But, he’s using a shovel instead of a trackhoe.

God uses a trackhoe!

One thing I look forward to on Shabbat morning is the weekly email from it’s good to be a man, a ministry/blog (?) by Michael Foster and Bnonn Tennant. They are co-authors of a good book by the same name that I am currently reading and plan to review.

This morning’s email had an amazing quote that had me ready to stand and shout ‘HalleluYah!’, then I remembered that Foster and Tennant only recommend shovels and are terrified of trackhoes. Here’s their quote of John Moody, then an explanation.

John Moody explains the significant difference between household and family

Rebuilding families is insufficient.

A few months ago, I touched on this point when teaching discipleship hour at church I believe. But I have been mentally coming back to it of late.

Households are the foundational building block of societies. Families make up households. But the elevation of the family over households is a recipe for run away power being lost to other institutions, especially those corporate and governmental in nature.

The reason apostate culture tolerates a certain number of families, but actively works to undermine “households” is because families by and large are not a threat to their ends and goals.

Families lack economic power. Families lack cultural power. Families lack political power.

Economically, families have rarely done well in the survey of history. The family level of organization offers none of the efficiencies or economies of scale that a household does. From childcare to transit, insurances (both of the traditional and modern kind), to infrastructure, and so much else, a family is an economically disadvantaged and inefficient unit.

Cultural, isolated families rarely pass on strong cultural values and traditions to their kin. Instead, given the “Farming out” of so many traditional household tasks (like childcare), the family becomes a consumer rather than creator of culture.

Let’s be honest. There is usually no margin to create culture at the family level. Between parenting, work, marriage, and church, little time is leftover for such tasks.

But at the household level? Music, traditions, art, and so much more historically flowed out of households, especially as the older generation who had margin passed it on to the younger one whom was often in their care and charge.

Politically, families exert very little real world influence. Even their votes are now often split against their own interests. But at the household level, especially on the local and regional level, a well ordered, unified, and established household is a political and cultural juggernaut.

If you want to change the direction of the culture and society around you, do more than merely focus on the family. Focus on that which produces truly strong families and societies, multi-generational, like minded households under the Lordship of Christ.

From his post on Facebook:

John Moody is absolutely right! It is households that change culture and have the power block in terms if wealth, assets, skillsets, votes, numbers to effect change. Ask Abraham, Jacob, Gideon, David. In fact, ask God! (That article will scare the crud out of Foster and Tennant!)

Aristotle understood that households had the ability to form power blocks capable of rivaling even the State. That is why he said that ‘monogamy is the foundation of the polis.’ He understood limiting a man’s household size prevented him from creating and leading a power block!! Aristotle preferred that men be given a shovel and not have access to a trackhoe!

I’ve written multiple articles demonstrating that the adversary loves monogamy-only precisely because it is contrary to Scripture. Here’s one such article with multiple citations from John Witte’s The Western Case for Monogamy over Polygamy. Eminent scholar, John Witte Jr., has to appeal to Greco-Romanism to make his case because he admits Scripture can’t!!

You may breathlessly gasp, ”Pete, it sounds like you are promoting tribalism and even polygyny!”

My unapologetic answer is a bold, ”Absolutely! Isn’t that what God’s Word promotes?”

Damn the false Christian doctrines of men and fearmongering cultural feminists! Truth is truth. MEN will have the stones to research it and stand on it. Foster and Tennant have pieces, but they’ve only just begun the truth journey. Soon we’ll find out whether they’re the kind of man they call others to be!

Men, if you want to get a LOT if work done, if you want to effect big cultural changes, maybe it’s time to put down the shovel and learn the more complex but considerably more effective trackhoe. Study out what God’s Word does and does not say about marriage. Throw away the cultural and doctrinal filters and understand what God’s Word actually says!!

Here’s a great place to start with more resources than you can cover in several months.

Selah!!