Second American Revolution: Rousas John Rushdoony (3 of 9)

Question:-- Can we really legislate the biblical standards of morality on non-Christians? The non-Christian doesn't even believe in the Bible, so how can we even talk about building a society based on the Law of God?

R.J. Rushdoony: One of the things most people don't understand about Christian Reconstruction is that first it is nothing new. It has been the historic position of the Christian church over the centuries. In Western Europe and the America it has receded in the past century or two, but it has been the Christian way of life. Then what we have to understand is that in our time, we've had a totally false picture of reality -- a top-down view of whatever faith it is that people hold -- that we have to capture the upper echelons of society, or the machinery of the state, and impose something on the people.

We have never had a more top-down culture than for about 1500 years, than since Rome fell. Rome fell because it confused simplicity with efficiency. They simplified the state and centralized more and more as if that were the answer. The more they centralized, the more they destroyed the fabric of society. We are following the Roman pattern. We are centralizing as though that were the answer and we are destroying the pattern of society.

Now as Christians we believe that the basic starting point is the regeneration of man. Then man takes and applies that faith. For Christians the basic government is the self-government of the Christian man. Then the basic governmental unit is the family. This means that every father and mother will be more important in the sight of God than heads of state, because He controls children, property and the future. Then the third is the church as the government, fourth the school as a government, fifth your job governs you, then sixth society governs you with its ideas, beliefs and standards, and seventh, one among many forms of government, is the civil government.

Today, we are implicitly totalitarian. We speak of the state as the government. That's totalitarian. So we have to rid ourselves of such things. The Christian theonomic society will only come about as each man governs himself under God and governs his particular sphere. And only so will we take back government from the state and put it in the hands of Christians.

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• Rousas
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• Rushdoony
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• Reconstruction
• Reformed
• God's
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• theonomy

[3smokenguns]

I met him and have read his Chalcedon Report for over 20 years. I purchased the "Roots of Reconstruction" a compilation of all his Articles in Chalcedon Report. I have heard him preach in person and on audio tape for hundreds of hours. He is not scary. A more gentle man is unimaginable, but the sword he weilds is one of umcompromising truth.

[mk00040]

He's not scary to me—in fact I think I support his views. He's got an interesting way of talking too; very controlled. I like how he says "Hegelian" at 2:11 and how he showed his human side by smiling and chuckling at 1:18.

[mln9898]

Mk00040- Then I'm pretty sure you are a horrible judge of character because his position/views are insane and he seems like he's probably a sociopath. And that chuckle seemed strange and forced and unhumanlike.

[corneliuscranechase]

Scary?! He's like the ultimate grandpa. He believes in the self government of people and families, not in the totalitarian state which has always been the persecutor throughout history. But seriously though, to step to Rushdoony is like challenging the sun with a bucket of water.

[stevesometimes]

he has some serious knowledge though, but i agree, he is scary

[horatio46]

This guy reminds of an Ayatullah Khomenei. A threat to freedom. A medieval man who thinks there is only one truth revealed. The same kind of people who sought to imprison, persecute and murder any who did not conform to their truths, like the earth being the center of the universe and other foolishness.