The Kingdom of this World

The following is a book review of "Death by Liberalism, the Fatal Outcome of Well-Meaning Liberal Policies," by J. R. Dunn. One of the prime appeals of political liberalism is its alleged high moral stance of wanting to help improve people's lives. But in order to do this they must rely on the coercive powers of government. I am reminded of the words of Jesus in Luke 22:25 "And he said to them, 'the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and those in authority over them are called benefactors." (ESV) Our current benefactors have the best of intentions but their track record reflects a culture of death. Consider these examples: Federal Automotive Fuel Standards, which require the use of lighter and flimsier materials= approximately 128,000 unnecessary traffic deaths. The ostensible reason is to reduce "greenhouse gases." Even if we accept the dubious premise that it is necessary to reduce, automotive emissions are a tiny percentage of these gasses. Criminal Justice Reform in which those who commit crimes are considered the "victims." ( 265,000 deaths) Health Care Reform: Up to 450,000 deaths a year. DDT pesticide ban 30-50 million deaths. DDT is the most effective pesticide every created. Its use reduced or even eliminated many insect borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever in the places where it was used. Yet a single book with deeply flawed findings championed by a complicit media resulted in its ban virtually everywhere, and a concurrent rise in these diseases once thought conquered. Over one million children under the age of five die in sub Saharan Africa every year due to malaria alone. Talk about racism. And the evidence mounts. The judicial murder of Terri Schiavo, fifty-five million slaughtered unborn children, the release of hundreds of thousands of formerly institutionalized mentally ill people onto the streets. This should not surprise anyone with a truly Biblical worldview. 1 John 5:19b states that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.' 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers." Jesus tells us "the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy..." ( John 10:10a) Paul writes "The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." ( 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 ESV) A pagan culture needs a steady supply of victims. In our culture we see them on the nightly news, or with the Internet, at any time. I lived in a small city of about twenty thousand people for fourteen years. The only time we ever "made" the national news was one year, the day after Christmas, when a man entered his workplace and slaughtered six of his co-workers. If he had only killed one we would have made local news, but half a dozen catapulted us to national prominence. Dunn explores the concept and evidence for "democide," in which governments either fail to protect or actively endorse policies resulting in many deaths of their own citizens. What he fails to write about is the spiritual reality behind these actions and policies.