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The Priority of God's Sovereignty

By Mark R. Rushdoony
June 22, 2017

In many Christian circles references to the sovereignty of God are met with hostility. Even many Reformed churches now emphasize the “doctrines of grace” as opposed to the sovereignty of God. 

As real as is God’s grace, its emphasis can be self-serving. Grace benefits man and can feed a consumer-oriented message. Grace must be preached as the gift of a sovereign God. Calvinism is today associated with the five “T-U-L-I-P points, and this is as far as many “Calvinists” take it, yet Calvin’s strength came from his emphasis on the sovereignty of God and the authority of the Word. T-U-L-I-P is only Calvinism as it applies to soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. 

The message of Christian Reconstruction through dominion is a throwback to the older emphasis on the sovereignty of God. Covenant theology is the sovereignty of God as applied to the redemptive history. Postmillennialism is the sovereignty of God over history. Anti-statism denies sovereignty to the state because it belongs to God. 

Our supporters help us promote this “big picture” approach to the Christian’s responsibility in the Kingdom of God. It is their faithfulness, humanly speaking, that makes our work possible.


Topics: Biblical Law, Christian Reconstruction, Culture , Dominion, Reformed Thought, Theology

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. 

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 lives in Vallecito, California, his home of 40 years with his wife of 42 years and his youngest son. He has three married children and nine grandchildren.

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