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Resistant Christianity

Rushdoony referred to humanism as “an evil,” and too much of contemporary Christianity is giving more and more ground to the present evil because they see it as good.

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Humanism is an evil: we must do battle against it on all fronts. We must remember, however, that their coming and their going will only further God’s purpose and enrich God’s Kingdom, because nothing happens that will not further God’s Kingdom and the glory ultimately of His people in Him and to His purpose.[1]

Compromised Christianity is not a resistant Christianity, but a church that knows its Lord and His commandments will meet the enemy at the gate. Rushdoony referred to humanism as “an evil,” and too much of contemporary Christianity is giving more and more ground to the present evil because they see it as good.

What is presently being directed at political conservatives will find its way to the doctrines of the church. The censoring of the political right must find its way to Biblical Christianity because the humanist is engaging in scorched earth policy, and what they want is the very thing they’ll claim they’re against.

They once called for Christians in politics to “keep your religion out of the bedroom,” but what they ultimately want is to remove your faith from your heart. What begins with erasing God from society and institutions must make its way to the hearts of minds of believers. They’re already attacking language itself and thought policing will be next as they curse the God you serve while hallowing the grotesque and immoral. They will call evil good and good evil and try to make it law.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ~ Isaiah 5:20

Uncompromising Religion

What does compromise look like for the church? Rushdoony viewed it as syncretism, and he saw it as something that has always affected the people of God, and he spells this out in his powerful volume Chariots of Prophetic Fire: Studies in Elijah & Elisha:

[I]t is easy to see a marked resemblance between our time and Elijah’s, and between the work of a faithful pastor today and Elijah’s calling. Elijah’s was a time of judgment; ours is as well. But there is a deeper resemblance. Elijah’s day was an age of syncretism, of radical compromise between the worship of the Lord and Baal worship. The two had been blended together to make one religion, so that a refusal to see the necessity for uncompromising religion marked Israel.[2]

Herein lies the problem. If the church refuses to see the necessity for an uncompromising religion, then it is doomed to syncretism and the evils that follow. This is why theonomy (God’s law) is so important, because it takes sola scriptura to a purer form in that all of God’s Word becomes a “law-word” with the primary reason for revelation being obedience.

In other words, if God’s moral law can radically change (antinomianism) because of the advent of the New Covenant, then the moral imperatives of the New Covenant can also change along with the changing times. For example, a common critique of theonomy is that Old Testament law is archaic, but only those unfamiliar with the way God’s law works would say such a thing. Simply because it was written several thousand years ago doesn’t mean it’s not valid for today any more than murder, rape, or theft are archaic laws. Again, if God’s law as given to Moses can change—setting aside the ceremonial aspects for now—then all moral imperatives can change, and what we end up with is a God who changes:

It is a modern heresy that holds that the law of God has no meaning nor any binding force for man today. It is an aspect of the influence of humanistic and evolutionary thought on the church, and it posits an evolving, developing God. This “dispensational” god expressed himself in law in an earlier age, then later expressed himself by grace alone, and is now perhaps to express himself in still another way.]

Education for Christian Responsibility

We are no doubt living in an age of compromise, so what is most needed is two-fold: 1) we must continually resist humanism on every front, and 2) we must continually educate our brothers and sisters towards Christian responsibility, i.e., Christian Reconstruction.

This is why the ministry of Chalcedon is so important right now. We are devoted to the great mission of Christian education, and we have the published resources to equip Christians, churches, schools, and ministries all over the world. All we need is for you to continue to support us by prayer, participation, and with your tithes and offerings.

Please take a few moments today to prayerfully consider supporting Chalcedon as an Underwriter. These special partners with their monthly giving are what help us to create our operating budget and plan our projects and events. They graciously give us a predictable income that enables us to function just as a business, school, or home would function. We couldn’t do this without our Underwriters.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can sign up as a Chalcedon Underwriter—as well as discover the benefits that go with it—then just click here!

[1] R. J. Rushdoony, God’s Plan for Victory (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1997), p. 28.

[2] R. J. Rushdoony, Chariots of Prophetic Fire: Studies in Elijah & Elisha (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2003), p. 1.

[3] R. J. Rushdoony, Faith and Obedience: An Introduction to Biblical Law (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2012), pp. 12-13.

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