An Excellent Book

I recently picked up a book by Stephen K. McDowell, President and co-founder of the Providence Foundation. The book is entitled, Building Godly Nations: Lessons from the Bible and America's Christian History. What I've read of the book is excellent and very well written. I did not even get past the second page of the first chapter when I called my family together and read to them the following excerpt:

Purpose of salvation in Christ
The complete purpose of salvation in Christ cannot be understood unless we understand the original purpose of man. Salvation goes beyond getting man to heaven. It includes restoring man to his original position. Christ brought to man the restoration of the convenant he had with God, of the glory he had from God, and of the dominion mandate. Jesus also brought His kingdom rule and reign to all creation. He proclaimed and demonstrated the gospel of the Kingdom (that is, the government, righteousness, truth, and peace of God in all areas of life).

His atoning work also reversed the curse due to the fall of man. The curse affects individuals through death, sickness, bondage, etc., and in turn also affects all spheres of life. Christ brought redemption to individuals, but also institutions and all spheres of life (including law, government, education, arts, business). Redemption is as broad as the sweep of sin.

God's desire, as Jesus taught us to pray, is for His kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We have been redeemed for a purpose. In Christ we have been restored to sonship and are now in position to obey both the Cultural and the Evangelistic Mandates. With respect to the Cultural Mandate, God has restored us to stewardship. Through Christ we are called back to God's original purpose--to live in His image and to "be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over ... every living creature that moves on the ground" (Gen. 1:28). We have been restored to serving God as his vice-regent over the earth.

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Redeeming the earth
The Cultural Mandate calls us to use all our resources to express His image and likeness on the earth. Fulfilling this mandate requires us to discover truth through science, apply truth through technology, interpret truth though humanities, implement truth through commerce and social action, transmit truth through education and arts, and preserve truth through government and law.

I have not finished the book, but I expect to be only more thrilled with the book as I approach its completion.