Derived from theo ('God') and nomos ('law'), theonomy is a hypothetical idea that societies should be governed by divine laws. As expounded by a number of Western Christians thinkers, the laws found in the Old Testament should serve as the template for modern civil laws, on the assumption that the laws given by God to ancient Israel have not been abrogated. The strongest support for theonomy has, historically, come from the Puritans, and evinced in the attempts by Oliver Cromwell during the ten-year interregnum known as the English Commonwealth. Reconstructionism is the philosophy built upon such an idea, that all civil institutions should be brought under the rule of God, of whom Rousas J. Rushdoony (The Institutes of Biblical Law 1973) is its most famous advocate, and that is more prevalent among the Christian Right in the USA than anywhere else. The idea/philosophy is generally seen as flawed because it fails to take the historical context of the OT seriously and has generally not received wider interest or acceptance in the world-wide church.
Wyatt Graham, "R. J. Rushdoony: A Patriarch for Modern Theonomy," 17 February 2022, The Gospel Coalition, Canada.
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