D E M O M O D E

American Government & History -- Discipling the Nations
Chapter	Description
Course Overview	American Government & History
Chapter1	PART I Cracks in the Foundation THE PROMISE OF THE CONSTITUTION
Chapter2	THE PROBLEM WITH THE CONSTITUTION: THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT
Chapter3	THE PROBLEM WITH THE CONSTITUTION: AMENDMENTS AND JUDICIAL MISINTERPRETATIONS
Chapter4	FROM PLYMOUTH TO PHILADEPHIA: THE DECLINE FROM PURITANISM
Chapter5	FROM PHILADELPIA TO THE PRESENT: THE DESCENT INTO JUDGMENT
Chapter6	REMODELING WITHOUT A BLUEPRINT
Chapter7	THE FOUNDATION OF POLITICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS
Chapter8	THE FORM OF BIBLICAL CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Chapter9	THE FORM OF BIBLICAL CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Chapter10	STRATEGY
Chapter11	TACTICS
Chapter12	THE FRUIT OF OUR LABOR
FINAL	FINAL EXAM

COURSE OVERVIEW
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & HISTORY

This course is designed to give you an overview of American government and history. It also covers fundamental principles of Biblical law, comparing these with American government and jurisprudence to highlight strengths and weaknesses in the American system. The online text for this course is "Discipling the Nations: The Government Upon His Shoulder." This text has received the endorsement of many leading experts in the field, including

George Grant, author: "Woods has done us all a great service by writing this balanced, comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and intensely practical handbook to the subject of civil government ... Marked by Biblical fidelity, political sagacity, and cultural immediacy."
Walt Hibbard, founder of Great Christian Books: "My kind of book...the kind of book that makes me excited as I begin to read...because of [its] unusual fidelity to the message of the Holy Scriptures! Impressed me in a very special way...really put spring in my step... a great blessing to me."
Mark Horne, literary critic: "...an enjoyable read...I appreciated Woods' ability to clearly articulate and explain in simple language important Biblical principles... this is an important book."
Hon. Ron Sunseri, Oregon HD#22: "For some time, I have been meditating in my own mind and heart if there may well be some shortcomings in our beloved Constitution. I'm not sure that I am equal to the task of deciphering such a conclusion, but I believe the points you raise need to be discussed among Christians and must be considered."
Westminster Weekly, Jan 10, 1999: "This is simply an excellent book; in content, documentation, structure and style it excels. Woods goes far to show that the framers of the Constitution did not have in mind a Christian country, nor did they put together a Christian document. He does not, as so many others, simply point out the problems that exist, but offers a sound answer to them from God's Word. There is much sage advice and counsel here. Although other books have been written on this subject, few if any, present such a clear philosophical solution and sage practical advice to bring about the necessary reforms. Woods...fills a lacuna in the discussion with a clear, warm and provocative presentation on the subject"
Georgene Rice, Host, The Georgene Rice Show, KPDQ Radio, Portland, Oregon: "Discipling the Nations offers a fresh and challenging look at the long-standing debate over the nature of our nation's founding documents. In order to 'form a more perfect union' we must be willing to take a critical look at what the founders might have missed and the influences that set them adrift. Dennis Woods has performed a service by challenging our loyalties to country over God."
William Gould, NRA treasurer: "Mixed with my intense joy at reading this excellent book is my embarrassment that nobody in the National Reform Association wrote it first. We've been scooped! Woods, who had not heard of the NRA, has written as good a manifesto for our cause as anybody alive."
Douglas Wilson, Editor, Credenda Agenda magazine: "Woods does a fine job of introducing the modern Christian reader to some of the complex issues which lead to our current political and cultural impasse. Contrary to the received opinion, our problems did not begin in the sixties -- unless you mean the 1760s. Woods has written a very fine introduction to biblical thinking on constitutional issues."

Thus, we are confident that you will find this to be an enjoyable, as well as educational learning experience. This course may be taken at anytime. It is prerequisite for the American Government & History seminar and practicum, which must be taken during the senior year near the conclusion of the Great Books reading program. That course provides for the culmination and practical application of your entire classroom reading and writing work related to the Great Books. You will be required to participate in a discussion seminar, two debates, and a work experience practicum in the community under the supervision of a community mentor.

The text contains 12 chapters, each concluding with a review quiz. Study the chapter very carefully before pressing the "Take Quiz" button because once in the quiz module you cannot get out without completing the quiz. You only get one opportunity to take the quiz, so don't enter the module until you are very sure that you are prepared for the quiz.

The chapter review quizzes contain at least 10 questions, but may include up to as many as 33 questions for Chapter 9, "The Function of Biblical Civil Government." Prior to taking that quiz you are strongly encouraged to study carefully, Exodus 21-24; Lev. 18-20, 24, 25; Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 17-27. In fact, it would be a good idea to read at least 3 chapters a day from these 20 chapters during the entire period that you are taking this course.

When you have completed all 12 chapters and quizzes, you must then sit for the final exam, which consists of 50 questions selected at random from the Chapter quizzes. The textbook introduction will give you more details about the course.

Part I: Cracks in the Foundation is a structural analysis. Chapter 1 inspects some of the stunning architectural features of the U.S. Constitution. These include its elegant division of powers, its elaborate republican form, and its intricate system of limited, delegated powers. Chapters 2 and 3 move in for a closer look at some of the critical flaws in the foundation. Chapter 2 examines faults in the original document--the religious exclusions--which amount to a repudiation of the national covenant with God. Chapter 3 scrutinizes subsequent breaches that developed as a result of ill-advised amendments and Supreme Court rulings. Chapters 4 and 5 are historical. Chapter 4 highlights major developments between the Puritan settlement and the convention in Philadelphia. It examines some of the key departures from Reformation thought leading up to the founding era.

Part II: The Collapsing Superstructure . This section opens with a panoramic view. Chapter 5 touches briefly on the Civil War and public education, two nineteenth century phenomena which more than anything else have given shape to modern America. Finally it transports us to the present, showing how chaos in the courts has led to chaos in the culture. The superstructure is now teetering on the verge of collapse because the spiritual and legal underpinning has failed. Chapter 6 examines some of the philosophical tools or blueprints American Christians have brought to the task of remodeling. These include conservatism, traditional values, pluralism, and natural law, among others. Since none has been adequate for the job, we must look for a higher standard.

Part III offers God's Blueprint for Civil Government. Chapter 7 holds forth the Word of God as the only adequate rule for civil government. Chapter 8 lays out the form of biblical civil government, which might be compared to the carpenter's "blueprints." The detailed "specifications" of the plan are spelled out in chapter 9: "The Function of Biblical Civil Government."

Biblical principles of political action are outlined in Part IV: Rebuilding by the Blueprint. These include an overall strategy in chapter 10 and specific details for electoral politics and lobbying, which are based on the author's own experiences in Oregon, in chapter 11. Our ability to work effectively in the civil arena is greatly influenced by our expectation of victory. If we do not believe we can win, we will not. Consequently, chapter 12 develops the glorious meaning of the phrase "King of kings and Lord of lords." Each chapter concludes with a review quiz, discussion guide, and answer key. These are designed to complete the integration of the material in both an individual and group context.

SIX ERAS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Americans in general suffer from a peculiar form of historical myopia. There is an acute inability to perceive the meaning of their own past. To be sure, many Americans can recite a few of the salient highpoints from memory. They know that the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, they know that George Washington crossed the Delaware, they may even recognize James Madison as the "Father of the Constitution".

But even where a remnant of historical recall remains, how many can connect the dots? How many have constructed a mental framework on which to hang the particulars of historical fact? How many, like the children of Issachar have "understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do..."? Sadly very few. No wonder history is considered so dull by so many. In the minds of many, history rivals economics for the title of "the dismal science."

We would expect this of an unbeliever, but even among Christians historical acumen is mysteriously lacking. Misconceptions about American history are pervasive among both Christian and non-Christian Americans. For example, leading Christian writers on American history have failed to distinguish between biblical covenant and the secular social contract, thereby missing the meaning of American history completely.

The blame for this condition may in part be laid at the feet of the public school system, which has lamentably all but ignored the teaching of history. If we don’t know where we have been as a people, we have no means of knowing where we are going. But there is something even deeper that plagues us -- it is the idolatry of Statism. Unbelievers worship an all-encompassing State, beseeching government to provide for all of their needs in the here and now -- for them the past is irrelevant. Christians react and call for a return to the "original intent" of the U.S. Constitution, failing to recognize that this too is a form of idolatrous Statism.

Virtually all our misconceptions of the past may be traced to a failure to grasp one fundamental law of history. It is a theological principle that finds expression in historical law. What is that law? It is very simply the idea that God operates by covenant in history, blessing obedience to the terms of His covenant and cursing disobedience (Dt. 28). A nation covenants with God by means of the oath its leaders swear, to govern in accord with the law of God (Jon.3: 6-9).

The literature anthology found at the end of the even numbered chapters, traces that fundamental law through six eras of American history. The response of the American people to the terms of God’s covenant is best apprehended in the literature produced in each era. The throbbing heartbeat of history may be felt in its poetry and prose. You’ll discover the pulse of America coursing through the pages of this book.

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