Today I read a book. For me. I know, shocking, isn't it! Haha ok, not really. Except the one day thing because I have kids. And It's summer. But in any case, I did read a whole book today. There are two reasons for this. 1. It was a short-ish book, and 2. It was really good, and I didn't want to stop reading it.
As you have probably inferred from my supremely creative post title the name of the book is indeed
The Biblical Trustee Family
. It was written by Andrea Schwartz, and published by
Chalcedon. Which means it is very Christian, and very radical.
We do radical at our house. I get it. I don't have a problem with it. But it is nice to know going into a book. I hate being blind-sided by radical. Anyway... Radical does not necessarily equal bad. It just is. So with that little disclaimer out of the way, I really enjoyed this book.
As I read the first chapter the author describes 3 types of families, and obviously is in favor of the Biblical trustee type. She described it as being about passing on faith and a name and living in light of not being the end of your family but passing down a legacy. She quotes
R.J. Rushdoony
as saying "living members see themselves as trustees of the family blood, rights, property, name and position for their lifetime." Perhaps it is because I just finished watching Downton Abbey, but I thought of this as very similar to the old nobility in Europe. They inherited a title, land, wealth, and just preserved it in order to pass it down in tact and in good repute, while staying within the family.
She goes on to talk about the wife's role in the family. She points out the lies that a feminist culture spews out at us, and counters them with Biblical truth. Some of this is hard stuff, but I do think she is right. She points out that Biblically the woman was created to be a helpmeet for her husband and that Supporting him in his calling, managing the home, and training their children well is a high calling for her, and frees her husband to pursue his calling more fully. We need to view God's law as a blessing and not a burdensome list of do's and don'ts. She does talk about submission, and she makes some very good points. My favorite of which is that a wife's role is to be "submissive, not necessarily silent." We have a voice and an opinon and can and should enter into conversations with our husbands on all matters, including theology.
She is VERY pro-home schooling. In her eyes it is a way to advance the Kingdom of God, and she raises the very good question of Why would we, as Christians, willing and knowingly send our children to be taught by a system that hates God and His law? Our children have been given to us and we are responsible for their education and for their upbringing. She looks at Daniel, and points out that his trip to the lion's den was a result of his choosing to trust God and of not being afraid of the consequences of faithfulness. We cannot be afraid of the consequences of choosing not to let our children be taught by a godless government program.
The last theme in the book that I want to hit is that of victory. She focuses on the victory that Christ has ALREADY WON. We serve a victorious God. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be fighting the battles in front of us. When we were called to salvation we entered into 2 battles, cultural and spiritual. We cannot sit on the sidelines of either. "We have no business proceeding in the Lord's service with a defeatist attitude." Great quote. We haven't been defeated, don't act like it. And finally, salvation is not escape. It is victory!
So there you have my 2 cents. I really did enjoy this book. The Author relied heavily on the work of
R.J. Rushdoony, and it made me want to read his work for myself.
Can you recommend any books that cover a Biblical calling for families?
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by Kyle Idleman
by Ted Tripp
by Jani Ortlund
by Francis Chan
by Jim Cymballa
by G.K. Chesterton
by Laura Vanderkam
by Charlotte Mason
