Law & Liberty Podcast: New Format!
Law & Liberty Chapter One: Can We Legislate Morality?
In this new podcast format, Chris Ortiz and Andrea Schwartz discuss each chapter of Rushdoony's powerful little book Law and Liberty. These podcasts are intended to aid the listener in better understanding Rushdoony's thought and they are great to share with others as an aid to reading Rushdoony's books. Listen now.
Law & Liberty Chapter Two: The Sanctity of Life
Law is the condition of man's life because God is the creator of life and the sole ground of its continuation. God's law is the essence of life and the terms of life. Listen now.
Law & Liberty Chapter Three: Liberty--Limited or Unlimited?
Unless every man's liberty is limited by law, no liberty is possible for any man. The criminal law and the civil law impose mutual limitations on all of us in order to provide the maximum liberty for all of us. Listen now.
In this new podcast format, Chris Ortiz and Andrea Schwartz discuss each chapter of Rushdoony's powerful little book Law and Liberty. These podcasts are intended to aid the listener in better understanding Rushdoony's thought and they are great to share with others as an aid to reading Rushdoony's books. Listen now.
Law & Liberty Chapter Two: The Sanctity of Life
Law is the condition of man's life because God is the creator of life and the sole ground of its continuation. God's law is the essence of life and the terms of life. Listen now.
Law & Liberty Chapter Three: Liberty--Limited or Unlimited?
Unless every man's liberty is limited by law, no liberty is possible for any man. The criminal law and the civil law impose mutual limitations on all of us in order to provide the maximum liberty for all of us. Listen now.
All Things Rushdoony on The American View
John Lofton and Chris Ortiz discuss the personal and theological side of R. J. Rushdoony. Listen now.
New Article: The Cost of Discipleship
By Martin G. Selbrede
In the January/February 2009 issue of Faith for All of Life (FFAOL), I criticized the "doctrine" of a personal quiet time and exposed the shabby Biblical support for it as well as the dislocated priorities this man-made concept leaves in its wake. But "quiet times" are only the tip of the iceberg among the various strains of programmitis infecting Christianity. There are many other beloved practices that also fail the Scriptural Sniff Test. The fact that they sound so reasonable and beneficial has made them difficult to identify and dislodge--we cling to them while simultaneously proclaiming Sola Scriptura and Semper Reformanda. Binding unbiblical burdens on people's backs was not a practice limited to the Pharisees and scribes--it yet liveth.
In discussions with many well-intentioned, well-meaning, highly-motivated Christians, I see this tragedy played out repeatedly. "There is a way that seemeth right to a man," the Bible repeatedly warns. And because that "way" seemeth right, men tend to defend it when it is challenged, when someone suggests it is not, in fact, the right way. The defenders of that way, that tradition, that practice, have all their arguments lined up, their Scriptures in order, the clear beneficial effects faithfully tallied--or so they first think. The truth is this, that insofar as that "way" does not coincide with God's Way, the church is again spinning its wheels in another ditch rather than making meaningful progress into the future hurtling toward us. The sound of the engine revving is not the mark of progress: forward motion is the only marker that counts.
And the worst tragedy of all is when man's way is marketed as the key to making meaningful progress in our faith and its application. Christians collectively see the five smooth stones on the ground, turn aside to look at the shiny armor offered by Saul, and then they choose to don that armor and step over those supposedly inconsequential stones to go into battle. Read more.
In the January/February 2009 issue of Faith for All of Life (FFAOL), I criticized the "doctrine" of a personal quiet time and exposed the shabby Biblical support for it as well as the dislocated priorities this man-made concept leaves in its wake. But "quiet times" are only the tip of the iceberg among the various strains of programmitis infecting Christianity. There are many other beloved practices that also fail the Scriptural Sniff Test. The fact that they sound so reasonable and beneficial has made them difficult to identify and dislodge--we cling to them while simultaneously proclaiming Sola Scriptura and Semper Reformanda. Binding unbiblical burdens on people's backs was not a practice limited to the Pharisees and scribes--it yet liveth.
In discussions with many well-intentioned, well-meaning, highly-motivated Christians, I see this tragedy played out repeatedly. "There is a way that seemeth right to a man," the Bible repeatedly warns. And because that "way" seemeth right, men tend to defend it when it is challenged, when someone suggests it is not, in fact, the right way. The defenders of that way, that tradition, that practice, have all their arguments lined up, their Scriptures in order, the clear beneficial effects faithfully tallied--or so they first think. The truth is this, that insofar as that "way" does not coincide with God's Way, the church is again spinning its wheels in another ditch rather than making meaningful progress into the future hurtling toward us. The sound of the engine revving is not the mark of progress: forward motion is the only marker that counts.
And the worst tragedy of all is when man's way is marketed as the key to making meaningful progress in our faith and its application. Christians collectively see the five smooth stones on the ground, turn aside to look at the shiny armor offered by Saul, and then they choose to don that armor and step over those supposedly inconsequential stones to go into battle. Read more.
Justice Ginsburg Says She Originally Thought Roe v. Wade Was Designed to Limit 'Populations That We Don’t Want to Have Too Many Of'
New Article: Upon This Rock: Rushdoony's Ecclesiology of the Kingdom
By Christoper J. Ortiz
[U]pon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18b
Who owns the future? That should be the question we ask ourselves. We don’t. For the average Christian, a faulty eschatology, and a preoccupation with personal security, represent a willful forfeiture of a distinctly Christian future. Our opponents do not think this way, and our universal indifference to godly dominion is but one more indicator that the future is theirs—all in the providence of God, of course.
Still, the church must awaken from this languid deception because totalitarianism looms over the societal horizon like the creeping fog of the San Francisco Bay. To stretch the metaphor even further, these clouds will not dissipate quickly without the burning rays of a godly people beaming with the authority of Christ. The despotic planners of a humanistic world order revel in the ease of advancement provided them by a church that routinely abandons her post.
Without a return to the true meaning and purpose of the church, we can only expect an increase in the size and scope of the satanic world order. The people of God are simply not prepared to assume a governing position. How could they be? If they do not understand basic issues like God’s will for economics, education, or statecraft, how can they possibly avoid tyranny outside of revolution?
What undermines us is fundamental, and it begins with our very concept of the church and its purpose in history. Set over against this is the mirroring agenda of humanism and its push for global dominion. As I’ve written previously, we were born into a state of war, and unless we discard the ideas that neutralize us, our opponents will retain the societal preeminence. Read more...
New Article: The Cost of Discipleship
By Martin G. Selbrede
In the January/February 2009 issue of Faith for All of Life (FFAOL), I criticized the “doctrine” of a personal quiet time and exposed the shabby Biblical support for it as well as the dislocated priorities this man-made concept leaves in its wake. But “quiet times” are only the tip of the iceberg among the various strains of programmitis infecting Christianity. There are many other beloved practices that also fail the Scriptural Sniff Test. The fact that they sound so reasonable and beneficial has made them difficult to identify and dislodge—we cling to them while simultaneously proclaiming Sola Scriptura and Semper Reformanda. Binding unbiblical burdens on people’s backs was not a practice limited to the Pharisees and scribes—it yet liveth.
In discussions with many well-intentioned, well-meaning, highly-motivated Christians, I see this tragedy played out repeatedly. “There is a way that seemeth right to a man,” the Bible repeatedly warns. And because that “way” seemeth right, men tend to defend it when it is challenged, when someone suggests it is not, in fact, the right way. The defenders of that way, that tradition, that practice, have all their arguments lined up, their Scriptures in order, the clear beneficial effects faithfully tallied—or so they first think. The truth is this, that insofar as that “way” does not coincide with God’s Way, the church is again spinning its wheels in another ditch rather than making meaningful progress into the future hurtling toward us. The sound of the engine revving is not the mark of progress: forward motion is the only marker that counts.
And the worst tragedy of all is when man’s way is marketed as the key to making meaningful progress in our faith and its application. Christians collectively see the five smooth stones on the ground, turn aside to look at the shiny armor offered by Saul, and then they choose to don that armor and step over those supposedly inconsequential stones to go into battle.
Bad idea. Read more...
New Article: Calvin's Impact on Christendom
The Calvin Quincentenary and the Transformation of Christendom
Dr. Roger Schultz
The year 2009 commemorates the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin (1509–64), the greatest of the Protestant Reformers. Calvin left an astonishing record of Biblical scholarship, pastoral ministry, theological production, and ecclesiastical and governmental reform. His influence spread throughout Western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and German historian Leopold van Ranke notes, “Calvin was the virtual founder of America.”
Dr. Roger Schultz
The year 2009 commemorates the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin (1509–64), the greatest of the Protestant Reformers. Calvin left an astonishing record of Biblical scholarship, pastoral ministry, theological production, and ecclesiastical and governmental reform. His influence spread throughout Western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and German historian Leopold van Ranke notes, “Calvin was the virtual founder of America.”
The Reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to protest Roman Catholic practice, especially regarding indulgences. As did the Reformers who followed him, Luther focused on the redeeming work of Christ and vital issues of personal salvation, Biblical authority and church reform. Calvin shared Luther’s sentiments, but developed a more consistent and far-reaching Biblical theology.
There was much for the Reformers to protest. The pre-Reformation church suffered from grotesque moral and spiritual abuses. Many priests, for instance, kept concubines. Powerful Renaissance popes were notorious for their mistresses and illegitimate progeny. The gospel was obscured. The Bible was often inaccessible, even for priests, and superstition frequently substituted for genuine faith. Frederick the Wise, Luther’s prince and protector, had a relic collection numbering 5,000 holy items, purportedly including wood from the true cross and straw from the manager in Bethlehem. Even Johannes Gutenberg, made famous by his press and publication of the Bible, made his living printing thousands of indulgence forms for the Roman Catholic Church (sold to abbreviate the penitent’s time in purgatory) and manufacturing mirrors that pilgrims used when visiting venerated relics. Europe desperately needed a reformation.
God used Luther to launch a powerful reformation of Western Christendom. Calvin provided a more systematic, full-orbed expression of the Reformation faith, which is the focus of this article. But this is not merely a historical study. Calvin’s testimony can provide a foundation for a twenty-first century reformation. Read more...
Urge to Dominion or Church Trifling
"Man has a God-given urge to dominion, to power. The purpose of regeneration is to reestablish man in his creation mandate, to exercise dominion and to subdue the earth. The purpose of the law is to give man the God-appointed way to dominion. The purpose of the call to obedience is to exercise dominion.
"What happens then when a caricature of Jesus is presented, when obedience is constantly demanded without the God-ordained goal of obedience being mentioned, and when man is continually summoned to prepare himself in the Lord, but for no purpose? The ministry of the church then becomes trifling, and the life of the believer, frustrating.
"But the urge to dominion does not disappear simply because the church does not speak of it. Instead, it reappears as an ugly and sinful struggle for power in the church; rightful dominion being neglected or denied, sinful dominion begins then to emerge. The life of the church becomes then an ugly struggle over meaningless trifles in which the sole purpose is sinful power and dominion. All too often this sinful urge to dominion is masked with hypocritical meekness." ~ R. J. Rusdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law, p. 450.
"What happens then when a caricature of Jesus is presented, when obedience is constantly demanded without the God-ordained goal of obedience being mentioned, and when man is continually summoned to prepare himself in the Lord, but for no purpose? The ministry of the church then becomes trifling, and the life of the believer, frustrating.
"But the urge to dominion does not disappear simply because the church does not speak of it. Instead, it reappears as an ugly and sinful struggle for power in the church; rightful dominion being neglected or denied, sinful dominion begins then to emerge. The life of the church becomes then an ugly struggle over meaningless trifles in which the sole purpose is sinful power and dominion. All too often this sinful urge to dominion is masked with hypocritical meekness." ~ R. J. Rusdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law, p. 450.
