The Household and the War for the Cosmos
A house that reflects the rule of Christ is no small thing.
A brief book review.
A trusted friend sent me a text several months ago encouraging me to read The Household and the War for the Cosmos. "You'll either love it or you'll hate it," she said. I was definitely intrigued and immediately put it on hold at the library. Now that I have read it cover to cover I'd like to recommend it to you as well. You'll either love it or you'll hate it.
I must admit that the first half of this book required a bit more intellectual focus that am I used to having to employ for a book about home life/parenting, but it was worth it! This book has inspired me to think about our home (and what is produced within these walls) differently, and isn't that the whole point of reading? To think new thoughts??
The main ideas that have stuck with me thus far are the following:
In this day and age we tend to think of ourselves as individual points in history as opposed to viewing ourselves as part of a family line. When we feel we have been gifted something from those who came before us and that we have a responsibility to pass something along to those who come after us, it changes the way we view our lives.
Since production was moved out of the house in the industrial revolution we have unfortunately been losing the idea that anything is produced in our homes. As a result we view our home as more of a "recreational center" and tend to out-source education, business, and even spiritual discipleship - believing these are things that happen outside of the home instead of in and through them. This slow but drastic change in the way we live and work has led to a deteriorating role for fathers in the home - mostly because recreational centers don't need patriarchs. Hmm...see what I mean? You'll either love it or you'll hate it, but either way it will make you think.
My favorite quote is toward the end of the book where C.R. Wiley encourages us to keep coming back to the Word and structuring our family life according to God's wise plan. He says, "You may wonder how your small stake could possibly threaten the powers that be. Just remember, a household ordered by the household code in Ephesians reflects the rule of Christ. Besides that, all things connect. That little tune that your household sings is in harmony with the music of the spheres, and that harmony restores many things that the enemy has perverted."
A house that reflects the rule of Christ is no small thing.
"If I were to sum up this book with a single idea it would be this: household piety is as big as the cosmos. It connects you to everything because it is at the center of everything else."
