In contemporary church and state trials, the language of state theology is ... far-reaching in its claims. In no trial of churches, Christian schools, home schools, or parents in which I have been involved has there been any question as to the superior educational achievements and training of youth on the part of Christians. This, however, is considered usually an irrelevant issue because the main concern of the state is to maintain its claims to sovereign jurisdiction. The issue is thus a religious one: who is the Lord, Christ or Caesar? Who is the Sovereign? We are plainly told by Scripture, not that Jesus will be King and Lord, but that Jesus Christ “IS the blessed and ONLY Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Because He is the King here and now and forever more, His law-word must govern us now and always, and all things must be reordered and remade to conform to His royal word. No sphere of life is exempt from His government, and not an atom of creation was created apart from Him or has any right to independence from Him. Christ is not lord over merely a corner of creation, nor only the church, but over all things. He is not less than God but very God of very God as well as very man of very man. There can be no justice or righteousness in man nor in society apart from Jesus Christ as Savior and King.
Moreover, no more than the Romans could lock up Jesus Christ inside a sealed tomb can the churchmen of our day confine Him to the church. If they continue to try to lock Him into the church, He will shatter the church as He did the tomb, and leave it empty as He emerges to rule the world, for He “is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15).
{excerpted from Sovereignty by RJ Rushdoony}
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Crude Boys
My daughter plays in a summer league that often has her on the golf course with young people her age. For the past couple of weeks, her match play event paired her with young men from other teams. Now you have to understand that she has been out on the “links” since she was very young and is familiar with how some people verbally handle their frustrations on the course. She learned from an early age that taking the Lord’s name in vain or using disgusting language is unacceptable and behavior she must not imitate. She has also been taught that when men talk in a crude and disgusting fashion in front of women, they are dishonoring them, and opening the door for worse behavior.
I wish I could explain away the behavior and disgusting speech of the young men she has played with during the past weekends by saying they came from low-income, single-parent households, or that they were products of public school education. However, in both cases, they came from well-to-do, intact families, and were students or graduates of some of “best” Catholic schools in the area. In spite of the fact that my daughter made it quite clear that she was disgusted by their behavior, they reacted as though she was a relic from a distant past.
How many young women either laugh at dirty jokes, or remain quiet in the midst of regular perversion? How many women fail to realize that when they laugh or remain in these situations, they are encouraging and silently affirming the dishonoring of God, themselves, and all women?
At first, my daughter wanted to verbally spar back at these crude young men, using sarcasm or ridicule to silence them, but she recalled our many discussions about answering a fool according to his folly and becoming just like him. As we discussed the situation further with her, my husband made it clear that in the future, she should just walk off the course – that there was no reason to continue to expose herself to abusive speech. However, my husband felt that more needed to be done and contacted those who supervised these teams to express his outrage. Although seemingly shocked by the behavior and very apologetic, there was a sense of resignation—this is how kids act these days.
One of the most important realizations my daughter and I have had was just how much we have taken for granted all these years with the Christian young men we have been around in our homeschooling circles. There is nothing like a dose of the unsanctified world to make one appreciate what a godly upbringing produces. Not all the young men she has known through golf have been crude and vulgar, but, very few are untainted from the cultural influences that glorify sexual perversion and “R” rated speech.
This serves as a reminder to parents that the most important aspect of Christian education is character formation. Reclaiming the culture for Jesus Christ will include instructing our sons to think, speak, and act in a godly respectful way toward women, and teaching our daughters to recognize the difference between those who will reap God’s blessing and those who will receive His cursing.
I wish I could explain away the behavior and disgusting speech of the young men she has played with during the past weekends by saying they came from low-income, single-parent households, or that they were products of public school education. However, in both cases, they came from well-to-do, intact families, and were students or graduates of some of “best” Catholic schools in the area. In spite of the fact that my daughter made it quite clear that she was disgusted by their behavior, they reacted as though she was a relic from a distant past.
How many young women either laugh at dirty jokes, or remain quiet in the midst of regular perversion? How many women fail to realize that when they laugh or remain in these situations, they are encouraging and silently affirming the dishonoring of God, themselves, and all women?
At first, my daughter wanted to verbally spar back at these crude young men, using sarcasm or ridicule to silence them, but she recalled our many discussions about answering a fool according to his folly and becoming just like him. As we discussed the situation further with her, my husband made it clear that in the future, she should just walk off the course – that there was no reason to continue to expose herself to abusive speech. However, my husband felt that more needed to be done and contacted those who supervised these teams to express his outrage. Although seemingly shocked by the behavior and very apologetic, there was a sense of resignation—this is how kids act these days.
One of the most important realizations my daughter and I have had was just how much we have taken for granted all these years with the Christian young men we have been around in our homeschooling circles. There is nothing like a dose of the unsanctified world to make one appreciate what a godly upbringing produces. Not all the young men she has known through golf have been crude and vulgar, but, very few are untainted from the cultural influences that glorify sexual perversion and “R” rated speech.
This serves as a reminder to parents that the most important aspect of Christian education is character formation. Reclaiming the culture for Jesus Christ will include instructing our sons to think, speak, and act in a godly respectful way toward women, and teaching our daughters to recognize the difference between those who will reap God’s blessing and those who will receive His cursing.
Learning to “Look Well”
Proverbs 31 describes a worthy woman as one who “looks well to the ways of her household.” What exactly does that mean in real time? And why does the Word of God assign this task to a woman, specifically a wife and mother?
Adam was never intended to carry out the dominion mandate without a companion who would give special attention to his needs and vision, and who would be uniquely suited by God for the task. God’s creation of a helpmeet (a suitable helper) came after Adam became aware of his “unmet need.” Thus, it should not surprise us that women have giftings and talents that are separate, yet complimentary to those of men.
In day-to-day life, a woman, in fully embracing the role of wife, ensures the smooth running of the household. In addition to the obvious responsibilities of overseeing the meals, seeing that all have proper clothing, and attending the needs of the children, there is the overall management of the place called home. Whether it is furnishing the household, purchasing necessary items, overseeing the repair of broken appliances, ensuring that vendors make good on the quality assurances of products they’ve sold, guaranteeing that the family isn’t paying too much or receiving too little service with utility companies and/or service providers, the woman is the God-ordained manager who sees to it that things run smoothly. Additionally, there is the important function of being an active volunteer, staying up–to-date and in touch with family and friends, and being ready and able to provide assistance when the need arises. These are all important aspects of marriage that are often overlooked in the education of girls.
An engaged woman during in her prenuptial months should be mentored by a seasoned “veteran” who can walk her through the various aspects of the role of wife. Those raised in a homeschool setting should already be familiar with the managerial tasks of a wife, as they have had their mother as an example. In the case of those who do not have a mentor, they should call upon stay-at-home wives as potential tutors.
Women who work outside the home end up with the responsibilities I have outlined above, which only adds to the stress of their lives and unduly burdens them. Divided loyalties and work deadlines and projects stand in the way of a smooth-running household. It is just another small aspect of the sanity of God’s plan for families that men were created to act as the protectors and providers and women as the nurturers and administrators. The Creator knew what He was doing!
Adam was never intended to carry out the dominion mandate without a companion who would give special attention to his needs and vision, and who would be uniquely suited by God for the task. God’s creation of a helpmeet (a suitable helper) came after Adam became aware of his “unmet need.” Thus, it should not surprise us that women have giftings and talents that are separate, yet complimentary to those of men.
In day-to-day life, a woman, in fully embracing the role of wife, ensures the smooth running of the household. In addition to the obvious responsibilities of overseeing the meals, seeing that all have proper clothing, and attending the needs of the children, there is the overall management of the place called home. Whether it is furnishing the household, purchasing necessary items, overseeing the repair of broken appliances, ensuring that vendors make good on the quality assurances of products they’ve sold, guaranteeing that the family isn’t paying too much or receiving too little service with utility companies and/or service providers, the woman is the God-ordained manager who sees to it that things run smoothly. Additionally, there is the important function of being an active volunteer, staying up–to-date and in touch with family and friends, and being ready and able to provide assistance when the need arises. These are all important aspects of marriage that are often overlooked in the education of girls.
An engaged woman during in her prenuptial months should be mentored by a seasoned “veteran” who can walk her through the various aspects of the role of wife. Those raised in a homeschool setting should already be familiar with the managerial tasks of a wife, as they have had their mother as an example. In the case of those who do not have a mentor, they should call upon stay-at-home wives as potential tutors.
Women who work outside the home end up with the responsibilities I have outlined above, which only adds to the stress of their lives and unduly burdens them. Divided loyalties and work deadlines and projects stand in the way of a smooth-running household. It is just another small aspect of the sanity of God’s plan for families that men were created to act as the protectors and providers and women as the nurturers and administrators. The Creator knew what He was doing!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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