Dear Steve,
My daughter and her husband attend a very small PCA church in P—, CA. They are very set and determined (I would go so far and to say dogmatic) about their doctrines. Obviously being PCA, they are reformed in their theology. But they also espouse some dogmatic views about two other subjects I was totally blown away by. One being the preterist view and the other being Christian Reconstructionism. As far as the preterst veiw goes, I think I understand and actually agree with the partial preterst view. But the Christian Reconstructionism really concerns me. I'm sure you are aware of what CR teaches. The part that bothers me is the belief of eventually all nations will become Christian nations and return to the Old Testament government, namely the death penalty for such things as homosexuality, adultery, witchcraft, striking of parents, etc. the list goes on. I need help with this. It seems very extreme and almost cultish in nature to me. I would so appreciate it if you could comment on your view of this movement or point me to a good reference. Do you believe this movement to be heretical? I eagerly wait your response.
Peggy
Staunton, VA
Hi Peggy,
Christian Reconstructionism is a movement with which I do not agree, but it is a logical outworking of Reformed/Calvinist principles and postmillennialism (with which I also do not agree).
Calvin "reconstructed" the legal and social systems of Geneva,in the sixteenth century, instituting "Christian" laws and punishing severely those who violated them. Actually, the same thing occurred in many of the American Colonies, under Calvinist leadership.
I think the new Reconstructionists (following the lead of R. J. Rushdoony) have decided that the best model for civil law is that which God gave to Israel through Moses. Therefore, they use this model as the ideal for their proposed transformation of modern legal systems.
Postmillennialism predicts that Christianity will be embraced by all populations and by all governments—which will require the latter to revamp any laws on their books that fall short of the ideals of godly justice. The standard by which these revisions will be made, they say, must be the Mosaic civil legislation.
My views are different from the above, in that I incline more toward an anabaptist vision of Christianity as a growing, but officially resisted, counterculture. The moral life of the the Christian community is not maintained by external laws, but by changed hearts. Of course, if a legislator happens to become a Christian, his drafting and voting on legislation will have to, in some way, be true to his Christian principles—but those principles might not include the moral reformation of the lost, but the honoring of certain free choices of individuals to choose Christ or not, without the threat of punishment for remaining unconverted.
I find that the logic of the Christian Reconstructionists is pretty hard to refute, if one has once accepted their Reformed paradigm of God and government. For this reason, debating them is very difficult. I normally just point out to them that reforming governments through legislation is never advocated by Christ or the apostles in the New Testament, which is remarkable, if they expected us to place our focus there.
I do not consider Christian Reconstructionism to be necessarily "cultic," nor do I think the salvation of those embracing it is thereby called into question. I consider it to be, at best, wasted effort in a futile cause, and at worst, a movement that may cause a very nasty backlash from the unsaved sector of our society.
If my children were wrapped up in this movement, I would not worry excessively about their souls. I would, however, continually seek to redirect their focus, in conversation and in life, toward Jesus and His teachings. They might, in time, come to notice that the Recostructionist vision, in Jesus teachings, is conspicuous by its absence.
God bless you, Sister. Wishing you well...
In Jesus,
Steve Gregg
