To attempt to study Scripture without studying its law is to
deny it. To attempt to understand Western civilization apart from the impact of
Biblical law within it and upon it is to seek a fictitious history and to reject
twenty centuries and their progress.
The Institutes of Biblical Law has as its purpose a
reversal of the present trend. It is called "Institutes" in the older meaning of
the that word, i.e., fundamental principles, here of law, because it is intended
as a beginning, as an instituting consideration of that law which must govern
society, and which shall govern society under God.
To understand Biblical law, it is necessary to understand
also certain basic characteristics of that law. In it, certain broad premises or
principles are declared. These are declarations of basic law. The Ten
Commandments give us such declarations.
A second characteristics of Biblical law is that the major
portion of the law is case law, i.e., the illustration of the basic principle in
terms of specific cases. These specific cases are often illustrations of the
extent of the application of the law; that is, by citing a minimal type of case,
the necessary jurisdictions of the law are revealed.
The law, then, asserts principles and cites cases to develop
the implications of those principles, with its purpose and direction the
restitution of God's order.
About the author:
Reverend R.J. Rushdoony (1916–2001), was a leading
theologian, church/state expert, and author of numerous works on the application
of Biblical law to society. He started the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965. His
Institutes of Biblical Law (1973) began the contemporary theonomy movement
which posits the validity of Biblical law as God’s standard of obedience for
all. He therefore saw God’s law as the basis of the modern Christian response to
the cultural decline, one he attributed to the church’s false view of God’s law
being opposed to His grace. This broad Christian response he described as
“Christian Reconstruction.” He is credited with igniting the modern Christian
school and homeschooling movements in the mid to late 20th century. He also
traveled extensively lecturing and serving as an expert witness in numerous
court cases regarding religious liberty. Many ministry and educational efforts
that continue today, took their philosophical and Biblical roots from his
lectures and books.
Other books by this author:
A Word in Season - Vol. 1
A Word in Season - Vol. 2
A Word in Season - Vol. 3
A Word in Season - Vol. 4
A Word in Season - Vol. 5
A Word in Season - Vol. 6
A Word in Season - Vol. 7
Good Morning, Friends - Vol. 1
Good Morning, Friends - Vol. 2
Law and Liberty
The Institutes of Biblical Law - Vol. 1
The Institutes of Biblical Law - Vol. 2
The Institutes of Biblical Law - Vol. 3
Back to Books
Can't find something? See items in our bookstore listed by
category.
Bookstore |
Shipping Rates |
Return Policy
|