The Holy Spirit Moves the Kingdom Forward
It is very appropriate to desire that God’s will and way be done "on earth as it is in heaven," but we must never imagine that the fullness of the Kingdom of God will come suddenly, as if a switch could be turned on.
- Mark R. Rushdoony
Over the course of my adult life, I have seen many people initially enamored with their first exposure to postmillennialism and Christian Reconstruction. I have, however, noticed a trend in their initial thinking – they want to fast-forward their thinking to imagining what the world or a particular institution would be like in a thoroughly reconstructed order. It is very appropriate to desire that God’s will and way be done “on earth as it is in heaven,” but we must never imagine that the fullness of the Kingdom of God will come suddenly, as if a switch could be turned on.
Christian Reconstruction is in its second generation, and its very real advances are, cumulatively, merely baby steps. Our efforts have largely been on the theological and educational level. Christians are still debating its necessity, after all. We have a long way to go.
The difficulty of the work should not deter or discourage us. “For who hath despised the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10 reminds us. I am enjoying Daniel Hummel’s book The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism. He traces the now nearly two-hundred-year history of that teaching to the present. There were many individuals and movements which impacted that movement, and it was slow in gaining traction. So it is with historical trends. Ideas are powerful, but their impact can take generations to develop.
Man is a slow learner, so it should not surprise us that the progress in any area is frustratingly gradual. If huge progress in the Kingdom occurred in any one generation, men would try to take credit, but the Holy Spirit moves the Kingdom forward in spite of our blunderings.
It is right to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, but our duty is to the current work that is put before us. Thinking about the future blessedness is no substitute for being a servant that is faithful in His Master’s absence.
- Mark R. Rushdoony
Mark R. Rushdoony graduated from Los Angeles Baptist College (now The Master’s College) with a B.A. in history in 1975 and was ordained to the ministry in 1995.
He taught junior and senior high classes in history, Bible, civics and economics at a Christian school in Virginia for three years before joining the staff of Chalcedon in 1978. He was the Director of Chalcedon Christian School for 14 years while teaching full time. He also helped tutor all of his children through high school.
In 1998, he became the President of Chalcedon and Ross House Books, and, more recently another publishing arm, Storehouse Press. Chalcedon and its subsidiaries publish many titles plus CDs, mp3s, and an extensive online archive at www.chalcedon.edu. His biography of his father will be published later this year (2024).
He has written scores of articles for Chalcedon’s publications, both the Chalcedon Report and Faith for all of Life. He was a contributing author to The Great Christian Revolution (1991). He has spoken at numerous conferences and churches in the U.S. and abroad.
Mark Rushdoony has lived in Vallecito, California, since 1978. His wife, Darlene, and he have been married since 1976. His youngest son still resides with him. He has three married children and nine grandchildren.