Boundary Stone, the Name

“Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.”
(Deuteronomy 27:17)

This curse was numbered among the many that Israel’s priests called out upon the people from Mount Ebal as the nation entered the promised land in the Old Testament. God had given the people His law. He expected it to be observed and if it was not observed, then the people would be cursed. Among the requirements of the law was the affirmation of private property, which is rooted in the 8th commandment against theft.

The name for my organization is taken from the Deuteronomy passage because I believe that we live in a society where people are beginning to routinely move their neighbor’s boundary stones. Today we live in a culture that plays fast and loose with the property rights of others. The proposition that the powers of government may and should be used for the purpose of redistributing property from one person to another has become commonly accepted. However, there is no biblical mandate for such action. In essence, this kind of activity undercuts the legitimate property rights of individual people and is, therefore, a legalized form of theft. The classic case of such theft in the Bible was the conspiracy of Ahab and Jezebel to take Naboth’s vineyard. In this case, Ahab and Jezebel were motivated by their own greed. Modern redistribution is generally motivated by charitable desires. However, we cannot truly be charitable toward others by promoting the violation of our neighbors' private property. Such efforts confuse the meaning of charity. The important point to make is that the government  is limited and its actions are as much bound by the moral law of God as are the activities of anyone else. Moreover, failure to act morally inevitably invites one’s own destruction since such behavior ignores the laws of God.  

Excellent Resource!

Understanding the
Modern Culture Wars:
The Essentials of
Western Civilization
by Dr. Paul A. Cleveland

"Paul Cleveland has done a wonderful job of charting the course of Western culture over the millennia... This book on history is the way I have longed to see one written... Understanding the Modern Culture Wars is an outstanding book, and well worth reading."

Patch Blakey, Executive Director of the Association of Classical & Christian Schools, CLASSIS, November, 2003, p. 4.

"In Understanding the Modern Culture Wars Paul Cleveland has offered a penetrating analysis of the key epochs of Western Civilization. His deft handling of difficult historical issues and his ability to make sense of the historical landscape, make this book a pleasure to read. He has synthesized where others have dichotomized. I highly recommend it."

Larry A. Taunton, Fixed Point Ministries and former European History Teacher, Birmingham, AL