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The more fundamental aspects of Rushdoony's Institutes, as well as Christian Reconstructionism, include John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, a critical work of the Protestant Reformation. In fact, Reconstructionists view themselves as the hiers of Calvin .
Christian Reconstructionism's history begins in the late 19th Century in the Netherlands. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-05 Abraham Kuyper, following a dramatic conversion to Calvinism, attempted to relate theology to every sphere of life. He subscribed to the theory of presuppositionalism which holds that all human behavior is inherently religious. Therefore, he began to form Calvinist schools, newspapers, political organizations and even hospitals. These thoughts did not catch fire in America immediately, however, because common-sense philosophy dominated American minds. Common sense stressed the invariable importance of perception and thought.
It was not until Cornelius Van Til that presuppositionalist philosophy took root in America. Van Til attributed his beliefs directly to the influence of Kuyper. Upon the changing of the board at Princeton in 1929, following the decisions of the Presbyterian General Assembly, Van Til and three others left Princeton to join Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. It was here that Van Til honed his presuppositionalism philosophy.
Rushdoony was responsible, however, for transforming the presuppositional philosophies of Van Til into consistently theonomic ethics and the birth of the Reconstructionist movement. Rushdoony owes his reverence for the Old Testament Scriptures to the strict teachings of the Armenian church. In grounding the movement physically, he established the Chalcedon Foundation as an institution to continually perpetuate the movement in every realm.
Another instrumental character in the movement became Gary North, a conservative economist. But, North split with Rushdoony in 1981 over a controversial article he wanted to publish. Another contributor to the Reconstructionist movement, Greg Bahsen wrote the best defense of theonomy for the movement and also contributed to the emergence of other writers such as Gentry, Chilton, Jordan, and DeMar.
The size of the group is unknown. Most Reconstructionists are
active on the social and political front rather than affiliated
with a particular denomination. The character of the movement is
also difficult to pin down since it is more an intellectual trend
than organizational. The difficulty of determining the size of the
group has compounded especially in recent years. Many
Reconstructionists will admit that the movement has been defunct
since 1985, splintering into several factions. Another
complication is the fact that many Reconstructionists would only
recognize it politically, and not necessarily religiously. For
example, Pat Robertson's views have always been characterized as
Reconstructionist in theory, yet he repeatedly denies allegiance
to the movement.
The controversy surrounding the Christian Reconstructionist movement can be grouped into three main categories. First, the manifest political agendas of the group spark immediate controversy. Ideas of the group such as the dominance of the church in political affairs openly refute the many popular ideas such as political pluralism which states that many governments are good and healthy. Dominionists on the other hand are in favor of a single kingdom, one ruled in the name of Christ by Christian leaders. Though not openly affiliating himself with the movement but still maintaining many of its beliefs, Pat Robertson who campaigned for the presidency in 1988 is a prime example of the reception of a dominionist political figure in society. Also, pastor John Gimenez has been very active on the political front, organizing rallies in 1980 and 1988 called the "Washington for Jesus" rallies.
The emergence of the televangelists also contributed to the controversy surrounding the Christian Right. Organizations such as Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority presented a front for the group easily attacked by opponents. Pat Robertson's program was no more absent of turmoil than Falwell's.
However, the most controversial issues concerning the Christian Right or Christian Reconstructionism were interior issues. The number of scholars gaining prominence within the movement was increasing rapidly and therefore, the number of ideas and theories was also rising. The confusing fog of the movement became so thick that some would admit that there hasn't even been a movement since 1985. Several of the high ranking scholars even began to battle one another and begin separate organizations. For example, Rushdoony and Gary North disagreed on the fundamental social institution. North believed that the church is primary and therefore should be more disciplined and institutionalized, whereas Rushdoony argued for the institution of the family. There too began a shift away from strict postmillenialism which sparked another controversy. Others disagreed about the topic of theonomy. The movement's pro-life organization Operation Rescue even began to be questioned as to its proper level of activity. In short, the thickness of the controversy is certainly more apparent on the inside than on the exterior.
First, the Reconstructionists find themselves as a part of a greater class of religions, dominionists. The dominionist is fully committed to the manifestation of a society here on earth both defined as and controlled by Christians. The dominionist assumes the responsibility of asserting this society and maintaining it. What sets the dominionist apart from the rest -- assuming that all religious would like to live in a society entirely committed to their own beliefs -- is the demand of the dominionist to command this society. Reconstructionists seek the establishment of an order not unlike the example given to man through Moses by God thousands of years ago. The example of the charge of man by God to have dominion over all the earth is critical to their ideas. Since no piece of Scripture appearing after that charge in Genesis contradicts this statement, man has no choice but try to take control. Rushdoony calls this charge the "moral obligation of Christians to recapture every institution for Christ" (Barron, 23). After recognizing that this charge is essentially the thesis of Rushdoony's 800 page Institutions of Biblical Law, the importance of this ideal to the activity of the movement can be understood. Not to be confused with the ideas of the Kingdom Now movement, Reconstructionists do not believe that the establishment of the Kingdom has already occurred, but that the realization of this order should occur before Christ's return.
The idea of dominion to Reconstructionsts is very comprehensive in scope. It asks the goal of dominion to control all aspects of life from the individual to the state. The manifestation of this order is the fulfillment of God's will.
Secondly, the ideas of the group are widely grounded in a few basic theoretical assumptions. Reconstructionists believe in Biblical Law, that is to say, the validity of Scripture ought to be taken for its entirety or none of it. Reconstructionists claim to be the only people who judge the importance of the law true. While recognizing the New Testament's laws of love and covenant, the group still asserts the dominance of the laws of the Old Testament concerning moral and civil issues. After all, the God of the Old Testament times is still the same unchangeable God of today. Reconstructionists go as far as praising the practice of the Puritans concerning the law. With regard to the interpretation of both the meaning and usefulness of Scripture, reconstructionists favor a return to fundamentalism.
The second theoretical perspective which must be honored when studying the Reconstructionist movement is Postmillenialism. Stated simply, postmillennialism asserts the theory that Christ's return will come not before the establishment of the utopia. The essential statement that the "post" implies a prior action immediately separates the movement from other more prominent evangelical movements. Some have criticized the Reconstructionists for a lack of foresight and foolish confidence since the basis of Christ's return is on fallible man's efforts. However, the Reconstructionists gain their confidence from the predestination ideas of Calvinism. That is, God's will shall be accomplished no matter the environment of opposition. The group also credits its confidence to the fact of Christ's resurrection as a climax. The victory of Christ's resurrection, Reconstructionist faith asserts, cannot be followed by anything less glorious, especially failure.
The movement approaches the advent of the ideal society in a very patient manner. They are confident that God will win, just no time soon. Therefore, the reconstructionist need not engage in active social rebellion. Simply, the movement attempts to gain ground where possible, and then, offer resistance to opposition, thereby protecting the gain so far. A perpetual commitment to combat evil in all forms on the individual level will eventually turn the tide of the oppression. So, there is no sense of urgency concerning the timeframe of establishing the ideal society, much less a sense at all of violently overturning greater political or social spheres.
The final theoretical foundation of the Christian Reconstructionist movement is presuppositionalism. Dating back to the "Father of Presuppositionalism" Cornelius Van Til, religious and philosophical thinkers were troubled with the idea of proving faith. Van Til, at least for his followers and admirers, asserted that "the conclusions men draw from all evidence are governed by their operating presuppositions concerning God, man, law, and nature" (Barron, 30). The manifestation of this theory in the Reconstructionist movement is evident in its rejection of any natural law. Any law which governs all mankind, according to Reconstructionists, rises from man-made, and therefore sinful and incorrect, assumptions. So, Reconstructionists discredit any law established through any other means than Biblical law.
The worldview of the Reconstructionists which follows the above ideologies, views society as four spheres of government arranged hierarchically according to importance. First, the realm of the individual is celebrated as the essential building block of the new society, since without the changes within the individual, no institution consisting of individuals can change. The second sphere of government is the family which makes visible God's sovereignty as well as the modicum of dominion -- God over His family. The third element is the church which strangely enough is not placed in a higher position over the state. Rather, the usefulness of the church is visible in its attention to both the individuals within but also extending a charitable hand to the community, the poor and needy. The final sphere of government which oversees and maintains order in the new society is the state. The Reconstructionist state offers a decentralized control, as well as a free-market economy. The movement is not afraid of the pitfalls of a free-market economy since the participants would be trusted as value-oriented individuals. The Reconstructionist state is probably most abrasive to the modern day world in its treatment of other religions. Leaning on the truth defining idea of presuppositionalism, Reconstructionists discredit any other religion in addition to the inherent laws of the religion, since anything not grounded in the assumptions of God is false. So, the state is in place simply to maintain civil justice and to restrain evil.
In summary, the Creed of Reconstructionism drafted by Andrew Sandlin is a concise capitulation of five essential characteristics of a member: Calvinist, Theonomist, Presuppositionalist, Postmillennialist, Dominionist.
Sandlin's
Creed of Reconstructionism
Simply a piece of literature regarded highly by the Chalcedon
Foundation. The Creed outlines the five essential characteristics
of a Christian Reconstructionist: Theonomist, Calvinist,
Presuppositionalist, Postmillenialist, Dominionist.
http://www.dabney.com/charles/Sandlin-CR.html/
Christian
Reconstructionism Debate Page
This page contains an assortment of scholarly material ranging in
issues both pro and con. There is a vast wealth of information
concerning the controversial aspect of the movement located
here.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6207/
National Reform
Association
This is the page to reference concerning the political views of
the Reconstructionists. A very well kept efficient page, probably
updated frequently. The mission of the National Reform Association
is to maintain and promote in our national life the Christian
principles of civil government. Many scholarly articles including
some by Sandlin.
http://www.NatReformAssn.org/
Applied
Presuppositionalism Page
This site contains an array of options. There is a biography of
Greg Bahnsen, a link to the Southern California Center for
Christian Studies, and a compilation of other useful links. It
also contains scholarly articles written by Bahnsen, Calvin,
DeMar, Van Til, and more.
http://www.chesco.com/~topcat/ap.html
Contra
Mundum
A cyber magazine consisting of the views of CR as well as links to
not only Reconstructionist pages, but also denominations,
seminaries and publications.
http://www.wavefront.com/~Contra_M/links.html
Southern California Center for
Christian Studies
This site, which is very well organized and speedy, contains
instruction in both political and social realms. The Center is
closely affiliated with Bahnsen's organization, Institute for
Christian Economics.
http://www.scccs.org/
Anthology
of Christian Reconstructionist Thought
A thorough list of works and quotes concerning Christian
Reconstructionist thought including works by North, Rushdoony,
Chilton, Bahnsen.
http://www.serve.com/thibodep/cr/words.htm
Christian
Worldview: Discipling the Nations
This site contains good links and is fast. It includes the Creed,
as well as works by Rushdoony, North, Bahnsen, Gentry, DeMar,
Kuyper.
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1492/
Post
Millenialism
A site which will answer all questions of one of CR's most
fundamental foundations. The explication is very informative and
very extensive.
http:// http://www.dabney.com/charles/Postmill.html /
Anti and Counter-Cult Sites
Against
Christian Principles in Civil Government
This site is an anti-site devoted to the undermining of the
integrity of the Chalcedon Foundation. It explains its purposes
and it even digs deeper into its favorable financial situation.
http://www.berkshire.net/~ifas/fw/9501/chalcedon.html
The
Public Eye
This efficient page contains a very thorough history of the CR,
concise and extensive. These helpful articles are found on a page
devoted to the defense of democratic powers across the nation.
Therefore, it defends democracy in the face of the Christian
Reconstructionist view of the Christian-ruled government which
will usher in the kingdom.
http://www.publiceye.org/pra/magazine/chrisrec.html
Straw
Man Slander Attacks
This page is an attack of Dr. Paul Thibodeau's article "Religious
Racism," which can be linked directly below. The writer uses
quotes from the article and openly refutes them. The "Straw Man"
goes so far as to accuse Dr. Thibodeau of undermining the entire
Christian church, not only the Reconstructionists. This is a good
example of just how heated these debates within the Christian
Reconstructionist movement can get.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6207/pt_errs.html
Theonomy
and Theocracy
This is the article which is referred to in the above abstract.
Dr. Thibodeau is explaining the attitude of the Dominionists by
stating the religious superiority of Christian
Reconstructionists.
http://www.serve.com/thibodep/cr/relrack.htm
To reach a representative of Christian Reconstructionism,
write:
The Chalcedon Foundation
PO Box 158
Vallecito, CA 95251
or contact:
phone: (209)- 736- 4365
fax: (209)- 736- 0536