Posted in The Principle Approach: Self-Directed Study

Welcome to The Christian Principle of American Political Union... 

Week 14—Assignment

• Lesson 6
  • The Christian Principle of American Political Union—7^th Principle section only
• Supplemental Resources:  
  • T&L pgs. 85-87; 134-136—Outlining The Christian Form of Our Government
  • T&L pgs. 262-268—Key to Expanding the Principles
• Assignments:  None

This week we are discussing the 7^th principle—The Christian Principle of American Political Union.  You may want to review this principle in Week 5 of our “PA Summary”.

Lesson 6—The Christian Principle of American Political Union

      “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

Ephesians 4:13 

            The principle of Christian unity is further defined in the Bible as follows:

            “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment”.  1 Corinthians 1:10 

            “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.”  Psalm 133:1

            T&L describes how the Pilgrims learned Christian Unity from the New Testament Churches.  For 150 years, the colonists practiced Christian self-government.  About 10 years before the Revolutionary War, England began to exert her pressure on the colonists to conform to monarchy rule.  They knew this to be wrong.  “They knew their rights and liberties were of God and not of man and therefore they were united in this conviction.”  [T&L, pg. 267]

            Christian political union first occurred throughout the colonies at the time of the British tax on tea—England’s effort to exert her authority over the colonies by taxing them without any representation.

The Christian Principle of American Political Union is expanded throughout the grades with “Leading Ideas” encompassing the events that occurred in Boston and the response by the colonists in support of Boston when England enacted the Boston Port Bill to shut down the harbor.

“Within the space of two months, for the first time in Christian history, three million people achieved Biblical Christian Unity.  As the support flowed into the town of Boston, the colonies found themselves united both in the cause of Liberty and in the ‘unity of Spirit.’  Thus there was achieved in the seventeen hundred years of Christianity—a unique event which revealed the Chain of Christianity and its inseparability from America.”  [T&L, pg. 263]

            The principle of The Christian Principle of American Political Union is layered with The Noah Plan as follows:

The Christian Principle of American Political Union

Grade Level	Layer	Red Books
Primary	Boston Patriots and the Tea Act	T&L pgs. 263-264 CHOC, I, pgs. 327-339
Elementary	Boston Port Closed—A Day of Fasting and Prayer	T&L pgs. 264-266 CHOC, I, pgs. 327-346A; 271-282; & 320-323
Junior High	The Cement of American Union	T&L pg. 267 CHOC, I pgs. 16, 17; 249-252; 334-339; & 346B-364
Senior High	American Unity is Christian Unity	T&L pg. 268 CHOC, I pgs. (various—see T&L pg. 268)

 Note:  These are suggestions only and not necessarily the way you need to approach this and not necessarily the way I have approached these areas of learning.  We have freedom in education! 

            In order to more fully understand Biblical Christian Unity, I did a word study on unity and also studied the differences between unity and individuality.  It became clear that unity does not mean we all think alike.  If that were the case, there would be no individuality among us.

American Political Union is a kin to the unity of the church.

As God created every snowflake to be completely unique, so is every person.  Their thoughts are unique; their process of thinking is unique.  This is acceptable, blessed, and designed by God as long as every thought is in conformity with Christ.

Although we are unique and individual, Christ has called us to be united in spirit and truth.  Since the same Spirit dwells within us, we should all have the same disposition and goals, united under the same head (Christ), and possessing the same godly character.

Unity differs from the collectivism of socialist countries because unity includes diversity and individuality; whereas, collectivism suppresses individuality.

So should unity be under a Christian government.  E Pluribus Unum means “the one from the many”.  Just as the one (Church) is from the many (believers); so is the one (Nation) from the many (states).  Our great nation came to be because we were “free from the benumbing influences of centralization on the one hand, and from the fatal dangers of disintegration on the other.”  (Frothingham)

The Biblical principle of self-government as applied to the “individual” developed into the “state” as applied to our Christian government.  The Biblical principle of unity as applied to the “church” developed into the “nation” as applied to our Christian government.  As we believers are one in Christ, our Nation is the union of many individual states.  “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

            I never realized the true impact of what really happened in the hearts of the colonists in that simple history story we read as children—“The Boston Tea Party”.

Karen