Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nov/Dec 2009
Political Saviors
[Reprinted from Salvation and Godly Rule (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2004 ed.), 63-71.]
R. J. Rushdoony
I n describing the
events of Palm Sun-
day, St. Matthew wrote:
unto the heathen: and his domin-
ion shall be from sea even to sea,
and from the river even to the ends
form, with insurance against problems.
Positive action towards justice and salva-
tion was basically political. Only as the
4. All this was done, of the earth. political hope in the form of the Roman
that it might be ful- Whatever else this and all other cita- Empire began to fade into cynicism did
filled which was spoken tions of the fulfillment of prophecy have pagan cults offer salvation, and even then
by the prophet saying, to say, they do make it clear that history it was identified with security rather than
moves in terms of God’s plan and is pre- victory.
5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Rome, as it developed from a City-
destined by Him. What He has declared,
Behold, thy King cometh unto State to an empire, presented itself as “the
He brings to pass. Not only do the writers
thee, meek, and sitting upon an City of Justice, belonging to all human-
rejoice in every fulfillment of prophecy,
ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. ity.” This Greater Rome was man’s vehicle
but they also clearly rejoice in the fact
(Matt. 21:4-5) of salvation. Cicero hailed Octavian as
that, whatever God has promised and
This formula, “All this was done, that declared, that He will perform. Predestina- a savior. “In him we place our hopes of
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by tion by God is implicit or explicit in all of liberty; from him we have already received
the prophet,” appears in nearly the same Scripture. salvation (Philippics, V, vxiii, 49).” Cicero
words twelve times in Matthew’s Gospel, Predestination by man, however, is spoke of Rome as “the light of the world,
three times in Mark, six times in Luke, implicit and explicit in humanism, sci- the guardian of all nations (Philippics, IV,
and eight times in John. It is also com- entific socialism, and in every doctrine of vi, 14).”2
mon in Acts and the Epistles. Even more political salvation. Man seeks to supplant Roman politicians saw their regimes
common is an expression declaring that it God’s eternal decree with his own total as new eras, opening up salvation for a
was thus written by a prophet: such refer- plan. The scientific socialist state is man’s needy world. Julius Caesar, like others,
ences are almost too numerous to cite. predestination of man and his world. instituted calendar changes and reform
In this case, the citation refers to The Triumphal Entry of our Lord as Pontifex Maximus to indicate that time
Zechariah 9:9–10; although verse 10 is into Jerusalem is directly related to this now had a new meaning. His assassins be-
not cited, it is clearly in mind, and the humanistic hope and in contradiction to lieved equally as much that their political
joyful reaction of the people made it clear it. assassination would renew the past and
that they saw the self-conscious fulfill- The world of Christ’s day was well the present.
ment of the prophecy as a declaration of aware of the Biblical faith and hope Almost as if they wanted to re-establish
peace, victory, and dominion: which, from Judea, was extensively taught the ancient course of events, the con-
and propagated by Judean missionaries. spirators chose March 15—the feast of
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
In 61 B. C., Cicero had rejected it as a Anna Perenna, which had been New
Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusa- Year’s Day in the old calendar—to
lem: behold, thy King cometh unto “barbarian superstition.” Biblical faith
all the same appealed to many who were murder the man who had subverted the
thee: he is just, and having salva- very sequence of the days.3
tion; lowly and riding upon an ass, “longing to believe that one day wicked-
and upon a colt the foal of an ass. ness would be abolished, the arrogant Whether with Caesar, Brutus, or
would be punished, and a higher justice their predecessors and successors, salva-
10. And I will cut off the chariot would be established.”1 tion meant the power of the state and its
from Ephraim, and the horse from In paganism, such a hope was nor- sword. Salvation meant coercion.
Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall mally essentially a political hope. Religion The nature of political salvation
be cut off: and he shall speak peace was primarily concerned, in its cultic has not changed since then. Whether in
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. (Matt. 2:1)
T he Enlighten-
ment represented
a major shift in man’s
To assume the Wise Men’s visit
came well after the birth of Jesus easily
resolves these two facts of the narration,
five miles to the south. If the Wise Men
came later, they would have had to have
been redirected from Bethlehem to
thinking about himself. but it is not necessary to account for Nazareth, for that is where Joseph took
It was a return to a non- them. Joseph and Mary would have Mary and Jesus after His dedication at
Christian view of man moved into better accommodations forty days (Luke 2:39). No mention of
as a being controlled by reason. The as soon as possible. Joseph had family such a redirection is made. Moreover, if
medieval position was Christian in its ties to Bethlehem; the family would the visit of the Wise Men was to a home
view that man was faith-driven: that is, have likely been given more suitable in Nazareth, the warning to Joseph
man’s thought is controlled by what he shelter as soon as their need was known. to flee Herod by going into Egypt
assumes is true. Likewise, the slaughter of children up (Matt. 2:13–15) makes little sense, as
What man assumes or believes may to two years old, even if Herod believed the slaughter was in Bethlehem and
be true or untrue, but once he believes the child was a newborn, is not out such travel by the holy family would
it to be fact, it is hard for him to let of character. Herod was notorious for have brought them closer to both the
go—his assumption or his belief that his brutal treatment of potential rivals. slaughter and Herod’s center of power.
something is true causes him to treat Herod killed every member of the Fleeing Nazareth far to the north to
it as fact. Once such a fact becomes Sanhedrin when he came to power, and escape violence in Bethlehem makes
so widely accepted among many men
murdered dozens of his political rivals, no sense. The warning to Joseph to flee
that it is never doubted, it becomes a
including three of his own sons. When Herod must have come during their stay
“truism.”
he believed she was conspiring to decide in Bethlehem.
Jumping to Assumptions his successor, Herod had his favorite
The Order of Events
The brief references to the Magi wife executed as well as others in her
Dr. Jones suggests the following
or Wise Men afford us an example family. A moral and political pragmatist,
order prevents inconsistencies and does
of how easily we accept a particular Herod might have felt it best not only
complete justice to the gospel texts:
understanding of Scripture and stick to to eliminate the newborns, but also any
it tenaciously. Dr. Floyd Nolan Jones First, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
young child which might have been
notes a widely held view of Matthew 2:1 That night the shepherds were visited
substituted for him. Overkill was part of
that seems to create more problems than by an angel and went and saw Jesus in a
Herod’s methodology.
it resolves.1 It has become very common manger. As soon as they left, they “made
to assume that the visit of the Magi and Creating Inconsistencies known abroad” what had happened to
the slaughter of the innocents came The question of the Wise Men to the amazement of all those who heard
long after the birth of Jesus even though Herod was, “Where is he that is born (Luke 2:6–18). Note that when the
Matthew 2:1 say they came “when” King of the Jews?” Had time lapsed, Wise Men visited Jerusalem not two
Jesus was born. The primary logic for the logical question would have been, hours away, no religious leader had any
this view is that it explains two facts: “Where is he that was born King of the knowledge of what the shepherds “made
first, Jesus was in a house, not a stable, Jews?” known abroad.” Their only knowledge
when the Wise Men visited; and second, Further, the Wise Men followed of the birth place of the Messiah was the
Herod murdered all males under two the star to Jerusalem.2 They were then prophecy of Micah 5:2. It is not possible
years and younger. told by Herod to go to Bethlehem, just that they remained ignorant of the
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3
W hen I was a
young girl, I
would spend a lot of
Thus, when God felt that Adam had
proved himself by his obedience and
by his responsibility, He “caused a deep
her husband, and caregiver and teacher
of her children. This tactic and strategy
of the enemies of God has delivered a
sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: significant blow to the family.
time daydreaming about
and he took one of his ribs (or, ‘took
my future. With a bent From a Biblical standpoint, a
from the side of him’) … and … made
for acting, I would envi- woman completes a man and assists him
he a woman, and brought her unto the
sion myself as one of the five nominees man. And Adam said, This is now bone as he fulfills the call God places on his
for an Academy Award. Interestingly, of my bones, and flesh of my flesh…” life. It cannot be stressed enough that a
I never pictured myself winning the This is a magnificent statement; and man’s call and success is actually the call-
award for “Best Actress.” Rather, I part of it is almost untranslatable be- ing and success of his family in terms of
always was the proud recipient of the cause the word translated “this is now” the dominion mandate. This can easily
is an idiom in the Hebrew which has become male-centered if we limit the
“Best Supporting Actress” award. I liked
meaning comparable to what we mean woman’s role to assisting her husband in
the idea of being in a supporting role, when we say, ‘I’ve got the beat. This is
that character that enhanced the main his vocation. Rushdoony points out,
the rhythm of the music, the rhythm
actor’s performance. In the many plays of my life that I have been waiting for.’ This brings up a very significant point,
and musicals I participated in during “Bone of my bone” means ‘the structure one very central to our time. From this,
high school, I quickly learned that my of my life.’ The skeleton is the structure the first marriage, we have a pattern
greatest satisfaction did not come from of the body, that which supports the established which is to be the pattern of
body; the body would be like that of all marriage: since the woman is to be
holding “center stage.” I was drawn to
a jellyfish without the skeleton. Adam a help meet to the man in terms of his
the role of director or producer—the calling, mixed marriages religiously are
says, “She is bone of my bones” (‘The
person who worked behind the scenes structure of my being is the structure of from the Biblical perspective wrong. A
to manage and assist others in their her being’). “Flesh of my flesh” (‘The Christian should not marry an unbe-
performances. very life of me is the life of her; I find liever or one of another religion because
I assumed that these were preferenc- myself, I realize myself in terms of a Christian to fulfill himself in terms of
es peculiar to me as an individual. But her’).1 his calling must marry someone who
after becoming a student of the Bible, is ‘a help as before him,’ someone who
In today’s world, there is a decided mirrors that which he is. How can the
I realized that these attributes were a push for women to prepare for careers woman be that mirror and have the
major aspect of God’s original design outside the home as though that would community that comes from being
of women in their participation in the be a step up for them. Beware of those the reflected image of the man if her
dominion mandate. Eve was given to who wish to destroy the covenant family background is so different from that
Adam to assist him in his calling under by marketing such lies to young girls which his is? They must have a common
God and to help him in a supportive and women. “You can be anything you faith, or, according to the law of God, it
role, not take center stage. When Adam want to be” is a refrain pounded into is not a valid marriage.2
described Eve as bone of his bones and their psyches. Additionally, there is a Proverbs 31 gives a thorough job
flesh of his flesh, he was responding to concentrated effort to depict romance description of how a virtuous woman
the most perfect gift he could imag- and mutual attraction as the basis for goes about fulfilling her calling under
ine—a counterpart who completed him lasting marital bliss. This and more serve God in the major role of supporting
and strengthened him in the work God to sever the woman of the house from her husband and family. As the man-
called him to do. her position of confidant and adviser to ager of the household, she is intimately
O n November 13,
A.D. 354, on the
cusp of the dying Ro-
utes, the Bible was always a holy book
of divine authority to him, beckoning
with its promises, condemning with its
who had mastered language and classical
literature, and who could entertain by
his rhetoric and oratory. Augustine’s
man Empire during the threats. According to his own testimony, ability to enthrall his audience with his
reign of Constantius II, “he had already with his mother’s milk rhetorical abilities led him to become
Aurelius Augustine was sucked in and preserved the name of prideful and to doubt his mother’s
born. His mother, Monica, was a Chris- the Saviour so intensely that nothing simple faith. He learned to rely instead
tian, and his father, most likely a Berber could really delight him later that was on his own abilities and talents, exulting
born in Numidia, was a pagan named deprived of this name. (‘Confessions,’ in the praise of men. Pride always leads
Patricius. His hometown, Tagaste, was III,4,8)”3 The key phrase in this admis- to destruction and it was only the grace
“nothing more than a somewhat pleas- sion is that “nothing could really delight of God that led Augustine through the
ant county-seat for farms and great es- him.” Eventually that early claim on his maze of his own puffed-up vanity and
tates,”1 in what is now Algeria in North life and heart could no longer be denied that of false teachers he respected, to
Africa. This small town had a thin when, in the providence of God, he The Truth.
veneer of Roman culture but national abandoned the world that is passing away, In his young adulthood he was
Berber traditions were still strong. and also its lusts (1 John 2:17) and sub- infatuated with various heresies. He was
Augustine was probably of swarthy first swayed by a popular heresy called
mitted to the claims of Christ, confess-
complexion, not very tall, and physically Manichaeism which was not only a her-
ing Him as Lord and Savior.
frail. “A stomach ailment almost killed esy, but originally a rival religion. It was
Dear reader, the God of Augustine
him when he was a boy and a terrible fe- created by a man named Mani, a Persian
is also your Creator-God, and as such,
ver (perhaps malaria) brought him close who lived in the third century A.D.,
has a prior claim on your life just as He
to death again when he was in his 20’s. who believed he had received special
did on this man of old times. I entreat
He did survive for 76 years but through- revelations from God that taught the
you to avoid the bright but empty
out his life he was plagued with asthma, existence of two rival gods, the god of
a bad stomach, insomnia, and recurrent promises of sin, remembering that only
Christ and obedience to His command- light and spirit, and the god of darkness
fevers. His weak lungs were a factor in and matter. Good and evil are not moral
his decision to give up teaching when he ments will bring you fulfillment and
satisfaction. Let Augustine’s testimony positions, Mani declared, rather they
was still a young man (though this did are states of being. Each person has the
not stop him from preaching at length to the pain of a life of rebellion against
God’s law convince you to avoid that “essence” of these two rival “gods”—of
without benefit of microphone for forty good and evil—within himself. Salva-
years in his cathedral church at Hippo). kind of life at all cost and commit your-
tion, Mani taught, consists in siding
When he was 56 exhaustion did force self at an early age to serving King Jesus.
with one or the other god.
him to take time off in the country, but From his youth Augustine had an
he continued his preaching and teaching insatiable thirst for knowledge. His fa- The defining mark of Manichaeism as
ther was proud of his son’s intellect and a heresy is that it defines the issues con-
and writing thereafter till shortly before
made sacrifices to give him an extensive fronting man, not as a moral antithesis,
his death 20 years later.”2
but as an antithesis of being. If the an-
His mother steadfastly taught Au- education. He was trained as a rhetori-
tithesis is moral, someone clearly needs
gustine the basic principles of Christian- cian, which profession he practiced at changing. Christianity insists on the
ity in his childhood although he held Tagaste and Carthage, North Africa, necessity of conversion. When a man is
them in reserve while wasting his youth Rome and Milan until his conversion in born again, he is not another being; he
in decadent living. And yet, he admits A.D. 386. The ideal rhetorician (a cre- is the same man but with a new heart,
that even in his rebellion against its stat- ation of the ancient Greeks) was a man with a spirit of faith and obedience, not
*Once again, I am indebted to my husband, Rev. Joe Morecraft, III, for much of the background information of this article.
“[W]e know that if this white-coated authority whose chosen vocation is curing and healing is the one opening your mind to
hospice and palliative care, we’ve nudged you ever so slightly toward letting go.”1–Charles Krauthammer
“But it could be manslaughter, not murder. It’s not necessarily murder. But it doesn’t bother me what you call it. I know what it
is. This could never be a crime in any society which deems itself enlightened.”2–Jack Kevorkian
“All they that hate me love death.”–Proverbs 8:36
In Your Justice
By Edward J. Murphy. The implications of God’s law over the life of man and society.
Booklet, 36 pages, $2.00 $1.40
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25
Education Mathematics: Is God Silent?
By James Nickel. This book revolutionizes the prevailing
understanding and teaching of math. The addition of
The Philosophy of the Christian Curriculum this book is a must for all upper-level Christian school
By R.J. Rushdoony. The Christian School represents a curricula and for college students and adults interested
break with humanistic education, but, too often, in in math or related fields of science and religion. It will
leaving the state school, the Christian educator has serve as a solid refutation for the claim, often made in
carried the state’s humanism with him. A curriculum court, that mathematics is one subject, which cannot be
is not neutral: it is either a course in humanism or taught from a distinctively Biblical perspective.
training in a God-centered faith and life. The liberal
Revised and enlarged 2001 edition, Paperback, 408 pages,
arts curriculum means literally that course which
$22.00 $15.40
trains students in the arts of freedom. This raises the key question: is
freedom in and of man or Christ? The Christian art of freedom, that is,
the Christian liberal arts curriculum, is emphatically not the same as The Foundations of Christian Scholarship
the humanistic one. It is urgently necessary for Christian educators to Edited by Gary North. These are essays developing
rethink the meaning and nature of the curriculum. the implications and meaning of the philosophy of
Dr. Cornelius Van Til for every area of life. The chapters
Paperback, 190 pages, index, $16.00 $11.20
explore the implications of Biblical faith for a variety of
disciplines.
The Harsh Truth about Public Schools
Paperback, 355 pages, indices, $24.00 $16.80
By Bruce Shortt. This book combines a sound Biblical
basis, rigorous research, straightforward, easily read
language, and eminently sound reasoning. It is based The Victims of Dick and Jane
upon a clear understanding of God’s educational By Samuel L. Blumenfeld. America’s most effective
mandate to parents. It is a thoroughly documented critic of public education shows us how America’s
description of the inescapably anti-Christian thrust of public schools were remade by educators who used
any governmental school system and the inevitable curriculum to create citizens suitable for their own
results: moral relativism (no fixed standards), academic dumbing down, vision of a utopian socialist society. This collection
far-left programs, near absence of discipline, and the persistent but of essays will show you how and why America’s
pitiable rationalizations offered by government education professionals. public education declined. You will see the educator-
engineered decline of reading skills. The author describes the causes for
Paperback, 464 pages, $22.00 $15.40
the decline and the way back to competent education methodologies
that will result in a self-educated, competent, and freedom-loving
Intellectual Schizophrenia populace.
By R.J. Rushdoony. This book was a resolute call to arms
Paperback, 266 pages, index, $22.00 $15.40
for Christian’s to get their children out of the pagan
public schools and provide them with a genuine
Christian education. Dr. Rushdoony had predicted Revolution via Education
that the humanist system, based on anti-Christian By Samuel L. Blumenfeld. In this book, Samuel
premises of the Enlightenment, could only get worse. Blumenfeld gets to the root of our crisis: our spiritual
He knew that education divorced from God and state and the need for an explicitly Christian form of
from all transcendental standards would produce the educational education. Blumenfeld leaves nothing uncovered.
disaster and moral barbarism we have today. The title of this book is He examines the men, methods, and means to the
particularly significant in that Dr. Rushdoony was able to identify the socialist project to transform America into an outright
basic contradiction that pervades a secular society that rejects God’s tyranny by scientific controllers. This book is not for
sovereignty but still needs law and order, justice, science, and meaning the faint of heart. It’s a wake up call to the church to make certain and
to life. deliberate steps to raising up a generation of Kingdom-builders.
Paperback, 150 pages, index, $17.00 $11.90 Paperback, 189 pages, index, $20.00 $14.00
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26
The Homeschool Life: Discovering God’s Way to Family-Based Education
By Andrea Schwartz. Homeschooling expert, Andrea Schwartz, (Lessons Learned from Years of Homeschooling), in this her second
book opens the door to The Homeschool Life, allowing parents to see the glorious potential in this life-changing, God-honoring
adventure. She offers sage advice concerning key aspects of homeschooling, while never losing her central focus of applying
the Word of God to all areas of life and thought. She provides practical insights for parents as they seek to provide a Christian
education for their children.
Paperback, 143 pages, index, $17.00 $11.90
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27
The Influence of Historic Christianity on Early America
By Archie P. Jones. Early America was founded upon the deep, extensive influence of Christianity inherited from the medieval
period and the Protestant Reformation. That priceless heritage was not limited to the narrow confines of the personal life of the
individual, nor to the ecclesiastical structure. Christianity positively and predominately (though not perfectly) shaped culture,
education, science, literature, legal thought, legal education, political thought, law, politics, charity, and missions.
Booklet, 88 pages, $6.00 $4.20
World History
Re-Release on CD! … A Christian Survey of World History - By R.J. Rushdoony
Includes 12 audio CDs, full text supporting the lectures, review questions, discussion questions,
and an answer key.
The purpose of a study of history is to shape the future. Too much of history teaching centers upon events, persons, or
ideas as facts but does not recognize God’s providential hand in judging humanistic man in order to build His Kingdom.
History is God-ordained and presents the great battle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Man. History
is full of purpose—each Kingdom has its own goal for the end of history, and those goals are in constant conflict.
Nothing about history is meaningless—history is always faith and philosophy in action. Not many history courses can
equip Christians for faith and action, but this course has served that capacity for over four decades. A Christian Survey
of World History can be used as a stand-alone curriculum, or as a supplement to a study of world history.
Disc 1 Time and History: Why History is Important Disc 7 New Humanism or Medieval Period
Disc 2 Israel, Egypt, and the Ancient Near East Disc 8 The Reformation
Disc 3 Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Jesus Christ Disc 9 Wars of Religion – So Called & The Thirty Years War
Disc 4 The Roman Republic Disc 10 France: Louis XIV through Napoleon
Disc 5 The Early Church & Byzantium Disc 11 England: The Puritans through Queen Victoria
Disc 6 Islam & The Frontier Age Disc 12 20th Century: The Intellectual – Scientific Elite
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28
Church History
The “Atheism” of the Early Church
By Rousas John Rushdoony. Early Christians were called “heretics” and “atheists” when they denied the gods of Rome, in particular
the divinity of the emperor and the statism he embodied in his personality cult. These Christians knew that Jesus Christ, not the
state, was their Lord and that this faith required a different kind of relationship to the state than the state demanded. Because
Jesus Christ was their acknowledged Sovereign, they consciously denied such esteem to all other claimants. Today the church
must take a similar stand before the modern state.
Paperback, 64 pages, $12.00 $8.40
The Foundations of Social Order: Studies in the Creeds and Councils of the Early Church
By R.J. Rushdoony. Every social order rests on a creed, on a concept of life and law, and represents a religion in action. The basic
faith of a society means growth in terms of that faith. Now the creeds and councils of the early church, in hammering out
definitions of doctrines, were also laying down the foundations of Christendom with them. The life of a society is its creed; a
dying creed faces desertion or subversion readily. Because of its indifference to its creedal basis in Biblical Christianity, western
civilization is today facing death and is in a life and death struggle with humanism.
Paperback, 197 pages, index, $16.00 $11.20
Philosophy
The Death of Meaning
By Rousas John Rushdoony. For centuries on end, humanistic philosophers have produced endless books and treatises which
attempt to explain reality without God or the mediatory work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Modern philosophy has sought to explain
man and his thought process without acknowledging God, His Revelation, or man’s sin. God holds all such efforts in derision and
subjects their authors and adherents to futility. Philosophers who rebel against God are compelled to abandon meaning itself, for
they possess neither the tools nor the place to anchor it. The works of darkness championed by philosophers past and present
need to be exposed and reproved. In this volume, Dr. Rushdoony clearly enunciates each major philosopher’s position and its
implications, identifies the intellectual and moral consequences of each school of thought, and traces the dead-end to which
each naturally leads. There is only one foundation. Without Christ, meaning and morality are anchored to shifting sand, and a counsel of despair
prevails. This penetrating yet brief volume provides clear guidance, even for laymen unfamiliar with philosophy.
Paperback, 180 pages, index, $18.00 $12.60
By What Standard?
By R.J. Rushdoony. An introduction into the problems of Christian philosophy. It focuses on the philosophical system of Dr.
Cornelius Van Til, which in turn is founded upon the presuppositions of an infallible revelation in the Bible and the necessity of
Christian theology for all philosophy. This is Rushdoony’s foundational work on philosophy.
Hardback, 212 pages, index, $14.00 $9.80
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29
The One and the Many
By R.J. Rushdoony. Subtitled Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy, this work discusses the problem of understanding
unity vs. particularity, oneness vs. individuality. “Whether recognized or not, every argument and every theological, philosophical,
political, or any other exposition is based on a presupposition about man, God, and society—about reality. This presupposition
rules and determines the conclusion; the effect is the result of a cause. And one such basic presupposition is with reference to the
one and the many.” The author finds the answer in the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
Paperback, 375 pages, index, $26.00 $18.20
Psychology
Politics of Guilt and Pity Freud
By R.J. Rushdoony. From the foreword by Steve By R.J. Rushdoony. For years this compact examination
Schlissel: “Rushdoony sounds the clarion call of liberty of Freud has been out of print. And although both
for all who remain oppressed by Christian leaders who Freud and Rushdoony have passed on, their ideas are
wrongfully lord it over the souls of God’s righteous still very much in collision. Freud declared war upon
ones.… I pray that the entire book will not only guilt and sought to eradicate the primary source
instruct you in the method and content of a Biblical to Western guilt — Christianity. Rushdoony shows
worldview, but actually bring you further into the conclusively the error of Freud’s thought and the
glorious freedom of the children of God. Those who walk in wisdom’s disastrous consequences of his influence in society.
ways become immune to the politics of guilt and pity.”
Paperback, 74 pages, $13.00 $9.10
Hardback, 371 pages, index, $20.00 $14.00
The Cure of Souls:
Revolt Against Maturity Recovering the Biblical Doctrine of Confession
By. R.J. Rushdoony. The Biblical doctrine of psychology
is a branch of theology dealing with man as a fallen By R. J. Rushdoony. In The Cure of Souls: Recovering
creature marked by a revolt against maturity. Man the Biblical Doctrine of Confession, R. J. Rushdoony
was created a mature being with a responsibility cuts through the misuse of Romanism and modern
to dominion and cannot be understood from the psychology to restore the doctrine of confession to
Freudian child, nor the Darwinian standpoint of a a Biblical foundation—one that is covenantal and
long biological history. Man’s history is a short one Calvinstic. Without a true restoration of Biblical confes-
filled with responsibility to God. Man’s psychological problems are sion, the Christian’s walk is impeded by the remains of sin. This volume
therefore a resistance to responsibility, i.e. a revolt against maturity. is an effort in reversing this trend.
Hardback, 320 pages with index, $26.00 $18.20
Hardback, 334 pages, index, $18.00 $12.60
Science
The Mythology of Science
By R.J. Rushdoony. This book points out the fraud of the empirical claims of much modern science since Charles Darwin. This
book is about the religious nature of evolutionary thought, how these religious presuppositions underlie our modern intellectual
paradigm, and how they are deferred to as sacrosanct by institutions and disciplines far removed from the empirical sciences.
The “mythology” of modern science is its religious devotion to the myth of evolution. Evolution “so expresses or coincides with
the contemporary spirit that its often radical contradictions and absurdities are never apparent, in that they express the basic
presuppositions, however untenable, of everyday life and thought.” In evolution, man is the highest expression of intelligence and
reason, and such thinking will not yield itself to submission to a God it views as a human cultural creation, useful, if at all, only in
a cultural context. The basis of science and all other thought will ultimately be found in a higher ethical and philosophical context; whether or not
this is seen as religious does not change the nature of that context. “Part of the mythology of modern evolutionary science is its failure to admit that
it is a faith-based paradigm.”
Paperback, 134 pages, $17.00 $11.90
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Alive: An Enquiry into the Origin and Meaning of Life
By Dr. Magnus Verbrugge, M.D. This study is of major importance as a critique of scientific theory, evolution, and contemporary nihilism
in scientific thought. Dr. Verbrugge, son-in-law of the late Dr. H. Dooyeweerd and head of the Dooyeweerd Foundation, applies the
insights of Dooyeweerd’s thinking to the realm of science. Animism and humanism in scientific theory are brilliantly discussed.
Paperback, 159 pages, $14.00 $9.80
Economics
Making Sense of Your Dollars: A Biblical Approach to Wealth
By Ian Hodge. The author puts the creation and use of wealth in their Biblical context. Debt has put the economies of nations and
individuals in dangerous straits. This book discusses why a business is the best investment, as well as the issues of debt avoidance and
insurance. Wealth is a tool for dominion men to use as faithful stewards.
Paperback, 192 pages, index, $12.00 $8.40
Larceny in the Heart: The Economics of Satan and the Inflationary State
By R.J. Rushdoony. In this study, first published under the title Roots of Inflation, the reader sees why envy often causes the most
successful and advanced members of society to be deemed criminals. The reader is shown how envious man finds any superiority in
others intolerable and how this leads to a desire for a leveling. The author uncovers the larceny in the heart of man and its results. See
how class warfare and a social order based on conflict lead to disaster. This book is essential reading for an understanding of the moral
crisis of modern economics and the only certain long-term cure.
Paperback, 144 pages, indices, $18.00 $12.60
Biblical Studies
Genesis, Volume I of Commentaries on the Pentateuch
Genesis begins the Bible, and is foundational to it. In recent years, it has become commonplace for both humanists and churchmen to
sneer at anyone who takes Genesis 1-11 as historical. Yet to believe in the myth of evolution is to accept trillions of miracles to account
for our cosmos. Spontaneous generation, the development of something out of nothing, and the blind belief in the miraculous
powers of chance, require tremendous faith. Theology without literal six-day creationism becomes alien to the God of Scripture
because it turns from the God Who acts and Whose Word is the creative word and the word of power, to a belief in process as god.
The god of the non-creationists is the creation of man and a figment of their imagination. The entire book of Genesis is basic to Biblical
theology. The church needs to re-study it to recognize its centrality.
Hardback, 297 pages, indices, $45.00 $31.50
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Leviticus, Volume III of Commentaries on the Pentateuch
Much like the book of Proverbs, any emphasis upon the practical applications of God’s law is readily shunned in pursuit of more
“spiritual” studies. Books like Leviticus are considered dull, overbearing, and irrelevant. But man was created in God’s image and
is duty-bound to develop the implications of that image by obedience to God’s law. The book of Leviticus contains over ninety
references to the word holy. The purpose, therefore, of this third book of the Pentateuch is to demonstrate the legal foundation of
holiness in the totality of our lives. This present study is dedicated to equipping His church for that redemptive mission.
Hardback, 449 pages, indices, $45.00 $31.50
Sermons on Deuteronomy - 110 lectures by R.J. Rushdoony on mp3 (2 CDs), $60.00 $42.00
Save by getting the book and CD together for only $95.00 $66.50
Now you can purchase the complete set of five hardback volumes of the Pentateuch
for $150.00 ($75 savings!)
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32
Romans and Galatians The Church Is Israel Now
By R.J. Rushdoony. From the author’s introduction: By Charles D. Provan. For the last century, Christians
“I do not disagree with the liberating power of the have been told that God has an unconditional love for
Reformation interpretation, but I believe that it persons racially descended from Abraham. Membership
provides simply the beginning of our understanding in Israel is said to be a matter of race, not faith. This book
of Romans, not its conclusion.... repudiates such a racialist viewpoint and abounds in
The great problem in the church’s interpretation Scripture references which show that the blessings of
of Scripture has been its ecclesiastical orientation, Israel were transferred to all those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and
as though God speaks only to the church, and Savior.
commands only the church. The Lord God speaks in and through His
Paperback, 74 pages, $12.00 $8.40
Word to the whole man, to every man, and to every area of life and
thought…. To assume that the Triune Creator of all things is in His
word and person only relevant to the church is to deny His Lordship or The Guise of Every Graceless Heart
sovereignty. If we turn loose the whole Word of God onto the church By Terrill Irwin Elniff. An extremely important and fresh
and the world, we shall see with joy its power and glory. This is the study of Puritan thought in early America. On Biblical
purpose of my brief comments on Romans.” and theological grounds, Puritan preachers and writers
Hardback, 446 pages, indices, $24.00 $16.80 challenged the autonomy of man, though not always
consistently.
Hebrews, James and Jude Hardback, 120 pages, $7.00 $4.90
By R.J. Rushdoony. There is a resounding call in
Hebrews, which we cannot forget without going The Great Christian Revolution
astray: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the By Otto Scott, Mark R. Rushdoony, R.J. Rushdoony,
camp, bearing his reproach” (13:13). This is a summons John Lofton, and Martin Selbrede. A major work on the
to serve Christ the Redeemer-King fully and faithfully, impact of Reformed thinking on our civilization. Some
without compromise. When James, in his epistle, says of the studies, historical and theological, break new
that faith without works is dead, he tells us that faith ground and provide perspectives previously unknown
is not a mere matter of words, but it is of necessity or neglected.
a matter of life. “Pure religion and undefiled” requires Christian charity
and action. Anything short of this is a self-delusion. James’s letter is Hardback, 327 pages, $22.00 $15.40
a corrective the church needs badly. Jude similarly recalls us to Jesus
Christ’s apostolic commission, “Remember ye the words which have Keeping Our Sacred Trust
been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 17). Edited by Andrew Sandlin. The Bible and the Christian
Jude’s letter reminds us of the necessity for a new creation beginning Faith have been under attack in one way or another
with us, and of the inescapable triumph of the Kingdom of God. throughout much of the history of the church,
Hardback, 260 pages, $30.00 $21.00 but only in recent times have these attacks been
perceived within the church as a healthy alternative
to orthodoxy. This book is a trumpet blast heralding a
Sermon on the Mount
full-orbed, Biblical, orthodox Christianity. The hope of
By R. J. Rushdoony. So much has been written
the modern world is not a passive compromise with passing heterodox
about the Sermon on the Mount, but so little of the
fads, but aggressive devotion to the time-honored Faith “once delivered
commentaries venture outside of the matters of the
to the saints.”
heart. The Beatitudes are reduced to the assumed
meaning of their more popular portions, and much Paperback, 167 pages, $19.00 $13.30
of that meaning limits our concerns to downplaying
wealth, praying in secret, suppressing our worries, The Incredible Scofield and His Book
or simply reciting the Lord’s Prayer. The Beatitudes are the Kingdom By Joseph M. Canfield. This powerful and fully
commission to the new Israel of God, and R. J. Rushdoony elucidates documented study exposes the questionable
this powerful thesis in a readable and engaging commentary on the background and faulty theology of the man
world’s greatest sermon. responsible for the popular Scofield Reference Bible,
Hardback, 150 pages, $20.00 $14.00 which did much to promote the dispensational
system. The story is disturbing in its historical
account of the illusive personality canonized as
a dispensational saint and calls into question the seriousness of his
motives and scholarship.
Paperback, 394 pages, $24.00 $16.80
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Taking Dominion In His Service: The Christian Calling to Charity
By R. J. Rushdoony. The Christian faith once meant
that a believer responded to a dark world by actively
Christianity and the State working to bring God’s grace and mercy to others,
By R.J. Rushdoony. You’ll not find a more concise both by word and by deed. However, a modern,
statement of Christian government, nor a more self-centered church has isolated the faith to a
precise critique of contemporary statistm. This book pietism that relinquishes charitable responsibility to
develops tht Biblical view of the state against the the state. The end result has been the empowering
modern state’s humanism and its attempts to govern of a humanistic world order. In this book, Rushdoony elucidates the
all spheres of life. Whether it be the influence of Greek Christian’s calling to charity and its implications for Godly dominion. In
thought, or the present manifestations of fascism, an age when Christian action is viewed in political terms, a return to
this dynamic volume will provide you with a superb introduction to the Christian works of compassion and Godly service will help usher in a
subject. It reads like a collection of essays on the Christian view of the return of the reign of God as no piece of legislation ever could.
state and the return of true Christian government. $16.10
Hardback, 232 pages, $23.00
Hardback, 192 pages, indices, $18.00 $12.60
Roots of Reconstruction
Tithing and Dominion By R.J. Rushdoony. This large volume provides all
By Edward A. Powell and R.J. Rushdoony. God’s of Rushdoony’s Chalcedon Report articles from
Kingdom covers all things in its scope, and its the beginning in 1965 to mid-1989. These articles
immediate ministry includes, according to Scripture, were, with his books, responsible for the Christian
the ministry of grace (the church), instruction (the Reconstruction and theonomy movements. More
Christian and homeschool), help to the needy (the topics than could possibly be listed. Imagine having
diaconate), and many other things. God’s appointed 24 years of Rushdoony’s personal research for just $20.
means for financing His Kingdom activities is
Hardback, 1124 pages, $20.00 $14.00
centrally the tithe. This work affirms that the Biblical
requirement of tithing is a continuing aspect of God’s law-word and
cannot be neglected. This book is “must reading” as Christians work to A Comprehensive Faith
take dominion in the Lord’s name. Edited by Andrew Sandlin. This is the surprise
Hardback, 146 pages, index, $12.00 $8.40 Festschrift presented to R.J. Rushdoony at his 80th
birthday celebration in April, 1996. These essays are
in gratitude to Rush’s influence and elucidate the
Salvation and Godly Rule importance of his theological and philosophical
By R.J. Rushdoony. Salvation in Scripture includes contributions in numerous fields. Contributors include
in its meaning “health” and “victory.” By limiting the Theodore Letis, Brian Abshire, Steve Schlissel, Joe
meaning of salvation, men have limited the power of Morecraft III, Jean-Marc Berthoud, Byron Snapp, Samuel Blumenfeld,
God and the meaning of the Gospel. In this study R. J. Christine and Thomas Schirrmacher, Herbert W. Titus, Owen Fourie,
Rushdoony demonstrates the expanse of the doctrine Ellsworth McIntyre, Howard Phillips, Joseph McAuliffe, Andrea Schwartz,
of salvation as it relates to the rule of the God and His David Estrada-Herrero, Stephen Perks, Ian Hodge, and Colonel V. Doner.
people. Also included is a forward by John Frame and a brief biographical
Paperback, 661 pages, indices, $35.00 $24.50 sketch of R. J. Rushdoony’s life by Mark Rushdoony. This book was
produced as a “top-secret” project by Friends of Chalcedon and donated
to Ross House Books. It is sure to be a collector’s item one day.
Noble Savages: Exposing the Worldview Hardback, 244 pages, $23.00 $16.10
of Pornographers and Their War Against
Christian Civilization
By R. J. Rushdoony. In this powerful book Noble
Savages (formerly The Politics of Pornography)
Rushdoony demonstrates that in order for modern
man to justify his perversion he must reject the
Biblical doctrine of the fall of man. If there is no fall,
the Marquis de Sade argued, then all that man does is normative.
Rushdoony concluded, “[T]he world will soon catch up with Sade,
unless it abandons its humanistic foundations.” In his conclusion
Rushdoony wrote, “Symptoms are important and sometimes very
serious, but it is very wrong and dangerous to treat symptoms rather
than the underlying disease. Pornography is a symptom; it is not the
problem.” What is the problem? It’s the philosophy behind pornography
— the rejection of the fall of man that makes normative all that man
does. Learn it all in this timeless classic.
Paperback, 161 pages, $18.00 $12.60
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Theology
Systematic Theology (in two volumes)
By R. J. Rushdoony. Theology belongs in the pulpit, the school, the workplace, the family and everywhere. Society as
a whole is weakened when theology is neglected. Without a systematic application of theology, too often people
approach the Bible with a smorgasbord mentality, picking and choosing that which pleases them. This two-volume set
addresses this subject in order to assist in the application of the Word of God to every area of life and thought.
Hardback, 1301 pages, indices, $70.00 $49.00
Eschatology
Thy Kingdom Come: Studies in Daniel and Revelation
By R.J. Rushdoony. This book helped spur the modern rise of postmillennialism. Revelation’s details are often perplexing, even
baffling, and yet its main meaning is clear—it is a book about victory. It tells us that our faith can only result in victory. “This is the
victory that overcomes the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). This is why knowing Revelation is so important. It assures us of our
victory and celebrates it. Genesis 3 tells us of the fall of man into sin and death. Revelation gives us man’s victory in Christ over sin
and death. The vast and total victory, in time and eternity, set forth by John in Revelation is too important to bypass. This victory is
celebrated in Daniel and elsewhere, in the entire Bible. We are not given a Messiah who is a loser. These eschatological texts make
clear that the essential good news of the entire Bible is victory, total victory.
Paperback, 271 pages, $19.00 $13.30
Thine is the Kingdom: A Study of the Postmillennial Hope
Edited by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. False eschatological speculation is destroying the church today, by leading her to neglect her
Christian calling. In this volume, edited by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., the reader is presented with a blend of Biblical exegesis of key
Scripture passages, theological reflection on important doctrinal issues, and practical application for faithful Christian living. Thine
is the Kingdom lays the scriptural foundation for a Biblically-based, hope-filled postmillennial eschatology, while showing what
it means to be postmillennial in the real world. The book is both an introduction to and defense of the eschatology of victory.
Chapters include contemporary writers Keith A. Mathison, William O. Einwechter, Jeffrey Ventrella, and Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., as
well as chapters by giants of the faith Benjamin B. Warfield and J.A. Alexander.
Paperback, 260 pages, $22.00 $15.40
God’s Plan for Victory
By R.J. Rushdoony. An entire generation of victory-minded Christians, spurred by the victorious postmillennial vision of Chalcedon,
has emerged to press what the Puritan Fathers called “the Crown Rights of Christ the King” in all areas of modern life. Central to
that optimistic generation is Rousas John Rushdoony’s jewel of a study, God’s Plan for Victory (originally published in 1977). The
founder of the Christian Reconstruction movement set forth in potent, cogent terms the older Puritan vision of the irrepressible
advancement of Christ’s kingdom by His faithful saints employing the entire law-Word of God as the program for earthly victory.
Booklet, 41 pages, $6.00 $4.20
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Special Message Series by Rushdoony on Audio CDs!
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