This apparently requires a little more elaboration.
Think about what it is the gospel message is all about. Think about in terms of system analysis for a moment. We do not persuade in a clinical sense. That’s just a figure of speech. In terms of the mechanics, we simply announce the message. That announcement is first and foremost living it, and then talking about it. Given the biblical Doctrine of Election, a clinical persuasion is simply not possible. This is a large body of non-elect humans out there inherently unable to respond to the gospel message.
But, Elect or not, anyone can be convinced to adopt a fleshly moral framework that is derived from the gospel. That was never at issue. If that’s what matters, then the only question is the accuracy of your derivative. But that’s not a question that solves the underlying issue. It won’t matter a whit whether this or that derivative is most accurate. None of them will have God’s personal involvement.
What you will have is something with varying accuracy at grasping basic human need in terms of social and political organization. If accuracy is the key, then let’s get it right. Our whole Radix Fidem community understands that you cannot come even close to that minimal standard without a Hebraic tribal feudal organization. If you are going to manifest a law code, it has to meet the biblical standard. The issue of tribal feudalism is the most obvious failure of every attempt so far at pulling together a Christian government.
But that’s not the worst failure, only the most obvious. The deeper failure is the total lack of the utterly essential mysticism, the heart-led consciousness required by every law code in Scripture. If you aren’t a heart-led mystic, then you are completely outside of Christ’s teaching. His moral guidance means nothing without that frame of reference. It’s so critical that it constitutes a prerequisite for every law code.
The definition of Western Civilization excludes that. You cannot start with any western people and allow them to stay western if you plan to create a Christian nation with matching government. Indeed, almost any non-western people is already closer to a Christian government than any western people. As someone else noted, the Russians are closer than any western country. And they are still far, far away from the standard, but closer than just about anyone else could be.
Side note: The failure of Russian Orthodoxy is not a so-called heretical Christology, but the mere fact that they have a Christology. All of the issues raised in the schism between east and west are a huge violation of the gospel message. Every bit of that debate is based on both sides departing from the simplicity of the gospel.
So, it’s not a question of Russia having God’s favor. Russia is simply closer to the fundamental nature of reality itself. If that’s what you want, all you need is the Code of Noah, which isn’t very complicated. Then again, any government policy that exceeds the provisions of Noah is also a departure from the fundamental nature of reality.
If Russia is the best we’ve got, then the world is seriously damned.
