God Gives Them Wicked Rulers
/One of the subjects I have been fascinated by recently is Italian Elite Theory, which essentially means that society is always shaped and governed by a small minority who hold power.
Therefore, when God wants to have mercy on a society, He does so by raising up a good ruler (a Christian Prince, a Protestant Franco).
But the opposite is true as well: “When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.” That quote is often attributed to Calvin. According to one man’s research, Calvin didn’t say exactly that. But it is a good, pithy summary of what Calvin did actually say.
What Calvin actually said:
They who rule unjustly and incompetently have been raised up by [the Lord] to punish the wickedness of the people…. a wicked king is the Lord’s wrath upon the earth.
A wicked prince is the Lord’s scourge to punish the sins of the people.