Here is the prophetic part of this series.
The faith movement in Moscow, Idaho prefers the label “Christian Reconstruction”. The leadership there takes much from the old RJ Rushdoony school of teaching. Hint: Rushdoony was an Armenian deeply motivated by the way his people had been oppressed and slaughtered by Turks. He felt American Christians had not done enough to save his nation. He was very noteworthy for his frustration with the otherworldly faith of some previous generations of American Christians (this was before the sudden growth of Dispensationalism in the US during the 1950s). In other words, he rejected the outcome of something he could not control. His response was to build a doctrine of Christian religion that would put a burden of responsibility on westerners to do more to protect “Christian” Armenians, as well as other “Christian” peoples. To him, “Christian” was a human national identity. His followers have tried to hide this part of Rushdoony’s story.
He would despise my teaching on Christian Mysticism. That’s not to say he was evil, but I would say misguided. If you are curious, here are some of his books. I’ve read enough to know it’s not for me. There is a link between Christian Reconstruction and Christian Nationalism, but the current manifestation of the latter is not a good match to the former.
Again, I say that God is involved in the American Redoubt movement. His involvement manifests itself in various threads of the faith teaching growing in that part of the country, despite the Christian Nationalist movement behind the nascent American Redoubt. The collection of political movements that might be found under the flag of Christian Nationalism do not reflect God’s agenda. Rather, He’s using them to destroy something else.
I fully expect a measure of human success from both the religious and political movements gathering in the American Redoubt. God will use politics in the same sense that He’s used any previous empire or political movement to weave a far larger tapestry that humans cannot comprehend. He told Daniel that, in human terms, the Babylonian Empire and civilization was a gold standard of sorts, but it was clearly not a reflection of His Word. It was just an expendable tool, though a really good one. I believe it’s the same for American Redoubt and Christian Nationalism. They do not reflect His Word, rather a biased and superficial reading of it, but He will use them as really good expendable tools. And the Theonomy movement in Moscow will also be rather successful.
I mentioned Rigney’s take on empathy because it’s one of the better, less offensive representations of what the faith leaders in Idaho are about. In many ways, it represents the essence of rejecting the mainstream globalist idolatry, of offering a genuine alternative. There is a dire need for Christian leadership (in turn based on Christian manhood) that isn’t beholden to the mainstream. John Piper is mistaken as part of a very large movement among Baptists and allied evangelicals to compromise with the mainstream simply to avoid facing persecution. It’s cowardice, plain and simple. We need to call it out. It’s not that Rigney is right about leadership itself, but he does have something of a corrective that moves things in a good direction.
The mainstream is going to implode. It’s time is past, but it’s so very huge that the collapse will take a while. America will be decentralized by divine force, and the American Redoubt will gain a potent identity that will make its presence felt for a long time. This is why we are talking about it; this will become a significant presence in the lives a large portion of the American population. Bethel College and the Gospel Coalition will fade into the background; those people have shot themselves in the feet.
Look for a resurgent manhood identity image to arise in the American Redoubt; look up “Man Rampant” as a source on what to expect from them. It will not be wholly biblical, but they will claim it is. Knowing this is important; it’s why the Radix Fidem community spends so much time trying to expose the unconscious biases of western Christian religion. The Christian Reconstruction movement does offer a compelling logic, but only for folks who don’t understand that they are flogging a dead horse. Still, the flogging itself will become a thing, and a big one, for quite some time into the future.
Understand: This is a whole lot better than the mainstream globalism. A substantial portion of the American population is long past ready to see globalism die. This thing in the American Redoubt is a reaction to something truly evil, though it’s not the best we could do.
This too shall pass. There will always be people caught up in this stuff, dragged along because they happen to be there when the invasion comes. It’s not a question of fleeing to or from that region of the US; you should have already gotten a word in your convictions about where you need to live during this apocalypse. But you also need to be aware of what flavor of lie will invade your world and how to identify and cling to the truth. We need to prepare an answer to this twisted gospel message so that those whom God calls back out of it have a safe place to flee.
That’s what Radix Fidem has always been. We are the refuge for that small number God calls out of some stampede that isn’t right for them.
Just a little more…
