Miscellaneous

World Wide Reformation (part 2)

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Conversations, Panels, and Sermons

Lesson: 2-2

Genre: Talk

Track: 2

Dictation Name: World Wide Reformation B

Location/Venue:

Year:

[Recording starts at 11:10] Now, is there anything really new or unique about this movement that is growing in China? Not particularly. When we go back and look at previous reformations in history, we see that the first century Christian church became a small, self governing Republic; did it not? We see that the Reformation, the great Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries sought to reform purity of worship, and restore the first century church concept of each church being a small, self-governing Republic. In Red China today the 50,000 churches, home churches that I just mentioned, by refusing to unite under a common head and authority, have been for a number of years now, small, self governing republics.

Now I told a number of people some time back, at least a year ago, that there were some trends happening in the world, trends which I had perceived through the works of Reverend Rushdoony and Cornelius Van Til, through the teaching and working with Marshall Foster and many of the other individuals, and I had perceived certain trends occurring, and I really didn’t know at that time if this was indeed another Reformation. But now with recent events I am absolutely certain of it. I believe we can expect a restoration and a reformation in this country, and by virtue of that light it will provide the motivation for the further restoration and reformation of south east Asia, in particular Red China. I think we can confidently expect that the Christians in China who seek the true word and Reformation will undoubtedly face trials, tribulations, and persecution. Of that there is little doubt.

The importance of all this for the Christians in America is very simply this: as the churches in central Mediterranean regions during the first century supported the church in Jerusalem with their prayers, with their giving, with their presence in exhorting the Jerusalem Christians, I believe also that we in America as American Christians must begin to think of the ways and means in which we can support the Christians in China when they begin to face the same kinds of problems.

One of the other unique kinds of historical sequences that is occurring in Canada is the fact that Canadians have a much more difficult problem with socialism than we do with America. We call it humanism, that is our basic problem here in America, in Canada they call it socialism. I think they are perhaps a little more honest than we are about it. But at the same time this is happening there is a movement growing in Canada which most Americans are totally unaware of. For example a little more than a decade ago there were only two types of schools in Canada: schools sponsored by the government, and schools sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church. In the last 10 to 15 years there have come about the establishment and growth of almost 2,000 Christian schools in Canada. And these Christian schools as a result of seminars that we have been giving across the country, as a result of working with some of the most unlikely people, these Christian schools are now seeking the reformation of what they teach, and the restoration of the word of God as the basis of their curriculum in ways that Christian schools never have before.

We talk here a great deal about restoring the basis of our educational system, our own school system, Christian schools; but in Canada they are doing it also. And since we know that out of each restoration and Reformation a greater and higher form of civilization results, we can expect that perhaps Canada and Red China as well, when they do restore the gospel to its fullest expression, to a fuller expression, they will undoubtedly bring forth a higher expression of civilization than we ever achieved in the United States.

I think this is one of the most exciting eras that Christians have ever had the opportunity to live in. I can remember just a few years back when the only thing I knew about prophecy was what I read in The Late Great Planet Earth, and how it upset me, and how it disturbed me, and gave me no vision for the future; what was the point in reforming the world when the Lord was coming back next Wednesday at 12:15? Well, that was 8 years ago. I see now that this particular kind of theology, the theology I call of despair and death and defeat, is slowly but surely sinking into the muck and mire of its own teaching; and certain individuals in the media are beginning to emphasize this concept less and less, while the historic view is beginning to receive more and more publicity, more and more acceptance; a great sign for Christians. We see the persecutions that the church and the school, the Christian school and the Christian church is going through in America, and we can only hail that as an incredible benefit, as an incredible opportunity for us.

We see the sad state of the media, and we may preach against it and throw rocks at the secular media, but I believe people who live in glass houses should not throw bricks- as depressing as that is. I see Christian artists now beginning to see a new different, a new application of the scriptures with greater depth, greater philosophical and theological awareness. Frankie Schaeffer just recently published a book called Addicted to Mediocrity, Twentieth Century Christians in the Arts. Most of us are perhaps aware of his father’s work, Francis Schaeffer’s work.

So we see that in church, in our state policies, in our government policies, in the arts, and in many other areas these little isolated groups and Christian thinkers all over the Western World have suddenly begun to make their voice heard; and the really miraculous thing about it is, people are starting to listen. That’s is what is incredible. I just recently read a newspaper in the valley, in the Valley newspaper, I think it is now called The Daily News. The article was very interesting, because it seems that a number of the major television network executives and producers, David (Wholper?) Stan (Marguleez?) and vast numbers of other major powers, were all meeting out here in a (Ghura?) to try and figure out “What are we going to do about the new Right? How are we going to keep them out of the media?”

I thought that was rather interesting, because at the end of the conference they came up with no answers, and they admitted it: “We don’t have any solutions.” And they said: “Part of the problem it seems is it is tough to carry on dialogue with these people and deal with them when our own hands are slightly dirty.” I thought that was a rather telling indictment and admission on the part of some of these major producers and powers that be in the arts, to admit publicly in a newspaper that their hands were a little dirty.

The world is beginning to wake up. The restoration of the word is occurring in the minds and hearts of individual believers, and God is raising up these believers to reform their actions and conduct. This is bringing them into conflict with the world about them; but there is one other characteristic of every other Reformation we have gone through: God’s truth always triumphs. God’s truth is always successful. God’s true believers always succeed. And just as previous reformations succeeded in bring about a newer and higher form of civilization, just as previous apostate groups failed in their efforts to crush the Reformation spirit, so also will todays group of adversaries fail in their attempt to suppress the word of God, to suppress the true knowledge.

And then shall come about the verse of scripture which says: “And they that shall be of these shall build the old waste places. Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breech, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”

Father, I thank you for the truth of your word, for the price paid on the cross by the Son Jesus Christ. I thank you Father for revealing to us in our insignificance, our depravity, and in our hopeless condition, I thank you for revealing to us the truth by your sovereign Spirit. I thank you Father for the men that you have raised up; I thank you Father for the people who are listening. I thank you Father for restoring the inner man, and motivating him to reform the world; that the visible might be brought more into conformity with the invisible. I thank you Father for the preaching of the gospel, for the opportunity to stand on my feet for one more day, that my brothers and sisters may stand on their feet for one more day, to take one more step in bringing about the kingdom of God. And in all these things Father, we give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise. In Jesus name, amen.

Oh yes, I forgot, I am supposed to ask for questions and answers now. Questions, anyone? Yes?

[Audience Member] …?...

[Speaker] All non-Christian systems of thought self destruct. All false systems of thought self destruct. You are right, it is not a game of numbers, the numbers will come; but it is the quality of knowledge in the mind and heart of the individual believer, you see. It is the quality of knowledge, which comes about only by the sovereign Spirit of God, prompting the individual to study, to pursue the word- I mean with vigor, to go after it with both hands and feet, and when that comes about God honors truth, and He honors that, the individual receives a further revelation of God’s word in terms of its application. Yes?

[Audience Member] …?...

[Speaker] Many of them are without knowing it. Many of them consciously are aware of it, and that is why there has been I think a rebirth of Reformation literature so to speak. But you see, what will happen in terms of unity, that you were talking about before, what is going to bring them all together; Christians have to begin to separate the form from the content, the form of worship from the essential content. For example many of the secular critics of the Christian church say: “Why, there are so many different versions of Christianity, which one is right?” Well, what they are seeing is the form of worship, and not the essential content. You see, we all agree primarily on the basic doctrines, you see, within the Protestant faith. Where we disagree is in the form that that doctrine should manifest itself in terms of church government, church polity, etc. Now what has to happen is, and this is what every Reformation and restoration, reformation is based on, what has to happen is, Christians have to recognize the fact that we may never achieve an absolutely perfect form on the face of this planet in terms of church discipline. But we can recognize and acknowledge that there are certain principles in the Bible upon which we can all agree. One, separation of church and state. What does the Bible say about separation of church and state, on that we can agree, you see. What we have to recognize is that there are certain other principles that are utilized in propagating the word of God, okay, that the gospel is not limited only to the inner man. That is our greatest problem, right there, that most Christians today believe that the gospel only concerns the inner man.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Speaker] That is the essential, that is probably the essential concept and idea that Christian must come to believe.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Speaker] I think that the Reformation of the Catholic church, I think the Catholic church is going to suffer rather heavily in the next ten to fifteen years in terms of converts. There are already signs that the Catholic is beginning to read his scriptures far more than he has ever read in history, and he is beginning to study the word of God in Bible studies and things of that nature, and all the individual has to do is study the original, you see, and eventually, the Spirit of God begins to convict him of their truth and reformation occurs.

You mentioned the principle of unity being the law. I think if we do an examination of history we will find wherever God’s people have attempted to restore the law, and restore it in its purity, there has reformation followed, logically.

I mentioned also separation of church and state, the law pertains to that also in the sense that Moses was head of the Civil government, Aaron was head of the church government or priesthood, but they both acknowledged the table of the law as ultimate. There is our ultimate model or analogy as Van Til would say, for separation of church and state, and it is very simple. It is not that complex, unfortunately most Christians today are not really perceiving that principle of separation of church and state in its Biblical context, and as a result are intimidated by all these attacks in the media. But when the individual gets back to the word, to restore the law etc, God honors that, and then those enemies, the adversary, vanishes. He just dissolves, his system self destructs, and he is replaced by the Christian system in a newer and higher manifestation. Yes?

[Audience Member] I was wondering, talking to people who do not go along with the way we believe, they say that when we have victory, what are we going to do about all these other groups that are in opposition to our beliefs, they call themselves Christians but they don’t adhere to the law, they don’t adhere to what we believe in, they are afraid of what we will do to them, what would be your reply?

[Speaker] Well, you see, what we have to understand is, what is the real Christian method of propagating the truth? Okay, what is the Biblical method of propagating the truth? Number one, we should understand that no one has ever been able to successfully compel through force of law and by compulsory methods, no one has ever been able to successfully compel obedience to the law. Obedience to the law must be voluntary based on the Spirit of God working in the inner man first, you see. I think our history books of government and things of that nature are rather replete with examples where these great minds say that if the man doesn’t want to obey the law he will not. You see. That was essentially the Pilgrim concept in early America as distinct from the Puritan concept. There is another problem, okay, in terms of distinguishing between form and content, as I mentioned earlier. The Pilgrims and Puritans believed essentially the same doctrine, what they differed in was the form in which that doctrine should be manifest. The Puritan spirit was compulsory, the Pilgrim spirit was voluntary.

And what happens, to finally come back to your question is this: that when a consensus of people in the nation adhere voluntarily to the law, they promote actively those laws which are in conformity to the law, and there is no resistance except for certain minorities, perhaps such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others in terms of Christian minorities; in the non-Christian minorities they simply seem to hide; I think history is rather graphic proof of that, that when the Christian position receives its just status in society, the non Christian positions will recede; they always do. You see, sometimes I use a rather vulgar illustration, I say it is ‘all a matter of real estate’. Either the Christian world view dominates in a particular area of life, or a non-Christian world view will, and when the non Christian system collapses and Christians step in, the non Christian systems of thought just simply recede into the background until such time as the Christians take a Sabbath rest, and decide such as we did after the War for Independence in the Constitution, that until such time as Christians begin to take a Sabbath rest and begin to sit back on their growing obesity, then they give opportunity to the opposition to come out into the open.