Gary North (economist)

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Gary Kilgore North
Gary North
Gary North speaking at the Mises Institute in 2004 after receiving the Rothbard Medal.
Born (1942-02-00)February , 1942
Education Ph.D. in History, University of California, Riverside
Occupation Christian Social Theorist, Blogger, Author
Known for Co-Founder of Christian Reconstructionism
Religion Christian
Denomination Presbyterian Church in America
Spouse(s) Sharon Rushdoony
Children Darcy, Lori, Scott, and Caleb
Website
www.garynorth.com

Gary Kilgore North (born February 1942) is an American economic historian and publisher who writes on topics including Christian theology, economics, and history.

Contents

Education and background [edit]

North grew up in southern California, the son of FBI special agent Samuel W. North, Jr., and his wife, Peggy.[1] North converted to Christianity in high school and began frequenting conservative bookstores in the Los Angeles area during his college years.[2] Between 1961 and 1963, while an undergraduate student, North became acquainted with the works of Austrian School economists Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, and Murray Rothbard and also read the works of Calvinist philosopher Rousas John Rushdoony.[3] Later he married Rushdoony's daughter,[4] collaborated with him[5] and eulogized Rushdoony in a blog post on LewRockwell.com.[6]

Starting in 1967, North became a frequent contributor to the libertarian journal The Freeman where he had first read their work.[7] He later joined the senior staff of the publisher, the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), 1971–73. North received a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Riverside in 1972. His dissertation was The Concept of Property in Puritan New England, 1630–1720.[8]

He served as research assistant for libertarian Republican Congressman Ron Paul in Paul's first term (1976). North is a regular contributor to the LewRockwell.com website, which lists an extensive archive of his articles there.[9] Today, North's own website, garynorth.com, posts North's commentary on religious, social, and political issues and offers paid access to investment advice and other premium content.[10] North also publishes a blog called Deliverance from Debt the purpose of which is to support Christians who seek deliverance from debt.[11] Another North website, Free Christian Curriculum,[12] is dedicated to implementing a free Christian homeschooling curriculum for age 3 through grade 12.

Political beliefs [edit]

North argues for the abolition of the fractional-reserve banking system and a return to the gold standard.[13] He also opposes the US Department of Education and Council on Higher Education Accreditation, claiming it is a cartel and the group has, in part, caused higher education to "become uniformly secular, liberal, and mediocre: raising the cost of entry."[14]

Religious views and affiliations [edit]

North is the founder of the publishing firm Institute for Christian Economics (ICE)[15] which published many Christian Reconstructionist books online. (Christian Reconstructionists are also presuppositionalists in their approach to Christian apologetics as taught in modern Calvinism, and oppose natural law theory as a basis for civil law order.) The company reportedly got its start with a bequest from an anonymous benefactor. North never received a salary or book royalties for the 25 years of its existence. At North's request, the board disbanded the ICE in 2001. The assets were transferred to Dominion Educational Ministries, Inc., a non-profit organization that operates Christian day care centers.[citation needed]

North is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America.[citation needed]

Controversial views [edit]

North favors stoning to death women who lie about their virginity, blasphemers, nonbelievers, children who curse their parents, male homosexuals, and other people who commit acts deemed capital offenses in the Old Testament.[16][17] He opposes freedom of religion, arguing for "a Bible-based social, political and religious order which ... denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God."[18] On the subject of children's rights, North argues that "[the] son or daughter is under the jurisdiction of the family," which "must be maintained by the threat of death."[19]

Y2K controversy [edit]

North predicted a Y2K catastrophe in print and online,[20] and suggested that a Y2K date-rollover failure of the global Information Technology (IT) infrastructure would precipitate severe disruption and perhaps even an economic collapse. North urged his readers to take various survivalist preparedness measures. It turned out that no significant problems took place, but North later described Y2K as "a close call." North deleted the Y2K material from his website after the disaster failed to occur, but his comments, Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums, have been archived at a mirror site.[21]

Publications [edit]

Books and newsletters [edit]

North has authored or co-authored more than fifty books, many of which are available for free download.[22] For many years, North has been the author/editor of the newsletter The Remnant Review. More recently, he has also edited Gary North's Reality Check,[23] a widely-circulated free e-newsletter.

Documentary and educational film [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, Paducah, Ky (1997). Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. Turner Publishing. p. 185. 
  2. ^ North, Gary. "It All Began With Fred Schwarz". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  3. ^ Trueman, Carl R. (2009). Histories and Fallacies: Problems Faced in the Writing of History. Crossway. p. 30, footnote 4. ISBN 978-1581349238. OCLC 298184467. "While Rushdoony’s followers do not like to acknowledge his Holocaust Denial, it is incontestable that he held such a position, according to the technical definition (i.e., a massive lowering of the number of estimated dead from the usual six million, and rejection of the idea of systematic mass slaughter). His sources are atrocious, second-hand, and unverified; that he held this position speaks volumes about his appalling incompetence as a historian, and one can only speculate as to why he held the position from a moral perspective: see his The Institutes of Biblical Law (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1973), 586-88. He deals with the matter under the issue of the Ninth Commandment and, ironically breaches it himself in his presentation of the matter." 
  4. ^ Stammer, Larry (3 March 2001). "The Rev. Rousas John Rushdoony; Advocated Rule by Biblical Law". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 April 2013. 
  5. ^ Rushdoony, Rousas John; Gary North (3 appendices) (1978). The Institutes of Biblical Law: a Chalcedon Study. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company. p. 890. ISBN 9780875524108. OCLC 768429065. 
  6. ^ North, Gary. "R. J. Rushdoony, R.I.P.". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  7. ^ North, Gary. "What Made Rothbard Great." Ludwig von Mises Institute. Mises.org. 28 July 2004. [1]
  8. ^ OCLC 1902749
  9. ^ LewRockwell.com Articles by North
  10. ^ http://www.garynorth.com/public/10.cfm
  11. ^ Deliverance from Debt blog http://deliverancefromdebt.wordpress.com/about/
  12. ^ http://www.freechristiancurriculum.com/public/main.cfm
  13. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark. "‘Christian Economics’ Meets the Antiunion Movement". New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  14. ^ North, Gary. "The Coming Breakdown of the Academic Cartel." LewRockwell.com. [2]
  15. ^ "Institute for Christian Economics Books And Newsletters". reformed-theology.org. February 8, 2001. Retrieved March 11, 2012. 
  16. ^ http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2005/12/nation-under-god
  17. ^ http://www.alternet.org/story/40318/public_stoning%3A_not_just_for_the_taliban_anymore
  18. ^ "Invitation to a Stoning: Getting cozy with theocrats" by Walter Olson, Reason, November 1998
  19. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040209010401/http://www.serve.com/thibodep/cr/cursing.htm
  20. ^ "There's Something About Gary". Wired Magazine. January 1999.
  21. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20000301050703/http://www.garynorth.com/
  22. ^ "FreeBooks from the Institute for Christian Economics". entrewave.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11. 
  23. ^ [3][dead link]
  24. ^ "Conspiracy in Philadelphia: Origins of the US Constitution by Dr. Gary North". Scribd.com. October 21, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2012. 

External links [edit]

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