The Chalcedon Podcast

“Both liberties and powers are alike limited, under God, and hence under law. Liberty is limited and power is limited because the temporal order is under God.” (The One & The Many, p. 20) For fallen man, the political battle is always one of power vs liberty. Some men seek for liberty while the remaining seek for power. For example, anarchists and libertarians desire liberty while socialists, technocrats, politicians, and oligarchs seek for power. To seek power is to emphasize the “one,” while to seek liberty is to emphasize the “many.” This is an unresolvable conflict without God as the determining factor for both power and liberty, which is resolved in the law of God and the kingship of Christ. Therefore, both power and liberty are limited by law—God’s law. Part of the educational mission of Chalcedon is to restore this presupposition and further the development of its implications, and that’s the subject of this episode of The Chalcedon Podcast. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. http://chalcedon.edu

“Christian Reconstruction” is a school of thought that is diametrically opposed to the autonomous reason of man which itself has long infected Christianity. Today’s Christian assumes that fallen man is an impartial judge over knowledge and reality—that he is “neutral”—and that fallen man can be “reasoned” into faith. R. J. Rushdoony continued the battle against modern man’s pretended neutrality by building off the thinking of his mentor, Dr. Cornelius Van Til, who himself was developing the implications of the Dutch school that began with Abraham Kuyper. In this episode of the Chalcedon Podcast, hosts Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz share a short history of the Dutch school as well as the implications of this philosophy on modern Christianity. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. http://chalcedon.edu

In Romans 12:2, the apostle Paul writes, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The dynamic of New Covenant living is the radical pursuit of proving the will of God for every area of life, but does that mean the Old Testament prophets are obsolete? Quite the contrary, the whole of God’s Word is for us including the law and the prophets, one of the joys of Christian living is studying the entirety of Scripture in order to see its application for life and thought. In this episode of the Chalcedon Podcast, hosts Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz share insights on how we can better glean God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will of God from all of God’s Word. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. http://chalcedon.edu​

Rushdoony often noted that the way to build Christian civilization—or save it—is to restore the spiritual capital of faith and character. This is a central part of the work of Christian Reconstruction because it’s established upon God’s Kingdom, His law, and the covenant He established through Jesus Christ. As we labor to restore that spiritual capital, it’s important that we secure ourselves during uncertain times, and to do that means putting the Kingdom of God first before all things. There is no greater security than the firstness of the Kingdom. This is the topic for this in-depth episode of the Chalcedon Podcast. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu​

Rushdoony often noted that Christian Reconstruction was not a movement but rather the definition of Christian action. For the past few decades we saw it explicitly applied to education by way of homeschooling and Christian schools. What’s next for Christian Reconstruction, and how should approach answering that question? This is the topic for this in-depth episode of the Chalcedon Podcast. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu​

Rushdoony wrote a chapter on “Extraterritoriality” in his volume Christianity and the State, in which he emphasized the importance of understanding the church as an embassy—and we as ambassadors of Christ—in the earth. The modern church needs to better understand this concept so as to truly challenge the culture as a “nation within a nation.” Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu​

Outside of the Bible itself, no other literature or writer is referred to more in Rushdoony’s writings than his mentor, Dr. Cornelius Van Til. It’s difficult to estimate the importance of Van Til on Rushdoony, but as their personal history shows, Rushdoony was more than a student of Van Til. He was a defender of the Dutchman, a colleague, and one of the most prolific expounders of applied presuppositionalism. You’ll enjoy this in-depth discussion as Chalcedon’s leadership shares not only the importance of Van Til’s thinking but also the personal history between Rushdoony and Van Til. A lot of other prominent scholars have done a great deal to expound Van Til’s apologetic, but it was Van Til’s epistemology and ethics that helped drive a young Rushdoony to develop the implications of theonomy. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu​

Godly dominion and Christian Reconstruction are not a “work of the flesh,” where men presume to be able to usher in the Kingdom of God through their own works, political action, or any other humanistic means. It is the Holy Spirit who is at work in our own lives, homes, churches, and more in order to enable us to apply our faith and obey God’s commandments. In this episode of the Chalcedon Podcast, we discuss the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit in advancing the Kingdom of God. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu

In his book Revolt Against Maturity, Rushdoony reveals the paradise motive in humanistic man in which he always reverts back to the power of the state to usher in his utopia. Despite continued failures, fallen man never loses hope of creating a paradise divorced from God and His law. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu

This episode was recorded just after the 2020 U.S. election with a final winner still undecided, yet the climate is still as divisive as ever, and even Christians are caught up in the strife. The Bible has much to say about this because the Bible speaks to communion and community, and Rushdoony addressed the topic frequently. In this episode, Chalcedon’s leadership speaks to the crisis of our times as a nation and people divided while offering a Biblical solution. Hosted by Mark Rushdoony, Martin Selbrede, and Andrea Schwartz. 🎧The audio version of this podcast is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Just visit our website for more information. Learn more about the Chalcedon Foundation at http://chalcedon.edu