Spencer Heath Archive

Item 3012

Three slightly different versions of an article by Heath published in Christian Economics, Christian Freedom Foundation, 250 W. 57^th Street, New York City 19. Title may or may not be Heath’s. The first version appears to have been amended from the second, and the third may have been amended still more for a Christmas message (see also Item 375 for originals).

December 23, 1958

 

 

THE CHRISTIAN PUBLIC POLITY

The Christ was born in an era of One-World peace, under a Pax Romana whose eagles guarded and protected all lesser sovereignties and powers against wars among themselves. One power was supreme — to tax and to destroy. There was world peace, indeed, but with world peace no freedom from the one-world power. And in the interest of its own peace, its own law and order, it destroyed Him.

     But His Spirit survived, and lives again in the bodies of all men who engage in mutual service according to the unforced, the free and equal meetings of their minds. Even in today’s riotous expansion of central sovereign powers, His Spirit moves men, all unknowingly, into ever more obedience to His divine command that they turn away evil by the practice of engaging in contractual instead of political relationships — each doing unto others in the same manner he would have them do unto him, with the reward of ever more abundant life for all.

     Political authority creates no values; it has none but coercive power, the power to seize, enslave, destroy. None but free men can create. Only in the extension of their free enterprises, both corporate and unincorporated, into ever new and wider fields can men in any large numbers practice mutual freedom and thereby gain the spiritual power not to destroy but enduringly to build, to create and come into ever more abundant life and length of days.

     The teaching of Christ was a new dispensation to the spirit of man, its first true charter of freedom, not alone from self-limitations within but no less truly from the powers of the world without. May we celebrate His nativity by ever new births of His Spirit in our hearts and ever wider understandings in our minds.

 

/Another version/

 

The Christian Public Polity

 

THE CHRIST was born in an era of One-World peace, under a Pax Romana whose eagles guarded and protected all lesser sovereignties and powers against wars among themselves. One power was supreme — to tax and destroy. There was world peace, indeed, but with world peace no freedom from the One-World power. And in the interest of its own law and order, it crucified Him.

 

     But His Spirit survived, and lives again in the bodies of all men who engage in mutual service according to the unforced, the free and equal meetings of their minds. Even in today’s riotous expansion of central sovereign powers, His Spirit moves men, all unknowingly, into ever more obedience to His divine command that they turn away from evil by the practice of engaging in contractual instead of political relationships — each doing unto others in the same manner he would have them do unto him, with the reward of ever more abundant life for all.

 

     Political authority has none but coercive power; the power to enslave and destroy. None but free men can create. Only in the extension of their free enterprises, both corporate and unincorporated, into ever new and wider fields can men in any large numbers practice mutual freedom and thereby gain the spiritual power not to destroy but enduringly to create and come into ever more abundant life.

 

     The teaching of Christ was a new dispensation to the spirit of man, its first true charter of freedom, not alone from self-limitations within, but no less truly from the powers of the world without. May we celebrate His nativity by ever new births in our hearts and ever wider understandings in our minds.

 

 

/Still another/

 

The Babe of Bethlehem was born in the midst of an era of one-world peace under a Pax Romana whose imperial eagles guarded and protected all the lesser sovereignties and powers against wars among themselves. One power was supreme — to tax and to destroy. There was world peace, indeed, but with world peace no freedom from the one-world power. And to safeguard its own peace, its own law and order, with some reluctance it destroyed Him.

     But His Spirit survived and lives again in the lives of all men who engage in mutual service according to the unforced, the free and equal meetings of their minds. Even in today’s riotous over—reach­ings of central sovereign powers, His Spirit is moving men, all un­knowingly, into ever more obedience to His divine command that they turn away from evil by engaging in contractual and free instead of political and coercive relationships — each doing unto others in the same manner that he would have them do unto him, for the profit and reward of ever more abundant life for all.

     Political authority has none but coercive power, the power to enslave and to destroy. Only in relationships of freedom can men create. Only by the extension of their free enterprises, both corporate and unincorporated, into new and wider fields — to serve and be served, live and let live — can men practice mutual freedom and there­by gain the spiritual power not to destroy but enduringly to create and come into ever more abundant life.

     The teaching of the Christ was a wholly new dispensation to the spirit of man. It was the first and only true charter of freedom, not alone from self-limitations within but no less truly from our deepening thralldom to the sovereign powers of the world. Let us celebrate His nativity in our hearts by ever new birthdays of the spirit and by ever wider understandings in our minds.