Chalcedon Blog

Creation is not viewed from the perspective of man but from God's perspective. This requires us in every area of life and thought to see all things from a God-centered, not a man-centered, perspective. ~ R. J. Rushdoony, Genesis, 9.

It's easy for one familiar with both the Reformed faith and Christian Reconstruction to read over so simple a passage as that Rush provides here. His thinking is based upon what he references as the Biblical reason for God creating the heaven and the earth:

Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Rev. 4:11

If all things are created for His pleasure, then we must seek His vantage point in all things. This is what it means to be God-centered--it's the centering of all our thinking and actions towards God and His purpose. It's doing all things -- no matter how menial -- to the glory of God (c.f. 1 Cor. 10:31).

Contending with these commandments can often be difficult for a ministry such as ours. This may come as a surprise, but despite the God-centered nature of our mission, the temptation to cater to what produces market growth is always there. If a ministry's leaders are not watchful, they can soon be engaged in a marketing drive not unlike any for-profit business. Success becomes the goal, and the God-centered emphasis quickly depletes. You become like the Church at Ephesus: you're in desperate need of restoration:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works... Rev. 2:5

Pietists tend to emphasize verse 4: "[Y]ou have left your first love." In my opinion, the first works are the first love. Love, like faith, is demonstrated in good works. In the case of modern ministries, we leave our good works in order to thrive on the spiritual Dow Jones.

This was never Rushdoony's way. To him the service of God was primary, and there would be no discussion concerning a compromise for the sake of growth. He never himself purchased a book because of its cover, so it took my predecessors years to get his permission to spend money on cover designs. He wasn't concerned with movements, organizations, or position. He concerned himself with the Kingdom of God and the Word of God. He spent his days investigating all God's Word had to say about all of life.

I remember speaking with a dear friend who served as both an associate pastor and youth pastor at a burgeoning mega-church. He is a godly man, but his work was endless. Day and night he labored to make the ministry successful. One evening, I mentioned to him my greatest concern. I said, "Brother, when exactly do you have time for contemplation? For reading? For application?" He said, "Not much time, if any."

In terms of its attendance, the church he was building is thriving today. In humanistic terms, this is how success is measured. But, in terms of the Kingdom, it's retarded. It's growth does not represent a mature application of God's Word. The Lordship of Christ is easily blasphemed because many of these churches resort to man-centered messages in order to fill the pews.

Chalcedon, and Christian Reconstruction, are blessed with many great men that have made God-centered doctrine the object of their pursuit. But after years of experiencing little growth, and little money, there is a potential danger that we all can cater to the demands for growth. Certainly, there are things we can and should do in order to reach those who've not yet heard from us. Yet, in all things we must continually guard our hearts. We must see all things from God's perspective. He created all things for His pleasure, and so all things must serve Him. And sometimes, being too successful gets in the way of our faithfulness to serve.

I don't envy the international ministries. I often pity them. The complications associated with such behemoths are more than any of us care to have. For the time being, I believe Chalcedon is quite safe from such burdens. We have a built-in defense mechanism: we're selling responsibility, and there's just not that many takers.