The Sanctuary Choir at First Methodist Church, Houston
You can’t always see what a ministry is doing; and sometimes what a minister of the gospel does will take years to show up on the radar.
In “Rushdoony’s Future Impact,” Mark Rushdoony predicts R.J. Rushdoony’s impact on the church and on the culture will only grow more telling–“because he addresses issues which the church has refused to address, but will be forced to at some point.”
https://chalcedon.edu/blog/r-j-rushdoonys-future-impact
Many readers of Rushdoony’s works show surprise when they learn the book was first published in the 1960s or 70s, yet seems still more applicable two decades into the 21st century (Rushdoony died in 2001). No one even had a keener insight into church and culture: you’d almost swear he had a crystal ball.
So Chalcedon’s mission includes keeping Rushdoony’s books in print–after all, some of these fields have yet to yield their fruit.
Reader Input Wanted: Can you think of any pressing issues which the church in America has ducked so far, but will some day have to be addressed?
The church today seems to be ducking the issue of sin — and I mean particular, individual sins, not just sinfulness in general or “social” sins.
I think the church also has to stop asking permission of the State to preach the Gospel. And I consider all the talk about “freedom of religion” to be asking permission. What if the State repeals the 1st Amendment? What if the courts find emanations and penumbras in the Constitution that forbid the church from preaching the Gospel and/or abiding by God’s law? The church must simply preach the Word and follow it. If the State says no, well, Christians have suffered for their faith before. Note: for their faith, not for their 1st Amendment rights. There’s a real difference.
Sorry about the soapbox. I find myself mounting this particular soapbox a lot these days. 🙄
Well, we’re always doing soapboxes on this blog, aren’t we?
We have to remember that our faith IS, whether government likes it or not.
The Church has been ducking its obligation to engage the culture. Why aren’t there thousands of Christian schools and colleges? Why aren’t the preachers telling their members to get their children out of gov’t schools? In the days of our Founders, the most educated people were the pastors and they applied the Bible to politics but now most pulpits are silent on political issues – don’t rock the boat.