Tag: www.chalcedon.edu

Rushdoony on ‘Invisible Rulers’

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

See the source image

When R.J. Rushdoony wrote this essay, thirty years ago or so, the Western intellectual mind (pardon the oxymoron) had not yet degenerated to “your truth, my truth, no truth.” But as he so often did, he saw exactly where it was heading and could tell you exactly where it came from.

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/invisible-rulers

There’s a lot of meat to this essay, but stick with it–because it tells us how we got here and points us back to God.

Postmodern poop that rests on such philosophical gems as “I is reality” has no future.

‘Is Satire Unbiblical?’

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

The Babylon Bee on Twitter: "Don't know how to report on things now that Biden is president? Check our handy guide for journalists:… "

I’ve just listened to an “Out of the Question” discussion by Andrea Schwartz and Charles Roberts, on the Chalcedon website:

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/audio/is-satire-unbiblical

It’s some 43 minutes long, but well worthwhile. And the short answer to the question, “Is Satire Unbiblical?”, is… no. In fact, it’s found throughout the Bible. Elijah and St. Paul used it very effectively.

What are the purposes of satire? It exposes evils that need to be seen as evils. It exposes foolishness that needs to be seen as foolishness. And it questions false authority that needs to be questioned. All of this is usually done in a humorous style, hopefully to make us laugh at the pretensions of the wicked and the foolish.

Throughout history, God’s enemies have presented themselves as wiser than God’s people, much smarter, worthy of our respect, people we should emulate–and obey. Because usually they’re trying to acquire power over others: it’s in their DNA.

So it really bugs them if we can show that, contrary to their claims for themselves, they are not wise but foolish, deserving of our laughter, sorry examples for anyone to emulate, and certainly unworthy of obedience. In exposing evil as evil, we do good. Satire can be used in God’s service to unmask lies and make them distasteful to us–because who wants to believe in something that’s demonstrably ridiculous?

We do a bit of satire on this blog. Every Friday Joe Collidge reveals himself to be an ass and his intellectual aspirations to be asinine. Let’s face it–a huge portion of what they, um, “teach” in our colleges is only so much garbage, much of it toxic. It deserves to be exposed. It deserves to be laughed at.

Once upon a time in Wales, bards would direct satires at kings and nobles who had done something or other that was unworthy of their high positions. As if being laughed at by their subjects wasn’t deterrent enough, it was also widely believed that a really biting satire would raise boils on the target’s face. An exaggeration, of course–but the business at hand was accountability. It was hard to get away with being a bad feudal lord if everyone was mocking you.

Satire can be a tool for goodness and truth. If it was good enough for Elijah and Paul, it’s good enough for us.

Mark Rushdoony: ‘History Is Never About Us’

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Mark At Desk 2020 02 04 03 55 48 UTC 1

Mark Rushdoony

Are we the stars of a movie called “history”? Has it all led up to… us?

Mark Rushdoony asks a penetrating question: “What if the end of history is not soon approaching?”

https://chalcedon.edu/blog/history-is-never-about-us

How many people wind up thinking, “Our time is the end times–it’s all led up to now“? People have been believing that for 2,000 years.

We are where God has put us, and He is the only one who knows the number of the page in which we appear. Each of us is here for a reason. We may not know what it is, but we can be sure God knows.

History may not be about us; but like it or not, each of us is part of it.

There’ll be so much to learn when we finally get to Heaven!

‘Why You Have a Problem With Authority’ (Mark Rushdoony)

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Rebel against authority

“Viva yo!” (Spanish proverb)

What could be simpler? Our problem with authority–especially with God’s authority–goes all the way back to Genesis 3:5: “ye shall be as gods.”

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/why-you-have-a-problem-with-authority

We want to be as gods, defining good and evil for ourselves. As Mark Rushdoony writes, “Even churchmen are ingenious in devising theologies that discount God’s authoritative law-word in favor of their own.”

Don’t we see this every day? We ourselves are sometimes guilty. Maybe even often. How often do we hear the words, “But I think…”? All the way back to Adam and Eve. And the serpent.

Obedience to God’s word, not man’s, justifies us and leads to spiritual regeneration and, eventually sanctification. God’s law is law, and it’s the same for every kindred, every tribe. But there are as many versions of man’s law as there are groups of human beings, most of them contradicting one another. That’s why so many of our laws are unjust–or even irrational.

But God’s laws are both just and sane.

‘Today’s Revolutionaries’ (Mark Rushdoony)

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Mark Rushdoony's 2023 Year-End Letter

As I was wondering why there’s so much weird and creepy nooze out there, these days, I visited the Chalcedon website and encountered this essay by Mark Rushdoony:

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/todays-revolutionaries

It’s because so many of our (ahem!) intellectual leaders have fully embraced Evolution, in all its Darwinian glory, as Nature’s Way. The world is constantly changing: therefor we and our institutions must also change, sometimes frantically, just to keep up. Because constant change is necessary for survival in a changing world. “What you and I see as destructive,” Mark writes, “they see as progressive.”

And presto–our civilization turns into a drunkards’ fire drill.

The only good news is that Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in the world today: Christ’s Kingdom being built one brick at a time, and always building.

There are an awful lot of people out there who want to Change The World, usually in ways that leave them luxuriously ensconced in seats of power while the rest of us try to live with the consequences of their socio-political experiments.

“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall have them in derision.Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure.” –Psalm 2: 4-5

 

Rushdoony: ‘Giving Fear Too Much Power’ (2020)

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Rushdoony3

R.J. Rushdoony

This little message takes less than a minute to deliver; but you can think about it all day.

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/videos/giving-fear-too-much-power

God knows there is a lot to scare us in this world today. But wasn’t that always the case?

Rushdoony said, “We are to proceed in the trust that God is God.” Amen. They aren’t going to defeat God. They aren’t going to erase His word. They will try to do those things, and fail.

We are cautioned against recklessness. We aren’t to abandon common sense. But how crazy did David sound when he volunteered to fight Goliath?

His faith was his knowledge.

‘The Folly of Men Trying to Control the Future’ (Mark Rushdoony)

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Mark Rushdoony on Charity & Welfare

Mark Rushdoony

Can we control the future?

Well, if the way we’re handling the present is any indication… No.

https://chalcedon.edu/blog/the-folly-of-men-trying-to-control-the-future

Whether it was China’s blow-up-in-your-face “one child only” policy, or the diseased sociology of the West, all over the world, recessions are looming. The old “boom & bust” cycles aren’t work anymore. Populations are aging, shrinking… and “Workers are getting hard to find.”

Mark Rushdoony’s essay can be easily summed up:

Trust not in the statists who have made this mess! They did it and we’re paying for it.

Only God can fix this. Why not put our trust  in Him?

‘Christian Nationalism’ (Eh?)

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Martin Selbrede | heroinamerica

Martin’s essay goes deeper than mine.

Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about “Christian Nationalism.” See Martin Selbrede’s essay in Arise and Build.

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/a-stone-cut-without-hands

I would like to present, for what it’s worth, my opinion.

*When He confounded the builders of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 1-9), God gave us nations to protect us from any global government set up in emulation of, or in outright opposition, to Him.

*God’s laws, as given in Scripture, are binding on all nations.

*All too often we get nationalism without God’s laws.

*I believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ will return, as promised, and give us the only rightful world government that is possible: His.

*Until He does, His Kingdom is among us, spiritually–as He said (Luke 17: 20-21). We are waiting for it, all the while trying to live according to God’s Word.

I’m a little uncomfortable with the concept of “Christian Nationalism.” Christianity, after all, is a universal standard, certainly not particular to any nation. This fallen world has many nations which are not Christian. “One nation, under God” is not an easy thing to find, anywhere on earth.

But that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for it.

 

Martin Selbrede: ‘Moral Intelligence’

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Chalcedon Q&A with Martin Selbrede (09-23-18)

Martin Selbrede

I don’t know how I missed posting this for you when it came out last year, but here it is now: some words of wisdom from Martin Selbrede.

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/moral-intelligence

Our intellectuals, Martin writes, are busy “promoting every form of intelligence other than the most important one.” As “Artificial Intelligence” increases, moral intelligence is decreasing. 

Well, it all boils down to idols, doesn’t it? These two idols: “reason” (pardon the LOL!) and the state. Together they erect man-made moral systems which, unlike God’s, change from day to day, depending on who’s in power. “Coercion replaces freedom,” Martin writes.

His essay is a little long, but it is thorough–and offers plenty of food for thought. You’re sure to find some insights that you haven’t yet thought of.

R.J. Rushdoony: Respectable “Christianity”

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Amazon.com: R. J. Rushdoony: books, biography, latest update

Seeing it clearly–R.J. Rushdoony

R.J. Rushdoony wrote, “Respectability is the mark of a dying church which will not risk unpopular stances, no matter how godly they are.”

What? Respectability is bad? Look and see:

https://chalcedon.edu/blog/respectable-christianity

He wrote this in 1994. It was true then, it was true in Christ’s own time, and it’s true now. There are always churches that go along to get along; and there are always saints who are mocked and criticized, or worse, for taking the Bible seriously. Our Lord Himself was crucified by the respectable religious establishment of His day.

“God does not exist to serve us, but we, Him.” And sometimes that means taking and holding an unpopular stance.

Thanks be to God, we have never quite run out of Christians who will do that.