Where Are the Nine?

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:11–19)

Here we have the account of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy. Without knowing exactly what leprosy looked like in those days, we know that one afflicted with it was cast out from everyday society. The reason for this extreme measure was the contagion of the disease. All ten of the men cried out for mercy and all were cleansed. Yet, as Jesus noted, only one returned to give glory to God, and he was a Samaritan.

It is a good thing that I am not God! In my flesh, it would be all too easy to reverse the cure due to lack of appreciation. Yet, this is not what our Lord did. Those nine men did not regain their leprosy; they remained cured of it. However, the one who did return received a wholeness that the others did not.

This portion of Scripture comes to mind when I witness Christians who have been greatly “healed” by the ministry of R.J. Rushdoony and Chalcedon give their testimony. All too often, while they recount their journey, they fail to include the tremendous effect that learning that the Christian faith is a faith for all of life has had on their lives, and the profound understanding they received through Rushdoony’s exposition of the centrality of Biblical law. 

This saddens me for a number of reasons. First, they are not providing a complete testimony. They are telling part of the story, without giving the foundation for their journey. Second, by not including the effect Chalcedon and Rushdoony have had on their lives, they deprive others from coming to a similar point in their walk of faith. Third, by omitting the references, they are failing to show appreciation for the ministry the Lord used to help them come to a fuller understanding of Kingdom service.

Many do not realize it, but Chalcedon has always depended on the support of people who have benefited from our ministry to be able to continue the work God has called us to do. Years ago, my husband and I realized that it was the faithful, long-term contributions of people we did not know that made our introduction to Chalcedon possible. Because of their sacrificial giving, two confused rookie Christians were given a path to fuller participation in the Kingdom of Christ. 

Sadly, many ministries and minsters who have benefitted from Chalcedon’s work have never footnoted Dr. Rushdoony’s books or sermons, and never included his works in their bibliographies. Yet, it is more than obvious the effect he had on their thinking. I encounter people regularly who are more than a little upset that none of these Christian celebrities drove home the point that they needed to read Rushdoony. Too many say, “I needed this information years ago!” 

Back in the late 1980s, PBS decided to do a series on religion in America entitled: God and Politics: On Earth As It Is In Heaven. They ended up interviewing R. J. Rushdoony, not because his was a well-known name, but because when they went to interview those with greater name recognition, Rushdoony’s books were in their libraries. Good journalism forced them to seek out the person everyone seemed to be reading. (Click here for a segment from this program) 

If you or your family have benefited from the ministry of Chalcedon, be like the one leper who returned to express gratitude rather than the nine who went on their way. Imagine all those within and without the church today whose Kingdom service will be enhanced as your support helps them encounter the ministry that benefited you so much.