The Kingdom-Driven Family

Alloyed Loyalties

Andrea Schwartz

October 18, 2015

Every time you hear a lie, and every time you hear the truth, you yourself are tested.
Is it the lie or the truth which commands your attention?¹ ~ R.J. Rushdoony

When you fail to make the Bible the starting point of thought, you end up constructing a worldview built on a faulty foundation. Couple that with man’s sinful nature and the wiles of the devil, and you have a recipe for a cultural malignancy that chokes the life out of people. When the Bible is not the focal point of life and the basis for instruction and behavior, the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 result.²

There was a time in our nation’s history when the Bible was the presuppositional foundation of culture, even if it was not consistently followed. The Bible served to create a context of life, because it was recognized as thetext of life. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary reflects this fact.

TEXT, noun [Latintextus, woven.]

1. A discourse or composition on which a note or commentary is written. Thus we speak of thetext or original of the Scripture, in relation to the comments upon it. Infinite pains have been taken to ascertain and establish the genuine original text.

2. A verse or passage of Scripture which a preacher selects as the subject of a discourse.

3. Any particular passage of Scripture, used as an authority in argument for proof of a doctrine. In modern sermons, texts of Scripture are not as frequently cited as they were formerly.

4. In ancient law authors, the four Gospels, by way of eminence.

Phrases such as, “do unto others,” and “follow the Golden Rule,” were part of the vernacular because Jesus Christ had yet to be systematically removed from the public square. While faithfulness to the Word of God was not practiced flawlessly, it was most often preached, sometimes fervently, sometimes nominally. Continue reading

Life after Death

Andrea Schwartz

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October 15, 2015

A colleague of mine, along with her brothers, has been a faithful caretaker of her elderly parents. She was there to help them as their bodies succumbed to the illnesses which eventually led to their deaths—about two months apart from each other. Although she has the comfort of knowing their names are written in the Book of Life, there are still the mixed emotions that accompany the death of one’s parents.

Back in the early 1980s, my husband and I brought his mother into our home to live with us. Since I grew up with my maternal grandparents living on the first floor of our house, I was accustomed to an additional family member being present all the time. Having three generations living together, while at times challenging, is also quite rewarding. Children and the elderly have much in common and appreciate each other in ways that are beautiful to witness.

Nevertheless, taking care of parents in their advanced years is exhausting and frustrating at times. One doesn’t have the easiest of patients to deal with, and one’s own patience can often wear thin. Yet, obeying the fifth commandment to honor our parents in this way brings blessings beyond measure. That is, if you have eyes to see them. Continue reading

God’s Law: A Non-moving Target

Andrea Schwartz

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October 12, 2015

Part of my exercise routine involves swimming a minimum of 1250 yards twice a week. Often I am in the pool with other swimmers, many of whom I do not really know. By that I mean, that although I usually end up knowing their first names, I don’t have a sense of the context of their lives—their fitness level or how long they have been swimming. They are just familiar faces. Yet, invariably, I end up competing with them—even if it is just in my own mind.

My husband frequently reminds me that I am a very competitive person, despite my claim to the contrary. Thus, I experience delight when I breeze by other swimmers, as we make our way up and down the pool in our own lanes. Yet, I am less than thrilled when a better swimmer makes me feel as though I am not moving at all!

Recently, in the midst of one of these “unofficial competitions” I realized how easy it is to judge ourselves based on others. Should I be content with my actions and behavior based on how superior I am compared to an irresponsible, slothful individual? On the other hand, should I bemoan the sorry state of my existence when others demonstrate greater ability than I possess even though I consider myself above average? Such is the seesaw of life when relativism rules. Continue reading

Grandparents Day

Andrea Schwartz

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September 28, 2015

The Christian school that my three grandchildren attend has a yearly event that invites grandparents to come and enjoy time in the classroom. This year, despite the fact that I live a good three hours away, my grandson asked if I would attend. The date immediately went on my calendar. This past Friday I found myself in an auditorium with at least a hundred other grandparents—some older and some younger than me. What we all had in common was that our children’s children were being educated in an environment that honors God and teaches the students to love Him by learning to keep His commandments.

I first visited my two granddaughters’ classrooms (Pre-K and second grade). Then I made my way to the third grade classroom. The look on my grandson’s face when I entered is something I hope never to forget. His expression of joy and gratitude was only surpassed by his delight as we spent time doing the project his teacher had planned for us. We were to list things we have in common. The most important one is that we share a faith in Jesus Christ. Continue reading

Potluck Christianity

Andrea Schwartz

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September 21, 2015

How does a culture rooted in the discipline of Christianity devolve into one that embraces relativism and the autonomy of the individual? Slowing and patiently. In America, it has taken a multi-pronged campaign of capturing the educational system along with the major media outlets that portray nice people who embrace worthy causes, and who incidentally happen to be adulterers and fornicators. Helping the poor and oppressed trumps being faithful in marriage or waiting until marriage for intimacy. Slandering is acceptable as long as the person or group you slander is depicted with politically incorrect views. The audience is given the subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) idea that some transgressions of God’s law are worse than others.

I recently watched a film where an adult daughter railed against her father for his repeated infidelity towards her mother. Despite the fact that the daughter was involved in a sexual relationship outside of marriage, she felt righteous in her anger toward her dad. His defense was that all those women meant nothing to him; his affection always remained for his wife. It is noteworthy that both father and daughter were portrayed as upstanding attorneys who refused to compromise with the law or their integrity. Continue reading

Cultivation

Andrea Schwartz

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September 18, 2015

Gardening woman standing in vegetable garden holding hoe. Shallow depth of field with focus on gloved hand holding hoe.

My adult son and I like to exchange audio books with each other. Each of us spends a lot of time driving and these are good ways to redeem that time. Lately I have been listening to one he shared about George Washington. My son knows more about Washington than most people, having made him the subject of much study. I can honestly say that I learned more about our first president from this son whom I homeschooled, than I knew while I was teaching him.

I did not give my son a love of history. God gets the credit for giving him a good mind and the motivation to pursue his interest. My son gets the credit for using the gifts he was given. What I can take credit for is creating an environment for learning and encouraging him, and my other children, to read more than just one book on any given subject. I also emphasized the importance of consulting primary source material in addition to biographies and historical accounts written much later than actual events. I also made it clear that, as a result, they would be in a better position to come to their own conclusions rather than just parrot mine. In truth, when they pursued their interests, they often surpassed my knowledge in various areas. Continue reading

Teach by Example

Andrea Schwartz

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September 14, 2015

As we face the self-destruction of humanism, our task is to be prepared, and to prepare our children, to lead in terms of the Kingdom of God. This must include evaluating all subject areas, occupations, political decisions, and family and community life according to God’s law-word, and do so deliberately and self-consciously. If we fail to do so and continue to use the old wineskins of humanistic/statist law, the results are predictable.

Teach your children to delight in the law by demonstrating in your own life how the law equips you to avoid problems and dilemmas you face. Parents should share with their children how they reach their decisions and why they pursue certain courses of action. For instance: Continue reading

If You Can’t Win, Cheat

Andrea Schwartz

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September 8, 2015

A law has passed in California that now will make its way to the governor for signature. He is most likely to sign it. The law requires pregnancy care centers (those whose mission it is to encourage women not to kill their unborn children) to post in large letters (font size is mandated in the law) information (including phone numbers) as to where women can obtain abortions.

On the official website for the state, you can read the entire bill. What follows is a direct quote from the comments section. Emphasis is mine.

PURPOSE OF THIS BILL. According to the author, California has a proud legacy of respecting reproductive freedom and funding forward thinking programs to provide reproductive health assistance to low income women. The author notes that according to the Department of Health Care Services, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act expansion has made millions of Californians, 53% of them women, newly eligible for Medi-cal. The author states because pregnancy decisions are time sensitive, California women should receive information about their rights and available services at the sites where they obtain care.

The author contends that, unfortunately, there are nearly 200 licensed and unlicensed clinics known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) in California whose goal is to interfere with women’s ability to be fully informed and exercise their reproductive rights, and that CPCs pose as full-service women’s health clinics, but aim to discourage and prevent women from seeking abortions. The author concludes that these intentionally deceptive advertising and counseling practices often confuse, misinform, and even intimidate women from making fully-informed, time-sensitive decisions about critical health care.

The Imitation Game

Andrea Schwartz

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September 3, 2015

A popular radio program hosted by Art Linkletter had a regular segment called “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” Linkletter began interviewing children to get their unvarnished comments, some of which were hilarious. Most parents will agree, children can say things that surprise us.

The other day, my son told me that while he and his youngest were in the car, they were rear-ended. They felt the impact strongly, although it was a minor incident. As he and the other driver exchanged information, the woman kept repeating how sorry she was. She looked in the car and noticed my four-year-old granddaughter, who promptly asked, “Are you going to be more careful next time?” Somewhat stunned, the woman looked at my son who tried his best not to laugh. Undaunted, my granddaughter repeated, “Well, are you?” I know with certainty that those are familiar words to her, having heard them a time or two from her parents after being careless. Continue reading

Cakes Not Turned

Andrea Schwartz

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August 31, 2015

Scripture is not gentle with those who profess faith but are lukewarm in their thinking and double-minded in their actions. Some of the most pointed indictments come right out of the pages of the Bible, directed at people whose priority in life is not the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Sadly, too many of these descriptions are appropriate for our day.

Jude 1:12 uses terms such as waterless clouds, fruitless trees, twice dead, uprooted. Matthew 23:24 rebukes those remiss in their responsibility to faithfully teach God’s people calling them blind guides. One that caught my attention recently is Hosea 7:8 which identifies those who consider partial obedience as sufficient as cakes not turned. Spurgeon had this to say about this phrase, Continue reading