Many Christian Nationalists, while endorsing free markets in principle, condemn “gigacorps” or “sociopathic” corporations that appear to crush the little guy with impunity. They rightly identify an injustice but often advocate solutions rooted in more man-made laws, missing the true culprit: the man-made legislative system. This article, grounded in a theonomic perspective, argues that the biblical system of justice—specifically, the rejection of a legislative branch as articulated in Lancastrian theonomy—provides the only consistent solution to corporate dominance. By adhering to God’s Law, which prioritizes man’s freedom and duty to take dominion, we can dismantle the mechanisms that empower corporations to oppress via man-made law and shield themselves from accountability.
The Problem: Corporations and the Legislative Branch
Corporations wield disproportionate influence not because of capitalism itself but because of a legislative system that enables cronyism. Billionaires and corporate elites leverage their wealth to fund lobbyists who sway lawmakers to pass regulations, subsidies, and legal protections that favor large businesses. These man-made laws—ranging from tax breaks to complex licensing requirements—create barriers for small businesses and entrepreneurs, stifling competition and entrenching corporate power. As Luke Saint writes in The Sound Doctrine of Theocracy, “It is a common complaint that regulation is instituted not as a safety precaution, but as a way to corner the market. Many business owners have called on regulative laws because they desired to monopolize their respective trade. This, of course, causes others who want to enter that trade to be at a major disadvantage. Licensing, lobbying, codes, fees, taxes, etc., are all examples of how difficult it is for any one person to enter a heavily regulated field. This is an injustice.”
This injustice stems from the power of the legislative branch to “regulate the economy,” which is, in essence, the power to distribute favors. Corporations, with their vast resources, are best positioned to compete for these favors, securing privileges and exemptions that small businesses cannot afford to pursue. Moreover, regulations often disproportionately burden smaller enterprises, which lack the legal teams and financial cushion to navigate complex compliance requirements. The result is a system where the wealthy elite, shielded by corporate structures, evade accountability for harms caused, while the righteous struggle under unjust constraints. Proverbs 13:23 laments this reality: “The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.”
The Biblical System: Freedom Under God’s Law
The solution lies not in reforming the legislative system with more man-made laws but in abolishing it in favor of God’s Law, as prescribed in a theonomic framework. Lancastrian theonomy rejects the legislative branch entirely, arguing that only God’s revealed Law—unchanging and just—should govern human affairs. In this system, there are no lobbyists or lawmakers to bribe, no regulations to manipulate, and no corporate shields to protect the guilty from civil accountability. God’s Law prioritizes the freedom and duty of men, as image-bearers, to take dominion over their resources (Genesis 1:28), including the right to buy and sell labor or goods at agreed-upon prices (Matthew 20:1–16). Biblical law supports free markets—voluntary exchanges governed by God’s justice—while rejecting distorted systems like crony capitalism, which rely on man-made laws to favor corporate elites.
While some distinguish capitalism as broader than free markets, the central issue remains what Scripture teaches: righteous stewardship for kin (1 Timothy 5:8) and others (Galatians 6:10), unhindered by man-made (unjust) laws. Under biblical law, corporations would lack the legal mechanisms to dominate markets unjustly. Without a legislative branch to enact protective statutes, corporate elites could not hide behind limited liability laws that shield them from personal responsibility for crimes or harms. If a corporation defrauds or oppresses, God’s Law demands restitution (Leviticus 19:13, Exodus 22:1–4), holding people accountable rather than allowing faceless entities to evade justice. Small businesses and individuals, unburdened by excessive regulations, would compete on equal footing, free to innovate and prosper. As Saint notes, “We must not make it difficult to take dominion. We must encourage it. A Theocracy is built for just that.”
Addressing Objections: Corporations as “Sociopaths”
Critics often brand corporations as “sociopaths,” claiming their legal status grants unchecked power and immunity, allowing them to prioritize profit over social good without accountability. Marc Lefton encapsulates this view: “If a corporation is indeed a person, it’s long been thought they are a sociopath. Because not only do they exist solely to make money despite the social consequences, they have better protection from criminal misdeeds than actual criminals.” This frustration highlights a real injustice but misattributes the cause to the corporate form rather than the man-made legislative system that empowers it. Under biblical law, as prescribed by Lancastrian theonomy, no legislative branch exists to grant corporations special protections or immunities. Without man-made laws to manipulate, corporate elites cannot hide behind limited liability or lobby for regulations shielding them from accountability. Critics’ solutions—more laws or penalties—remain trapped in the same flawed legislative framework, inviting further manipulation by the wealthy. Biblical law, by contrast, eradicates the root issue: corporations’ ability to influence lawmakers. Absent a legislative branch, billionaires cannot buy favorable laws, nor can corporations secure monopolistic advantages through licensing, subsidies, or regulatory capture.
The Misstep of Christian Nationalist Solutions
Many Christian Nationalists recognize the injustice of corporate dominance but err in advocating for more man-made laws to curb it. This approach assumes the legislative system can be reformed to favor the “little guy,” ignoring how wealth and influence inevitably corrupt such systems. The biblical critique is deeper: the legislative branch itself is an unbiblical institution, usurping God’s authority to define justice. The solution is not to fight man-made law with more man-made law but to return to God’s Law, which fosters true freedom and accountability. For example, critics might demand laws to protect workers or small businesses, but such laws often backfire, creating new loopholes for corporations to utilize. The biblical system avoids this trap by limiting the civil magistrate to enforcing God’s Law, which protects the righteous without enabling cronyism.
A Call to Biblical Justice
The dominance of corporations over small businesses and individuals is a symptom of a deeper problem: the abandonment of biblical law for man-made systems. The legislative branch, with its lobbyists and elite influencers, empowers billionaires to crush the righteous, as Proverbs 13:23 warns. The Bible offers the solution: reject the legislative branch and return to God’s Law, which upholds the freedom to take dominion, ensures accountability for wrongs, and prevents the wealthy from buying injustice. Christians must advocate for a system where corporations, like all entities, operate under the same biblical standard, with no special privileges or shields. By embracing God’s justice, we can free the righteous to prosper, provide for their kin, and build a society that honors Him.
