A couple of days ago there was a chart of the various nutraditionalists that completely left off all the Christians. There is a cluster around TC, that is made up of many of the blogs in the roll under nutraditionalism, and we all tend to read each other. The classic reactionary simply does not get it. Which is why I am starting today not with anything I have said, but Sis.

There’s also a third category of men. The weak man who goes to God for his strength. Who renews his strength daily through trusting in the Lord. This man doesn’t make sense to the world. He lowers himself to help the weak but he is unmoved by the opinions of others. He acts humble because he doesn’t rely on the approval of man, but he is a servant and warrior for the most high God. He uses his strength to help instead of to lift himself higher. He becomes weak because of the promises that God will care for his needs and he is not afraid of anything and does not need to protect himself because there are angel armies ready to fight at a moment’s notice at the command of God. This man has a purpose, he has a passion, and he has value without stepping on others. He is free to be joyful, kind, and to love. When the time comes to fight, he is brave, strong, fearless, and most importantly, on the right side of the battle.

The elite filter everything through power and politics, the tools of power. They consider compromise, They move with the times. They covet position, honour, and glory. The faithful man sees all of this as a mere set of tools, and tools he would prefer not to use. He’s more interested in good being done than who has a name attached to it.

Romans 13:1-14

¹Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. ²Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; ⁴for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. ⁶For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. ⁷Pay to all what is due them — taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; ¹²the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; ¹³let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Now, we have to be careful here. There is a sense that our nations were founded by people of great virtue (and they may have been) and to worship the documents of our foundation. (Here NZ is blessed, because like England and Israel, we do not have a constitution — in fact, we have abolished the 1852 one written by George Gray). We are not asked to obey rulers because they are righteous. They frequently are tyrannical. We are asked, instead, to give them taxes and honour — to a limit. We are also asked to stand on our own, be free of debt (regardless of what the “smart money” says) and to live honourably and in love.

We should honour those who live righteously, and teach, as Free Northerner does, that hedonism will not satisfy, it is a distraction.

We are to lead. But titles, roles and honour are not essential for this. The very fact that we live differently from others should shine out. And if it does not, it is to our shame.