America’s Confusion of Liberty or Equality:
Rejection of the Excluded Middle?
The hubris of all societies is their absolute belief they alone possess absolute, inherent, common sense Truth! When this is coupled with religious faith, which all governments are based on religious beliefs governing their definitions of right (good) and wrong (evil), wars against differing beliefs are inevitable. Modern Americans guided in their beliefs by public educators whose sole focus is to teach what government deems to be true in essence prize ignorance above knowledge and slogans above intellectual comprehension. If the reverse were true propaganda would be much less effective. Today’s struggle of liberty versus equality appears new with the latest generation siding with equality, socialism, against the older generation confusingly siding with less equality and even less liberty. John Randolph of Roanoke (Virginia) whose quote is furnished above was not such a man. He spoke with clarity, eloquence and truthfulness. Perhaps if we were more educated in our own history we would be less susceptible to its rewriting by politicians and financiers shepherding us along to their Great Reset.
John Randolph, of Roanoke, was a Virginian of the old school {John Randolph of Roanoke. Beehive.}. It is probable that John skipped puberty, possibly due to latent tuberculosis of which he succumbed when 60 years old. He served as Senator and Minister to Russia in addition to being an orator, tobacco farmer (slave owner), vehement anti-Federalist and all-around difficult man to get along with. Since he never entered puberty he was unable to father children focusing his mind almost single-mindedly on political philosophy {Unforgiving Cousin: John Randolph Of Roanoke. American Heritage}. In today’s current hyper-moral Woke Critical Theory mentality, he would be considered non-sequitur; however, throwing the baby out with the bath water encourages a narrow vision and fosters ignorance in one’s own omniscience which does not seem to bother many of today’s leaders. We should consider him in the context of his time and listen to his musings.
John Randolph, of Roanoke, whose quote is in the above graphic, knew how to gain one’s attention; as I wrote, he was an excellent orator. He considered himself an aristocrat who loved liberty while hating equality. An aristocrat is a person who is of noble birth, of society’s upper echelons and/or simply well educated for his time. Since America eschews nobility titles, and he was a successful tobacco farmer, we can infer that he was both in his society’s upper echelons and well educated. This makes him a pariah from today’s perspective. Again, we should consider him in the context of his time and not ours. Everyone has contradiction, even the Christian who has Christ’s indwelling new nature and the body of flesh (Ro 7:7-8:10; 2Co 5:17).
His understanding of liberty is defined as individual liberty included in the Bill of Rights which he considered it the individual state’s sacred duty to protect from the evil, but necessary, federal (central) government. Thus, liberty focuses on the individual. Hence, liberty is the polar opposite of equality which focuses on the collective at the expense of the individual. John did not need to wait for Karl Marx to write about socialism to understand its evil; he had witnessed the evils in the first socialist revolution, French Revolution, which gave rise to Napoleon who ravaged Europe as far as Russia before finally being contained.
John Randolph, of Roanoke, was an ardent anti-Federalist meaning he was against big government. In his day he would be a Democrat, my how times have changed! However, he would never be considered a Republican, which eventual grew out of the Federalist-Whig Party, for he despised both big business and big finance {John Randolph of Roanoke and the Formation of a Southern Conservatism. Abbeville Institute Press.}. He believed in the free market with as little government as possible. He also appreciated the need for capital, being a farmer always in need of capital for the next season and being dependent on the current season’s success. Hence, he knew that capitol ventures incurred capital risks of bankruptcy and failure. The bigger the capital involved the larger the risk and the more inclined business was to marry government to reduce or eliminate its risk, at taxpayer expense of course!
John Randolph, of Roanoke, saw society as a paternal family led by those with means coupled with good behavior; thus, it was not just wealth but independence, self-sufficiency, mastery of self were expected of those who were to lead society. Government positions were not to be passed down. Candidates had to continually prove their fitness to lead the local communities. As the family worked to better its members through opportunities, work and fostering initiative, it also was expected to resist the urge to increase political power by enfranchising those who did not have a stake in society; which in Randolph’s day meant owning property. Thus, individualism was accountable to one’s personal family and one’s social family or community all the way up to state government.
John Randolph, of Roanoke, “fear(ed)…the manufacturing class and the banking class was based on this principle. If landed property was separated from power, then the financiers or the owners of physical capital would come to power. In a striking metaphor, Randolph quoting Genesis stated, “’Male and female He created them’; and the two sexes do not more certainly, nor by a more unerring law, gravitate to each other, than property and power. You can only cause them to change hands.” He viewed big business and banking as “no citizens” and thus unaccountable to social family responsibility. This was quite correct since the Bank of England took fiscal responsibility from the British government in the 17th century fostering its spread of Imperialism which eventually caused the American Revolution. The joining of Business-Banking-Government would doom liberty while using equality as the means to erect a tyranny over all citizens without any accountability.
“Randolph decried the elasticities in the commerce clause, the supremacy clause, and the general welfare clause that lend themselves as most effective tools to the aggrandizers of federal power”; Hamilton’s additions and time has proved him correct. Since Justice Marshall the power of government has only expanded even by warring against its own citizens which its office holders were to protect. He also put little faith in the Constitution since it could be redefined by courts as needed; again, history has proved him correct. If John Randolph had a motto it was, “Change is not reform!”
I do not know John Randolph, of Roanoke’s religious affiliations nor is that pertinent to our discussion. Yet, his musings mirror the Old Testament patriarchal structure in Genesis. This structure, though rejected by modernists, has not been repealed by God. Today’s true Christians remain tied to Abraham who is their (our) patriarchal father (Ga 3:27-29). The relationship of husband to wife and both to children is compared to Christ’s relationship to His Church (singular) (Ep 5:22-6:4). The husband guides the family, not by rigid authoritarian force but by serving and guiding by example as Christ came as a humble slave dying for YOUR salvation! Proof one’s salvation is not in outward displays but by humbling following Christ even though that invites disdain from the world (Mt 5:2-12; Ph 2:1-8).
Contrary to Modern Propagandist Beliefs;
Ignorance: Pathway to Equality, Not Liberty
Bible chastens those who do not study its pages or meditate on its precepts calling such believers babes in understanding! Bible says that maturity in Christ and faith requires study and exercising of one’s ability to discern right from wrong, truth from error (He 5:11-14). This runs counter to today’s churches and to government public education methodologies. The more ignorance is prized the more equality reigns and liberty ebbs from view. In addition, the more likely biblical gospel truth will be diminished and then eliminated. Equality demands unity but not through diversity as its propaganda presents but through the elimination of diversity until there is only one class: the equally downtrodden, poverty-stricken class who stand in line for their daily bread asking for a little more like Oliver Twist in Dickens novel; and he wrote from personal experience!
Christians should emulate John Randolph, of Roanoke, who did not put his faith in the, “abracadabra of the Constitution.” They must put it in the Bible which equips every Christian for every good work and is of no private interpretation as sinful people will twist its words to their own profit and your harm as False Teachers (2Ti 3:16-16; 2Pe 1:20; Jude 10-13)! Ignore the siren call of equality which is slavery run by ignorant financiers who are driven by Satan for his own ends. Each of us is part of the body of Christ, the family of God and accountable to Him so we need to walk circumspectly so we are not disgraced as evil doers (1Pe 4:12-19). We see that judgment approaches the World but let us not join in that rebellion. Let us remain faithful to Christ who remains faithful to us even unto His Death for Our Salvation (2Ti 2:10-13).