Ask the Pastor 156

What are the primary institutions of a society?

Basically, a society is known by its shared geographical boundaries, its language its government and its economy. It is possible for there to be multiple cultures and subcultures within a society. A society can be seen as having 5 primary institutions which will establish and maintain the society as a whole. These 5 are Family, Religion, Education, Law, and Economy. Family is listed as first because it is foundational to the rest of society. I am often asked why religion or the church is not first? The simple answer is that if families do not show up for church on Sunday, then there is no church. A church that does not have young families with a growing Sunday School is a dying church because eventually the old people will die off and there will be nothing left. This is not to discount the value of old people, because the leadership of the church depends on their wisdom and experience and they often are the ones who have the funds to support the church financially. Originally, education and the economy came out of the home with home based businesses that were passed on from one generation to another and education came in the form learning what was needed to carry out the family business. Gradually, the government took over education and corperate America with industrialization took over the economy. Laws are established to protect private property, the safety of each individual and to maintain the mores of the society. All these institutions are designed to protect and prosper the family. If an enemy were to attack a society from within, they will first attack the family, destroy the foundation and the building will crumble. A society built upon biblical principles will protect and involve the family, a society that departs from the Bible will attack and destroy the family. Unfortunately, our country is moving away from the Bible and is gradually destroying the family. It is time to make America Christian again!

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article. See my blog at cbclushton.com