Conspiracy: A Biblical View, by Gary North - EntreWave

REPLACING EVIL WITH GOODSecond, our opponents believe in the power religion. They havebecome skilled at the capture and retention of power. It is their way oflife. Thus, they will not be displaced easily. Reading books about theconspiracy will not displace them. Voting for their hand-pickedPresidential candidates every four years will not displace them. Wewill not be delivered by books or Presidential races. We should notplace false hope in programs that are futile, or even self-destructive.Replacement, Not Simply ExposureFor the sake of argument, let us say that two possibilities lie ahead.The first is that a group of principled people who are utterly ignorantof the conspiracy are in a position to replace each conspirator inwhatever office or job that is presently held by conspirators. Thesecond possibility is that this same principled group can gain almostperfect knowledge about every aspect of the conspiracy, but in doingso, they use up all of their spare time. Which would you prefer,ignorant victory or well-informed defeat?You may respond, "no one can replace the conspirators who does notknow all about them. Knowledge comes first." But does it? What didthe people of Israel know about the gods of Canaan that governed thepromised land? Not much. They were not supposed to know muchabout them, either; God forbade them from even mentioning thenames of these gods (Exodus 23:13). Nevertheless, God led them tovictory over these gods under Joshua.What did the Apostles know about Roman law or Roman militarytactics? Not much, but God defeated the Roman Empire and used Hispeople to replace the older Roman leadership. Christians by the year325 were the only group left in Rome which was sufficiently moraland sufficiently productive to take over the administration of thecrumbling Empire. Yet they had been outcasts: persecuted, politicallyinexperienced outcasts. All they had was a moral vision. All they hadwas perseverance. All they had was God.It is not knowledge which saves us. What saves us is grace. Whatsaves a society is the covenantal faithfulness of its people.Our job is not to "throw the rascals out" in one glorious nationalelection. Our job is to replace them steadily by our own competence.http://freebooks.commentary.net/freebooks/docs/html/gnco/html/8.htm (4 of 15) [5/26/2000 1:48:23 PM]