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Faith for All of Life Nov/Dec 2008 Publisher & Chalcedon President Rev. Mark R. Rushdoony Chalcedon Vice-President Martin Selbrede Editorials Columns Editor 2 From the Founder 6 Does Christian Reconstruction Rev. Christopher J. Ortiz Government and Dominion Have a Compelling Analysis? Eugene C. Newman Managing Editor 4 From the President Susan Burns The Lordship of Jesus Christ 8 Athanasius, Champion of the Trinity Contributing Editors Features Lee Duigon Becky Morecraft Kathy Leonard 12 Economics, Justice, 26 Western Civilization and Modern Preaching Chalcedon Founder on a Mountaintop Martin G. Selbrede Rev. R. J. Rushdoony Ben House (1916-2001) was the founder of Chalcedon 18 “First Owyhee, and Then Products and a leading theologian, church/ the World”: The Early Ministry state expert, and author of numer- of R. J. Rushdoony 33 Catalog Insert ous works on the application of Michael McVicar Biblical Law to society. 23 Calling Down God’s Judgment Receiving Faith for All of Life: This John Stoos magazine will be sent to those who request it. At least once a year we ask that you return a response card if you wish to remain on the mailing list. Contributors are kept on our mailing list. Suggested Donation: $35 per year ($45 for all foreign — U.S. funds only). Tax-deductible contributions may be made out to Chalcedon and Year-end Sale! mailed to P.O. Box 158, Vallecito, CA 30% off Everything Through January 16, 2009 95251 USA. Faster Service www.ChalcedonStore.com Chalcedon may want to contact its readers quickly by means of e-mail. Faith for All of Life, published bi-monthly by Chalcedon, a tax-exempt Christian foundation, is sent to all who request If you have an e-mail address, please it. All editorial correspondence should be sent to the managing editor, P.O. Box 569, Cedar Bluff, VA 24609-0569. send an e-mail message including Laser-print hard copy and electronic disk submissions firmly encouraged. All submissions subject to editorial revi- your full postal address to our office: sion. Email: [email protected]. The editors are not responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts which [email protected]. become the property of Chalcedon unless other arrangements are made. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Chalcedon. It provides a forum for views in accord with a relevant, active, historic Christianity, though those views may on occasion differ somewhat from Chalcedon’s and from each other. For circulation and data Chalcedon depends on the contributions of its readers, and all gifts to Chalcedon are tax-deductible. ©2008 management contact Rebecca Chalcedon. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint granted on written request only. Editorial Board: Rev. Mark R. Rushdoony, President/Editor-in-Chief; Chris Ortiz, Editor; Susan Burns, Managing Editor and Executive Assistant. Rouse at (209) 736-4365 ext. 10 Chalcedon, P.O. Box 158, Vallecito, CA 95251, Telephone Circulation (9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m., Pacific): (209) 736-4365 or or [email protected] Fax (209) 736-0536; email: [email protected]; www.chalcedon.edu; Circulation:Rebecca Rouse. From the Founder Government and Dominion (Reprinted from Sovereignty [Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2007], 149-153.) R. J. Rushdoony aint John Chrysos- obedience to Biblical law. The apocry- The medieval era saw such min- Stom (c. A.D. 347– phal Book of Tobit gives us evidence of istries developed and extended. They 407) is famous for his this. Tobit counsels his son to give alms continued after the Reformation. In golden-tongued oratory, faithfully, to pay all workmen promptly, England, the preaching of Thomas and also for his resis- to eat his bread with the hungry and Lever (1550) started a major movement tance to imperial power. the needy, and to clothe the naked. “See to undo the depredations of Henry VIII He is less well known for his works of that thou never do to another what thou against the church by making a massive charity. In his day, the Christians at wouldest hate to have done to thee by restitution to God by way of Christian Constantinople numbered c. 100,000. another” (Tobit 4:16). The apostate works: educational, charitable, and so According to J. G. Davies, the Chris- emperor, Julian, recognized that pagans on.11 The Church of England’s charity tians held “themselves responsible for were attracted to Christianity by its com- schools were a factor in later years.12 the maintenance of fifty thousand poor munity life: “No Jew ever has to beg, This very brief survey makes it clear folk.” In addition to the support of the and the impious Galileans support not that Christians assumed the responsibil- clergy, three thousand widows and vir- only their own poor but ours as well.”4 ity for health, education, and welfare. gins were supported. The funds for the Hermas wrote of the Christian duty to They also provided courts of law to varied works of the church came from care for widows and orphans, to relieve which, in the early centuries, pagans the tithes and offerings of the faithful; distressed believers, to practice hospital- as well as Christians went for justice. there were also receipts from lands and ity, to reverence the aged, to practice Clearly, the basic government of society properties bequeathed to the church, justice, and to preserve their brother- was in the hands of Christians, and Chris- and the emperor gave an allowance to hood. All the early literature stressed tian institutions. the church. The poor-fund had Chrys- such responsibilities.5 Prisoners seized by This should not surprise us. Accord- ostom’s especial attention and concern.1 raiders were ransomed. The church, like ing to Isaiah 9:6, the government shall At the same time, Chrysostom served the Jewish synagogue, acted as a trustee be on Christ’s shoulder. With His com- as a judge, a function assumed early in for widows and orphans, and Cyprian ing, His death, Resurrection, and ascen- church history in terms of Paul’s com- compared the clergy with the Levites of sion, we are told that He “is the blessed mand in 1 Corinthians 6:1–6.2 These the Old Testament in their responsibili- and only Potentate, the King of kings, hearings were held on Mondays so that ties.6 The sick and captives were to be and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15), is, not peace might be reestablished between the visited; a decent burial for the Christian shall be. As kings and priests unto God contending parties by and after the deci- dead was seen as another responsibility.7 in Christ (Rev. 1:6), Christians have a sion and before the following Sunday.3 Church buildings were more impres- duty to rule for Him. We are given this All this was by no means unusual. sive and better constructed than others, office by virtue of His atonement (Rev. Christians took seriously Paul’s command and they included rooms for the storage 1:5), so that we are now His dominion that Christians must judge or govern the of provisions for the needy.8 Basil the people and therefore His justice men, world (1 Cor. 6:2–3). They early estab- Great used monks to staff schools, or- His law defenders. lished their own courts of law, schools, phanages, and hospitals.9 Pope Gregory This faith was not a matter of welfare work, hospitals, and more. I took care not to waste the Lord’s assets. debate or discussion within the church W. H. C. Frend, in surveying the Careful records were kept of all those but a tacit assumption. To assume such history of the church to A.D. 604, men- who received charity, how much and on governmental powers was an affront to tions in passing some of the activities what date. Fraud was emphatically dis- the Roman Empire, as it is an affront to Christians had instituted. Many of these couraged. Gregory’s palace entertained the nations today. Marxist states strictly were things common to Jewish life, in strangers and fed the sick.10 prohibit it. Where a pretense of religious 2 Faith for All of Life | November/December 2008 www.chalcedon.edu Faith for All of Life freedom is maintained by some, Chris- In the same “poem,” Whitman and king. As a prophet, we must each tians are limited to worship in a few also identifies himself as Satan.16 This interpret our lives and world in terms of churches, but barred from a governmen- was not new. In 1885, in “The Sleep- God’s law-word and apply that word to tal and dominion function. ers,” Whitman declared himself to be every sphere. To be a prophet in Christ is Dominion is the exercise of govern- Lucifer’s “sorrowful terrible heir.”17 to live by God’s every word (Matt. 4:4). ment, and a religious fact. It was only What begins as a protest against slavery As priests, we dedicate and conse- natural that monks should have first cre- becomes a “poem” celebrating homosex- crate ourselves, our world, and our every ated new lands in the Netherlands with ual fellatio (in section 8).18 According activity to the triune God. All things their dikes, cleared forests for farms, and to Helen Vendler, who admires Whit- must be made holy in Him (Zech. taken rocky and barren areas and con- man, this is compared to the wedding 14:20–21). verted them into fertile lands. All this feast at Cana in Galilee, and Christ As kings, we are to rule the world in and more meant the exercise of domin- turning water into wine.