Standards

The Increase of His Government and Peace

Isaiah foretold that Christ would bear the government of the world on His shoulders and that His rule and peace would never stop increasing. True peace, Scripture insists, does not come from the absence of authority but from righteous government under Christ the King. The world’s demand for peace while rejecting God’s law only produces chaos and perpetual conflict. Christ reigns as Prophet, Pries t, and King, establishing justice and righteousness forever, but His government must first be welcomed personally. The promise of lasting peace begins not in institutions or nations, but in hearts prepared to receive their King.

No Vacancies

The Christmas story reminds us that when Christ came into the world, there was no room for Him not in the inn, not in the town, and not in the busy lives of men preoccupied with their own affairs and that same tragedy is repeated whenever our hearts are so crowded with trivialities, schedules, excuses, and self-interest that there is no place left for the Lord. Like the people of Bethlehem, we often mean well, speak kindly, and offer explanations, yet still turn Him away because our lives are already “full.” And yet the wonder of the gospel is this: though we so often have no room for Him, He always has room for us, calling the weary, the overlooked, and the undeserving to come in, making space by grace where none seemed possible. The question Christmas presses upon us, therefore, is not whether Christ is willing to enter, but whether we will make room for Him in the inn of our hearts.

Rationalism and the Chain of Being

Rationalism inherits a Greek idea that treats good and evil as metaphysical states on a “chain of being” rather than moral obedience or rebellion against God. This view assumes a continuity of being between God and man, making human reason capable of accessing ultimate truth and reducing sin to a “thinness of being” instead of lawless defiance of God’s law. Biblically, however, God is uncreated and man is created; sin is moral rebellion, not metaphysical decline. The chain-of-being idea undermines creation, predestination, and the historic atonement, replacing them with autonomy, deification, and a rationalized, impersonal god ultimately leaving man to enthrone his own reason as supreme.

The Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a vague spiritual symbol it is the decisive victory of God in history, in body and soul, over sin, death, and every power that opposes Him. Because Christ rose bodily from the grave, His authority extends over all things, spiritual and material, making prayer effective and hope unshakable. This is why the early church lived with joy and courage even in a hostile world: death was defeated, fear was broken, and victory was assured. While the modern world drifts from faith into anxiety and darkness, Christians are called to live as people of the resurrection confident, joyful, and unafraid because our King lives, reigns, and has already secured the victory.

Easy Chair No. 150, July 14, 1987 Sweden: The “New Totalitarianism” of Comfort and Conformity

In Easy Chair 150 (July 14, 1987), R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott interview Gary and Carlinda Mose about two years in Sweden, portraying a society that looks peaceful and prosperous yet functions as a “new totalitarianism” built not on terror but on education, conformity, and cradle‑to‑grave dependency. The Moses describe a nation where the state effectively replaces God, families are weakened by high taxes (they cite roughly 55% income tax plus a 25% sales tax) and two‑income necessity, and dissent—though celebrated in theory—is punished in practice through social shaming and even official intimidation (Gary recounts being threatened with arrest and recorded by police for quietly holding alternative placards at a public “peace” demonstration). They warn that the system increasingly treats children as belonging to the state: spanking is illegal, kids are encouraged to report parents, and welfare authorities can remove children with little meaningful appeal, while the established church is politicized and moral standards are inverted (abortion widely accepted, private Bible studies labeled “subversive”). Yet they also testify to faithful Swedish believers who pray earnestly and meet in informal “house” settings because they know only God can heal what state planning cannot—making Sweden, in their view, a sobering preview of where the wider West goes when comfort replaces conviction and “non‑discrimination” is used to silence the freedom to call right and wrong. #EasyChair #Rushdoony #OttoScott #Sweden #TheNewTotalitarians #ChristianLiberty #Family #Education #SoftTotalitarianism #FreedomOfSpeech #ChristianReconstruction"