The Easy Chair

R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott discuss history, its meaning, and how it is recorded, emphasizing that true history reflects God’s hand, not merely human actions. They critique modern historiography, which often interprets events naturalistically, humanistically, or through myths, ignoring divine providence and the unpredictable factors that shape outcomes, such as weather, disease, or unexpected de...

In this 1987 Easy Chair discussion, R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott argue that the “future” isn’t an unreadable mystery so much as the present worked out—and that modern decadence shows itself in a culture that can’t defend itself, won’t think past the moment, and replaces realistic planning with fantasy. They critique celebrity “futurecasting” as shallow, insular, and godless—whether rosy or grim—b...

In this episode (Feb. 12, 1987), R.J. Rushdoony dismantles the modern “brainwashing” narrative by drawing on suppressed Korean War research: the most resilient POWs were those with **governing convictions**—a living Christian faith and a clear belief in the free market—who were recognized as natural leaders, resisted manipulation, and even attempted escape, while the faithless majority proved trag...

R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott examine the cultural and philosophical climate of the 20th century, focusing on existentialism and its pervasive influence. Existential philosophy, originating with Kierkegaard and popularized in the U.S. through Emerson, emphasizes living for the moment, personal experience, and the negation of objective truth or moral absolutes. Rushdoony notes that modern man incre...

R.J. Rushdoony critiques the lionization of Thoreau, highlighting that his retreat to Walden Pond was less a philosophical act than a gesture of personal alienation from Concord. While often portrayed as a nature idealist, Thoreau frequently returned to town for meals and socializing, demonstrating a divergence between myth and reality. Rushdoony also critiques modern conservatism through Russell...

R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott discuss revolution, linking it to Romanticism and the Enlightenment. They argue that the Enlightenment’s exaltation of reason cultivated “rootlessness,” which Romanticism transferred to emotions. Revolution, therefore, seeks to destroy tradition, Christianity, and past institutions to create a “brave new world.” All revolutionary regimes whether National Socialist, Ma...

R.J. Rushdoony examines fame and its cultural impact, drawing on Leo Braudy’s The Frenzy of Renown. He contrasts the Christian era, where men lived accountable to God, with the Renaissance and modern times, where public image dominates. From Alexander the Great to modern actors and politicians, people perform for attention, often sacrificing substance, morality, and reality. This obsession with im...

R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott examine Romanticism as a cultural and intellectual movement rooted in a departure from a Christian worldview. Emerging after the Enlightenment, Romanticism replaced reason with emotion and imagination, leading to the elevation of individual feeling over moral and societal responsibility. Rushdoony highlights the descent into moral and artistic chaos, from decadent lit...

In this episode (Sept. 1, 1986), R.J. Rushdoony sits down with Michigan listeners Gene and Robin Newman and traces God’s unmistakable providence in their journey from nominal backgrounds into a conviction-filled Christian life: Gene (Israeli-born, raised culturally Jewish) shares how his search for truth led him through Marxism, Zen macrobiotics, communal living, and restless striving—until Script...

R.J. Rushdoony examines the foundation of Western civilization through law, religion, and culture, drawing on Harold Berman’s Law and Revolution and Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. He emphasizes the papal revolution of Hildebrand (Pope Gregory VII), which freed the Church from feudal and monarchical control, establishing the inseparable connection between law and religion. This connection, reinforced by...

In this broadcast, R.J. Rushdoony, with Dan Harris and James Flanagan, explores the U.S. economy, financial markets, and speculation trends in 1986. They begin by discussing high-profile cases, such as the Hunt brothers’ legal battles with banks, highlighting what they describe as the “cannibalization” of strong companies by lenders and the broader economy. The conversation emphasizes the shift of...

In this broadcast, R.J. Rushdoony and Otto Scott discuss the geopolitical and economic crisis in South Africa in the mid-1980s. They emphasize that external pressures, particularly Western sanctions and disinvestment campaigns, threaten to destabilize the country, creating suffering for both white and black South Africans. Scott highlights the strategic importance of South African minerals to West...

R.J. Rushdoony examines the impact of sin on political leadership through the life of Oliver Cromwell. Thrust into a crisis between King Charles I, Parliament, and the people, Cromwell discovered that human sin undermines all institutions: the king was untrustworthy, Parliament petty and factional, the people utopian and irrational, and even the army divided. Forced to rule alone, Cromwell’s exper...

Romantic Movement; Thomas Chatterton; Education; Bad Historiography; Mature Criticism; Supreme Court Cases; Cindy Rocker; St. Vincent de Paul Society; Salvation Army; Privatization; Effects of Homosexuality; English Countryside; Murderers; Anne Hutchinson; Sir John Bowring; Water Supply; Rutherford Institute

Financial Fiascoes; India; American Hostage; Prisons; Women; Margaret of Castello; J. Paul Getty; American Frontier; Soviet Union; Philosophy; Poetry Reading

Oil Industry

Economy; Church and State Issues

Home Schooling

Public Education and Its Four Risks

Education and Idolatry

Cindy Rocker; Ministry to the Poor; Africa; Scholastic Aptitude Tests; Public Life and Religion; Emerson; King Arthur; English Land Ownership; Food; Soviet Union; First Umbrella; Revolutionary Lobby; Carnation Milk Company; Light Bulb Jokes; Contempt and Teaching

Ministry of Cindy Rocker 

In this landmark Easy Chair conversation, R.J. Rushdoony is joined by Dennis Peacocke and Bob Mumford for a passionate and far-reaching discussion on Christian Reconstruction. Together, they unpack the church’s calling to engage every sphere—spiritual, social, and economic—with the authority of Christ. From the failures of modern pietism to the rising global hunger for biblical answers, the trio e...

Ministry of Jean-Marc Berthoud; Europe

Liability Insurance; Counter Terrorist; Von Kuehnelt-Leddihn; Communist Resistance; Sidney Riley; 1676; Playboy Empire; Rushdoony’s Reading; Peter Cartwright and Uncle Ned; Henry the Navigator; Religious Discrimination; Jesuits