I am pleased to announce that David Lipscomb’s book Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian’s Relation to It has now been reprinted as No. 117 of my Classic Reprints series. Here is a brief description:
Originally published as a series of articles in the Gospel Advocate from 1866 to 1867, this is a very significant work on the Christian’s relation to civil government by the prominent Church of Christ minister, David Lipscomb (1831-1917). Anticipating the arguments of modern libertarian political philosophers, Lipscomb presents a biblical view of a voluntary society. He questions the idea that governments are created for the public good, and argues that peaceful civilization is not dependent on the state. Christians should not participate in politics, but should attempt to persuade people to follow the laws of God rather than using force. This reprint edition includes a foreword by Professor Edward P. Stringham of San Jose State University.
Those who attended the 2006 Austrian Scholars Conference might remember that Professor Stringham had a very informative lecture about David Lipscomb. You can read his foreword to the book here. Although Lipscomb’s book is online here, please contact me if you are interested in a hardcover reprint edition of this important work.
