Tag: www.chalcedon.edu

‘Christian Nationalism’ (Eh?)

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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’

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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”

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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.

When ‘Economics’ Becomes Politics

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Quotes - Rushdoony Radio

He saw it coming…

R.J. Rushdoony saw this coming many years ago, and did his best to warn us.

“When economics becomes a branch of politics, it ceases to be economics and becomes messianic. It becomes the instrument of power whereby men play god and plan to use human beings as their raw material.”  Larceny in the Heart [2003 reprint]

He could have said more. Politics devours science, too (does it ever!); and “education,” and even reaches into our personal lives.

We are rushing toward a point where it might be impossible to shake ourselves loose from Far Left, messianic, dystopian schemes of government. It’s not enough to work and fight to keep our freedom.

We need to pray for it, too.

Beware ‘Spiritual Religion’

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This powerful message from Nathan Conkey, embellished with an apt quote by R.J. Rushdoony, has been posted on Facebook by Ford Schwartz, a director of the Chalcedon Foundation.

It’s gotten so a red flag goes up whenever we hear the term “spiritual religion.” Basically it means forget God’s Word and let your own word be your guide–and for all its current popularity, in all too many churches and seminaries, it is not Christianity. Writes Mr. Conkey, this “so-called ‘spiritual’ religion must be abandoned… and defunded.” Amen to that!

Rushdoony: ‘Is The Church Obsolete?’

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Cob or Spider Webs? - Coronado Bible Church

Jesus has left the building.

This isn’t exactly an upbeat feel-good Sunday sermon. It’s more in the nature of “tough love.”

https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/is-the-church-obsolete

These essays by Rushdoony were first published over 20 years ago. If anything, they’re even more relevant than they were back then! We have seen, in recent years, a pagan idol carted into the Vatican, “goddess worship” in several Protestant denominations, free passes handed out for every kind of sin you can think of.

Yes, too many churches have indeed become obsolete.

And yes, the Lord will judge them. He surely will.

‘What Does Modern Baal Worship Look Like?’

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The Return Of The Baal Worship: Its Already Started But People Don't See it - YouTube

The short answer: It looks a lot like the Baal worship described and condemned in the Old Testament. And that should worry us a lot more than it does.

Mark Rushdoony and Andrea Schwartz discuss this at some length (https://chalcedon.edu/resources/audio/what-does-modern-baal-worship-look-like-ep-257-guest-mark-rushdoony). Okay, it’s 51 minutes. But the message is important, and you can always listen to it in increments.

The Jews in the time of Jeremiah (they never listened to him!) had no idea how close they were to incurring God’s wrath… although various prophets had given, and continued to give, fair warning. They thought Jerusalem would never fall.

The didn’t abandon God, Mark explains. No: their sin lay in “demoting Jehovah to one of many gods” (How inclusive!) and settling for the belief that “God’s going to protect us because we’re not all that bad–other people are worse.”

The question arises: “Why should God bless America?”

None of this is as simple as you might have thought. You might find the podcast highly enlightening.

‘The Kingdom of God Will Both Endure and Grow’

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Mark Rushdoony on Charity & Welfare - YouTube

We have a brief message this morning from Chalcedon’s president, Mark Rushdoony.

https://chalcedon.edu/blog/the-kingdom-of-god-will-both-endure-and-grow

Mark continues to prepare his father’s manuscripts for publication (hard to keep up with R.J. Rushdoony as he wrote them!), including a possible trilogy on “the irrationality and suicidal course of man in his rebellion against God.”

Rushdoony’s observations and insights, which he wrote down 50 years ago, are startlingly applicable to today’s religious and cultural scene.

All Rushdoony’s books are available via the Chalcedon Store at http://www.chalcedon.edu/ .

A Great Big Gulp of Theology (‘Consummation,’ by Martin Selbrede)

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We look for the resurrection of the dead – FORWARD IN CHRIST

Is history moving inexorably to the full establishment of Christ’s Kingdom over a new heaven and a new earth? And if so, why can’t we see it?

Consummation, by Martin Selbrede, is a long essay that attempts to answer this question.

https://chalcedon.edu/magazine/consummation

I have to admit that for all my reading, all my study, this text is hard for me to understand. That’s because you and I are here, on the old earth, saturated with sin, and we can’t see as God sees. The smoke of battle blinds us.

But if we keep reading, we come to a final paragraph in which the fog begins to lift:

“[B]ecause providence is well orchestrated to subserve the ultimate ends of consummation. History moves towards, not away from, its appointed goal, and God Himself will push it over the finish line to release the final grip of the curse from Christ’s world (Romans 8: 19-23).”

Let me quote the cited Scripture, in case you don’t have a Bible handy:

“For the earnest expectation of the creature [all created things] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Yes, there’s a whole lot of groaning going on in this fallen world today; but Jesus Christ has paid the fare, and God the Father will get us there.

Victory in Jesus, Not In Us

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The bad news is, we don’t wield the means of victory. It’s just not in us–look at all the mistakes.

But the good news is that the victory’s in Jesus Christ Our Lord. “So Christ is moving His church forward,” Mark Rushdoony writes, “but we’re also learning the hard way that sin doesn’t work…”

https://chalcedon.edu/magazine/investing-in-the-kingdom-as-humanism-collapses

Here’s more: “So there is no man, no nation, no movement in history that can be given real credit for the continuity of the Kingdom of God. It’s the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit.”

God knows, the constant drumbeat of really bad news, the degeneration of our culture for everyone to see–one might easily feel overwhelmed.

But we don’t have to. Read on, read on.

(Andrea Schwartz conducted the interview from which this text is taken.)