The character of the National Reform Association has been forged not by a victory of one parochial reformational faction over another, but instead through the celebration of freedom birthed in the doctrinal fires of the Reformation and nurtured to maturity in the Scottish Highlands. Together we are part of a renewal, larger than our own venerable organization, that has both the potential and the vigor to signal a truly national and great spiritual awakening.
The directors of the National Reform Association have sworn before Almighty God the same solemn oath our reformational forbearers proscribed nearly five centuries ago. An oath that has been assiduously maintained and advanced both in doctrine and conduct. And yet, the same reformational beliefs for which our forbearers fought and to which we have sworn allegiance, are still at issue throughout the greater church. Even in our own ranks, the tactics of Knoxian prophetic preaching, the non-coercive intolerance of humanistic-egalitarian-moral equivalency, ecclesiastical interposition against rebellious civil magistrates, and the repulse of the contemporary challenges posed by militant Islam nevertheless cause great perturbation and turmoil.
Still, we dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first great Reformation. Therefore, we are resolved that the word shall go forth from the National Reform Association, to both friend and foe alike. Firmly anchored in our glorious heritage and unequivocal in speech, we are unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of the work to which this organization has always been committed, and to which it will always be committed. That work is nothing less than the “Crown Rights of Jesus Christ” explicitly confessed, enacted, and preserved at every level of civil government.
To those faithful old friends and supporters who form the core of our Association, whose spiritual origins we share, whose common history binds us with cords which cannot be broken, we pledge the loyalty of faithful ministers engaged in the greater work of societal renovation. Sincerity is always subject to proof, and the actions of the NRA, forged on the anvil of adversity have stood the test of time. United in Christ, there is little we cannot do to meet the powerful challenges of the future. Yet, the work of reformation will surely fail if we attempt to meet it being at odds and split asunder.
To those who are new to the mission of the National Reform Association we welcome you to the ranks of the free. A freedom born in the justifying power of the finished work of Christ. A freedom to serve, not a freedom to sin. A freedom to live, not a freedom to enslave. A freedom to strive, not a freedom for strife. We pledge our word to you that as the work of reformation is advanced, the tyranny of sin shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by the far worse tyranny of legalistic religious will worship or humanistic utopian expectations.
Under the aegis of gospel freedom, it must be known that we will not suffer those who foolishly seek position and political power by riding the back of the tiger named envy and strife. The seductive foolish illusions of coercive political power are at the very heart of our adversaries’ erroneous views of the purpose and methods of the National Reform Association. Hence the NRA will not allow itself to be manipulated nor dominated by any political party, nor will it be absorbed by any particular denomination or so-called “para-church” ministry. To those who may hold such ambitions it must be known that the National Reform Association intends to remain the master of its own house, first under God, then under its constitution and by-laws.
The National Reform Association is a cause-driven theological and political think-tank. Its activistic arm publishes books and magazines, makes disciples of civil magistrates, mobilizes churches, and helps to network like-minded saints throughout the world. It is not a forum for invective nor is it a debate society along the lines of the seminary. It is the place of ministry that heeds the command of Isaiah to “undo the heavy burdens …and to let the oppressed go free.” Our charter of “explicitly Christian politics” is the ensign to push back the jungle of sin, suspicion, and discord in the arena of civil government, and we are confident of prevailing in this realm even against “the gates of hell.” To such glories we at the National Reform Association are given.
Now, as the President of the National Reform Association, I am sounding the trumpet call to all of our dear supporters. This is a summons to join with the NRA and to bear the burden of a long exacting struggle, year in and year out against sin and rebellion in high and low places. This fight will rarely be fought in the radiant light of the noonday sun, for the kingdom’s zenith is not yet; nor will it be fought under the pale of utter darkness for hell’s minions are bound; rather it will be fought in the faint glow of the dawn with the hope of ever increasing light. Only a few generations have been granted the role of defending the Faith and its resulting freedoms in its hour of maximum peril. As the National Reform Association we cannot and we will not recoil from this responsibility. Instead, we welcome it. We refuse to believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The nativistic urge to escape our current plight and exchange it for the illusion of an idyllic, past way of life must be as far from us as the east is from the west. It is the New Testament promise of the future that must form our present. Therefore, let us be animated by the faith, the devotion, and the vision that we bring to the endeavor of kingdom expansion, for this may very well be the fire that will light our country and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
The ministry of the National Reform Association is God’s work. We are laborers in His vineyard. We serve His cause. God does not serve us. May we with renewed vigor and devotion seek first the kingdom of God, and, with our eyes lifted to that heavenly horizon, renounce our petty selfish designs for the greater glory of God and the renovation of the nation in righteousness.
Will you join with us now in supporting this venerable and prestigious organization with a generous financial gift? Beyond this special gift would you also consider a monthly donation to the National Reform Association? Our commitment is without diminution and remains resolute. We need to see the same kind of energy, commitment, and love from each and everyone of you, if we ever hope to see an expansion of the sphere wherein our writ may run.
Rev. Jeffrey A. Ziegler, the president of the National Reform Association, is also founder and president of Christian Endeavors and Reformation Bible Institute, and host of “Christian Statesman Radio.” Jeff is also president of The Continental Group, a think-tank for political activism, and a pastor at Shiloh Christian Church in Leroy Township, Ohio. He can be reached at 35155 Beachpark Drive, Eastlake, Ohio 44095. E-mail: ceejz@ncweb.com.
