The Bright Future of Christian Homesteaders

Christian Homesteading is a term I have long used for those believers that have been part of the "back to the land" crowd. They have been around for a long time, but sadly they have often been failures. The main reason I think Christian Homesteading has never really taken off is that its advocates have always had bad theology. The homesteader crowd has long been associated with defeatist eschatology, worldly individualism, and the one family stand alone church. Folks would move as far into the bush as possible and never see another soul. The gathering together of the saints was not a priority, and nobody ever thought to build a real community after leaving the evil one. Why the world was falling apart anyway, no need to get in God's way! Thankfully, there is a new group of "back to the landers" coming on board. And for once it is marked by reformed theology and postmill optimism. The covenantal agrarians are going back to the land to build communities and legacies for their offspring! They know the the church is the center of community and the reject the one man church of their predessors. I believe the future is bright for these people. Sure they will be laughed at at first, but someday the rest of our brothers will long to have what they will eventually build.