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GOVT 475 DISCUSSION BOARD ONE INITIAL POST
Discuss and compare the covenantal model in the Old Testament to the current American
government model. In your answer, explain the similarities and differences. Be sure to
note the broad implications of the covenantal model in the application (public
administration) of government.
A covenant is defined as a mutually informed agreement between consenting parties involving the
protection of rights, mutual care, concern, and the establishment of roles and responsibilities. (Liberty
University, et al. ) This concept is largely a biblical one. (Kahlib., et al.) In fact, within the Bible, God
makes specific covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, the Tribe of Israel, and King David where he
promised to bless these people often in exchange of certain obedience. However, most broke these
covenants and were punished and this betrayal could not be redeemed until the sacrifice of Christ. When
analyzing the political structures in America, it is easy to see how the importance of covenants became
integrated through rule of law and representative democracy through the influence of Scripture, John
Locke, and Jeremy Bentham. Furthermore, while many similarities between the covenantal model in the
Old Testament exists within the American government model, differences including relational structures
and the sinfulness of secularism is one which display the obvious differences between the covenantal
model promoted in Scripture and the one that can be seen within American politics today and the fact
that biblical covenants typically require both parties to uphold their ends of the deal regardless whether
the other party keeps their part of the agreement.
The first example of a covenant is found within Genesis between Adam and God when He promised to
bless Adam and his wife and give them dominion over the entire earth if they obeyed His word.
However, they decided to disobey him and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and as a
result they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:17)
This type of mutual contract is similar to the functions of the American social contract theory which was
introduced by the teachings of John Locke in his novel, The Two Treaties of Government. Within John
Locke’s social contract theory, Locke explains that legitimate government is one that creates an
agreement where in exchange for the surrender of some freedom from individuals, the government
would protect its citizens from destruction of their inalienable rights (which were bestowed through God
in the form of natural law). According to Locke, these inalienable rights included life, liberty, and
property which was mirrored in Thomas Jefferson’s writings within the American Constitution.
One such example of the current American governmental model which exemplifies the teachings of a
covenant within Scripture includes both Article II, Section 1 and the last clause of Article VI within the
Constitutional Oaths of office where the president promises to “preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution,” and that all other federal and State officers and judges also promise to “support” the
Constitution. (United States Constitutional Oath, 2005). As such, a covenant that is made within the
American government is that all civil authorities promise to obey Higher Law. Furthermore, when civil
authorities violate this higher law, the citizens must rebuke them which was an ideology exclaimed from
the American founders during the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Another covenant promoted within American democracy is the ideology that the government will work
to ensure that the “will of the people” is carried out to the fullest extent and as such, if the elected
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leaders fail to do so they may risk impeachment or at the very least face not being reelected in the next
election cycle. This standard of governance is promoted through the teachings of philosopher, Jeremy
Bentham who preaches the importance of the consequentialist view of utilitarianism in which a
representative democracy best fulfills the desires and needs of a society. (Shafritz, et al., 2017).
Furthermore, Bentham argued that the purpose of government policy is to promote equality to the
greatest extent possible to ensure the widest distribution of happiness (although never in a way that
might undermine or threaten security). (Shafritz, et al., 2017)
Moreover, when analyzing Biblical covenantal principles against American principles through the system
of the social contract theory it can seen that in regard to community and accountability, the covenants
within Scripture differ from that of the secular world. When looking in the Bible, covenants between
man and God has been one in which God always held up his end of the agreement and one where man
often fails him. This type of structure within the old testament is not found within the secular world
because people on both sides of the contractual agreement do not follow their end of the bargain. This
is different from the biblical view because within scripture, one side of the agreement (God) always kept
up his side of the deal whereas the other person (the mortal) would be the one to desecrate the
contract. In American Democracy, people do not abide by the social contract in that they desecrate the
inalienable rights of others through stealing, murder, and other crimes, and governmental officials can
not hold up their end as being a truthful and honorable public servant which has been exemplified
through the Clinton and Nixon scandals.
Additionally, another aspect of American governmental structure that is different from the covenant
portrayed within the Bible is the fact that typically within a contract, if one agreeing party does
something in violation of the contract then it is broken. The whole contract becomes null and void. As an
example, felons who break the law in America lose their right to vote and their rights to own and possess
firearms. Because the citizen has failed to uphold their end in the bargain of being a honorable, law
abiding individual, the government relinquished the rights that were maintained in a representative
democracy through voting rights. However, with a covenant, both parties agree to hold up their ends
regardless of whether the other party keeps their part of the agreement.
Furthermore, the broader implications of Biblical covenants in relationship towards American Democracy
teaches Christians that contracts ought to have consequences when they are broken as displayed within
Scripture.
Ultimately, there are many similarities between Scripture and American Democracy in terms of how each
one deals with contractual agreements including the concepts of the rule of law and representative
democracy found within contemporary politics. However, these concepts differ from Biblical teachings in
the fact that God never breaks his agreements, while people within American history have.
References
Kahlib, F. A Biblical Covenantal Perspective.
Liberty University. Presentation: The Influence of the Covenant Idea in American Government.
Shafritz, Jay M., and Albert C. Hyde. Classics of Public Administration. 8th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, Inc.,
2017.
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United States Constitution (and federal employee oath of office): working for America. Washington, D.C
(2005).
Presentation Notes
A mutually-informed agreement between consenting parties involving the protection of rights the
promise of mutual care, concern, and protection and the establishment of roles and responsibilities.
Covenant
Biblically we know that god must be at the foundation of every successful relationship. Accountability to
others.
The idea of covenant is crucial to understanding much of America’s political and cultural experience
separation of power, federalism, constitutionalism.
Covenants reflect an understanding of God’s relationship with man which is why it affirms inalienable
rights.
America was greatly influenced by covenant or federal theology. The American emphasis upon individual
liberty represented step forward in covenantal ideas.
Covenant approach transcends social contract theory, leaders od not leaders because of their hierachial
status, agreement of the people which is a crucial element of American politics .
A covenant is a morally informed agreement among various parties in which the individual members
agree to care for one another and establish a long-term, formal and meaningful relationship with one
another. By caring for one another and being accountable to one another, each covenantal member will
find that his own rights are affirmed and that he is meaningfully cared for and respected.
Biblically, we know that God must be at the foundation of every successful relationship. God is the one
who initiated covenants with man and in doing so, He expects us to be covenantal with one another to
support true and meaningful relationships. This includes accountability to others that covenantal
frameworks provide.
he idea of covenant is crucial to understanding much of America’s political and cultural experience. It
has a significant impact upon governmental institutions such as separation of power, federalism, and
constitutionalism
The covenantal idea is important within Western Civilization and American culture and politics and well.
Covenants are means of “constitutionalizing” relationships within a political context. The Covenant idea
can be a role as both a theological and political construct. Politically, covenants have been made by
entire groups, single division with the whole, or institutions (churches of various types) within societies.
The Covenant also expresses the idea that people can freely create communities, polities, and civil
society through such morally grounded and sustained compacts, establishing thereby enduring
relationships. Essentially, the Covenant is a relationship.
It is this emphasis upon relationships that distinguishes the idea of covenant from other political ideas,
which generally emphasize just structure. The covenant emphasis upon relationships comes in the form
of autonomous members freely choosing to come together to enter an agreement.
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The Covenant originated in the ancient era of history, particularly in the Biblical emphasis. The New
Testament took the idea of covenant from the Old Testament and expanded its application through the
words and work of Jesus Christ, thus the idea of covenant was poised to influence the world through the
influence of the early Church. This idea of covenant—a community of love and faith—allowed for ethnic
diversity under the common faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was within this context that the idea of
separation of powers—a covenantal framework of action concept—came into play. The early Church
asserted its independence from any Roman law that prompted disobedience to the Gospel and Jewish
societal norms.
The Hebrew scholars helped introduce the idea of covenant into Western Europe in the 5th century. It
was this emphasis upon covenantal principles that strongly specifically influenced both the Reformation
and the American founding era and the modern era as a whole. To understand this influence, history
must first be examined. A key component of Reformational theology—federal or covenantal theology—
was developed by Reformational thinkers. The age of federalism began when the Reformers criticized
the existing translations of Scripture and used the word "covenant" in many places that older
translations had used "testament"… After the sixteenth century, the Puritans, the Huguenots, the
Calvinist Anglicans, and the Scottish Presbyterians moved away from a "testamentary" view of God and
religion, and adopted a "federal" or covenant view of Scripture.
This emphasis upon covenant led to radical political implications as Reformers began to challenge not
only the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church and the divine right of kings, but also hierarchical
relationships in general. What the early Church had lost—the political implications of covenant—the
Reformers embraced.
The political ideas inherent to the covenantal worldview—rule by consent, mutual accountability, non-
centralization, and empowerment—contributed to many of the political upheavals in Europe. These
changes were due to an application of the Biblical definition and explication of the covenant idea.
The changes wrought by covenantal ideas in Europe, including the intertwining of covenant, natural law,
and constitutionalism, spread to America. Rulers with a Catholic perspective, and therefore a
testamentary view of ruling, did not welcome the emphasis upon covenantal principles. Across Europe,
many Protestants fled their home countries to avoid persecution and often they fled to America.
All throughout Europe adherents of federal theology who also favored a covenantal view of government
came under severe repression, including the Puritans of England, the Presbyterians of Scotland, and the
Huguenots of France. The memory of these atrocities was still very much alive and current at the time of
the American Revolution.
America was greatly influenced by covenant. The covenant idea was a large part of the Puritans’
approach to life. Secular government among the Puritans was instituted by compact among the
residents (or potential residents) of every town. The Mayflower Compact was the first such act.
The other colonies also adopted a covenantal approach to forming political governments. It is clear from
the citizens’ use of ‘compact’ rather than ‘contract’ implies community, or the desire for community” (p.
6). State constitutions and various other legal documents contained frequent references to covenantal
terms and concepts.
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The Puritan’s emphasis upon liberty, framed within the context of covenantal principles, set the tone for
future American political developments. The covenant principle also served the cause of individual and
social liberty. Their application of the daring biblical idea that people are free to make pacts with God
became one of the bases for all people’s claims to liberty in relation to one another.
The idea of the covenant formed the basis for the Declaration of Independence and the American form
of government. Indeed, federal theology was a large part of the American tradition in 1787. Americans
routinely made covenants to establish new civil societies.
The covenant emphasis ensured that American citizens were protected from arbitrary rule. The
American emphasis upon individual liberty represented a step forward in covenantal ideas, since
American colonies and eventually its national government allowed for a much higher degree of popular
sovereignty than concurrent European countries.
Madison supported separation of powers as the best way to ensure liberty. American federalism
contained a strong emphasis upon separation of powers, both within the national government and
between the state and national government, as a means of ensuring the liberty of a vast nation with
competing interests.
The strong overall influence of covenant allowed American churches to address the social evils which
European liberals and radicals sought to address. The key difference between European and American
churches was that laity controlled the membership in American churches. In the United States the same
churches were voluntary organizations usually controlled by the lay membership. When and where the
spirit of change was abroad, either the traditional church itself changed, becoming less orthodox
religiously, politically, or both; or the liberals joined other religious denominations that already
represented more of the new liberal spirit of the age.
The covenant idea, introduced in the Bible, rediscovered in the Middle Ages, articulated in the
Reformational Era, and reinforced in the American founding and Westward expansion continues today
throughout the world. Approximately forty percent of the world’s population lives within the 19 polities
which have adopted constitutions that at least purport to be federal in character, while another 32
percent live within the 18 political systems which utilize federal principles to some degree within a
formally unitary framework.
Noah, Abraham, Tribe of Israel, King David Israel breaks the covenants which are only fixed through
creating a covenant with Jesus.
