center>Pilgrim addressed the rest of your post revealing once again its historical inconsistencies and other errors. <br><br>Choose you this day the Gospel or the Guillotine? The Gospel or Theonomy?. [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/igiveup.gif" alt="igiveup" title="igiveup[/img]</center>
