Thomas January 29th, 2010

Well, maybe the "American Dream" needs some shattering. The what alot of American Indians say. Except the ones that own casinos of course.lol.

Meade February 3rd, 2010

Tommy Newberry is wrong.

The founding fathers didn't believe in justice, they were white supremacists and sexists. We still suffer the repercussions of prejudice today which is why there IS NOT a level playing field and why the conservative mythology of why people are poor and why people are wealthy is so mistaken.

He also denied the Old Testament contains examples of redistributive taxation. He's wrong. He even had the audacity to say that redistributive taxation is breaking the 8th commandment. The thing conservatives like him need to realize is that there is a middle ground between no redistributive taxation at all and socialism.

I love SBE but this guest is so much of why I've moved from being a Republican to becoming a pro-life democrat. If he's worried about attacks on the constitution and concentration of powers why didn't he write this book during the Bush administration? Bush did more to weaken the constitution and concentrate powers in the office of the president than Obama will ever do.

Erik Guzman February 3rd, 2010

Yeah, I noticed he never answered my question about the OT system.

Paul February 3rd, 2010

I think Tommy Newberry has missed something important about American success. People forget that even the Founding Fathers had major difference on the direction this nation should take, Hence the Anti-Federalists led by Jefferson versus the Federalists led by Hamilton.

The American Dream (Success) was based upon Ben Franklin and his Way to Wealth and Autobiography. One of the warnings Samuel gave the people when they wanted a king was he would lay heavy taxes upon them, 10% was used. Our present tax system is tyrannical based upon this statement. In a democracy the people get exactly what they deserve.

Meade February 3rd, 2010

You're right Erik, he didn't actually answer your question (which was good) but redirected to his idea the Bible is about giving and gov taking. He gave me the impression that he considered all redistributive taxation to be stealing.

Dan February 6th, 2010

I LOVED what this guest had to say. I don't know why he didn't address Erik's question directly, but I don't think it had anything to do with dodging the question. I thought his answer pointed to the ever important position of considering the whole of scripture rather than getting bogged down into a specific OT verse that one could argue, may be anachronistic to the present day debate.

My basic problem with collectivist philosophy is that the "end justifies the means" strategy for social policy requires a level of perfect decision making and justice that runs counter to all we know about fallen humanity. Our founding fathers understood this and developed the best system on earth (to date) for governance based in the rule of law undergirded by the overarching principles of natural law.

Their unwavering belief that freedom and liberty are God given rights (natural law) lies at the very foundation of our Constitution (rule of law) and has provided a framework that has allowed more people to experience freedom and prosperity than in any other place at any other time in human history. Regardless of race, religion, sex or whatever.

These are verifiable facts, not opinions, available to all through even a mildly concientious study of American history. I strongly recommend Bill Bennett's 2 volume study of American history to anyone truly intersted in an accurate profile of the subject at hand. The title is "America The Last Best Hope". It's very readable and engages the reader in more of a story type form.

Thank you Key Life for your show. It's a regular source of blessing and encouragement to me.

Brett February 7th, 2010

I'm curious how Tommy could on the one hand affirm the doctrine of total depravity and on the make a statement like "99% of business people are interested in serving others". Does original sin only infect liberals? By the way, did you that 86% of all statistics are made up on the spot?

Jeff February 10th, 2010

I quit listening when he praised the patriot Bible. He needs to read "Myth of a Christian Nation" by Greg Boyd.

Erik Guzman February 10th, 2010

Yeah, that tweaked my nipples too.

Kevin May 27th, 2010

I was listening to the Tommy Newberry show on archive. I think this discussion is one we really need to work on as Christians in the US and I am glad it was on. It tears at the fabric of church/state, political, and morality issues constantly for me as a pastor.

One comment speaking about how this country's founders believed that freedom is a God-given natural law says, "These are verifiable facts, not opinions, available to all through even a mildly concientious study of American history."

He may be right about the words they used in discussing freedom, but not how freedom has been lived out here. One word – Slavery. Many of the founders were slave holders and Indian fighters, therefore they did not hold to a full, biblical understanding of freedom. They used the bible to uphold evil doctrines like manifest destiny.

The founders of our country did a number of things correct and I can imagine that they had very good intentions. That is why it is important to see that a study of the constitution shows that they did not uphold Christianity as THE religion of this country when they could have. Therefore, we need to be careful how we understand their intent. That omission, as well as other inclusions, have allowed for our current religious and political environment.

It is my belief that one of the chief motivators for this country has always been money (Boston Tea Party was about too many taxes) and that when our government is not doing its job well, we all suffer because greedy people tend to find a way to hurt the rest of us. I do not believe in socialism, but I do not think that a system of democracy is free from sin either.
Thanks for the show and discussion.