This episode centers on Mark Rushdoony’s new biography of his father, R. J. Rushdoony, and why his life story matters for Christian Reconstruction. Mark explains how the book grew out of earlier biographical essays and expanded into a heavily documented historical “touchstone,” drawing on journals, letters, and family papers. He and Martin Selbrede highlight the deep Armenian and Presbyterian roots that shaped Rushdoony’s historic, kingdom-centered worldview—Armenia as the first Christian nation, his grandparents’ survival of the massacres, and his father’s ministry example. This background formed Rushdoony’s big-picture perspective on history, culture, and the certainty of Christ’s advancing kingdom, as well as his insistence that a man’s moral and religious commitments can’t be separated from his ideas. They also discuss the growing interest among younger Christians in Rushdoony’s uncompromising, whole-life application of Scripture at a time when many churches and previous generations have compromised or become syncretistic.

The conversation also deals frankly with opposition, misunderstandings, and the price Rushdoony paid for telling hard truths, especially in academia and the broader church world. Mark includes painful family episodes and courtroom transcripts to correct myths and show how Rushdoony not only wrote about Christian education and liberty, but actively defended Christian schools and homeschooling in key court cases and congressional hearings. Both Mark and Martin emphasize Rushdoony’s personal character—his joy, lack of bitterness despite harsh attacks, his focus on God’s issues rather than personal grievances—and his deliberate turn from academic elites to “intelligent laymen.” They argue that all Christians, not just scholars, are called to scholarship in the Isaiah 50:4 sense: having “the tongue of the learned” to speak a timely word, stand on the shoulders of faithful predecessors, and continue the kingdom work Rushdoony only began to “scratch the surface” of. The book is presented as both a clearing of the record and a call for readers to see their own lives and family histories within God’s providential, long-term kingdom story.

In this episode of the The Chalcedon Podcast, Andrea Schwartz and Martin Selbrede explore the biblical and cultural meaning of the Sabbath, drawing from the work of R. J. Rushdoony in Salvation and Godly Rule. They argue that modern society has abandoned the biblical view of time—linear, purposeful, and punctuated by Sabbath rest—and replaced it with “deep time,” an undifferentiated stream without meaning or goal. In Scripture, Sabbath is not just a day off but a divine ordinance tied to creation, dominion, and eschatology. It divides time into meaningful segments, giving both individuals and communities a rhythm of work and rest that reflects God’s sovereignty over time and history. A defective doctrine of Sabbath leads to a defective view of work, resulting in either slavish overwork or escapist idleness.

The conversation also connects Sabbath to broader cultural and technological issues. Historically, secular regimes (e.g., French Revolution) sought to dissolve biblical time by changing calendars and disrupting communal rest. Similarly, modern 24/7 work culture and technological obsession detach people from godly rhythms. Instead of retreating from technology, Christians should view it as a tool of dominion under God’s law, not as an idol or tyrant. The Sabbath reminds believers to trust in God’s provision, celebrate their labors, and prepare for future work. This future-oriented rest undergirds Christian hope and victory, culminating in the ultimate, eternal Sabbath. The episode ends by calling Christians to recover a full “sociology of the Sabbath” — reconnecting work, rest, dominion, and eschatology — as a foundation for cultural reformation.

On September 14, 2025, Andrea Schwartz welcomes Mark Rushdoony and Martin Selbrede for Episode 59 of the Chalcedon Podcast to announce Mark’s forthcoming, heavily documented biography of his father, R. J. Rushdoony—now at the printer and expected in Vallecito in October. Expanded from Mark’s 2015–16 “brief biography” essays, the book draws deeply on journals, letters, and personal papers to provide a reliable touchstone amid myths and internet rumors. It traces Rushdoony’s roots through Armenia—the first Christian nation—and shows how Armenian history (including Urartu’s check on Assyria) and a family line of ministry shaped his kingdom-centered vision. Mark also addresses painful family chapters candidly, not to sensationalize, but to set the record straight and explain the man’s enduring joy, resilience, and refusal to be embittered.

Selbrede underscores why biography matters: truth is lived by whole persons, not abstractions, and Christians must know the “rock from which we were hewn.” The episode highlights Rushdoony’s practical impact—courtroom testimony, congressional hearings, and pivotal roles in defending Christian education and homeschooling (e.g., Texas cases)—and explains why younger audiences are experiencing a “flight to quality” in his uncompromising application of Scripture to all of life. Listeners are encouraged to read the biography both to understand Rushdoony’s legacy and to “stand on shoulders,” carrying forward faithful scholarship and action in church, family, and society.