Myth of Consent and Locke

In Myth of Consent and Locke, Rushdoony critiques John Locke’s elevation of consent as the foundation of legitimate authority, arguing that it replaces God’s sovereignty with human autonomy and fuels modern revolution, protest, and civil disobedience. By treating autonomy as man’s natural state and consent as the highest moral criterion, Lockean thought reduces Christianity to a private matter and subordinates God’s law to individual preference. Rushdoony shows how this myth permeates education, family life, and politics, redefining oppression as any denial of consent and ultimately justifying totalitarian rule through the supposed “general will.” Against this destructive illusion, he affirms that true authority rests not in man’s consent but in God’s Word, with legitimate governance always subject to divine law rather than human autonomy. #MythOfConsent #Rushdoony #ChristianWorldview #BiblicalAuthority #Humanism #Autonomy #FaithAndCulture #PoliticalTheory