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Rachel Tingle reviews 'The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope for Society' by Dr Joe Boot (Wilberforce Publications, 2016)

Since the 1960s Britain has seen a remarkable change in its culture and laws (as have many other countries in the West). Where once abortion and homosexual practice were outlawed, divorce was difficult, and sex outside marriage was frowned upon, we now kill the unborn child when convenient, create human embryos at will, and sex or marriage with whom and whenever is simply a matter of lifestyle choice. It is those Christians who protest that any of this is 'wrong' who may find themselves outside the law.

How did this extraordinary shift come about? Where is it likely to lead? And is there any hope for an alternative, more Godly, future? These are amongst the questions that British apologist, evangelist and theologian, Dr Joe Boot, sets out to discuss.

New Puritanism?

It has to be admitted at the outset that this book will not appeal to everyone. In the first place, at more than 600 pages, it is a long and complex work that requires a real commitment of time and intellectual energy.

Second, some readers (like myself) will disagree with its theological underpinnings, which are explicitly Calvinistic, including the view that Jesus' return will not be until after the establishment of his Kingdom on earth ('post-millennialism'). Indeed, this is Boot's cause for hope and his definition of the 'mission of God' - the establishment of "the kingdom and reign of God in the earth by his Spirit, through law and gospel" (p26).

This, he says, was the vision and motivating force of the Puritans of the English Commonwealth under Cromwell. For this reason, Joe Boot calls himself a 'new Puritan' and draws on the history of that period, as well as that of the similarly-motivated early settlers in America and Canada (where he now lives). He also draws on the extensive work of the 20^th Century American theologian, the late Rousas Rushdoony, who insisted that biblical law should be taken far more seriously than it is today, and that it has abiding validity in every sphere of life — the individual, family, church and wider society (referred to as 'theonomy').

Britain has seen a remarkable change in its culture and laws, but how did this extraordinary shift come about – where does it lead – and is there any hope for the future?

The Western Abandonment of God's Law

The first part of this book discusses God's law in detail, and attempts to explain why, in recent years, we have moved away from it. Boot gives a number of reasons, the primary one of which is the failure of the Church to integrate faith into every aspect of life and thought. He accuses the Church of 'dualism', separating life into the sacred and secular, personal and public - one part for ourselves and the other for God. Confused believers, he says, have sought retreat and escape from the world, rather than seeking to redeem it.

He blames this partly (and in my opinion, unfairly) on pre-millennialism: pessimistic believers expect no transformation of society before the Second Coming and so take no action to change it. Secondly, he blames it on 'spiritual amnesia'. In a fascinating discussion, drawing on the work of legal experts in Britain and America, Boot argues that the church has forgotten the degree to which the legal systems of the West were rooted in biblical law, the influence growing stronger after the Protestant Reformation. Legal principles were drawn not just from the Ten Commandments, but also the body of case law to be found in the Old Testament.

Thirdly, Boot argues, the Church has become 'antinomian' — by concentrating on grace it has overlooked the importance of biblical law. Boot argues that the work of salvation through Jesus' death on the cross did not replace the relevance for our lives of Old Testament case law, only the ceremonial law connected with Temple worship. We might sum up this relevant law as God's eternal moral law, referred to by Boot as God's 'justice'.

Boot draws on the work of American theologian Rousas Rushdoony, who insisted that biblical law has abiding validity in every sphere of life.

Even those evangelicals who do make an appeal to God's justice, he says, misunderstand it and tend to concentrate on the unbiblical concept of 'social' or 'distributive' justice - essentially a redistribution of goods by a coercive state to create equality. So some of them misuse the concept of the 'Kingdom of God' to argue for an essentially Marxist vision of society.

He argues, instead, that to the Puritans God's justice meant "receiving what one was due under God, not absolute equality where everyone gets the same as everyone else". Although he recognises the demands in the Old Testament to show love and care to one's needy neighbour, he argues these needs would be minimised if everyone were living a Godly life, and that, in any case, such needs should be met through the tithe, not coercive taxation and an over-extended welfare state.

Building a Theocracy?

Many will criticise these views on the grounds that they would involve establishing a theocracy, which might impose biblical law upon an unbelieving society. Boot insists that is a misunderstanding: that the adoption of biblical law must only be in response to a society which wants it, and that can only come about once there has been prior successful evangelisation.

In any case, Boot argues, the application of God's law must start first in the life of the individual, then the family (the building block of society), and only later in wider society.

Part 2 of this book looks at the implications of this in the life of the Church, the family and for education. He argues that the institutional Church should not be inward-looking but, rather, should be a "servant institution that equips, empowers and sends out every Christian in term of God's glorious kingdom purposes". Education in the whole of God's word, he says, is crucial and for that reason (again like Rushdoony who has been very influential in America in this respect) he is a strong proponent of Christian schools and home schooling.

Boot accuses the Church of 'dualism', separating life into the sacred and secular, personal and public - one part for ourselves and the other for God.

Is it Realistic?

All of this, of course, runs so counter to our prevailing culture that it will seem outrageous to many, including some Christians. Nevertheless, I learnt much from this book that made me think, and think hard, about the continued need to fight for God's moral law in all of society. Even though I doubt we will establish the Kingdom, we should continue to work as if we can.

You can buy 'The Mission of God' (682 pages, £36.99 HB; £15.99 PB) by clicking this link.