Anarcho-Creationism.com

An Anarchist Defense of Six-Day Creationism

And a Creationist Defense of Anarchism

Why you should become a Bible-believing anarchist
 who also believes the universe was created around 4004 B.C.

Theonomy vs. Autonomy: Worship of the Creator vs. Worship of the Creature

The word "Theonomy" comes from two Greek words meaning "God's" + "Law"

It has two uses:

  1. Distinguish obedience to God's Law from obedience to man's law (Humanism, Autonomy self + law)
  2. Distinguish obedience to all of God's Word in the Bible from obedience to only a select number of passages.

Theonomy vs. Humanism

"Theonomy" is the opposite of "Autonomy"

Theonomy = "God's Law"
Autonomy = "self law"

Who is God: You or God?

Van Til Theonomy Autonomy - Google Search

Cornelius Van Til argued that humans face a fundamental choice: theonomy (obedience to God's law as the ultimate standard) or autonomy (self-law, where humans claim to be their own ultimate authority for morality and knowledge). This concept, popularized by his student Greg Bahnsen, posits that there's no neutral ground; all ethics derive from either God's revealed will or human self-sufficiency, which Van Til saw as the root of all non-Christian thought. Theonomy, in this framework, means God's law is the supreme, unchallengeable standard for all life, opposing the autonomy of secularism and rebellion against God's authority. 
Key Concepts:
  • Theonomy (God's Law): Ethics and knowledge are grounded in God's revealed will, making His commands the only true standard for right and wrong.
  • Autonomy (Self-Law): Humans, as fallen creatures, claim to be their own ultimate authority, leading to distorted views of reality and morality, even if they build impressive things.
  • No Neutrality: Van Til insisted there's no middle ground; people are either subject to God's law or their own rebellious self-law. 
Relation to Christian Reconstructionism:
  • Foundation: Van Til's dichotomy underpins Christian Reconstructionism (theonomy), which advocates for applying Old Testament civil law to modern society.
  • Debate: While many agree with Van Til's core idea (no neutrality), debates exist within Christianity about the specifics of applying Old Testament law (e.g., Reconstructionist vs. General Equity theonomy) and whether Bahnsen's application goes too far into enforcing a flawed human theocracy. 
In essence, for Van Til, true freedom isn't autonomy (doing what one pleases) but is found in submitting to God's law (theonomy) because only God's standard is truly binding and righteous. 

Theonomy or Autonomy?

Theonomy vs. Dispensationalism

Where do we find God's Law?

"Theonomy" is the view that God's Word in the Old Testament is still God's Word, although subsequent revelations from God (in later O.T. prophets or in the New Testament) will shed light on how the earlier revelation from God is to be understood.

Many church-goers today relegate God's Word in the Old Testament to "Word of God, emeritus."

bahnsen theonomy dispensationalism - Google Search

 Theonomy argues for the continuing moral and judicial authority of Old Testament law for all nations, directly opposing dispensationalism , which sees most Old Testament law (especially civil) as abrogated for the church age, requiring it to be reinterpreted or discarded unless explicitly repeated in the New Testament; Bahnsen defended theonomy against critics from both camps, highlighting how dispensationalism often assumes Old Testament law is gone, while theonomy assumes it stands unless modified. Bahnsen maintained that Jesus confirmed the law's exhaustive detail, not abolished it [Matthew 5:17-20], making the civil laws of Israel a standard for present-day governments, contrasting with dispensationalists who view the Mosaic Law's function as fulfilled in Christ's work, not as a blueprint for civil rule. 
Bahnsen's Theonomy
  • Perpetuity of Law: Theonomy asserts that God's moral and judicial laws from the Old Testament are still binding because they reflect His unchanging character.
  • Matthew 5:17-19: Bahnsen interprets Jesus' words as confirming the law's exhaustive details, not its abolition, making the Old Testament civil laws a guide for present-day societies.
  • Role of Civil Government: Theonomic civil authorities are obligated to enforce God's law, including capital punishment for violations, as a reflection of divine justice. 
Dispensationalism's Opposition
  • Abrogation of Law: Dispensationalism generally holds that the Mosaic Law, as a national and civil system, was fulfilled in Christ and is no longer binding on believers, according to passages like Romans 6:14 and Galatians 3:23-25.
  • Premise of Discarding: Dispensationalists tend to presume Old Testament laws are abrogated unless repeated in the New Testament, which is the opposite stance of theonomy. 
Key Conflict Point
  • The fundamental disagreement lies in the hermeneutics (interpretation) of the Law and its application post-Christ; dispensationalism separates Israel's earthly, legal system from the New Covenant's spiritual reality, while Bahnsen sees continuity and the enduring relevance of God's entire revealed law. 

Opponents of "Theonomy" say we should follow Charles Lyell and try to separate Moses from Science, or Moses from Politics. Most church-goers have done this.

What is Theonomy?

Theonomy: God's Law

What is Theonomy?

Anarcho-Theonomy -- Why Theonomists Must Be Anarchists

Theonomy and The State -- "Civil Government" is Contrary to Biblical Law

The Myth of "Natural Law" | Theonomy vs Autonomy

Theonomy -- the Law and Rule of God

Theonomy is "Utopian"

Why We Are Morally Obligated to Obey God's Law (Theonomy)

A Short Theonomy Quiz

Theonomy vs. Autonomy -- 7th

Debate over the Dietary Laws

Understanding the Rhetoric of the Law-Word of God

Why I Worship God's Law

Am I a Theonomist?

Why We Are Morally Obligated to Obey God's Law (Theonomy)

Are There Only 613 Commandments?

Why I Worship The Scriptures

A Conversation with Michael S. Horton

James Jordan Not a Theonomist

Christians are God's "People"

How to Become a Practicing Theonomist

A Short Theonomy Quiz

Why I Worship God's Law

More Theonomy Links

Justification by Law -- Theonomy on Steroids -- A Theonomic Rebuttal to JD Hall

A Conversation with Michael S. Horton

James Jordan Not a Theonomist

Theonomy

God's Law: Conspiratorial Blueprints

THEONOMY vs. AUTONOMY

Theonomic Left-Libertarianism

Theonomy

 

The Five Stages of Deuteronomy 8

Westminster Standards

The Ten Commandments prohibit:

1.  Idolatry
2.  False Religion
3.  Swearing a false oath
4.  Refusal to work
5.  Disrespecting parents and other authorities
6.  Murder
7.  Cheating on your Wife
8.  Theft
9.  Slander
10. Covetousness

For more than 300 years -- roughly 1600-1900 -- "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" -- that is, the Bible -- permeated America's schools and American culture. These laws are the foundation of civilization.

Ten Principles for a Free Society

Preface

Preface

The First Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law
    1. Idolatry and the Ten Commandments

The Second Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Third Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Fourth Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Fifth Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Sixth Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Seventh Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Eighth Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Ninth Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law

The Tenth Commandment 

  1. Overview
  2. Do I Agree With God's Word?
  3. Have I Violated This Commandment?
  4. Am I Resolved to Obey it in the Future?
  5. How This Commandment was Applied in Early American Law