Christian Agrarianism Gets Noticed at Chalcedon


Dateline: 14 April 2006

I believe God is actively working in the hearts of more and more of His people to convict them of their “industrial” sins. As a result, He is bringing about a modern day Exodus. We who feel this calling (and it is a calling) desire to leave the bondage of corporate-industrial “Egypt.” We are leading the way for our families, for the generations that follow, and for other believers who will, in God’s time, come to the realization that agrarianism is not an option, it is a mandate from our Soverign Lord. He has always intended for His people to live within the agrarian paradigm, and for good reason. It is inevitable that Christian agrarianism will become more of a movement that gets noticed by more and more people within the community of Believers. In fact, it already is.

One case in point is a recent Chalcedon Foundation Blog article titled, Babylon, Agrarianism, and the Military-Industrial Complex. My thanks to Carmon Friedrich who recently mentioned this article at her blog

The article is well worth your reading, as is just about everything that Chalcedon puts out. I think the following excerpt is not only pithy, it’s downright exciting!


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“I find it interesting that when Isaiah prophesied (chapter 2) of the glorious kingdom he described it in terms of a repentance in technology: swords are made into plowshares, and spears are converted into pruninghooks. Converted hearts lead to converted technology. This is ably demonstrated by the present emphasis upon agrarianism. The movement is emblematic of a righteous "restraint" upon the abuses of technology and the sin it inspires. All to say, the fulfilled kingdom may appear more Amish than the steel and stone of Huxley's Brave New World.

The same has often been said about hunting -- old-school rocker Ted Nugent is one of the most outspoken advocates of this idea. Christians are rediscovering a lost world, by discarding much of the plastic society and the cultural control grid of corporate advertising. By removing their children from public schools, and by disengaging from certain social tentacles, today's Christian can better taste the potency of God's creation.

The issue here is not isolationism -- far from it. It is a counter-revolution to an exclusively institutional and industrial existence. It is a self-imposed restraint upon the use of certain technology, and the adoption of older technology that is pure and God-sanctioned.

The new Tower of Babel is a vast system contrived and built by humanistic man, and is intended to have dominion over every area of life. We, as modern Christians, are plugged into this system. We should always be looking for ways to "unplug" so as to circumvent its control in our lives. Educating our children is the first step. Removing ourselves from the neo-babylonian churches is next. These mega-wonders of institutional worship are drenched in technology, and serve as faithful ambassadors of the state.

I find other movements, such as agrarianism, as helpful to the cause of Christ. I also see a helpful trend within the family-based churches, despite the shrills of patriarchy. My goodness, so long as sinful people are involved any system can be abused! But centering on the family helps to de-tox Christians from their slavish adherence to institutions. We can only rejoice then as faithful Christians work to decentralize a one-world order. Bureaucracy is a great opponent to the expedient application of Biblical law.”

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If you go to the Chalcedon site, make note of the quote from R. J. Rushdoony:

"History has never been dominated by majorities, but only by dedicated minorities who stand unconditionally on their faith."

3 comments:

Hexdek16 said...

"The issue here is not isolationism -- far from it. It is a counter-revolution to an exclusively institutional and industrial existence. It is a self-imposed restraint upon the use of certain technology, and the adoption of older technology that is pure and God-sanctioned.

Though one might be careful to 'tread lightly' and avoid legalistic interpretation as to applying strict biblical reference as to what is defined as "pure" or "God-Sanctioned" by a twist or misapplication of scripture.

The weight of this statement alone should lead one to question; is all technology beneficial based on pure scientific reason or do moral ethics deserve merit or 'first pause' before blindly applying "progress" as a sacrificial effigy upon the altars of the Cult of Efficiency?

Just my 2 cents........

RL said...

Herrick,
Many years ago now, I once saw an advertisement in a magazine that caught my eye. It had a picture of a sky scraper emerging from the ruins of an artists rendering of the tower of Babel. The words above it said "We are un-doing the Babel effect". If I remember correctly the ad was for an airlines that was promoting world wide travel.

It really struck me then how the world is becoming out rightly defiant of the restrictions that God has placed on mankind for our own good. Worldly people don't care and are bent on destruction.

Thank the lord we know the end of the story.

Happy Easter

Russ

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this. The work of R.J. Rushdoody has had a huge impact on my life and faith. Rush taught me how to "think biblicaly" in every area of life. I encourage anyone who hasn't been exposed to Rushdoony to read some of his works. A giant of the faith. It is nice to see something on agrarianism at Chalcedon. I've been impressed with Chris Ortiz's work over there.