Slaying Leviathan Quotes

“The government we have now would have been unrecognizable to the Founders, and our acquiescence to its systematic encroachments on liberty would have infuriated them. But here is the point: it would not surprise them.”
― Glenn S. Sunshine, Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition

“The aim of every political Constitution, is or ought to be first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust. —James Madison (1751–1836)”
― Glenn S. Sunshine, Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition

“Never was a government that was not composed of liars, malefactors, and thieves. —Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC)”
― Glenn S. Sunshine, Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition

“But the state is not the only institution that has power in our society. Think about the role of schools in forming the worldview of the next generation, because that is what they are self-consciously trying to do. The secular education establishment wants to promote a particular set of values to the next generation, values shaped by the sexual revolution and progressive culture, and they want to do it free from the interference or even the knowledge of parents. Sin always flourishes in the dark. Or consider the media, which openly promote a similar agenda as the schools, slipping in messages that bypass our filters because we're supposed to just sit back and enjoy the entertainment. The media have been an unusually potent force in shaping the moral imagination and changing the values of society.”
― Glenn S. Sunshine, Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition

“The state is more interested in self-aggrandizement and power than it is in promoting the good.”
― Glenn S. Sunshine, Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition

“Although each of these spheres should govern its own affairs, sometimes on a wide scale they do not: family structure collapses, schools fail to teach effectively, businesses act unethically, labor organizations become corrupt. When this happens, the temptation is for another sphere, almost inevitably the government, to step in to fix the problem rather than to work to revitalize the failing sphere(s). Unfortunately, the government is ill-equipped to solve these problems--its tools and competence lie in its areas of responsibility, not in those of other spheres. As a result, its attempts to step in and regulate the workings of another sphere are likely to be clumsy at best and often will make the problems worse. It is not alarmist to say, more ominously, that whenever a government overstep its sphere in this way, it usurps power that properly belongs to another institution. This petty tyranny is, of course, the first sign of Leviathan rising.”
― Glenn S. Sunshine, Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition