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).
Now that the Reformation Party has sufficient voting members to elect Party officers, it has its own website at www.reformationparty.org . We encourage you to visit the website.
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 shall be 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 shall require a majority vote of the voting members. Voting members will also elect Officers of the Party, as well as Nominees of the Party for political office in the area in which they live.
When there are at least 10 voting members in the Reformation Party, they shall elect a Board of Officers, consisting of the following offices:
· Party Chairman
· Party Secretary
· Party Treasurer
Officers shall 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 Board 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 shall meet the following qualifications:
· Be voting members in the Reformation Party.
· Not a minister of the gospel
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 Board of Officers will serve 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.
Until such time as the Reformation Party has officers, the Party will take no actions as an organization.
The election of officers will be organized and conducted by a Board of Elections (see section Board of Elections below). The annual election date of Officers will be publicized at least 8 weeks prior to the election date. Candidates for office must submit their names at least 4 weeks prior to the election date, and these candidate names will be publicized at least 3 weeks prior to the election date.
In order to win election for office, a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the votes cast. If no one candidate for a particular office obtains more than 50% of the votes cast, then there will be a run-off election between the 2 candidates which obtained the most votes in the original election within 4 weeks of the original election date.
If you would like to apply for membership, or find out more information about membership, contact info@puritans.net. Until such time as Officers have been elected, Sean McDonald and J. Parnell McCarter will maintain the membership records. These shall be turned over to the Party Secretary, should Officers be elected.
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.