Everything else being equal, Christians–because we have had our hearts and minds opened to God’s Word by the Holy Spirit–will have a better understanding of these things than atheists. Again, common grace allows atheists to understand a lot about these things. But their knowledge will be lacking wisdom that only Christians can find in Scripture.

We have a fair amount of discussion in my church over what the Bible teaches when it comes to government and how to apply God’s Word to particular areas of public policy.

During one of those discussions, a friend recently commented, “I reject the notion that someone needs to be a small government conservative to be in a reformed church.”

With that I am in 100% agreement. In fact, you don’t even have to be reformed to be in a reformed church, at least in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

When I came to my reformed PCA church, I was an avid history buff yet was basically ignorant about Luther, Calvin, and the Reformation. I was also an Armenian who believed that the earth was billions of years old and had some vague notion that the world was heading to hell in a hand basket, having been fed dispensationalist dogma throughout my years in Baptist school; I had no clue what post (or even pre) millennialism was.

But shortly after my arrival I attended a Sunday school class called Calvinism 101. Then I asked a friend why he believed in six literal days of creation; he suggested you can’t properly account for death under the old earth scenario. And I also sat under some amazing teaching that showed me how God’s word points to Jesus’ ongoing and effectual victory over Satan and sin and the world in history–imagine that! And here I am today; a reformed, eschatologically optimistic, young earther.

I will admit, though, that I did bring my small government conservatism with me to my church. But that wasn’t what got me or the rest of us in. We just have to confess Christ as our Lord, be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and answer a few questions in the affirmative–including submitting to the discipline of and studying the peace and purity of the church.

I do believe, though, we need to talk through my friend’s other comment, “I think that associating small government conservatism and the reformed church publicly risks driving people away over issues that don’t relate to the Gospel.”

My first response to this would be to say that EVERYTHING relates to the Gospel. The “whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” and there is nothing or no one or no activity that is not in need of the redemption and renewal that the Gospel brings. Grocery stores, public schools, the military, physics, law–everything, all need the redemption and renewal proclaimed in the Gospel. So it is a good thing that the Gospel–and all of God’s Word–provides all that we need for this:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17 – ESV)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence … (2 Peter 1:3 – ESV)

With some things, like science, observation is needed to make sense of the world. But you are much better off if you are grounded in Scripture when you get started. For instance, did you know that recent secular linguists estimate that the oldest language in India is only 4,500 years old? And that secular scientists are now suggesting all humans descended from two people thousands (not millions) of years ago? They miss the time frame a bit–they suggest one hundred thousand years, but just think of all the time and money–mostly ours–scientists could have saved coming to these conclusions if they had just started with Scripture instead of Darwin.

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