Total Meaning

In “Total Meaning” (Chalcedon Report No. 380), Rushdoony argues that because God created all things, the universe is a realm of total meaning, with no brute or meaningless facts. Meaning does not arise from human interpretation but from God’s sovereign purpose; when man insists on judging meaning autonomously, facts become confused and nihilistic. Original sin is thus epistemological as well as moral man’s desire to determine meaning, law, and truth apart from God. Modern humanism, existentialism, and deconstructionism represent attempts to escape God’s total meaning by retreating into purely personal or subjective meanings, a move Rushdoony calls implicitly suicidal. Because man is made in God’s image, he cannot live consistently with a purely biological or man-centered worldview, and this explains the modern preference for sermons about man rather than God. A universe of total meaning demands total allegiance: faith cannot be partial or compartmentalized. Only wholehearted love for God and obedient service under His Word restores coherence, purpose, and strength to both personal faith and the church.