Easy Chair No. 152, August 5, 1987 - Gary Mose Behind the Iron Curtain

The Family and Welfare

The greatest welfare system in history was never run by the state it was built by the family. Scripture makes family responsibility non-negotiable, calling those who refuse to care for their own worse than unbelievers. While governments expand welfare programs, history shows they produce dependency, disorder, and the breakdown of family life, not dignity or stability. The family, ordained by God, has always done what the state cannot: care for the young, support the elderly, and preserve social order. When we subsidize irresponsibility and punish faithfulness, we don’t solve poverty we invite judgment.

Religious Liberty

True religious liberty is not a gift of the state but a theological reality grounded in God’s sovereignty. During the Reformation, the relationship between Martin Luther and Frederick the Wise revealed this principle: faith, not political power, was the true source of protection. Liberty was understood as immunity from state control in matters of conscience, worship, speech, and instruction because these belong to God alone. The First Amendment in the United States originally reflected this view. It unified religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition as expressions of one reality: freedom of faith. Over time, however, this understanding eroded as the state expanded its authority and faith was confined to private belief. Freedom came to be seen as a state grant rather than a divine privilege. When liberty is divorced from faith, it collapses into control and slavery. Scripture teaches that freedom flows from obedience to God, not dependence on the state. Religious liberty survives only where faith is strong; when believers abandon the Author of liberty, they inevitably lose the liberty itself.

Easy Chair No. 152, August 5, 1987 - Gary Mose Behind the Iron Curtain

Gary Mose recounts his two trips behind the Iron Curtain, particularly to Romania, to support persecuted Christians and observe the reality of life under Communist rule. He describes Romania as devastated—materially, spiritually, and socially—with extreme poverty, shortages of basic goods, oppressive surveillance, and a stark divide between the ruling elite and ordinary citizens. Despite these hardships, he witnessed strong Christian communities providing mutual aid and inspiring loyalty even among some non-Christians. Mose contrasts his observations with misleading Western reports and visits by prominent figures, such as Billy Graham, who portrayed a false impression of religious freedom. He explains that Soviet and Eastern Bloc propaganda, including phrases like “spiritual needs” or “coexistence,” actually serve communist ideology, advancing Leninism and humanistic morality rather than true faith. Rushdoony and Scott emphasize that communism is fundamentally anti-Christian and Satanic, and any cooperation or flattery from Western churchmen supports that system. Mose warns that the West must recognize the deception and ideological nature of Leninism, which uses propaganda to maintain control while masquerading as openness or tolerance, and contrasts this with true Christian dominion, which submits all authority to Christ."

The Van Til I Knew: An Interview With R.J. Rushdoony

In “The Van Til I Knew,” Rushdoony portrays Cornelius Van Til as both intellectually formidable and personally simple “profound” in philosophical penetration yet marked by humble, almost childlike faith (“God said it, I believe it”). He recounts how he first encountered Van Til through The New Modernism, was captivated by its presuppositional starting-point emphasis, and then entered a long correspondence and friendship with Van Til, including visits and extended conversations in California. The interview highlights Van Til’s core contribution as drawing a sharp antithesis between belief and unbelief and insisting that God is never an “add-on” to human reasoning; God must be the starting point, not a conclusion of autonomous logic. Rushdoony argues this has direct implications for the church’s weakness: when evangelism and theology cater to man’s sovereignty (or treat faith as a “plus” that enhances an otherwise self-governing life), the result is antinomianism, shallow discipleship, and cultural impotence. He also connects Van Til’s method to Reconstruction: Van Til’s “autonomy vs. theonomy” framing, in Rushdoony’s telling, naturally presses toward applying God’s Word comprehensively law, ethics, education, politics, and culture rather than confining Christianity to private devotion or church life. Finally, Rushdoony emphasizes that Van Til’s legacy is not merely academic; it demands systematic Christian thinking, disciplined catechesis, and a return to “sin, salvation, service” so the church becomes an engine of Kingdom labor rather than a waiting-room for heaven.

Farming and National Welfare

What happens to farmers doesn’t stay on the farm it ripples through the entire nation. When agriculture collapses, cities swell into poverty and unemployment, as history across the developing world clearly shows. Scripture understood this long ago: “the king himself is served by the field.” Food, land, and farming anchor every economy, reminding man that he is a creature dependent on God’s order, not a master who can legislate reality into submission. When nations ignore this truth and trust human planning over God’s Word, the result is not progress but destruction. Ignore the field, and the whole nation pays the price.