The New Rushdoony Biography

On September 14, 2025, Andrea Schwartz welcomes Mark Rushdoony and Martin Selbrede for Episode 59 of the Chalcedon Podcast to announce Mark’s forthcoming, heavily documented biography of his father, R. J. Rushdoony—now at the printer and expected in Vallecito in October. Expanded from Mark’s 2015–16 “brief biography” essays, the book draws deeply on journals, letters, and personal papers to provide a reliable touchstone amid myths and internet rumors. It traces Rushdoony’s roots through Armenia—the first Christian nation—and shows how Armenian history (including Urartu’s check on Assyria) and a family line of ministry shaped his kingdom-centered vision. Mark also addresses painful family chapters candidly, not to sensationalize, but to set the record straight and explain the man’s enduring joy, resilience, and refusal to be embittered.

Selbrede underscores why biography matters: truth is lived by whole persons, not abstractions, and Christians must know the “rock from which we were hewn.” The episode highlights Rushdoony’s practical impact—courtroom testimony, congressional hearings, and pivotal roles in defending Christian education and homeschooling (e.g., Texas cases)—and explains why younger audiences are experiencing a “flight to quality” in his uncompromising application of Scripture to all of life. Listeners are encouraged to read the biography both to understand Rushdoony’s legacy and to “stand on shoulders,” carrying forward faithful scholarship and action in church, family, and society.