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Gary North | |
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.jpg) North speaking in 2013 | |
| Born | Gary Kilgore North (1942-02-11)February 11, 1942 Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 2022(2022-02-24) (aged 80) |
| Education | University of California, Riverside (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Christian social theorist, economist, blogger, author |
| Known for | Cofounder ofChristian reconstructionism |
| Spouse | Sharon Rushdoony |
| Website | www |
Gary Kilgore North (February 11, 1942 – February 24, 2022) was an American writer,Austrian Schooleconomic historian, and leading figure in theChristian reconstructionist movement.[1] North authored or coauthored over fifty books on topics includingReformed Protestant theology,economics, andhistory. He was an Associated Scholar of theMises Institute.[2]
He is known for his advocacy of biblical or "radically libertarian" economics and also as a theorist ofdominionism andtheonomy. North often invoked theProtestant work ethic to advance these views. He supported the establishment and enforcement of Bible-basedreligious law, a view which put him in conflict with other libertarians.[3] He believed thatcapital punishment is appropriate punishment for malehomosexuality,adultery,blasphemy,abortion, andwitchcraft.[4]
North was born inLos Angeles, California, on February 11, 1942,[5][6] and grew up inSouthern California, the son ofFBI special agent Samuel W. North Jr. and his wife Peggy.[7] North converted toChristianity in high school and, after attending a rally whereanti-communist activistFred Schwarz spoke, began frequenting conservative book-stores in theLos Angeles area during his college years.[8] Between 1961 and 1963, while an undergraduate student atUniversity of California, Riverside, North became acquainted with the works ofWilhelm Röpke,Rose Wilder Lane,Cornelius Van Til,Austrian School economistsEugen Böhm von Bawerk,Ludwig von Mises,F. A. Hayek andMurray Rothbard, and also read the works ofCalvinist philosopherRousas John Rushdoony.[8] Later he married Rushdoony's daughter,[9] collaborated with him[10] and eulogized Rushdoony in a blog post on LewRockwell.com.[11]
Starting in 1967, North became a contributor to thelibertarian journalThe Freeman where he had first read the work ofLudwig von Mises andFriedrich Hayek.[12][unreliable source?] In the 1970s, he was the director of seminars for theFoundation for Economic Education (FEE).[13] North received aPhD in history from theUniversity of California, Riverside in 1972. Hisdissertation wasThe Concept of Property in Puritan New England, 1630–1720.[14]
He served as research assistant for libertarianRepublican CongressmanRon Paul in Paul's first term (1976). North was a regular contributor to theLewRockwell.com website, which lists an extensive archive of his articles there.[15] North's own website, Garynorth.com, posts commentary on religious, social, and political issues and offers paid access to investment advice and other premium content.[16] North also published a blog calledDeliverance from Debt which provided advice about relief from debt.[17] Another North website, "Free Christian Curriculum", seeks to provide a free Christianhomeschooling curriculum for children from age 3 through grade 12.[18]
In addition, North contributed to theRon Paul Curriculum, ahome school online curriculum associated with former U.S. CongressmanRon Paul, which is free for grades K–5 and available to paid members from grades 6–12.[19][20][21] As director of curriculum development, North outlined four goals of the educational project: providing a "detailed study" of the "history of liberty"; teaching a "thorough understanding of Austrian economics"; serving as "an academically rigorous curriculum that is tied to primary source" material rather than textbooks; and teaching "the Biblical principle of self-government and personal responsibility", which North called "the foundation of the market economy".[22]
North wrote that the "starting point for all economic analysis" lies in accepting that "God [has] cursed the earth" in theBook of Genesis 3:17–19; this "made scarcity an inescapable fact of man's existence".[23] In his 1982Dominion Covenant: Genesis, North wrote that mainstream modern economics, whether libertarian, conservative or liberal, is "in disintegration" because it is "humanist" in its approach and consequently rejects the notion that "biblical revelation" is necessary for sound economic theory. He also wrote that economics "must begin with the [Biblical] story of creation" if it is not to collapse into "total chaos".[24]
A 2011 article inThe New York Times identified North as a central figure inChristian reconstructionism, the philosophy which advocates the institution of "a Christiantheocracy under Old Testament law [as] the best form of government, and a radically libertarian one."[23] North wrote: "I certainly believe in biblical theocracy."[25][26]
The article also described North as "the leading proponent of 'Christian economics,' which applies biblical principles to economic issues and the free market." North supported the abolition of thefractional-reserve banking system and a return to thegold standard. According to theTimes, North believed that the Bible forbids inflation, welfare programs, and also writes that "God would prefer gold money to paper".[23]
North favoredcapital punishment for a range of offenders, including murderers, blasphemers, children who curse their parents,[27] male homosexuals, and other people who commit some of theacts deemed capital offenses in theOld Testament.[28][29][30] (North believed that the death penalty forsabbath breaking and some other crimes no longer applies.[28]) North stated that thebiblical admonition to kill homosexuals in theBook of Leviticus is God's "law and its morally appropriate sanction", arguing that "God is indeed ahomophobe" who "hates the practice [of homosexuality] and those who practice it" and "hates the sin and hates the sinner."[31]
North said that capital punishment should be carried out bystoning, because it is the biblically approved method of execution and it is cheap due to the plentiful and convenient supply of stones.[4][32] For non-capital offenses, North eschewed prisons as a punishment, but preferred "whipping, restitution in the form of indentured servitude, or slavery".[33]
North said: "We must use the doctrine ofreligious liberty to gain independence for Christian schools until we train up a generation of people who know that there is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government. Then they will get busy in constructing a Bible-based social, political and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God."[3][34]
Adam C. English suggests that this quote implies that "religious liberty is a useful tool to Christians in the present, yet is ultimately to be denied to anyone who is not Christian once the Christians are in power".[35] English argues that although this may seem inconsistent (advocating religious liberty but denying the reality of the notion), North and his fellow reconstructionists understand "liberty" in a theological sense. According to the reconstructionists, "anyone outside of the Christian faith is in bondage," and so "government by rigorous theonomy is not oppressive but liberating".[36]
North was also a prominent promoter of exaggerated predictions of computer failure from theYear 2000 problem (Y2K) during the late 1990s,[37][38][39][40][41] earning him the nickname "Scary Gary."[42] His main website became dominated by links to extremist predictions for Y2K damage, including widespread collapse of governments and financial institutions. North declared on his home page that Y2K "may be the biggest problem that the modern world has ever faced" and labeled 2000 as "The Year the Earth Stands Still".[43]
Critics said the motivation for North's predictions was linked to his Christian reconstructionist aims, which require widespreadsocietal collapse to set the stage for a new theocratic order. North made the connection explicit in communications with fellow reconstructionists: "The Y2K crisis is systemic. It cannot possibly be fixed. I think it will wipe out every national government in the West. Not just modify them—destroy them...That is what I have wanted all my adult life. In my view, Y2K is our deliverance."[44]
North was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, and underwent treatment for about five years. He died inDallas, Georgia, on February 24, 2022, at the age of 80.[45][5]
North was the founder of the Institute for Christian Economics (ICE), which publishes online books and magazines focusing onChristian ethics.[46][47] ICE, along with Dominion Press inTyler, Texas, are important sources forreconstructionist publications.[48]
North authored or coauthored more than fifty books, many of which are available for free download.[49] For many years, North was the author and editor of the newsletterThe Remnant Review. He also providedGary North's Reality Check, a free e-newsletter.[50]
...North favors stoning,...because of the widespread availability of rocks...
The Institute for Christian Economics is a non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization which is devoted to research and publishing in the field of Christian ethics.
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