Federalism

At its base federalism is defined as a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant. In which covenant is a promise or vow for engage or refrain from a specific action or party. It is a form of government in which smaller divisions of power like a states or provinces will align under some sort of constitution to make one wholly powerful entity. Where as a federation is generally seen as a strong central government divided into small entities, a confederation is considered as various stronger groups conforming under one treaty or constitution. A confederation is an association of sovereign member states that by treaty have delegated certain of their competences to common institutions, in order to coordinate their policies in a number of areas, without constituting a new state on top of the member states In most case the power to govern the people is divided or shared between a central governing authority and a small group like a state. Governments like the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil are examples of a Federalist government. In the US our states have aligned under a central constitution with central governing authority. Federalist is the term given to people that support this type of system. Most of the newer governments in the world are based of federalist ideals. Although many nations in Europe are not considered federalist governments, there have been many people that have supported and pushed for adopting a federalist system over the whole continent. The European Union, EU, has developed as a union of 27 member nations in Europe that have all conformed to certain treaties in which they have enacted. It has lead to great advancements in economic and social boundaries. Promoting trade and travel, freely, between it’s members. The existence of such a union has long been supported. Winston Churchill said in a speech he gave in Zurich in 1946, “If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance, there would be no limit to the happiness, to the prosperity and the glory which its three or four million people would enjoy.” Federalism can take many forms. In the US it is divided into states and those states geographical borders, but no real theological or social differences. Where as in a place like Belgium they have separated into three groups based on the language predominantly spoken in that area. Other, more common divisions, are to separate by religious beliefs like in the case of Bosnia or Iraq. You can also find a type of federalism in ecclesiology, or in the doctrine of a church. The Presbyterian church government resembles federalism. There are local churches and elected representatives to an general assembly that governs how the church at large is run. Some Christians argue that the earliest source of political federalism is the ecclesiastical federalism found in the Bible. Sighting how the early church was structured in the New Testament. Other sects like the Roman Catholic Church have rejected this model in favor of the absolute authority of the Pope and a very centralized So as you can see the idea of Federalism is not a new one and is defiantly not one that will be dyeing any time soon. It is all around us and is a part of our every day lives. It is a broad term given to a lot of different systems through out the world. There are weak and strong, complex and simple forms to be seen anywhere and everywhere.