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Christians Have Led the Advancement of Mankind in All Spheres of Life

Author: Stephen McDowell

Jesus’ Great Commission — “Go…and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” — includes the evangelistic mandate, to redeem man, and the cultural mandate, to redeem the earth. We will fulfill this commission as we fulfill our Biblical calling.

Our primary calling is to follow Christ in all things. We also have a secondary calling to our family, to the church, to our community, and to our vocation. We are to advance God’s kingdom by serving God and man in all spheres of life — in the church, media, government, family, marketplace, education, and science. Understanding the Biblical doctrine of work is central to fulfilling our mission in the earth.

The cultural mandate calls us to use all our resources to express His image and likeness on the earth and to bring His kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Fulfilling this mandate requires us to discover truth through sciences, apply truth through technology, interpret truth through humanities, implement truth through commerce and social action, transmit truth through education and arts, and preserve truth through government and law.

Historically, Christians have led the way in each of these areas. Dozens of their stories are presented in this book and include such people as:

Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Christopher Columbus, William Penn, Johann Gutenberg, Samuel F.B. Morse, George Washington Carver, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Richard Allen, John Calvin, Cyrus McCormick, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Wanamaker, Samuel Adams, William Wilberforce, Alvin York, John Witherspoon, Noah Webster, William McGuffey, Johann S. Bach, Justinian, George Washington, John Jay, Daniel Webster, James Garfield, and Patrick of Ireland.

As these people have been faithful to fulfill the call on their lives and utilize the talents God gave them, they have contributed greatly in taking dominion over the earth and extending God’s purposes and government in this world.