That Pesky Reconstructionist
- 24 May 2020
That pesky reconstructionist is quite a trial to me
He sees within the Bible many things that I don’t see;
He notices the slightest thing my Pastor overlooks
And treasures like an antique vase his North and Bahnsen books.
That pesky reconstructionist is getting on my nerves
Too easily he spurns the idols modern Christians serve
He will not countenance the News that’s spun on my TV
He even dares to doubt the BBC’s (or CNN’s) integrity!
That pesky reconstructionist bangs on about God’s Law
You’d think it was inscribed upon the lintel of his door!
He might as well inscribe it on the fingers of each hand
His reference to it all the time is more than I can stand!
That pesky reconstructionist and his Theonomy
Disturbs our unity at Church and my tranquillity
I watch him restless in his seat, at times his brows are raised
And sense the sermon being preached each time has been appraised!
That pesky reconstructionist will rarely come to Church
When all we do is ‘sit there still’ like parrots on a perch!
He asks, “What do the Scriptures say?” comparing text with text
His scrupulous insistence on true doctrine gets me vexed!
That pesky reconstructionist behaves so meek and mild,
His conscience wounds so easily – at times he’s such a child;
Why does he talk so cheerfully to every soul he meets?
And smile, then share a warm embrace, with every friend he greets?
That pesky reconstructionist blabs on about Van Til
Whose writings are like jogging up a steep and boggy hill;
My pride has been sore wounded by epistemology
A gentler and more simple way there’s surely got to be!
That pesky reconstructionist believes the Earth one day
Will furnish every tribe and tongue with heaven’s holy ray,
That youths will die a hundred years of age, still in their prime
And that our bodies will resist old age in their decline.
That pesky reconstructionist disdains all other views,
All other faiths and paradigms he’ll steadfastly refuse;
He’s much too proud, believing in Truth’s exclusivity
Why can’t he exercise a bit of liberality?
That pesky reconstructionist believes that Christ will win
All nation states throughout the world and rule them as their king;
He’s not perturbed by machinations in the minds of men
Rather he silently derides, and even laughs at, them.
That pesky reconstructionist cites Deuteronomy,
Instead of hymns he sings the Psalms with sweet serenity;
He seems to think the Gospel of God’s kingdom is the key
And yearns for better times ahead when one day we’ll be free.
That pesky Reconstructionist ‘my gospel’ overturns
Instead his heart for righteousness and holy justice yearns;
Why does he think that equity within the Magistrate
Is counted in the Scriptures as a matter of such weight?
That pesky reconstructionist is too concerned with crime
I’ve listened to him long enough, he’s on it all the time;
The Law of God, I hear him say, is closest to God’s heart
He says defining sin is where our message needs to start
That pesky reconstructionist is wont to criticise,
He often denigrates the ‘Church’ for flagrant compromise;
Why won’t he simply fall in line and with the rest conform?
Why does he choose to rock the boat and urge another norm?
That pesky reconstructionist is living in the past
The principles called ‘Puritan’ are what his hands hold fast;
The transformation of all things by Jesus he proclaims
Imagining that unseen pow’r can loose us from our chains!
That pesky reconstructionist perpetually fights
For what he says to Christ belongs – His fiercely won ‘crown rights’.
Why can’t he settle for a much more measured victory –
The future hope of cloudy heights for souls like you and me?
That pesky reconstructionist thinks since all men are made
In God’s own holy image, he can seek to them persuade,
He thinks without a single proof it’s right to Scripture cite
Affirming that all ears and eyes are open to its light!
That pesky reconstructionist says Christ is Lord of all
And never seems to sense, like me, his back’s against the wall;
He is the Lord, I acquiesce, of ALL MY brain and heart,
But how can He be Lord of Science, Geography and Art?
That pesky reconstructionist thinks every king on Earth
Will one day bow the knee to Christ and magnify His worth;
He reckons there are special blessings for the ones that do
And that the Hand of providence will bless them through and through.
That pesky reconstructionist perceives God’s covenant
Is the abiding principle in all that God has planned;
He says God’s covenant’s the key to all earth history
And seeks by it to comprehend the way things ought to be.
That pesky reconstructionist resents us pietists
At times I’ve seen him, in a rage, blow spittle on his fists;
Why can’t he be more ‘laissez-faire’ and sing our worship songs?
Why must he always contradict and seek to right our wrongs?
That pesky reconstructionist Rushdoony quotes a lot
Why can’t he suffer ‘easy-truths’ within his melting pot?
Why must he always be precise when Scripture he divides?
Why must he check the text himself for all that he decides?
That pesky Reconstructionist is always on his knees
Reminding God of promises contained in His decrees
Though very few may gather and invoke Christ’s mighty Name
Importunately they and he continue just the same
That pesky Reconstructionist is more than I can bear
Obscure and ancient Scripture texts he references in prayer
“The rocks cry out! Spring up O well!” bizarrely he proclaims
He seems to think the season’s ripe for widespread ‘latter rains’….
