About Allen Guelzo

Christian Reconstructionist Gary North published a series of volumes with the series title, Christianity and Civilization. Vol. 2 was "The Theology of Christian Resistance."

Allen Guelzo was a contributor.

Sometimes when I write a paper, I write up a big mess of a paper, which is not intended to be published, but instead is a source paper which is essentially all my notes written up.

This is the section mentioning Guelzo. All sorts of things slither around in Civil War history.

Surely Guelzo was aware who Gary North was or what this publication was about.

From my paper:

Gary North, is a leading Reconstructionist, known for his support for stoning as biblically sanctioned and inexpensive means of capital punishment. In particular, he is known for the advocacy of the stoning of young adults who are disobedient to their parents. [i] He has not contributed to the Southern Partisan. He has however contributed an article to Texas Republic magazine, a sort of neo-Alamonian variation of the Southern Partisan, complaining about government regulation of day care. [ii] Bill Murchison, League of the South member and contributor, explained the magazine’s purpose and the Confederate identity of Texas in the Southern Partisan. [iii]

He edited “The Theology of Christian Resistance: A Symposium, Vol. 2” by Geneva Divinity School Press, 1983. It was reviewed in the Summer 1983 issue of Southern Partisan. Thomas Landess overall favorably reviews, with some “reservations,” “The Theology of Christian Resistance,” with editor Gary North. As Landess states, “Still, with these reservations, on can learn a great deal from this book and its various authors.” Landess particularly likes M.E. Bradford’s contribution. [iv] In the League of the South publication, Southern Patriot, some of the neo-Confederate aspects are described. . In an article titled, “Lincoln & Interposition,” there is a section taken from the book, in an article “On Reconstruction,” by Tom Rose, to assert that Lincoln was acting unconstitutionally in his efforts to prevent the secession of the slave states. This article was originally published in the Journal of Christian Reconstruction Summer 1978. [v] The article in the “Theology of Resistance” advances the idea of the compact theory of the American union and supports the legitimacy of the idea of nullification and interposition.  It includes the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession as well as other documents from the time of secession. Rose advances the idea of interposition as a tool to resist what he feels is “idolatrous” government.

In “Theology of Christian Resistance, Vol. 2” Gary North in Part III of the book, “The History of Christian Resistance,” has a states rights article titled, “The Debate Over Federal Sovereignty” in which is discusses the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798 as being opposed by the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798-199.  He merely writes the preface, and the rest of the article is lengthy quotations from the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, and the text of the Alien and Sedition act. The intent of the article is discussed in Gary North’s “Editor’s Introduction” to the volume. Quoting:

These were statements of a philosophy which later became known as “state’s rights,” but which are simply an extension of the principle of balanced power, Federal versus local, of the U.S. Constitution. …The defeat of the Southern Confederacy in 1865 was equally the defeat of the original convenantalism of the Constitution.

North’s thoughts on the Confederacy are further revealed in the footnote for this section.

26 Perhaps the most brilliant defense of the state’s rights position is Alexander H. Stephens. A Constitutional defense of the Late War Between the States: Its Causes, Character, Conduct and Results (2 vols., 1868, 1870).  Stephens served as the Vice President of the Confederacy. See R.J. Rushdoony, The Nature of the American System (Fairfax, Virginia: Thobrun Press, [1965], 1978), ch. 3: “Alexander H. Stephens.”

Besides the two articles recommended by the Southern Partisan and Southern Patriot, and Gary North’s articles, other neo-Confederates make contributions, though on non-neo-Confederate topics to Vol. 2. Joseph C. Morecraft III has an article.  Tommy W. Rogers, who contributes a book review, has also contributed five book reviews to Southern Partisan. [vi] In one of these book reviews he is upset with an author of a biography of David Duke for not sharing Rogers sympathies with Duke’s politics. [vii] On the other hand there are two non-neo-Confederates who are contributors, Allen C. Guelzo, who has been criticized for his biography of Lincoln in the Southern Partisan, [viii] and Jim West who had an essay arguing that secession wasn’t constitutional in a 1996 issue of Chalcedon Reports.  This essay also had a great deal of agreement with neo-Confederate opinion on Unitarians and Reconstruction. [ix]  In Vol. 3 leading neo-Confederates make contributions. Francis Nigel Lee, leading neo-Confederate, contributes “The Christian Manifesto of 1984.”  Francis Nigel Lee spoke at the 7^th Annual Southern Heritage Conference, in Monroe, Louisiana in 1997. [x] His topics were “Calvinism and Southern Culture,” “The Roots of the Confederacy,” and “The Holy Trinity & the Confederacy.” Douglas F. Kelly of Agenda Credenda has a contribution. Otto J. Scott also contributes an essay. Lawrence D. Pratt, member of the League of the South [xi] also has spoken at the Southern Heritage Conferences. [xii]

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[i] Clarkson, Frederick, Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, page 81-82, Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine, 1997.

[ii] North, Gary, “Day Careless,” Vol. 1 No. 5, July-August 1994, page 8-9, Texas Republic.

[iii]  Goolsby, Charles R., “Partisan Conversation: Bill Murchison,” Vol. 14 No. 1 1^st Quarter, 1994, page 36, Southern Partisan

[iv] Landess, Tom,  book review of “The Theology of Resistance: A Symposium,” Vol. 3 No. 3, Summer 1983,   page 43 , Southern Partisan

[v] Rose, Tom, Vol. 7 No. 1, January – February 2000, page 11, Southern Patriot. Originally published in the Journal of Christian Reconstruction Summer 1979.

[vi] Rogers, Tommy, Vol. 9 3^rd Quarter 1989, page 48; Vol. 10 4^th Quarter 1990, page 46; Vol. 13 1^st Quarter 1993, page 38; Vol. 15 4^th Quarter, 1995, page 27; Vol. 16 3^rd Quarter 1996, page 51, Southern Partisan.

[vii] Rogers, Tommy W., “Portrait of a Populist,” book review of “David Duke: Evolution of a Klansman” by Michael Zatarain, Vol. 10 4^th Quarter 1990, page 46, Southern Partisan.

[viii] Smith, Sam,  “False Messiah,” review of “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President,” by Allen C. Guelzo, Vol. 20 1^st Quarter 2000, page 37 – 39,  Southern Partisan.

[ix] West, Jim,  “The Constitutional War of the North,” No. 369, April 1996, page 18-23  Chalcedon Reports.

[x] “Seventh Annual Southern Heritage Conference …,” Vol. 4 No. 2, March – April 1997, page 23 , Southern Patriot. [Online record has the wrong No.]

[xi] “Noteworthy publications,” Vol. 2 No. 3, May-June 1995, page 24,  Southern Patriot

[xii]  “Conferences …”, Vol. 3 No. 2 page 16, for the 6^th Conference; “Confederate Fanfare …”, Vol. 5 No. 3, May – June 1998, page 6,  for the 8^th Conference, Southern Patriot.