Teaching Dominion to a Twelve Year Old

(This article was originally written by Mark Hoverson and published on the Chalcedon website)

It is a challenge for a teacher to demystify seemingly lofty concepts before the eyes of their pupils. Jesus Christ illustrated how to teach great ideas through using images. He taught that the kingdom of heaven (a shadowy and vague concept even to the learned) was like a woman who found a coin. He said the kingdom was like a pinch of leaven in bread dough. Likewise, as we teach the concept of godly dominion to our children and others, we must not pretend that just saying the word dominion, or using the phrase go take dominion, will be enough to impart any understanding.

Recently, while with a group of very active churchmen, I shared that the purpose of our lives was to take godly dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28). They were bewildered. The senior pastor of twenty years asked, What is dominion? Later on, a man from that group said to me very piously, Well, we can't expect to go dominate the world. He thought that because the word dominion looked like the word dominate, they must mean the same thing (and because the term dominion is used mainly in the Old Testament, it must somehow be cast away as harsh and expired). If misunderstanding triumphs among seasoned churchmen, how can we hope that our children will emerge from their youth with a clear sense of what taking dominion is all about? For example, the majority of children under the age of twelve, and most American churchmen, cannot read Rushdoony's theological teachings on dominion for themselves. So we must teach them using unsophisticated and common materials like Jesus did.

Behold the Tomato!

Bear with me while I illustrate: Place a tomato in front of your child and ask, How could we, using all the intelligence and resources available to us, take dominion over this tomato? Immediately, the idea of dominating the tomato through pounding it with his fist doesn't make much sense. With a little bantering and guided discussion, help him understand that the idea of dominion is to maximize the use of that tomato. Ideas could be to take the seeds and replant them, grow a tomato garden, sell them for profit, take that profit and tithe on it, hire workers to tend the garden, donate stewed tomatoes to the poor, contribute tomatoes to science for medicinal studies, research the uses of tomato-based products, etc. Require your child to study the life of dominion-man George Washington Carver and his work in unlocking the usefulness of peanuts. The important thing to impress upon your child is the earthly reality of God's assignment to take the entirety of the earth (making mention of the soil, beasts, and trees, as well as reminding your child that part of creation includes his own human body, brains, and energy) and make it flourish to the glory of God. Leave him no room to imagine that spirituality is abstract, otherworldly, or in any way unrelated to normal living.

As we pursue the weighty task of dominion, let us remember the earth is drenched in the revelation of God. It is to His genius and glory that the world is a giant pedagogical aid (Rom. 1:20). Therefore, we must learn to teach our children the deepest things of the kingdom, like our calling to dominion, through coins and tomatoes. If we fail to teach the urgency and duty to reconstruct the earth to God's glory, we rob our children of the very meaning and essence of Biblical faith.

FREE EBOOK: The Five Principals of Biblical Success by Gary North

"It is a well-known fact in the book publishing industry that there are two kinds of books that always have a ready market: diet books and self-help books on personal success. I have for many years wanted to write a Christian diet book. I even have the title: The Wages of Thin . . . Is Dearth. The title betrays my fondness for the King James Version, even when its grammar is incorrect. But this book is not a diet book. It is not a self-help book, either. But it is surely a book on personal success." - Gary North 

Are you looking for a book on what Biblical success and dominion looks like? If so, go ahead and grab this free ebook version of Gary North's Five Principals of Biblical Success. 

Book Review: The Trinitarian Father by Uri Brito

Recently, I had the pleasure of reading a short essay on Kindle entitled The Trinitarian Father.  The essay was written by Uri Brito, who is the Pastor of Providence Church in Pensacola,Florida. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Theophilus Institute, and last but not least, the founding editor of Kuyperian Commentary (which is on my daily blog roll).

In his essay, Brito points out and demonstrates that the Trinity is the pattern for all of life, including the foundation for parenthood. As parents, Uri points out that we have none better to imitate than the Triune God of Scripture. “The Trinity and the relationship within the Persons of the Godhead are not just theological dogma to believe, but a paradigm by which we are to live.”

From the beginning, God has made man to be His image-bearer. Though fallen and exceedingly sinful, this image bearing task remains. We are called to mimic God. Training for this task, according to Brito, begins at infancy. Like The Father to the Son, we are to prepare our sons to be kings. According to Brito, “to be a father means that by definition you are [your child’s] professor of ethics, economics, and relationships.”

Brito teases out various ways in which this Trinitarian paradigm applies to fatherhood, but rather than covering all of them, I will let you read the book. One thing that Brito said that really stuck with me was:

“Earthly fathers, then have this duty to heed the Trinitarian example of Jesus who acted as a father to his own children, who sacrificed himself for them daily with his own life and ultimately with his own death, and who shepherded his own and protected them from deceit and the enemies of the truth faith . . . Earthly fathers have the same duty to imitate the Spirit of God. Fathers are to convict their sons of sin so they may turn their attention to righteousness. They are to teach them truth and to make it so persuasive that their children will not be tempted to seek any alternative.”

This is spot on. I think as Christians we know that there is a special relationship between the members of the Trinity, but I think that unfortunately many of us never get past thinking of it merely as a dogma, and never come to realize that this is a paradigm to be lived. Brito does a good job of going to the Scriptures, especially in Proverbs, and demonstrating that God calls us to mimic this relationship that is shared amongst the Godhead with our own children. As Fathers, we instruct and commission our children. We sacrifice ourselves for them, shepherd them, and protect them from deceit. And we convict them of sin, empower them, and encourage them to turn their eyes to God.

Another aspect that I enjoyed that I don’t think many other books focuses on in the same way is discipline. Instead of laying out the same ole’ method of discipline that we’ve seen regurgitated over and over, Brito offers a unique method derived from the Covenant Renewal worship found in Scripture:

“Worship establishes pattern of behavior. In general categories, we could summarize the nature of worship in three acts: First, we are a) cleansed, then we are b) consecrated, and finally we are c) commissioned. This is a synopsis of a covenant renewal model. When you apply this pattern to child-rearing you realize it offers an edifying method of disciplining.

Concluding Thoughts

As I’ve already said, I really enjoyed that Brito emphasizes that the relationship between the Persons of the Godhead are a paradigm to be lived. This is good, and I believe that coming to realize this will send readers back to the Scriptures with new eyes to further examine this relationship and how to apply it to their lives. There are some helpful things in here that will be edifying to those who are already parents, and those who want to prepare themselves for the day when they will be.

My only complaint, and I’m not sure it’s a big one, is that I felt like Brito sometimes attempted to chase a theme a little too far to make a point. I felt that this sometimes got away from the main idea. I felt like there were points where he could have dialed it in a little bit more, focusing more on the Trinitarian paradigm that should be expounded further. But, this is rare. I hope that Brito one day decides to do a longer treatment. I would be very interested in reading that.

I would summarize my thoughts about the book by saying, Brito brings the reader into a hidden gold mine that existed right under their nose all along. He brings readers through the drift mouth, walks them through the dark long corridor, and walks them straight into the face where all of the gold is. He turns to them, and hands them a pick-axe and says, “get to picking – there’s all kinds of nuggets in here.”

Overall, I’d rate the book 4 stars. It’s very short (Like 55 pages or so), but it will most certainly send readers back to the Scriptures with new eyes, illuminating their eyes to the Trinitarian paradigm that is meant to be lived out.

The Garden of Eden as a Temple

According to G.K. Beale, the first temple was in Eden. After studying both Beale and Wright on this, I agree with this assessment. Though there wasn't a literal constructed temple like what Israel had, I believe the typology is still clearly present. Derek Rishmawy summarizes Beale's line of reasoning stating,

1. In the later OT the Temple was the place of God’s special presence where he made himself known and felt to Israel. That is exactly how his walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden is depicted. (Gen. 3:8)

2. Adam is placed in the garden to “cultivate (abad)” and “keep (samar)” it (Gen 2:15). The same two words are translated elsewhere “serve” and “guard”, and when they appear together, they are either referring to Israelites serving or obeying God’s word, or more usually, to the job of the priest in guarding and keeping the Temple. (Num. 3:7-8; 8:25-26; 1 Chron. 23:32) Elsewhere Adam is portrayed dressed in the clothes of the high priest, functioning as a high priest. (Ezek 28:11-19; see Beale, pg. 618 on this for more argumentation.)

3. The tree of life served as a model for the lampstand, which was clearly shaped as a tree, in the Temple.

4. Israel’s later Temple was made with wood carvings of flowers, palm trees, etc. meant to recall Eden’s garden brilliance  (1 Kings 6:18, 29, 32, 35); pomegranates were also placed at the bottom of the two stone pillars in the Temple. (7:18-20)

5. The entrance to the Temple was to the east, on a mountain facing Zion (Ex. 15:17), just as the end-time temple prophesied in Ezekiel is (40:2, 6; 43:12). Well, turns out the entrance to Eden was from the East (Gen. 3:24) and in some places pictured as being on a mountain. (Ezek. 28:14, 16)

6. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the ark of the covenant both were accessed or touched only on pain of death. Also, both were sources of wisdom.

7. Just as a river flowed out of Eden (Gen 2:10), so a river is supposed to flow out of the End-time Temple (Ezek 47:1-12; Rev. 21:1-2)

8. This one requires some serious argument so I suggest you consult Beale directly here (pg. 620-621), but just as there was a tripartite sacred structure to the Temple, Beale discerns a tripartite structure to creation with Eden standing at the center as a Holy of Holies.

9. Ezekiel 28:13-14 refers the Eden as “the holy mountain of God” which everywhere else in the OT is Temple and Tabernacle language.

Why is this significant? How should this affect our theology? Well, in short, (and I plan on teasing

this out later in more posts) this demonstrates that it was the intention of God in creation to inhabit and dwell amongst His people. The Temple was the place of God’s special presence. This also affects our eschatology, because at the consummation, we can look forward to and expect this fracture that now exists between heaven and earth to be healed. This is what is meant by the creation of a New Heavens and New Earth.

When we take note of this Temple Theology, we begin to better understand the work of Christ. Not only did he reconcile God's people on the cross, but as NT. Wright states, Jesus' resurrection is to be seen as the beginning of the new world, the unveiling of what God is now going to accomplish in the rest of the world. He points out, Mary supposed Jesus was the gardener after his resurrection; thats the right mistake to make because, like Adam, he is charged with bringing God's new world to order. He has come to uproot the thorns and thistles and to plant myrtle and cypress instead, as Isaiah promised in his great picture of the new creation that would result from the Word of God coming like rain and snow into the world. 

This also has implications on the purpose of humanity. If the Garden was a Temple, then Adam was a priest who was responsible for cultivating and keeping it. As Christians, we are called a Royal Priesthood. God never repeals His dominion mandate that was given to Adam. It is recapitulated in the Great Commission, thus we are a set apart people of God who take up Adam’s original commission, which was to have dominion and subdue the earth and spread God’s image throughout the world, spreading the boundaries of the temple. Wright says in Surprised By Hope, "What we do in the Lord is not in vain, and that is the mandate we need for every act of justice and mercy, every program of ecology, every effort to reflect God's wise stewardly image into his creation. In the new creation, the ancient mandate to look after the garden is dramatically reaffirmed."

Review: The Liturgy Trap by James B. Jordan

"We hear all to often that someone has decided to leave the Evangelical Christian faith and to join the Church of Rome, or Eastern Orthodoxy, or High Anglicanism. The lure is liturgy and tradition, and since the Evangelical and Reformed churches so often have such poor worship, it is not hard to understand the pull exercised by those churches that have a heritage of formality, sobriety and beauty. This cure, however, is far worse than the disease. The answer to the weaknesses of Evangelicalism is not a turn toward the fallacies and errors of Rome, Orthodoxy and Anglo-Catholicism, but a return to Biblical patterns of worship. Just as there is true and false doctrine, so there are true and false worship patterns. In this book, James B. Jordan sorts out the true and the false in the area of worship practice, discussing the cult of the saints, the veneration of icons, apostolic succession, virginity and celibacy, the presence of Christ at His Supper, and the doctrine of tradition." - The Liturgy Trap 

Recently I took a couple of days and read the Kindle version of James B. Jordan's book The Liturgy Trap: The Bible Versus Mere Tradition in Worship. The book is an apologetic pleading to those Christians who have been enchanted by the liturgies of Rome, Constantinople, and the Anglo-Catholics. Jordan premise basically is that though he understands that liturgy is a real need in the life of the Christian, we should not leave our sure theological foundation for it, and if we do - we actually fall under the judgment of God.

After making this clear at the beginning, Jordan then dismantles some of the main theological underpinnings of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglo-Catholic systems.

Praying to Mary and the Saints Violates God's Law

In regards to praying to Mary and the saints, Jordan states that "the bottom line is this: The Bible forbids speaking to the dead. Any kind of liturgical piety that authorizes conversations with Mary and the saints must be rejected." To sum up his point, Jordan states, "lets stop abusing Mary. She was and is a wonderful person. She does not want to be worshipped or adored. She does not engage in necromancy, making appearances to people and leading them to break God's law against communing with the dead."

This is a very strong point that I wish Catholics, Orthodox, and Anglo-Catholics would consider more. Should we expect Mary, and the saints who love God and his commandments to openly break them and commit a sin and crime that was worthy of death under the Law (Lev. 20:27)? Those who did such things were abominations to the Lord (Deut. 18:9-12). Those who love God are said to "keep my (Jesus') commandments", not break them (John 14:15). As Jordan says, the Bible is clear on speaking to the dead. We must reject any kind of liturgical system that authorizes such practices. If we partake in such a practice, we will surely fall under God's judgment.

Tradition, Smadition 

Jordan doesn't just stop there. He also takes on the doctrine of Holy Tradition which is cleaved to tightly by Catholics and Orthodox. He states that "Tradition is far, far less clear than the Bible. After all, where can anyone go to find a clear statement of the 'Tradition'? Moreover, the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics, and the Anglo-Catholics have very serious differences over what the 'Tradition' contains. The Orthodox say that the 'Tradition' means the only two-dimensional paintings may be put in the church; statues are forbidden. Rome says that 'Tradition' includes the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the Infallibility of the Pope when he speaks ex cathedra, two points rejected in Orthodoxy. The Orthodox say that the West left the 'Tradition' when it put the Filioque clause in the Creed while the Armenian Church says that Orthodoxy left the 'Tradition' by writing the Nicene Creed in the first place.

Jordan goes on to state, "tradition has value and theological importance, but it is not on the same level as the Bible. The Bible is the self-attesting Word of God; tradition is not self-attesting. . . Moreover, finally, it should be obvious that the 'Tradition' of the Fathers is only what we say it is. We take what we like and call the Authentic Tradition, and we discard the rest as unfortunate chaff. This is what the Rome, Anglo-Catholic, and Orthodox do as well. The Fathers do not say what the 'Tradition' is; we do."

This is a valid point, and appears to be a real problem for these systems. If Tradition is authoritative, then what does that include? How can it be authoritative if the content within the tradition is often times in disagreement with itself? Depending on who you ask, you will get a different answer. However, regardless of the answer, this destroys the doctrine entirely, because at the very bottom of it, as Jordan points out, Holy Tradition is never anything more than what men say it is. Nobody denies that the Fathers erred on all kinds of points. As Jordan points out, Irenaeus held that Jesus was fifty years old when he was crucified. Does anyone really want to defend this? The fact is that everyone picks and chooses when it comes to church history. As Biblical Christians, we must used the Bible as our guide as to what Tradition is true and what is not.

Gnostic Mary 

Jordan also takes down Apostolic Succession, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and Iconology.

The argument against the Perpetual Virginity of Mary is very intriguing. Jordan states that this doctrine is founded within a Greek ascetic mindset rather than a Hebraic, Biblical mindset. He states, "Somehow, sex and the enjoyment of it seems 'dirty', and Mary has been freed from this. Maybe more modern Catholic and Orthodox theologians don't think this way, but those who developed the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary did think this way." He then goes on to say, "The idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary is a sad distortion of what the Bible teaches about virginity, and expresses the powerful influence of the anti-body mindset of Greek philosophy."

Jordan states that this doctrine finds its roots in Greek Gnosticism, which teaches a Dualism that the spirit is good, and the physical is evil. When applied to Mary, one can immediately see the influence - perpetual virginity is good, sex is evil.

Overall Thoughts 

In conclusion, I agree with Jordan's premise. The answer isn't leaving behind our Reformed bonafides behind because we have been enchanted by the liturgies of these systems. If we do, we will surely find ourselves under the judgment of God for partaking in necromancy, idolatry, and rejecting the authority of Scripture for tradition and Greek philosophy. Instead, we must recover a Biblical concept of worship. Liturgy is a real need, but not at the expense of truth. We don't just need one or the other. We need both. 

The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that the Kindle version that I bought had many spelling and formatting errors. Sometimes this left me guessing at what Jordan was actually saying at some points, but I thankfully I was able to figure it out.

This book is light reading and can be knocked out in a day or two easily. This will be a handy little book I'll keep back for reference when conversing with Catholics and Orthodox.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It providentially came into my life at a time when I began studying many of the doctrines of Rome and the East. So with all of this in mind, the only thing I would recommend to those who are interested in this short book get the paperback version instead of the Kindle version.

My 2016 Goals and How I'm Accomplishing Them

This year, I have eleven goals. They consist of spiritual, productivity, health, and professional goals.

Now, why am I setting goals and talking about scheduling? Shouldn't I just rely upon God and let whatever happens happen? Well, in short, no. God calls and expects us to take dominion in our lives, and to glorify him in those tasks. He expects us to be good stewards of the time he has by grace given to us, and expects us to bring creation into submission for his glory. If you have the chance, sit down and read the Book of Proverbs and notice how much the writer talks about planning and not being a sluggard.

So this year, my goals are on paper, and they're reviewed everyday, so that I may better glorify God in my day-to-day by taking dominion.

Here are my 2016 goals:

1. Write and publish a short commentary on a book, letter, or section of the New Testament consisting of 50-100 pages. (By July 1st, 2016) 
2. Publish 36 blog posts on Federal Man by posting at least three articles per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (By December 31st, 2016)
3. Read the Bible in 365 Days by finding a plan on the YouVersion app and set daily reminders. (By December 31st, 2016)
4. Achieve 10-12% body fat percentage and achieve a normal BMI by running 10 miles per week, and only taking in 2,000 calories per day. (By July 27th, 2016)
5. Read 12 books per year month by reading one book per month. Do not start another until the first is finished. (Read one book by the end of every month, 12 books by December 31st, 2016) 
6. Book and take two vacations - One in-state vacation per year and take one out-of-state vacation per year. (Book by January 31st, 2016)  
7. Save $3,000 per year - $30,000 per decade - by saving $250 per month and placing it in savings before any other payments come out. (Place in bank account at the end of each month, and by December 31st, 2016) 
8. Increase the value of my home by beautifying the land by installing a Koi ponds, flower beds, and planting a garden. (By August 31st, 2016) 
9. Become a COII at work by attending work faithfully. (By April 30th, 2016)
10. Join the DJS Honor Guard by contacting Lieutenant and conveying interest. (By April 30th, 2016)
11. Join one Martial Arts discipline, and obtain a rank by the end of year. (Join by January 31st, 2016, and rank by December 31st, 2016)

Now, these aren't extravagant goals. They're do-able, and that's a good thing. They're SMART goals. I find the more specific I am, the more likely I am to accomplish what's on the to-do list. Though not extravagant, they're relevant to the season in my life, and they're easily broken down into daily tasks that chip away at the goal. 

For example, at the beginning of the month, I examine the book that I'll be reading, and calculate how many chapters I must read per day to meet my goal of reading the book in the month. So, my to-do list at the beginning of the day looks something like:

• Read one chapter of such and such book before bed. 

To accomplish my goal of writing a commentary, I set aside time everyday to read, take notes, and read other commentaries on a portion of Scripture everyday. At some point (to which I need to set a date), I will start putting those notes on a Pages document and start editing what will become a commentary. On my to-do list, this practically works out to look like:

• Read one chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and take notes before bed. 

There are some things that I didn't put in here. Thats just because they're already a part of my regular week. For example, my wife and I have a date night every Friday night. That may be going out to the movies, going out to dinner at a nice restaurant, or it could just mean watching a movie and eating at the house without the distraction of cell phones and computers. I don't need to put that in my goal list, because it's already a part of my weekly to-do list. 

I'm putting all these daily tasks in a Bullet Journal system. For me, it works the best. I've used apps on my iPhone. I've used reminders. None of that works for me. I have to physically write it down on paper into a Moleskine, and use the Bullet Journal system. I keep that Moleskine with me all day long, and in the back pocket I carry a copy of my goal list so that I can revisit it at anytime and refresh my memory. 

If you're interested in learning more about my daily system, consider watching this short overview of the Bullet Journal system. 

2016 Reading List

This coming year, one of my goals in my reading is to read outside of my circle slightly more than what I have in previous years. The main reason for this is that I feel that I have grown enough in my convictions and understanding of Reformed Theology that I can now confidently read works of other authors who do not share my same beliefs, and accurately critique those views from a Reformed standpoint. I want to take some time to better study the arguments for Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism in particular, so that I will be more able to critique them in a more accurate manner. I would also like to read some Eastern Orthodox works as well, but I'm not currently aware of any (Recommendations?). This year, I plan on writing many more book reviews and critiques than in previous years.

My goal for this year is to read one book per month, which will end up at twelve books for the year. Hopefully I can knock out some smaller books early so I can either start on some larger books that I will be reading, or sneak in some books that I hadn't planned on reading.

My list for this year is as so:

1. The Liturgy Trap - James B. Jordan 
2. The Baptized Body - Peter Leithart 
3. Rules For Reformers - Douglas Wilson 
4. Expository Apologetics - Voddie Baucham 
5. Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief - John Frame 
6. Rome Sweet Home - Scott Hahn 
7. The Anglican Way - Thomas McKenzie 
8. The Confessions of St. Augustine - Augustine 
9. The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology - Jordan Cooper 
10. National Covenanting - Brian Schwertley 
11. Christianity and Capitalism - R.J. Rushdoony 
12. By What Standard - R.J. Rushdoony 

This year, my goals are deepen my understanding of liturgical worship, while further developing my understanding of Covenant Theology. I want to becoming even more well versed in Apologetics, which in turn will help me to be better equipped for critiquing views opposing my own in a more accurate manner. I want to look to the past in reading Augustine, and better understand where Presbyterians came from by reading Schwertley, and where they went by reading Rushdoony. In doing so, I feel that I will be better equipped to understand where we're going in the future. 

What are you reading this year? What are your reading goals? What books would you recommend?