Theonomy

Theonomy (from Greek θεός theos 'god' and νόμος nomos 'law') is a hypothetical Christian form of government in which divine law governs societies.[1] Theonomists hold that societies should observe divine law, particularly the Old Testament’s judicial laws.[2] The movement’s chief architects were Gary North, Greg Bahnsen, and R.J. Rushdoony.[3]

Theonomy presumes biblical Israel’s Old Covenant judicial laws have not been abrogated, and therefore all civil governments must enforce them (including the specific penalties). Theonomy holds that all civil governments must refrain from coercion if Scripture has not prescribed their intervention (the "regulative principle of the state").[4][5][6]

Theonomy is distinct from the "theonomous ethics" proposed by Paul Tillich.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Origin
* 2 Goals
* 3 Relation to Reformed theology
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 Further reading
* 7 External links

## Origin

Thomas Aquinas held, "if a sovereign were to order these judicial precepts to be observed in his kingdom, he would not sin."[7] Some have mistakenly referred to that as "General Equity Theonomy"[8] but it is in fact distinct from theonomy insofar as Aquinas believed the specifics of the Old Testament judicial laws were no longer binding. He instead taught that the judicial precepts contained varying degrees of universal principles of justice that reflected natural law.[9]

In Christian reconstructionism, theonomy is the idea that God provides the basis of both personal and social ethics in the Bible. Theonomic ethics asserts that the Bible has been given as the abiding standard for all human authority (individual, family, church, and civil) and that biblical law must be incorporated into a Christian theory of biblical ethics.

> Theonomic ethics, to put it simply, represents a commitment to the necessity, sufficiency, and unity of Scripture. For an adequate and genuinely Christian ethic, we must have God's word, only God's word, and all of God's word. Nearly every critic of theonomic ethics will be found denying, in some way, one or more of these premises.

> --The Theonomic Antithesis to Other Law-Attitudes[10]

Critics[who?] see theonomy as a significant form of dominion theology, which they define as a theocracy. Theonomy posits that the biblical law is applicable to civil law, and theonomists propose biblical law as the standard by which laws may be measured and to which they ought to be conformed.

## Goals

Various theonomic authors have stated such goals as "the universal development of Biblical theocratic republics,"[11]: 223–335 exclusion of non-Christians from voting and citizenship,[12]: 87 and the application of Biblical law by the state.[13]: 346–47 Under such a system of biblical law, homosexual acts,[14]: 212 adultery, witchcraft, and blasphemy[15]: 118 would be punishable by death. Propagation of idolatry or "false religions" would be illegal[16] and could also be punished by the death penalty.[17][18]

More recent theonomic writers such as Joel McDurmon, former President of American Vision, have moved away from this position, stating that these death penalties are no longer binding in the new covenant.[19] Former pastor and theonomy critic, J.D. Hall, who debated McDurmon in 2015,[20] has argued that abandoning Mosaic penologies such as the death penalty means that McDurmon and others who hold similar positions cannot be said to hold to theonomy in any meaningful way.[21]

According to the theonomist Greg Bahnsen, the laws of God are the standard which Christian voters and officials ought to pursue. The civil law given to the nation of Israel, it is stated, is continuously binding, although apart from what he considers to be surrounding cultural connotations specific to this nation itself.[13]

## Relation to Reformed theology

Some in modern Reformed churches criticize any relationship between the historical Reformed faith and theonomy,[22] but other Calvinists affirm that theonomy is consistent with the historic Reformed confessions.[23]

## See also

Related topics in Christianity:

* Canon law of the Catholic Church
* Divine command theory
* Christian reconstructionism
* Biblical law in Christianity
* Neo-Calvinism
* Law and Gospel
* Christian anarchism
* Theodemocracy
* Christian views on the Old Covenant
* The Handmaid's Tale
* Postmillennialism

Related topics in philosophy and other religions:

* Blasphemy law
* Macroethics and microethics
* Halachic state
* Halakha
* Islamism
* Religious censorship
* Religious law
* Sharia
* Supremacism

## References

1. ↑ Jones, David W. (1 November 2013) (in en). An Introduction to Biblical Ethics. B&H Publishing Group. p. 209. ISBN 9781433680779.
2. ↑ English, Adam C. (2003). "Christian Reconstruction after Y2K". New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. pp. 113–114. "Theonomy - A system of government characterized by being governed by divine law."
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Neuhaus, Richard John (May 1990). "Why Wait for the Kingdom? The Theonomist Temptation". First Things. http://www.firstthings.com/article/1990/05/002-why-wait-for-the-kingdom-the-theonomist-temptation. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
4. ↑ Bahnsen, Greg (April 1994). "What Is "Theonomy"? PE180 New Horizons". https://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe180.htm.
5. ↑ Bahnsen, Greg L. (1991). No other standard : theonomy and its critics. Tyler, Tex.: Institute for Christian Economics. pp. 19–29. ISBN 0-930464-56-7. OCLC 23690584. http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/docs/a_pdfs/gbno.pdf.
6. ↑ Schwertley, Brian. "A Critique of a Critique of Theonomy: An Analysis of Matthew Winzer's Misrepresentations of Theonomy and the Confession of Faith". p. 2. http://www.reformedonline.com/uploads/1/5/0/3/15030584/winzer_a_critique_of_a_critique_of_theonomy.pdf.
7. ↑ Summa Theologica, I-II, q. 104, a. 3
8. ↑ Clausen, Mark A., Professor of History, Cedarville University "Theonomy in the Middle Ages". Paper presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Marriott Wardman Park, Omni Shoreham, Washington Hilton, Washington, DC.
9. ↑ "The General Equity of the Judicial Law" (in en-US). 2016-07-16. https://reformedbooksonline.com/the-general-equity-of-the-judicial-law/.
10. ↑ Bahnsen, Greg. "The Theonomic Antithesis to Other Law-Attitudes". Covenant Media Foundation. http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe054.htm.
11. ↑ Chilton, David (1984). Paradise Restored: A Biblical Theology of Dominion. Dominion Press. ISBN 0-930462-52-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=6_NmAAAACAAJ. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
12. ↑ North, Gary (1989). Political Polytheism. Institute for Christian Economics. ISBN 0-930464-32-X. https://books.google.com/books?id=ApfYAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bahnsen, Greg (1985). By This Standard: The Authority Of God's Law Today. Institute for Christian Economics. ISBN 0-930464-06-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=jIbnzAEACAAJ. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
14. ↑ DeMar, Gary (1987). Ruler of the Nations. Dominion Press. ISBN 978-0-93046219-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=EDC9AAAACAAJ. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
15. ↑ North, Gary (1988). Unconditional Surrender: God's Program for Victory. Institute for Christian Economics. ISBN 0-930464-12-5.
16. ↑ "An Interview with Greg L. Bahnsen". http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pe179.htm.
17. ↑ Rushdoony, R.J., 1973, The Institutes of Biblical Law, Nutley, NJ: Craig Press, pp. 38–39.
18. ↑ Schwertley, Brian M., "Political Polytheism"
19. ↑ McDurmon, Joel. The Bounds of Love: An Introduction to God's Law of Liberty. American Vision Press, 2016.
20. ↑ The American Vision (2015-02-27). The Theonomy Debate | Joel McDurmon vs. Jordan Hall. Retrieved 2025-06-07 - via YouTube.
21. ↑ Hall, J.D. (2016-10-21). "On Joel McDurmon's Abandonment of Theonomy" (in en-US). https://pulpitandpen.org/2016/10/21/on-joel-mcdurmons-abandonment-of-theonomy/.
22. ↑ See, for instance, Theonomy: A Reformed Critique published by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary and Westminster Seminary California. Also "The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Theonomic Document?" by Ligon Duncan.
23. ↑ See Theonomic Ethics and the Westminster Confession by Kenneth Gentry, The New Puritanism: A Preliminary Assessment of Christian Reconstruction by Robert Bowman, Jr.,  Theonomy and the Westminster Confession by Martin Foulner, The Theonomic Precedent in the Theology of John Calvin by Christopher Strevel, and Calvinism and the Judicial Law of Moses by James Jordan, and The Theonomic Thesis in Confessional and Historical Perspective by Greg Bahnsen. Biblical Ethics and the Westminster Standards by Dr. W. Gary Crampton.

## Further reading

Primary sources by theonomists

* Bahnsen, Greg (2002). Theonomy in Christian Ethics (3rd ed.). Nacogdoches, TX: Covenant Media Press. ISBN 978-0-87552-111-4.
* Clauson, Marc A. (2006). A History of the Idea of "God's Law" (Theonomy): Its Origins, Development and Place in Political and Legal Thought. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 9780773455986. https://archive.org/details/historyofthe_clau_2006_000_8495003.
* Gentry, Kenneth (2006). Covenantal Theonomy: A Response to T. David Gordon and Klinean Covenantalism. Nacogdoches, TX: Covenant Media Foundation.
* Jordan, James B (1984). The Law of the Covenant: An Exposition of Exodus 21–23. Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics.
* North, Gary, ed (1991). Theonomy: An Informed Response. Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics.

Secondary sources and criticisms

* Barker, William; Godfrey, W. Robert, eds (1990). Theonomy: A Reformed Critique. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-52171-8.
* Barron, Bruce (1992). Heaven on Earth? The Social & Political Agenda of Dominion Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-31053611-6.
* Estelle, Bryan (May 2007). "Review: Covenantal Theonomy". Ordained Servant 16 (5). http://www.opc.org/os.html?article_id=45. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
* Gordon, T. David (1994). "Critique of Theonomy; a Taxonomy". Westminster Theological Journal 56 (Spring 1994): 23–43. http://www.tdgordon.net/theology/theonomy.pdf. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
* Wright, Christopher J. H. (1992). "The Ethical Authority of the Old Testament: A Survey of Approaches: Part I". Tyndale Bulletin 43 (1): 101–20. http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1992_43_1_05_Wright_AuthorityOT.pdf. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
* ~~ ~~ (1992). "The Ethical Authority of the Old Testament: A Survey of Approaches: Part II". Tyndale Bulletin 43 (2): 203–31. http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1992_43_2_01_Wright_EthicalAuthorityOT.pdf. Retrieved 23 August 2013.

## External links

* What is Theonomy? by Chalcedon Foundation
* Proof that Modern Theonomy Advocates the Historic Understanding of the Judicial Law
* Comments on an Old-New Error by Meredith Kline
* The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses by Vern Poythress

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* Clericalism
* Clerical fascism
* Confessionalism
* Divine rule
* Engaged Spirituality
* Feminist theology
* Thealogy
* Womanist theology
* Identity politics
* Political religion
* Progressive Reconstructionism
* Religious anarchism
* Religious anti-Masonry
* Religious anti-Zionism
* Religious communism
* Religious humanism
* Religious law
* Religious nationalism
* Religious pacifism
* Religion and peacebuilding
* Religious police
* Religious rejection of politics
* Religious segregation
* Religious separatism
* Religious socialism
* Religious views on same-sex marriage
* Secularism
* Secular religion
* Separation of church and state
* Spiritual left
* State atheism
* State religion
* Theocracy
* Theonomy

Christianity and politics

* Blaine Amendment
* Christian anarchism
* Christian anti-communism
* Christian anti-Masonry
* Papal ban
* Christian anti-Zionism
* Christian communism
* Christian corporatism
* Christian democracy
* Christian egalitarianism
* Christian environmentalism
* Evangelical environmentalism
* Christian fascism
* German Christians
* National Catholicism
* Positive Christianity
* Protestant Reich Church
* Christian feminism
* Mormon feminism
* Christian humanism
* Christian law
* Christian left
* Evangelical left
* Christian libertarianism
* Christian pacifism
* Christian peacemaking
* Christian reconstructionism
* Christian republic
* Christian right
* Christian socialism
* In Utah
* Christian state
* Christian Zionism
* Cisalpinism
* Dominion Theology
* Febronianism
* Gallicanism
* Liberation theology
* Papal state
* Pillarisation
* Political Catholicism
* Relations between the Catholic Church and the state
* In Argentina
* Sphere sovereignty
* Subsidiarity
* Temporal power
* Theodemocracy
* Ultramontanism
* Neo-ultramontanism

Islam and politics

* Hui pan-nationalism
* Human Rights in Islam
* Imamate
* Islamic anarchism
* Islamic anti-Masonry
* Islamic anti-Zionism
* Islamic democracy
* Islamic fascism
* Islamic feminism
* Sharia law
* by country
* Islamic nationalism
* In Pakistan
* In South Asia
* Islamic pacifism
* Islamic republic
* Islamic socialism
* Islamic state
* Islamic Zionism
* Islamism
* Criticism
* Islamization
* Khilafat
* Petro-Islam
* Political quietism
* Taliban
* Talibanization
* Two-nation theory

Judaism and politics

* Halachic state
* Jewish anarchism
* Jewish anti-Zionism
* Haredim
* Jewish Autonomism
* Jewish democracy
* Jewish fascism
* Kahanism
* Revisionist Maximalism
* Jewish feminism
* Jewish law
* Jewish left
* Jewish pacifism
* Jewish political movements
* Jewish right
* Jewish secularism
* Jewish socialism
* Bundism
* Humanistic Judaism
* Poale Zion
* Religious Zionism
* World Agudath Israel

Hinduism and politics

* Akhand Bharat
* Hindu feminism
* Gandhism
* Hindu law
* Hindu modernism
* Hindu nationalism
* Hindutva
* Hindu Rashtra
* Panun Kashmir
* Bangabhumi
* Hindu revolution
* Hindu revivalism
* Hindu environmentalism
* Integral humanism
* Indigenous Aryans
* Rama Rajya
* Saffronisation
* Shuddhi
* Uniform civil code

Buddhism and politics

* Buddhists anti-communism
* Buddhist feminism
* Buddhist law
* Buddhist modernism
* Buddhist nationalism
* 969 Movement
* Nichirenism
* Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism
* Buddhist socialism
* Engaged Buddhism
* Humanistic Buddhism
* Secular Buddhism

Other

* American civil religion
* Imperial cult
* Ancient Rome
* Gottgläubig
* Khalistan movement
* Neopaganist feminism
* Religious aspects of Nazism
* Creativity (religion)
* Nazi Satanism
* Personality cult
* State Shinto

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