Postmillennialism and the Gates of Hell

Reviewing some old Theonomy leaflets and other writings I stumbled across a paper that vigorously defended Postmillennialism by appealing to Matthew 16 and Christ's statement regarding the Gates of Hell.

Postmillennialists who believe the world will be Christianized prior to the return of Christ criticize both Pre- and A-millennialism as being 'pessimistic' in their outlook.

Countering the Claims of the Watchtower Society: Talking to Jehovah's Witnesses

To put it simply, the main problem with the Watchtower Society is that their views are not based on Scripture. Despite their claims to the contrary, Scripture is read through the eyes of CT Russell and JF Rutherford. They believe these men to have had possessed prophetic powers. These powers are perpetuated by the Governing Body based in Brooklyn.

Essentially their system functions like the Catholic Magisterium. In fact at the core the issues we have with Rome are functionally the same. The Governing Body tells you how to interpret the Bible. Bible study is encouraged but only through the lens of the Governing Body.

Jury Nullification

Some time ago I finally received an email regarding an earlier post wherein I talked about how Wayne Grudem believed that Christians should use their Bibles in jury deliberations and was outraged that a verdict was tossed by a Judge when he discovered members of the jury were referring to the outside source of the Scriptures.

I completely disagreed with Grudem on several points.

Two Articles on Reformed Two Kingdom Theology (II)

For some readers this is revisiting old ground. But some find it helpful to continually revisit these basic themes. These two posts are responses to two articles. The articles are fairly brief and helpful in providing a matrix for this discussion. I hope that those who are still struggling with understanding these issues can read these pieces and my responses and in the end come to a fuller understanding of just what is at stake.

 

http://www.reformation21.org/articles/the-two-kingdoms-doctrine-whats-the-fuss-all-about-part-one.php

The second piece by Tuininga is actually much less helpful and far more guilty of generalization and at times misrepresentation. But it's still worth looking at.

Two Articles on Reformed Two Kingdom Theology (I)

For some readers this is revisiting old ground. But some find it helpful to continually revisit these basic themes. These two posts are responses to two articles. The articles are fairly brief and helpful in providing a matrix for this discussion. I hope that those who are still struggling with understanding these issues can read these pieces and my responses and in the end come to a fuller understanding of just what is at stake.

Employer-Based Health Care and the 14th Amendment

http://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2014/03/employer-based-health-care-and-14th.html

Neo-Anabaptists or Historical Anti-Constantinianism?

Here is a link to an article by a conservative Methodist who is critiquing Christian Pacifism and even though he doesn't really name it, his real attack is against the doctrine of the Spiritual Kingdom. He's accusing the followers of Yoder and by consequence people like me of novelty.

I argue that not only is he in theological error, he has misread the history.

The Legal and Technological Matrix for a Brave New Dystopia (4/4)

The Church in the World

What will it take to awaken the Church? Or is this just Judgment and Strong Delusion?

How do we respond? Do we need to just keep at it, keep persevering in our small corners of the world, doing what we can to expose lies? Do we just keep telling the truth and hopefully rescue people from the great destructive lie that is at the heart of our social system which the 'Church' has happily wed itself to?

It has loved the world and called it the Kingdom of God.

The Legal and Technological Matrix for a Brave New Dystopia (3/4)

Security or a New Foundation?

This has nothing to do with terrorism anymore. Personally I don't think it ever did. There was enough smoke in the 1990's to realize a firestorm was on the horizon. While few foresaw the impending Blowback of 9/11, they did see a network of schemers who had plans in the works and needed little more than a justification to get the ball rolling. They certainly got their wish.

There was no point in winning the Cold War unless you could capitalize on the victory. Security fears gave them a reason to act but how can you control the world in the computer age?

The Legal and Technological Matrix for a Brave New Dystopia (2/4)

The New Paradigm

Computer technology is no longer a tool of industrial society, it's at the heart of society...a new society which is in the process of establishing itself and the new parameters by which it will function and govern. While we're all playing with our gadgets, the social fabric is being re-woven and as I've indicated I think most people are in fact missing the magnitude and fundamental nature of the change.

The Legal and Technological Matrix for a Brave New Dystopia (1/4)

 

Orwellian is a term that is often thrown about in the media. Usually this is not meant in terms of Totalitarianism (at least not yet) but in the sense that we live under constant surveillance. Some think in terms of the American government wielding great fear in that it has claimed the right to take anyone away at any time and with no explanation.

The courts have ruled that security absolutely trumps the 4^th Amendment. I would contend that given our new technological society, the 4^th Amendment is effectively dead. The Patriot Act sealed the coffin.

The Altar Call of 1776: Charles Finney meets Smith and Wesson

http://www.npr.org/2014/03/10/287311237/kentucky-southern-baptists-draw-crowds-with-gun-giveaways

Since the innovations of Charles Finney in the 19^th century the Evangelical world has been plagued by different versions of a marketed gospel.

Finney's idea was that if you just created the right kind of conditions and presented the gospel the right way...then any sensible person would become a Christian.

Veith and Mefferd on Fascism

http://www.janetmefferdpremium.com/2014/01/30/janet-mefferd-radio-show-20140130-hr-3/

I remember when Veith's book Modern Fascism first came out in the 1990's. I recall a Lutheran friend of mine and fan of Veith being quite excited about it. At the time I was just beginning to come out of my Right Wing mindset but for the most part still embraced it.

Veith and Mefferd on Fascism (Part 2/2)

Here's the link to the related piece from February 2014:

http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2014/02/postmodern-fascists.html

The Socialist Party Manifesto of 1936 reads, "It is now two years since the appearance of fascism in France. The great capitalists, dogged by declining profits and threatened privileges, fear lest the suffering people free themselves from the domination. They have subsidized and managed fascism."

Trinitarian Controversies are on the Horizon

Observing the theological struggles of our day it leads me to wonder what will the next big 'heresy' be?

In recent years we've seen challenges to God's Omniscience and Omnipotence in the teachings of Open Theism. From the Canon to many of the Fundamentals of Historic Christianity, scholars have been deconstructing historical understandings and re-contextualizing and re-interpreting them.

Revisionism, Manipulation and Distortion: The Conservative Re-Casting of The Civil Rights Movement and American Social History

For about the twentieth time in the past few months I heard yet again a reference to the fact that it was the Republicans who were the vanguard of the Abolitionist movement and that it was Democrats who compromised the primary membership of the KKK.

The implication is that Blacks should know who their real friends are. It is in fact the Democrats and their social programmes (including alleged eugenics and genocide) that are out to get them.

I've heard this explanation from both Conservative and Christian news sources.

Holy Week and The Temptation of the Tactile

I guess it's that time of year again, the Spring Equinox is coming and that means another full moon.

Dialogical Liturgy, Temple Emulation and Presbyterian Priestcraft

Conservatives are trying to steer their congregations away from 'contemporary worship' and rightly so. But because they still are following a flawed notion about what it is that we're doing when we gather they tend to drift toward High Church or what some people call 'liturgical' models of worship.

The meeting is not about entertaining an audience, nor is it about marketing a product. But it's not an emulation of the Old Testament temple either. While the more sober model is certainly preferable to the rock concert feel of modern services, they too have embraced in error in how they view the gathering.

This mindset, what I call the Temple Mindset is deeply held within cultural Christianity and there's little hope for real Reformation until it is broken.