In a perfect world, the Powers of Money, Religion and Kingdoms, would already be vanquished—crucified with Jesus so that the world would be resurrected in the Way of Jesus. (Romans 6:1-23; Galatians 6:7-10,14-16; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

In a perfect world, every person, church, family, business, nation, and civilization would put the Wisdom of Jesus into practice, fulfilling the ideals of the Law of Moses and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:24-25; 28:18-20; Luke 4:14-27; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:9-11; Genesis 1:26-27,31; Isaiah 2:2-4; 45:23; 55:1-13; 65:17-19,25).

Alas, we do not yet live in a perfect world.

All of us—every person, church, family, business, nation, and civilization—have strayed from loving the LORD our God and from doing for others what we would want them to do for us.

Even some of the provisions of the Law of Moses fall short of the ideals of the Law of Moses and the Prophets. (Matthew 5:1-8:4; Numbers 11:29; Isaiah 55:8-9; 58:3-14; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26-27; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10).

Why?

Because of the hardness of everyone’s hearts. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19; 32:48-52; Matthew 19:3-12).

Therefore, in our world that has gone astray, we must sometimes take into account the hardness of people’s hearts as we determine how best to live our lives and to establish our churches, families, businesses, nations, and civilizations.

One example of such compromises is to keep the Powers of Money, Religion and Kingdoms separate in ways that offset the problems arising as they go astray from loving the LORD God and from doing for others what we would want them to do for us.

I usually refer to the Powers of “Money”, Religion”, and “Kingdoms of the World” because these terms correlate well with the three temptations that Jesus overcame as he began his public ministry. (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).

However, for the purposes of applying these truths to our civilizations in their entirety (including from the perspectives of non-Christian religions, philosophies, and ideologies), I prefer to talk about the Private Sector, the Public Sector, and the Communities of Wisdom.

Communities of Wisdom include faith communities, families, the press, and educational institutions.

To minimize going astray due to the hardness of our hearts, we should structure our civilizations so that Private Sectors wield the Power of Money to offset Public Sectors that wield the Power of the Kingdoms of the World.

To minimize going astray due to the hardness of our hearts, we should structure our civilizations so that Public Sectors wield the Power of the Kingdoms of the World to offset Private Sectors that wield the Power of Money.

To minimize going astray due to the hardness of our hearts, we should structure our civilizations so that Communities of Wisdom wield the Power of their Wisdom to offset Private Sectors that wield the Power of Money and to offset Public Sectors that wield the Power of the Kingdoms of the World.

In addition, Communities of Wisdom must wield the Power of Wisdom to wisely guide Private Sectors and Public Sectors—to wisely guide our lives, our faith communities, our families, our businesses, our nations, and our civilizations.

Communities of Wisdom should oppose and overcome civilizations of the pharaohs, by the pharaohs, and for the pharaohs.

Communities of Wisdom should establish and nurture civilizations of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Communities of Wisdom should establish and nurture constitutions, governments, and civilizations that secure self-evident inalienable rights such as Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Communities of Wisdom should establish wise civilizations that are good—that are very good—because they wisely share the vision of the ideal America first discovered in the hearts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

This very good civilization will:

   —bless ALL people (even if we used to fear and hate those people);

   —challenge ALL pharaohs to set ALL people free (even if we used to fear and hate those people); and

   —heal ALL hurting people (even if we used to fear and hate those people).

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I plan to write additional blogs that will apply these broad principles to specific facts and circumstances.

For blogs that I’ve already written along these lines, please read the many blogs listed in my blog titled “Election Blogs”, including “Building Houses on Rock: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”; and my book Visions of America (published together with my book Visions of the Church).

In addition, please read my thoughts since the election in my recent blog “Doing For Others”.