In His Service: The Christian Calling to Charity
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
In this text Rushdoony argues that a modern, self-centered church has isolated the faith to a pietism that relinquishes charitable responsibility to the state—resulting in empowering a humanistic world order. He discusses the difficulty the church has in recovering the biblical meaning of words like charity and compassion. He argues that because post–World War II liberalism has redefined them politically into state welfarism and that this redefinition has made charity a political tool to retain social order—and made the state the primary agency of compassion. But biblical compassion flows from our having first received the grace of God and then manifesting it to others. Therefore, biblical charity—which is compassion in action—is personal. It begins with God’s mercy towards us, and then the people of God give expression to that at an individual level. It is in his service that we understand our calling to charity. In this book, Rushdoony elucidates the Christian’s calling to charity.
For the entire set, see R.J. Rushdoony Culture and Ethics Collection (7 vols.).
Key Features
- Contends that the church and society has a faulty understanding of compassion and charity
- Maintains that biblical charity and compassion flows from experiental knowledge of the gospel
- Demonstrates that compassion is the outworking of God’ mercy shown to his people
About Rousas John Rushdoony
Rousas John Rushdoony (1916–2001) was the author of more than 30 books. He earned his BA and MA from the University of California, Berkeley, and received his theological training at the Pacific School of Religion. An ordained minister, he worked as a missionary among Paiute and Shoshone Indians and as a pastor to two California churches. In 1965, he founded the Chalcedon Foundation, a Christian Reconstructionist organization.