Chalcedon Blog

I confessed recently to not being a bibliophile, or "lover of books." This may seem a strange confession by someone involved in an organization like Chalcedon--one built by men that read thousands of books. I did not say I did not read. I only stated that I did so for the information contained in books, but I do not enjoy the process. The idea of "curling up" in a comfortable chair to read the day away has no appeal to my sensibilities.

So why write about it? Because I'm surrounded by bibliophiles, and it's only those that use their reading to acquire something tangible that I genuinely respect. Rushdoony's extensive reading led to extensive writing which in turn created a social revolution. Gary North's reading did the same. Even Gary DeMar, who refers to himself as a "popularizer," has a library of over 20,000 volumes and debates, hosts a radio program, writes books, and teaches in conferences. So, if you think a "Christian Reconstructionist" means being someone who simply reads a lot of theology, philosophy, and history, you've missed the point entirely.

The Desire for Knowledge

The trap a lot of younger men fall into is that they equate the accumulation of knowledge with success. Therefore, if they can read enough books, somehow the future will open for them. What they find is that nothing opens for them. The accumulation of knowledge was its own reward.

Compounding their problem is when they look at someone like me who obviously doesn't have their encyclopedic knowledge. They think, "How in the world did that guy get in that position? I know far more than him." Then, to make themselves feel better, they say, "Chalcedon has taken a turn for the worst. They're really dumbing it down."

Am I making this up? I'm afraid not. Many of these types will email me to tell me so. It's all good, though. They just don't understand, but their circumstances--and soon their age--will instruct them far better than I can.

You see, I don't have a desire for knowledge. I have a desire to see His Kingdom come, and His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. What does this mean? It means my approach is far different than that of the average scholar. In fact, after Rushdoony passed, the last thing Chalcedon needed was another scholar. What was needed most was someone with a grasp for communications. Most of the intellectual work was accomplished. We had more than enough material to propagate. My objective is to make use of Rushdoony's corpus for the development of the Kingdom enterprise.

Does that mean we should discontinue scholarship? God forbid. The time will come around when scholarship will become more pronounced, but until then, getting Rushdoony to the nations is a far more important objective.

This is because the real value in the "knowledge" racket is "specialized," or targeted knowledge, i.e., knowledge put to use to obtain some goal. Accumulating knowledge for its own sake has little value. It's similar to someone that prays all day. What effect are they really having other than on themselves?

To support this, I'll quote somebody that the average Reformed intellectual would likely never read: a motivational guru! Here's Napoleon Hill's insightful differentiation between general and specialized knowledge:

There are two kinds of knowledge. One is general, the other is specialized. General knowledge, no matter how great in quantity or variety it may be, is of but little use in the accumulation of money. The faculties of the great universities possess, in the aggregate, practically every form of general knowledge known to civilization. Most of the professors have but little money. They specialize on teaching knowledge, but they do not specialize on the organization, or the use of knowledge.

Knowledge will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical plans of action, to the definite end of accumulation of money.* Lack of understanding of this fact has been the source of confusion to millions of people who falsely believe that "knowledge is power." It is nothing of the sort! Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end.

There's an adage that says, "He who reads, leads," but this is only partly true. Leaders are not leaders because they are readers. Leaders are leaders because they put their reading to specific use--they organize their knowledge into proactive plans for achieving a definite end.

So, what are you plans? Do you have a vision? Is their some larger goal you'd like to use your knowledge to achieve? Have you taken steps to organize this knowledge? If not, why not put the books down for a while and take out a pen and legal pad? Why not spend the next month writing out the different options you have for putting your knowledge to use? Forget the reading lists. Stop envying that someone's accumulated reading list is larger than yours. Why spend your time racing against someone going nowhere?

*By citing Napoleon Hill, I am not endorsing the lust for accumulating money. His point about using knowledge was the reason I cited him.