In this broadcast, R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott discuss the geopolitical and economic crisis in South Africa in the mid-1980s. They emphasize that external pressures, particularly Western sanctions and disinvestment campaigns, threaten to destabilize the country, creating suffering for both white and black South Africans. Scott highlights the strategic importance of South African minerals to Western defense and industry, warning that mismanagement or aggressive sanctions could strengthen the Soviet Union’s global position. The discussion also addresses the role of American “alienated intellectuals” and liberal activism, which, according to the speakers, impose ideological agendas without understanding local realities, undermining U.S. interests while exacerbating crises abroad.

Rushdoony and Scott further contrast South Africa’s deeply Christian societal foundations with the liberal and secular humanist outlooks prevalent in the West. They argue that the media selectively portrays violence to advance ideological narratives while ignoring context and broader atrocities, creating skewed public perception. Both stress that faith, courage, and a realistic understanding of foreign cultures are essential for responding to complex international issues. Despite the grim outlook, Scott maintains a cautious optimism, noting that unexpected change is always possible and encouraging the Christian community to act faithfully and courageously."

R.J. Rushdoony examines the impact of sin on political leadership through the life of Oliver Cromwell. Thrust into a crisis between King Charles I, Parliament, and the people, Cromwell discovered that human sin undermines all institutions: the king was untrustworthy, Parliament petty and factional, the people utopian and irrational, and even the army divided. Forced to rule alone, Cromwell’s experience illustrates that constitutions, laws, and political systems cannot overcome the moral failings of man. His efforts, however, dismantled autocracy and paved the way for constitutional change in England, indirectly influencing the American Revolution.

Rushdoony expands the discussion to modern society, emphasizing the moral and cultural decay caused by indulgent childrearing, the destruction of family and agriculture, and the influence of elite, anti-Christian intellectual networks. Education and socialization divorced from Biblical principles produce individuals incapable of coping with reality and frustration. Drawing on examples from the Amish and Hutterite communities, he contrasts a faith-centered worldview that sustains resilience and hope with the secular humanism that dominates education, law, and politics today. Ultimately, Rushdoony argues that society’s stability and progress depend on obedience to God’s law and the cultivation of moral and spiritual virtue.

Romantic Movement; Thomas Chatterton; Education; Bad Historiography; Mature Criticism; Supreme Court Cases; Cindy Rocker; St. Vincent de Paul Society; Salvation Army; Privatization; Effects of Homosexuality; English Countryside; Murderers; Anne Hutchinson; Sir John Bowring; Water Supply; Rutherford Institute