THE REFORMATION PARTY
The Reformation Party’s Official Website
Once the Reformation Party had sufficient voting members to elect Party officers, it began its own website at www.reformationparty.org . We encourage you to visit this official website of the Reformation Party.
Our website here simply reports on the Reformation Party, from the vantage point of agreement and support. It is in no way endorsed or ratified by the Reformation Party.
The Philosophy Behind the Reformation Party
The foundation of all sound government, including civil government, is a true and proper fear of the Lord. This is why we read in Psalm 2:10-11: “Now therefore be wise, O ye kings, Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear…” The fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom. And a true fear of God entails a recognition of the doctrines of His Word, which reveal how He is to be served. Such true religion is the only foundation which can issue in a proper implementation of both tables of the Ten Commandments, both those concerning our relations with God and with other men. The Reformation Party is a political party dedicated to promoting government based upon true fear of the Lord, such as was conceived in the Solemn League and Covenant of 1642. It is an international political party, analogous to the Green Party (but with a different political agenda from the Green Party).
Why the Name “Reformation Party”?
The
Reformation Party’s name derives from its goal to renew and restore the
Protestant Reformation to modern political and social life. The Solemn League and Covenant, along with
the Westminster Standards resulting from it, represent the most advanced state
that the Protestant Reformation reached. From a time standpoint, they
were prepared and adopted at the tail end of the Protestant Reformation.
That means that those that composed them had the advantage of taking in
all that the earlier Protestant Reformers (Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Zwingli,
Calvin, Knox, Synod of Dort, etc.) had produced. They stood on the shoulders of
all that came before in the Protestant Reformation. But they were not
part of the historical slide that came after them as Enlightenment thinking
more and more took hold. From a standpoint of multitude of counselors and
depth of reformed scholarship, there is really nothing that compares with the
Westminster Assembly, other than perhaps the Synod of Dort. And the Synod
of Dort's work (the Canons of Dort) was more narrowly focused,
and still lacking the extra time that the Westminster Assembly had, the
Westminster Assembly coming somewhat later in history. The Westminster Standards are a comprehensive
expression of all of the major Biblical principles touching upon faith and
life. Finally, the Solemn League and Covenant and its fruits represent an
international effort with an international vision. That vision is for the
nations of the world, starting at that time with Scotland, England and Ireland,
to join together in covenant to Jesus Christ under common comprehensive and
sound reformed Biblical confessional standards, albeit maintaining their status
as distinct and separate nations. That vision is embraced by the members
of Reformation Party, and it is the prayer of Reformation Party members that by
God’s grace it will bear full fruit.
A Brief History of the Reformation Party
The Reformation Party began as a desire by J. Parnell McCarter to see a political party raised up that would take up in our own day the political, social and religious vision embodied in the Solemn League and Covenant and Westminster Standards. He was of the conviction that in order to apply reformed principles to our own day, we need not only sound reformed churches, but also sound reformed civil governments. The two together are the “two witnesses” and “two olive trees” needed for reformation (Zechariah 4, Revelation 11). He was inspired by the practical example of the Reformed Political Party (SGP) in the Netherlands, demonstrating how a modern political party can base its philosophy, goals, and practices in sound reformed Biblical principles, rather than unsound political pragmatism.
He started the Reformation Party and began advertising it. At first, the idea received more laughs than people. But gradually the Lord changed hearts, so that one by one some people joined. When it seemed that the Party might be heading towards the point of having ten voting members in order to be able to have an elected council of officers, then member Sean McDonald was willing to serve as administrative co-organizer with Parnell. Once there were ten voting members and three voting members willing to run and serve as its first elected Council of Officers (Dustin Phillips, Mark Hausam, and J. Parnell McCarter), the Party held its first elections for the Council.
The Council of Officers realized it would be helpful to have a Board of Theological Advisors, so this Board was added as a constituent part of the Party. The Board consists of ministers and theological doctors who are members of the Reformation Party and willing to serve in an advisory capacity on the Board.
The Reformation Party is still small, but it is the hope of members that by God’s grace it will be used by Him for His glory and reformation.
1. It is the duty of all men and institutions of men, including civil governments at every level and for every nation, tribe and tongue, to acknowledge the Biblical doctrines accurately summarized in the original Westminster Standards, and to suppress heresy, idolatry, and every other enemy of sound doctrine, appropriate to their station and calling. This includes violations of both the first and second tables of the Ten Commandments.
2. It is the duty of civil governments at every level and in every nation to recognize and protect that church which adheres to the Biblical doctrines accurately summarized in the original Westminster Standards, and to be a nursing mother to that church. And only male communicant members of that church should be allowed to vote or hold public office in civil government.
3. It is our duty not to enter into unlawful oaths and unlawful confederacies with heretics and infidels for purposes of political expediency.
There are two types of membership in the Reformation Party: voting members and associate (non-voting) members.
Voting members -
· Indicated their desire and willingness to be a voting member in the Reformation Party.
· Indicated their full adherence to the Biblical doctrines summarized in the original Westminster Standards (which include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Westminster Larger Catechism).
· Indicated their agreement with the Party Platform of the Reformation Party.
· Communicant member in good standing in a presbyterian/reformed church
· Male
· 21 years or older
Associate members -
· Indicated their desire and willingness to be an associate member in the Reformation Party.
· Indicated their full adherence to the Biblical doctrines summarized in the original Westminster Standards (which include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Westminster Larger Catechism).
· Indicated their agreement with the Party Platform of the Reformation Party.
· Communicant or adherent member in good standing in a presbyterian/reformed church
If at any time any of the qualifications cease to maintain, the voting member must immediately notify the Party Secretary, and the person be removed from the official voting membership.
Any changes in the rules governing the Reformation Party require a majority vote of the voting members. Voting members elect Officers of the Party, as well as Nominees of the Party for political office in the area in which they live.
When there were at least 10 voting members in the Reformation Party, they elected a Council of Officers. Officers serve for one year terms, and may be indefinitely re-elected by the voting members. All administrative decisions for the Party shall be made by its Council of Officers, who shall try to promote the goals of the Party by their decisions and actions. Each Officer has one vote on the Board.
Officers meet the following qualifications:
· Voting member in the Reformation Party
· Not a minister of the gospel or theological doctor
If at any time any of the qualifications cease to maintain, the officer must immediately step down from office, and an election be held for a replacement to serve out the balance of his term.
This first Council of Officers served as the officers for the Reformation Party internationally, for all nations which do not have enough voting members to have their own national chapter of the Reformation Party.
However, as each nation has a sufficient number of voting members (10) to elect the officers of its own national chapter of the Reformation Party, it can do so. Then the officers of the various national chapters, as well as the Board of Officers representing those nations without enough voting members to have their own national chapter of the Reformation Party, should periodically meet in a congress of national chapters of the Reformation Party, to confer and coordinate the policies of the Reformation Party internationally.
Where appropriate Party Officers may encourage qualified Party members to run for political office in the districts and states of their residence (see the Candidates for Political Office section). Party Officers are responsible for organizing primary elections for Party candidates running for political office in districts and states. After primary elections have determined Party nominees for certain political offices, Party Officers will help organize campaigns for Party nominees.
Every man has the duty to contribute to the dominion mandate (“have dominion ...over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” – Genesis 1:28), which necessarily includes political involvement. As a practical matter, most men are involved in politics in some way, but the question is how. Are they voting for and supporting political parties which involve political alliances with heretics and infidels? (In the US, this would include such political parties as the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and even the Constitution Party. For example, a significant portion of the Constitution Party is Mormon.) If so, they are contributing to religious apostasy and calling down the wrath of God upon us, and contradicting the Biblical doctrines outlined in the original Westminster Standards and Three Forms of Unity, whether in ignorance or willfully. (For an excellent treatment on this topic, please study George Gillespie’s treatise “Forbidden Alliances: Concerning Associations and Confederacies with Idolators, Infidels, Heretics, or Any Other Known Enemies of Truth and Godliness”, which can be read online at http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Forbiddn.htm . George Gillespie was a Scottish commissioner to the Westminster Assembly.) Can we really expect Arminians, Roman Catholics, Mormons, etc. to help in establishing reformed Christian government pleasing to God?
In addition, it should be in the heart of every believer that sees the world destitute of even one reformed Christian government, unlike the past, the sentiment expressed in Psalm 137, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion…” These believers in Psalm 137 were not simply satisfied to meet for worship in the Babylon of their day, but they longed to see a nation restored which glorified God. And they sought opportunity to have the nation restored, as we read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. We live in our own modern “Babylon”, but do we not pine for the reformed Christian states that our reformed and Puritan forefathers knew? Are we unwilling to seek opportunities to see such restored to the world, even if it may cause us mocking and discomfort?
It may be retorted, “but we lack the numbers today.” Is that really a good reason for inaction? Look at our Pilgrim forefathers that established Plymouth Plantation, whose original band included only 102 settlers, many of whom were women and children, and not even all Pilgrims. That small band was willing to suffer great hardship to establish a model Christian society as a beacon to the world and to posterity. And we ought not to doubt God’s power to do what He will. We should simply do our duty and wait on God.
So there is abundant reason to join the Reformation Party.