This episode argues that while Christians profess belief in the commandment “Thou shalt not steal,” they frequently violate it through coercion, deception, or unfair expectations rather than overt robbery. Examples include a church pressuring a pastor’s wife to serve as a free organist to cut costs, and Christian schools underpaying teachers while claiming it is “sacrifice for the Lord’s work” practices the author labels as theft, since they force others to bear burdens for someone else’s benefit. No “good cause,” he insists, can justify taking what rightfully belongs to another. Citing Scripture and the Westminster Larger Catechism, he argues that Christian institutions are obligated to uphold justice, fairness, and a commitment to preserving the well-being of others. When churches and schools themselves engage in theft, they contribute to the moral decay of society. True exaltation of a nation or any community comes only through righteousness: faith and obedience to God’s law.

In Subversion of Words, Rushdoony argues that revolutionary movements advance by corrupting language, redefining familiar terms like republic, love, and especially God to mask humanism, statism, and rebellion against biblical truth. He contends that apart from orthodox Christianity, most religions are effectively atheistic, replacing the personal, sovereign God with man, fate, nothingness, or the state, while still exploiting biblical language to maintain credibility. Modern churches, he warns, often participate in this deception by preaching revolution under Christian vocabulary, substituting socialism for salvation and statism for God. Tracing this linguistic corruption through thinkers like Nietzsche and Hegel, Rushdoony frames the conflict as Christ versus Caesar, insisting that true reform begins with restoring honest language grounded in Scripture and submitting once again to the living and triune God revealed in His Word. #SubversionOfWords #Rushdoony #ChristianWorldview #BiblicalTruth #Statism #Humanism #ChristVsCaesar #Theology #FaithAndCulture

Why do so many “Christian” films feel preachy, cheesy, and weirdly unreal? In OOTQ 370, Andrea Schwartz talks with filmmaker and composer Ryder Harnett about the real reasons Christian movies often fall flat, and it is not budget. They unpack “jellyfish theology,” tidy conversion scenes that do not match real life, sermon-in-the-middle dialogue, and why audiences can tell when they’re being hit over the head instead of drawn into a story. Ryder argues that Christians are called to excellence, not propaganda, and that Scripture itself is not sanitized or “safe,” so Christian storytelling should not be either. They even dig into horror and spiritual warfare, and why confronting darkness can be one of the most biblical ways to tell the truth. If you’ve ever cringed through a “faith film,” this episode will put words to what you’ve felt and challenge what Christian art could become.

#OutOfTheQuestion #ChristianFilms #FaithAndCulture #ChristianWorldview #Storytelling #BiblicalWorldview #FilmCritique #RyderHarnett #Chalcedon #Theology #ChristianArt #Reformed #Theonomy #Reconstruction

Rushdoony and Samuel Blumenfeld argue that progressive public education especially John Dewey’s “look-say”/whole-word approach functions as a modern form of idolatry by replacing the primacy of God’s Word with the primacy of the image, training children to guess meaning from pictures rather than read words accurately. Blumenfeld contends this shift is not neutral pedagogy but a deliberate program to “dumb down” literacy so a managerial elite can rule a collectivist society: high literacy produces independent thinkers, while look-say produces functional illiteracy, inaccurate reading, and a weakened ability to reason, speak precisely, and even pray coherently. They connect alphabetic literacy to God’s providence in history language exists because God communicates with man, Scripture is written Word (not “comic-book” images), and propositional truth in words points to a created universe with real meaning; therefore efforts to dissolve precision in language (whether in reading, journalism, or “new math” relativism) are ultimately efforts to dissolve meaning itself and with it Christianity, absolutes, and order. The conversation broadens to the cultural fruits of this program loss of poetry and cadence, garbled public speech, broken chronology in “social studies,” and youth reduced toward animal appetites under evolutionary/humanist premises while insisting that man uniquely seeks meaning because he is made in God’s image, and when God is discarded, human evil becomes truly satanic in a way animals never do. Their practical conclusion is a call to resistance through Christian schools and homeschooling, recovering phonics, accurate reading, rich language, and a Word-centered education that refuses the image-idol and restores disciplined thought, truth, and godly dominion. #ChristianEducation #BiblicalWorldview #Rushdoony #SamuelBlumenfeld #JohnDewey #LookSay #WholeWord #Phonics #Literacy #Idolatry #WordOfGod #MeaningAndTruth #Homeschool #ChristianSchools

Covetousness

This episode highlights Paul’s strong and often overlooked condemnation of covetousness, which he ranks alongside sexual immorality, idolatry, theft, and drunkenness, even instructing believers not to associate or eat with a professing Christian marked by this sin. Covetousness envy in action is widely tolerated today and even encouraged through politics, advertising, and social attitudes that punish the successful and legitimize resentment. Scripture, however, consistently views envy as a mark of a reprobate mind and a form of idolatry, because it places personal desire above God’s will. Paul regards it as a dangerous poison that breeds hatred, disturbs church unity, and destroys brotherly love. Ultimately, the author warns that covetousness is most destructive not when we see it in others but when it secretly thrives within us.

As we say goodbye to a year marked by trouble, disaster, and anxiety, it is tempting to hope that the coming year will somehow be different and finally grant us rest, peace, and happiness, yet honesty compels us to admit that the new year will almost certainly resemble the old, with its share of griefs, uncertainties, aging bodies, political disappointments, and economic strain; therefore, if we are to have a truly happy new year, it must be not because circumstances improve, but in spite of them. Happiness is not produced by time, conditions, or external change, but by inner security rooted in faith, and the unhappiest people are not those struck by disaster, but those who wait endlessly for life to become favorable before they will allow themselves peace. The years remain the same and offer little hope, but the Lord remains the same, and therein lies our confidence; when we stop waiting for conditions to change and instead wait upon the unchanging God, life itself is transformed. God does not promise happiness through altered circumstances, but through contentment in Him, teaching us to give thanks in all things and to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, trusting that everything truly needed will be added in His time and according to His will.

Psalm 1 isn’t poetry for the wall—it’s a promise for real life. God guarantees prosperity to the man who rejects wicked counsel and delights in His law day and night. No shortcuts, no cheap grace—just radical obedience and unstoppable blessing. Choose counsel wisely, brother. 🌳

#Psalm1 #ChristianMen #BiblicalProsperity #GodsWorldGodsWay #FaithInAction #BuildAlegacy

Congress is supposed to serve the people, but in 1982 it voted itself enormous tax benefits and perks including deductions for housing, food, servants, and utilities while ordinary Americans faced rising unemployment and stagnant wages. These special privileges allowed members to shield tens of thousands of dollars from taxation, essentially giving themselves a hidden pay raise while discussing higher taxes for the public. Such actions undermine the constitutional principle of representation and weaken civil government, creating a situation where citizens must be protected from their own legislators. True representation requires Congress to be subject to the same laws as the people it serves, not to self-serving exemptions. #Congress #Representation #TaxFairness #GovernmentAccountability #NoSpecialPrivileges #PublicVsPoliticians #CivilGovernment #FairTaxes #WeThePeople #AccountableLeadership"

In The Marxist Separation of Church and State, Rushdoony clarifies the stark contrast between the historic American understanding of the First Amendment and the Marxist reinterpretation now increasingly accepted in public life and even within the church. Marxism defines “separation” as the enforced isolation and impotence of the church, barring it from education, public influence, and moral authority, while granting the state total jurisdiction over all spheres of life. By contrast, the American view restrains the state, not the church, protecting the church from state control rather than silencing its voice. Rushdoony warns that courts, legislators, and even pastors have embraced this humanistic presupposition, treating biblical teaching on abortion, sexuality, and public morality as forbidden “politics.” Against this retreat, he insists that God’s sovereignty knows no boundaries, that Scripture commands the church to speak God’s law to rulers and nations, and that silencing the church in the name of neutrality is not orthodoxy but surrender. #ChurchAndState #Rushdoony #BiblicalWorldview #ChristianWitness #GodsSovereignty #Humanism #FaithInPublicLife #BiblicalLaw

This episode reflects on our tendency to complain about everything from the weather to the imperfections of others while expecting perfection for ourselves. Paul counters this attitude by teaching that “godliness with contentment is great gain,” meaning that true richness lies not in getting our way but in cultivating a grateful, trusting heart. Yet the author stresses that contentment never means accepting evil; Scripture does not endorse moral passivity. Like Elijah and Joshua, believers must confront idolatry and compromise, acting in the fear of God rather than the fear of man. Genuine contentment is inseparable from righteousness and obedience, recognizing that even life’s inconveniences come from a God who provides better than we deserve. Thus Hebrews 13:5 reminds us to reject covetousness, be content with what God gives, and rest in His promise never to leave or forsake His people.