More About Oaths

As God would have it, Herescope today has posted an excellent discussion about oaths entitled, "Manifestos, Declarations and Covenants." From "The Evangelical Manifesto" to Bono's "Make Poverty History," there really is a sinister purpose behind their use. I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here's an excerpt:

A key element of these “common ground for the common good” pronouncements and manifestos is the idea of signing a “covenant.” These open declarations with signatories often serve as a means to cement commitment to the cause. Rick Warren, and his mentor Peter Drucker, were masters at using this method:

Purpose-Driven churches have a built-in mechanism upon which to eventually pressure or compel their members to volunteer: the membership covenant that is to be signed. This covenant-signing is connected to the idea of “human capital.” One management expert has proposed that “organizational capital” (“a kind of human capital”) is increased when there is a formal “joining-up process,” a type of psychological contract in which one aligns their life’s purpose with the organization’s purpose. Which raises the obvious question – did the Purpose-Driven “covenant” idea actually originate in “organizational capital” theories? Has a psycho-social concept been dressed up in biblical language to make it palatable?

Interestingly, these church covenants are so vaguely worded and undefined that new meanings could be assigned to the terminology as time goes on.[1]