Postscript: An Aesthetic both Transient and Transcendent

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XXII/Final)

We ought to understand that technology and art are not easily separated and both are to some extent inseparable from questions of epistemology and morality. Additionally, if we grasp that socially conservative attitudes toward the arts and culture (while inconsistent) cannot be divorced from their larger cultural narratives surrounding epistemology and previous generational progress and values, it behooves us (lest we be swept away by these powerful cultural forces and heavily promoted arguments) to apply the otherworldly and non-conformist ethos of the First Reformation to the present day. Our culture is in crisis and thus to many, the arguments made by conservatives seem very persuasive and grounding but from a New Testament perspective they are flawed at almost every level.

An otherworldly and non-conformist ethos leads us to a cultural posture and interaction that embraces neither the Classic nor the Enlightened. In fact in many ways we are better able to resonate with the postmodern critique and even the cynical. We benefit from critiques that expose the world system's inherent flaws and contradictions, that reveal it to be an idolatrous fraud and resting on transient and degenerating foundations – as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 7.29-31 and Romans 8.19-23. This should not upset us but rather drives us all the more toward the inescapable choice between dependence upon revelation and the hope it grants or a collapse into nihilism.

Postscript: Magisterial Protestantism's Cultural Legacy and Aesthetic Schizophrenia

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XXI)

This topic may seem off-base or represent a strange sidetrack and it must be admitted not all will be interested in this discussion or even be able to follow it. Nevertheless these are issues of practical importance, all the more given the way in which such questions (presented within the framework of a holistic system) permeate Evangelical discussions and dominate airwaves, pulpits, and an endless stream of books and cultural commentaries.

Postscript: Last Days Dualities and The Cult of Monism

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XX)

The dominant monism of today is a result of the Constantinian synthesis that birthed Christendom and the Scholastic impulse. Though a minority movement within the larger fold of Evangelicalism, Calvinism has also exercised considerable influence in terms of monistic thought and tendency.

Postscript: Pending Crises and Doctrinal Corollaries Viewed Through a First Reformational Lens

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XIX)

There are several additional areas that are relevant to the larger discussion of reform, the application of Scriptural authority and especially the question of Scriptural Sufficiency. These are all issues that have been visited throughout this larger body of writings. Not all require a hard-line stand, not all are what we might call gospel issues but given the scope of today's problem and since the ideas surrounding the question of reform and its implications are on the table, they're worthy of consideration.

The Covid Crisis in the Church at the End of 2020

What a catastrophe. What a shame and disgrace. Covid cases are increasing and even our small town newspaper is reflecting this – the obituary section keeps growing and inordinately so. But identity confusion reigns. Confusion over questions of 'Christian Citizenship' and the like have led to bifurcated ethics – a split between New Testament values and the Enlightenment rooted thought of the American system. Throw in the cultural mythology, decades of brainwashing, and conditioned consumerist individualism and we have a recipe for both heresy and disaster.

Inbox: Utilising the Decalogue

I have paraphrased the question(s) below:

If the Decalogue is technically defunct in the New Covenant era and yet still expresses the Eternal Law of God albeit in its specific Mosaic and Pre-Christ form - can it nevertheless be utilised by Christians to point out and expose sin?

A Final Appeal: The First Reformation Applied to the Contemporary Context (Part 2)

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XVIII)

While our Biblicist theology is necessarily high and has high regard for revealed mysteries and supernatural efficacious elements and means – our ecclesiology is about as low as it gets – but this in no way implies casualness or irreverence.

A Final Appeal: The First Reformation Applied to the Contemporary Context (Part 1)

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XVII)

The time is now.

These essays have attempted to survey Church history and re-cast it in a narrative frame at odds with the often tight, packaged, and frankly sometimes disingenuous renderings provided by denominational partisans and the advocates of Christendom – or the fiction that is often referred to as Judeo-Christian civilisation. This revisiting and questioning of common Protestant and Evangelical narratives of Church History is essential if one is to understand and navigate the present context.

An Indictment of Evangelicalism in Light of the First Reformation Imperative

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XVI)

The time is now.

The revisiting and recasting of Church History along with the aforementioned crises drive us to step back for a final time and to consider and survey the state of Evangelicalism and the magnitude of its compromise and its moral and spiritual collapse.

Asian Tensions and the Clash of Empires: Trump, Xi and the 19th Congress of the CCP

Has Xi extended his power or has he been rebuked and curtailed by elements within the Beijing bureaucracy? It depends on how you read the 19^th Congress and interpret its events.

Clearly on a war trajectory with the United States with the flashpoints being Taiwan and Hong Kong, one could argue that Xi's plans have been limited or restrained. The generals are resistant to his plans which would result in inevitable confrontation. No one doubts that Beijing could wound the American military – perhaps even inflict some stunning losses but ultimately the Chinese military thinks the cost would be too great. And for Xi, that would mean the end of his rule. And thus one interpretation was that this Congress represents a rebuke of Xi's aspirations.

And yet on the other hand Xi's maneuvering suggests a consolidation of power within the bureaucracy. In other words he's bit by bit setting himself up for more autonomy, for more comprehensive control which will become manifest in the near future. As master of the Beijing bureaucracy he won't easily be stopped.

The Moral Law: Ezekiel 20, the Sabbath, and the Decalogue

Moreover I also gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.(Ezekiel 20.12)

The Sabbath was a covenantal sign that was to 'mark out' the people of God as distinct from the Gentile nations. The Sabbath therefore was not universal, it was not a law that was to be applied in all places and at all times. This is actually fairly clear when one reads the Old Testament and it is even explicit in places like Ezekiel 20.12. It was a covenantal sign and as such was only binding upon those in union with Jehovah.

But this presents a real dilemma for some Christian groups today.

The First Reformation and the Present Ecclesiastical Crisis

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XV)

The time is now. Dominionism and the reactionary re-casting of Sacralism in the wake of 19^th and 20^th century secularism is on the verge of swallowing up the remaining (if paltry) testimony of the First Reformation, its lifeline to the Early Church and New Testament Christianity.

Afghanistan and Iraq at the End of the Trump Era

The panicked reaction to Trump's planned troop withdrawal from both Iraq and Afghanistan has been palpable. The media and the US Establishment in general are hostile to the move and trying to sound the alarm. And yet at the same time they struggle with providing solid reasons for remaining in these seemingly endless conflicts – both of which have gone sideways and evolved into something other than what they originally were purported to be.

Pluralism, Modernity, and the Third Constantinian Shift

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XIV)

Once again we are reminded of the strange relationship between separatist Christianity and the forces of secularisation and how the pluralism generated by the latter leads to a more congenial environment for the Church than the monistic sacralism of the Constantinian paradigm. Indeed in addition to the folk of the First Reformation, even the early beleaguered Magisterial Protestants understood that an environment of pagan or even secular opposition is preferable than persecution at the hands of a hostile Christendom. Better a Turk than a Habsburg is a lost sentiment but in light of today's Dominionism and its aspirations it's one we would do well to reconsider. While I don't think the Dominionists are going to 'win' today's struggle they are nevertheless scoring 'victories' and if they should win and attain the cultural supremacy they so badly want – the old phrase will once more have relevance even though the context is very different. They won't hesitate to use the power of the state to silence Christians who oppose them and use the Bible to expose their error.

The Blind Facilitators

https://www.aomin.org/aoblog/christian-worldview/where-we-stand-how-church-history-can-help-but-only-so-far/

Though he's a bit late to the discussion I'm glad to see some other Christian leaders come to the realisation that persecution and state oppression are going to look different in the 21^st century. The technological leaps are such that old methods of underground life are going to be quite different in this new age. I think the biggest struggle for White and all those who run in his circles will be the end of middle class life and affluence.

The Legacy of the Second Constantinian Shift and the Threat of Secularism

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XIII)

Not all among the Czech Brethren and Waldensians greeted the Magisterial Reformation with joy. Some were alarmed and not a little put off by some of the ideas which they believed were being forced upon them by the Reformers. There was (at least in the case of the Cottian valleys) a degree of resentment with regard to the patronising attitude which they encountered from Guillaume Farel and what would become the Calvinist wing of the Reformation.

First Reformation Primitivism and the Second Constantinian Shift

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XII)

The First Reformation it would seem embraced theological primitivism – unelaborated and limited doctrinal concepts. Like the Early Church they weren't terribly worried about seeming contradictions or doctrines that seemed to defy sense-experience or logical categories tied to it.

Transgressing the Celestial Order

Why The Church Must Reject Politics (Part II)

Peter knows that these teachers will be engaged in activity that will lead to the Church being associated with evil action. In his second epistle he also speaks of those who despise government and speak evil of dignities.

Providence, Power and Second-Class Citizenship

Why The Church Must Reject Politics (Part I)

These are questions that I have addressed many times but I'll address some specific points that have been raised and are worthy of consideration given the present moment.

Romans 13 makes it abundantly clear that the powers that be are ordained by God and to resist the power is to invite judgment and condemnation.

Competing Kingdom and Doctrinal Narratives: The First Reformation versus Twentieth Century Dominionism

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (XI)

The first half of the Twentieth Century saw the collapse of the Kingdom-progress narrative and eventually an attempt was made to re-cast it but this time in much more specific and deliberate terms. Postmillennialism didn't die but it took a backseat. However its ethos was perpetuated in the form of Dominionism – a theological spectrum that was able to penetrate virtually every facet and faction of the Protestant and Evangelical movements.

The Legacy of First Reformation Separatism versus Magisterial Protestantism's Establishment Ethos (1517-1914)

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (X)

There is value in a further elaboration of this contrast between the First and Magisterial Reformations and thus as an exercise it's worth briefly surveying the latter's historical and ethical legacy as it transitioned from the Renaissance era into modernity.

New Testament Christianity, Homeschooling and the Collapse of French Pluralism

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/8340/evangelicals-react-to-frances-plans-to-fight-islamist-separatism

I am certain that attitudes have changed in Europe since I spent considerable time there in the 1990's. At that time homeschooling was novel and while it was becoming popular in the United States, such expressions of individualism and counter-culture were not popular in Europe – even among Christians.

The First Reformation and Magisterial Reformation Contrasted

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (IX)

Another way of reviewing and emphasizing the characteristics of the First Reformation and the various proto-Protestant movements is to juxtapose and contrast them with the Magisterial Reformation and the type of Protestantism that it produced. This is seen in two areas – doctrine and ethics. Questions of Biblical authority and general understandings of how doctrine functions were answered differently. And, there were profound differences in how the First and Second Reformations interacted with society, power, wealth and the state. In other words the two movements had radically different concepts of ethics in light of the Scriptures – at which point we will begin.

Waldensian Historiography

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (VIII)

The question of Waldensian placement becomes complicated as they transcend the three epochs we're touching upon – the pre-Schism First Reformation, the post-Schism shift and fragmentation, and finally the Magisterial Reformation.

The Hussite Spectrum

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (VII)

The Great Schism which erupted in 1378 generated a new wave of dissent which while not unrelated to the earlier movements and impulses, nevertheless generated more radical factions which for a season took up the sword. These movements failed and yet in most cases the core ideas and commitments endured and the survivors would eventually merge back into the non-violent sword and coin rejecting, non-Sacralist and separatist posture of the movement's first wave. They would not be challenged or tempted again with regard to Sacralism until the time of the Magisterial Reformation.

Supreme Ironies: The Coney Barrett Nomination

(updated and amended)†

Taking in all the drama and pending procedural battles over the Amy Coney Barrett nomination I was struck by the numerous ironies that are at work. Given that the background has grown rather complicated it's something that few outlets bother to probe or pursue. And yet there's an interesting story and both political factions come out looking pretty bad.

The First Reformation

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (VI)

Some would date the First Reformation to the era of The Great Schism (1378-1417) when the papacy was split between the Avignon and Rome factions. Lollardy proper (it is argued) arose in England during this period and Czech Hussitism arose immediately after it. The already established Waldensians also flourished during this era and some believe the period represents a first wave of doctrinal protest movements – a case of all of these groups (to varying degrees) appealing to the Scriptures to argue against the developments within Catholicism.

Dissent Before the Gregorian Reform and the Placement of Celtic Christianity

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (V)

The growing apostasy at work in the post-Constantinian period was challenged and it seems clear there was a lasting testimony of extra-Roman and anti-Roman resistance well into the Dark Ages. A dissenting geographic belt (deemed heretical by Rome) would appear cutting across the Pyrenees through Southern France and across the Alps into Northern Italy. With Switzerland serving as a knot, another branch roughly followed the course of the Rhine through Germany and the Low Countries.  

The Oracular Mark and Historiography

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (IV)

The following is by no means exhaustive but it is my hope that it provides an alternative (or at least a working alternative) basis for a metanarrative to Church History. While I've been critical of the aforementioned narratives the concept of a metanarrative itself is not invalid – even while it has its dangers. Painting with a fairly broad brush I hope to establish some principles that will (in the most general of terms) provide a framework for an alternative view that some will identify as a kind of Third Way – a positive narrative that avoids the traps and pitfalls of both Roman Catholicism (and by implication Eastern Orthodoxy) and Magisterial Protestantism.

Metanarratives of Church History: Mercersburg, Confessionalism, and Landmarkism

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (III)

Nevin imposes a theological paradigm and metanarrative on his reading of Church History but ignores the fact that the New Testament repeatedly and forcefully warns of apostasy and appeals to the Old Testament as a pattern which is replete with examples of corruption, defection and compromise. In other words the Scriptures all but told us to expect this course in terms of the history of the Church and yet Nevin's progression paradigm has no room for it.

Testimonies of Early Dissent

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (II)

In his Early Christianity series, Nevin goes on to attack figures like Aerius, Jovinian and Vigilantius – all 4^th century dissenters treated by his colleague Philip Schaff in vol. 3 of his History of the Christian Church.

Nevin argues these figures and groups were aberrations and represented no serious opposition to the post-Constantinian changes – but we cannot accept this verdict.

Nevin's Early Christianity

Recovering the First Reformation - Toward a Proto-Protestant Narrative of Church History (I)

The study of Church History is one dominated by narratives. For some it's a question of progress, a narrative of the application of principles, the expansion of the Kingdom in the form of Christendom and for others it's a story of remnant groups persevering in the face of apostasy and relentless persecution. Needless to say variations of the former model have proven to be far more popular and marketable.

Anti-Masking, 9/11 and Nero (Part 2)

In the grand scheme of things we can say this – wearing a mask is a small price to pay, a small inconvenience especially if it helps to prevent spread and potentially save lives.

But even if it's a large price to pay – as Christians we can say the following with confidence –

Wearing a mask is not sinful. Therefore if it's the law, we're compelled to do it – at least outside the gathering of the church and outside the home. Whether they are worn in the church or home is for the leaders of those domains to decide in a Christ-honouring Biblically reasoned fashion.

Anti-Masking, 9/11 and Nero (Part 1)

After 9/11, it was the Right-wing and the political Conservatives who supported the suspending of rights. They supported the curtailing of speech and censorship. Privacy was eliminated as was due process – not to mention cruel and unusual punishment. State prerogatives were superseded by the new Federal juggernaut. To many scholars and principled liberals, the Constitution had been eviscerated and in particular the key planks found within the Bill of Rights.

Trump +1307: Middle Eastern Geopolitics, Switching Alliances and American Absenteeism (II)

As previously mentioned, the explosion in Beirut was quickly capitalised on by France's Macron – the Americans are absent, and thus other Western powers like the French are stepping in. Macron as the former colonial power has inserted itself into the Lebanese situation and is already floating an overhaul of the Civil War settlement which established the sectarian blocs that rule the country. Despite this settlement, in practical terms, oligarchs control the government and  Hezbollah controls large sections of Lebanon's Northeast and South and a political shake-up could mean a challenge to Hezbollah's control – the very thing Macron and others would like to see.

Trump +1307: Middle Eastern Geopolitics, Switching Alliances and American Absenteeism (I)

It is really in the realm of foreign policy that Trump has upset the American Establishment in the strongest of terms – and I'm not referring to the failed Russiagate scandal. As a vehicle to remove him from office that plot failed but in the meantime his presidency has marked some other significant changes and in some settings and theatres his haphazard pursuit of policy has resulted in change – largely in terms of instability and a serious decline in American influence and standing.

The Burning of Bibles and the Evangelical Response

Reports have come out regarding street protestors burning Bibles. Already upset by the taking down of statues and monuments, this story has pushed many Evangelicals over the edge and while the imagery of the Scriptures being burned is troublesome, there is also cause for concern to be found in the Evangelical response.

High Place Hermeneutics – The Spirit of Balaam-Hananiah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtdPoLDl5jU

At 4:44, Jordan Hall engages in a classic syncretistic move of bait and switch. Juxtaposing the holy covenantal inheritance due to Esau and the inheritance gained and earned by American patriots who through work and war built the nation Hall has sold his soul to – he engages in a basic hermeneutical and theological fallacy and yet one well known to students of the Scripture and those who continue to watch American Evangelicalism with a wary eye.

Three Shots Fired at Moscow

The Anti-Russian campaign is in full swing. It might as well be 1950, 1961 or 1983. It's reaching that kind of intensity.

First, we're told that Russian affiliated hackers attempted to steal data related to development of a Covid-19 vaccine. These hacks targeted Western pharmaceutical companies that are currently involved in the research and development.

The Context of MacArthur's Flawed Stand Regarding the Church, State and Covid-19

With regard to state mandates directed at churches, I completely support the rejection of state authority. The state has no business in the affairs of the Church but unfortunately the Church (generally speaking) has confused the issue on at least two fronts.

The Membership-Marriage Fallacy and Other Ecclesiastical Sophisms

https://www.reformation21.org/blog/join-or-die

The introduction to this article is not unsound. We must be part of a congregation but the question of 'joining' begs the question with regard to a denominational polity.

Membership Chaos within the Confessional Presbyterian Context (Part 2)

As you pursue communicant membership, rest assured that he who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:23–24). Amen. 

Apart from the terminology and conceptualisation of 'communicant membership', the statement is not unsound. And yet it is lacking. To be fair it was not the author's intent to provide an exhaustive statement and yet I think this is important. He rightly emphasizes the need for good works and the Philippian exhortation is tied to the concept of perseverance – an idea that permeates the New Testament and yet must be distinguished from the deduced and popular but erroneous concept of eternal security.

Membership Chaos within the Confessional Presbyterian Context (Part 1)

This brief statement on membership caught my eye while perusing New Horizons, the OPC monthly that I continue to follow even though I departed the OPC about twenty years ago. My early Christian days were in connection with that denomination and while I would never even consider regularly attending another one – I still follow its trajectory and movements and though the numbers grow fewer, there are still people I know (or knew) within its fold.

Anabaptist Storm Clouds on the Horizon (Part 4)

Returning to the conservative Mennonites, the legalism of the Amish seems to be diluted (though still present) and largely replaced with a spirit of capitulation. This is what I think of when I see conservative Mennonites inviting John Stonestreet to speak. Have things gone that badly in their community, with their youth that they're willing to hear a culture-sanctifying, worldly, compromised Evangelical leader who regularly promotes feminism to come and teach them about how to navigate the world of technology and the computer age?

Anabaptist Storm Clouds on the Horizon (Part 3)

Some factions such as those associated with the founding of Sattler College have openly embraced mainstream life with its technology and economic order. Though still reckoned among the conservative Anabaptist spectrum, this shift in attitude represents an embrace of a nascent Dominionism. This inclusion of its conception of vocation in which one's daily occupation is a holy Kingdom-oriented task has landed them in a place not too distant from the world-compromised and affected liberals who in the post-war era sought an activist role within society.

Anabaptist Storm Clouds on the Horizon (Part 2)

In some post-war Mennonite circles apolitical nonresistance was transformed into tacit uncritical endorsement of the world system. The war was a crisis for these movements which fragmented them and sent the various factions in different directions and yet both liberal and conservative groups (perhaps for different reasons) embraced secular education.

Anabaptist Storm Clouds on the Horizon (Part 1)

In December 2019 I was visiting the Mennonite website for The Sword and Trumpet and was rather stunned to find that their Spring 2020 colloquy was hosting John Stonestreet of BreakPoint. He was to address the conservative Mennonite assemblage on issues of media and technology.

A Heretic Born on the Fifth of July

As we are in high-patriotic season when it comes to the American liturgical calendar I thought it apropos to recall this speaker I heard being aggressively pushed on local Christian radio stations in 2019.

Revisiting World Magazine and Olasky's Social Calvinism (Part 2)

Section five is a celebration of Social Calvinism's greatest innovation and perhaps one of its greatest sins – the fictitious and wicked doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate – the idea that it's permissible and even obligatory for men to take up the sword against their ruler as long as they do it under the aegis of a lesser (or lower ranking) magistrate who is (supposedly) on the basis of law acting to curb tyranny.

Revisiting World Magazine and Olasky's Social Calvinism (Part 1)

https://world.wng.org/content/social_calvinism

I first came across World Magazine in the 1990's after I returned to the United States and started frequenting Reformed churches. It was marketed to me as the Christian answer to liberal Time magazine and as it was easy enough to find copies on book tables in church foyers and other locales I certainly read my fair share of the magazine.

The End of World War II in Europe: Establishment Narratives and Bircher Conspiracies (Part 2)

The Stab in the Back and the Communist Plots

There are conspiracies to be sure. I've already mentioned some of them. The US strategy was to betray its ally the USSR into doing about 80% of the fighting in Europe and tens of millions died as a result. Churchill wanted to hold on to the British Empire and was conniving to control Western Europe – thus he was attempting manipulate the post-war order – leading to not only the handing over of Eastern Europe but the massive (and tragic) repatriation of Soviet prisoners and other units that had joined with the Germans to fight against the USSR. As a result thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands more anti-Soviet elements would die in the years following 1945.

The End of World War II in Europe: Establishment Narratives and Bircher Conspiracies (Part 1)

The Race for Berlin

The final days and aftermath of the European theatre of World War II is a topic that still generates some controversy even seventy-five years after the events. Competing nations have their respective narratives regarding the defeat of Nazi Germany and who can rightly claim to have 'won the war'.

Additionally there is the popular perception of the history, a neat and tidy narrative of 'good guys and bad guys' and then there is the reality – a rather messy, confusing and even contradictory series of events that defies the narratives, upsets some and generates controversies and suspicion of conspiracy in others.

Libertarianism and The Oligarchic Progression

Some forms of libertarianism posit a near anarchic view of society in which government is minimal and many of the functions and services commonly associated with the state are privatised or in some cases eliminated.

This thinking fails to take into account the vacuums that are created in society by a lack of explicit authority. As many have repeatedly pointed out, corporations actually want laws to provide a framework for contracts and some libertarians will allow for this to some degree. But they fail to take into account that as companies turn into monopolies, an economic oligarchy begins to develop – the corporations turn into a corporatocracy.

Biblicism: A Concise Statement and Clarification

This is largely a summary of the previous piece found here:

https://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2020/04/inbox-elaboration-of-biblicism-i.html

Biblicism is in this case, an embraced epithet describing a more robust and thorough understanding of Scriptural Authority. The Scriptures are authoritative and sufficient in all things relating to Church life and doctrine. Though many agree with this statement they nevertheless subvert and undermine Sufficiency by employing a host of methods which in the end reveal the Scriptures are not actually their supreme authority.

The Moscow Abomination, Sacralist Worldview and Memorial Day (Part 2)

From the anti-sacralist Two Kingdom standpoint of New Testament Christianity, the aforementioned thin line between Church and State is in fact an insurmountable wall.***

Christians do not celebrate war. They do not take up the sword. They do not seek revenge and they do not put themselves in service to mammon. As such, Christians are necessarily divorced from the cultural mainstream and cannot have any part in the political apparatus. Life of course is complicated and saints have at times found themselves in difficult situations and have been pulled into realms and spheres that they did not seek. These realities are part of life in a fallen world. But this is quite different from a mode of thinking that not only embraces these categories but sanctifies and glorifies them.

The Moscow Abomination, Sacralist Worldview and Memorial Day (Part 1)

https://www.rferl.org/a/inside-moscows-new-military-megachurch/30580784.html

I happened to turn to the website affiliated with Radio CIA and discovered this story. Radio Free Europe is biased to be sure but there are sometimes hints of interesting stories and in other cases messages are communicated that tell me more about the reporter than the subject being reported.

Most Westerners will find this Nationalist Orthodox Cathedral to be a disgusting thing and rightly so. It is offensive – but I say that not as an American or Westerner or someone committed to Liberal ideals. Rather I say it as a Christian. This cathedral represents Sacralism on full display.

Stonestreet's Anti-Feminism: An Endorsement of Feminism (Part 2)

The truth is there has been a profound shift within Evangelical culture. In the 1970's there was still enough of the old Fundamentalism at work in how people viewed the family so that those who broke with the old order did so not so much out of ideological commitment but due to pragmatics and questions of financial stress. They weren't fans of Stanton, Anthony or Steinem but were people (in many cases) trying to hold on to the Middle Class lifestyle. This continued into the 1980's but more embraced the new model because lifestyles were changing and in many parts of the country housing prices were making it very difficult to live on one income.

Then the 1990's happened – the decade of decadence and debt. A new over-the-top lifestyle emerged and with it came a new theology – a theology of empowerment and prosperity. It affected all Evangelical circles, not just the sphere of tacky Charismatic televangelists. Christian career women started to become the norm but there were still tensions. The Culture War of the period drove many to reconsider what had been happening and there were certainly groups reacting to it – but for many a new theology was emerging that not only sanctioned the new feminism, it theologised it and embraced it.

Stonestreet's Anti-Feminism: An Endorsement of Feminism (Part 1)

https://www.breakpoint.org/women-at-work/

It's no wonder people are confused. What we have here is a feminist argument to counter more extreme forms of feminism. Evangelicals have in recent years largely embraced the early stages of feminism, even lionising the likes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony – once largely reviled figures in the Evangelical world. And they have in other instances rejected as 'sexism' the Bible's ordering of the family and marriage.

The Last Prophet and the Implications of the Terminal Epoch (Part 2)

This is the End. There will be no other era of history after this but a new creation. The prophets announce these shifts in epoch, they point to their coming and indeed in one sense the Old Testament prophets pointed to the Kingdom of Heaven. But in these last days there is but one Prophet, the fulfillment of all prophetic typologies. There will be no new prophets to announce a new era. The prophecies have all been spoken – at least the revelatory prophecies have. That's how short the time is. Everything is done – Christ is coming. Even so come, Lord Jesus.****

Those who claim to be revelatory prophets today are deceived deceivers. There are no more prophets for this age – there's nothing to prophesy about. The word has been given.

The Last Prophet and the Implications of the Terminal Epoch (Part 1)

Hebrews 1.1-2 teaches us that the time of the prophets has ended with the advent of the Last Days – this provisional epoch which is related to the Coming of Christ. The Last Days are identified by The Prophet – Christ Himself.

Opposition versus Oppositional Journalism

While complete objectivity is impossible, oppositional journalism expresses a certain degree of cynicism with regard to power, and thus in that posture can avoid many partisan traps. All power and all power players are suspect and their claims need to be investigated and challenged. Oppositional journalism will also recognise there are multiple sides to a story and multiple interests and their various concerns and angles ought to be explored – and such explorations will contextualise the proclamations and actions made by those in power.

Inbox: A Gospel Tract

The Gospel of Scripture vs. Today's Gospel

The gospel message is simple enough. But to present it in a few paragraphs? Well, that's not so easy especially if you want the presentation to be contextualised to our contemporary audience. Well, here's an attempt and given the nature of the exercise I'm not going to saturate it with Scriptural quotations – though I hope many will recognise it as Scriptural and as something that employs a great deal of Scriptural language. This is the message in summary – in a kind of tract or written-preached form:

The Covid-19 Protests (III) – Why Christians Need to Pay Attention

While all of this is certainly concerning I was far more troubled when I watched the protest videos closely and spent some time examining the signage. A lot of it has a 'Christian' theme to it.

The Covid-19 Protests (II) – Trumpism and Trump Country

These protests express militancy and an insurrectionist character. Not everyone is carrying a gun to be sure but there are large numbers of armed men dressed in military fashion and many are organised, part of paramilitary organisations. While some people are scared of the state power grab in shutting down and heavily regulating the economy, others are expressing fears of a growing fascist movement and the potential for paramilitary violence. They see a parallel state developing, centered around the leadership and personality of Trump.

The Covid-19 Protests (I) – The Dangers to Society

Over the past week or so there has been a rash of protests, groups of people congregating outside government buildings and in violation of the current rules regarding 'distancing' and 'mass gatherings'. They gather to publicly resist US and state policy with regard to the economic shutdown and the various guidelines surrounding 'stay at home' policies and the like.

Inbox: An Elaboration of Biblicism (III)

A third consideration which while hinted at above, requires further elaboration, this is the relationship between Authoritative Sufficiency and Biblicism:

Worldviewism is a philosophical construct rooted in Sacralist assumption and inference and as such posits the Sufficiency of Scripture in terms of a holistic vision for the transformation and sanctification of culture. This is in fact a de-covenantalised abuse of the doctrine of Sufficiency.

Inbox: An Elaboration of Biblicism (II)

Second, we must also wrestle with some basic questions surrounding the relationship between Biblicism and hermeneutics:

There will be considerable overlap in the discussion as these issues are not easily sundered.

Inbox: An Elaboration of Biblicism (I)

What is meant by Biblicism? Like so many terms this can be confusing because people mean different things by it and define it in different ways. I am constantly arguing that Sola Scriptura is largely meaningless when it's restricted to just questions of soteriology, or when it's divorced from the doctrine of Sufficiency or even when it's separated from a concept such as the Providential Preservation of the Holy Text.

Mohlerian Hermeneutics and Coronavirus Theology (Part 2)

The analogies provided by Mohler fail on so many levels. Even the Leviticus example refers to individuals contracting diseases. There's no suggestion of mass quarantine. I read the article to my kids at the dinner table and did not reveal its author. Even my teenage daughter started picking it apart and was able to identify its basic problems.

Mohlerian Hermeneutics and Coronavirus Theology (Part 1)

https://albertmohler.com/2020/03/26/obedience-to-god-and-love-of-neighbor-in-the-face-of-a-coronavirus-a-christians-mandate

Albert Mohler offers what he calls the biblical approach to the responsibility laid upon us with regard to governing authorities. These are questions of hermeneutics and theology, the interpretation of the Scriptures and how these ideas are woven together and integrated into a larger system of ideas and practices. In other words the theology he presents (as is the case with all theology) will bear fruit in the realm of ethics.

Hungary: Orban and the Habsburgs Together

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/hungarys-secret-weapon-catholic-nobility

It's a seemingly innocuous article and interview and yet I found it fascinating. It was an opportunity to revisit chapters of the past that I know well and to connect a few dots and explore a few avenues that I hadn't previously considered in depth.

Coronavirus: Ecclesiastical Developments

I can say without qualification that I have been grieved by the mainstream Church's response to this outbreak. As I've talked about in other pieces, I believe the Church (broadly speaking) has been too quick to bow to the state and its dictates, its declaration that the assembly of the Church is something less than an 'essential service'.

I am grieved because Church leaders have handed over the authority of definition to the state but again this in some respects isn't all that surprising. It's the culmination of a long trajectory of compromise and capitulation.

The Lessons of Herbert Hoover and the Failed System of Capitalism

There has been resistance in some quarters to the proposed stimulus plan which will send out checks to the American public. In many ways it's rightly viewed as somewhat crazy – borrow or effectively print money to give to people. Take the government even deeper into debt so that citizens will have money to spend. What kind of economics is that?

Coronavirus Ecclesiology

updated 27 Mar 2020

As I continue to watch the developments and fallout from the Coronavirus episode I am coming to believe this is a watershed moment for the American Church.

Evangelicals and Their Children: The Crisis of Kids at Home

I have heard through family and friends that many are lamenting the fact that their kids are now at home due to school closures. There is apparently some stress or crisis resulting from the family being brought together and forced to spend long hours in each other's company. It's a sad commentary on the degenerate state of the family in this society and apparently within the Church that echoes it.

Facebook Church

On the one hand it could be argued that the presently available technology is a blessing as due to the medical emergency it would seem (for a time) that churches are unable to congregate. If viewed strictly as a temporary measure, I could see some benefit from it as a 'better than nothing' but less than ideal (or adequate) alternative.

A Confused but Instructive Narrative Regarding Dominionism and its Effects (Part 2)

As the Western system moves through the various phases of capitalism we've reached a point in which the old middle class is disappearing. There are those moving up into a middle class that a previous generation would have called 'rich' and then there are those getting knocked down into the working class or the working poor.

A Confused but Instructive Narrative Regarding Dominionism and its Effects (Part 1)

https://longreads.com/2020/01/10/the-price-of-dominionist-theology/

Despite many problems with the essay, from factual mistakes to the worldly wisdom on full unabashed display, it remains a compelling read.

The Dynamics and Ethics of Lawbreaking (Part 2)

Someday, will I operate my business 'under the table' because the laws have become impossible to comply with? I hope not but if it comes down to eating, then I might. If it's a matter of having enough money for my $100,000 house, my retirement account, or the ability to drive my SUV, then I won't. And no fear, since I don't have any of these things, such questions are moot and there's no temptation either.

The Dynamics and Ethics of Lawbreaking (Part 1)

In recent articles I have discussed questions of persecution and punishment, of those who suffer as a result of the gospel versus those who are answering for their lawbreaking which is all too often rooted in political activism.

Trueman, Biblicism and Oberman's Contrived Tradition Schema (Part 2)

Biblicism and the rejection of Classical Metaphysics go together and this collapse ought to be celebrated. While we do not endorse Kantian epistemology, his exposure of Western Metaphysics as a paper castle was in the end helpful. It should have allowed the Bible-believing churches to break free from the Sacralist-Scholastic tradition and its centuries of syncretistic philosophical theologizing. The error (I think) is that many self-proclaimed Biblicists have like dogs returning to vomit re-embraced Sacralist frameworks of thought and many retain Baconian ideas concerning epistemology as well as Classical and Evidentialist forms of apologetics. And thus once again Aristotle and company are placed in a state of rivalry with the Scripture and its claims.  

Trueman, Biblicism and Oberman's Contrived Tradition Schema (Part 1)

https://journal.rts.edu/article/reforming-god/

Trueman has been talking about Socinianism as of late so this article wasn't a surprise and as expected he raises some interesting points. And yet, as usual I also take some exception to his argument.

Of course the Trinity is central to Christian thought and while Trueman acknowledges the importance of one's view of Scripture, I think he loses his way on this overall point. Scripture is indeed the central authority and our doctrine of the Trinity must necessarily flow from it.

Cultural Christianity or Antithesis: The Means of Sanctification and the Tools of Kingdom Growth (Part 2)

The Sermon on the Mount is a profound section of Scripture and yet it is one that sacralists actually take great exception to. Not openly of course but it is striking that it is the very words of Christ that they really struggle with the most.

Cultural Christianity or Antithesis: The Means of Sanctification and the Tools of Kingdom Growth (Part 1)

In a recent piece I cited a quote from Dominionist teacher and Charles Colson protégé John Stonestreet wherein he suggested that cultural Christianity has real benefits. It's better for people to go to church even if it's for the wrong reasons. And by implication it's better for people to go to a bad, theologically compromised church than none at all or to have those churches disappear from the street corner.

The Hospitality Argument Regarding the Angels and Sodom

The ancient Greek myth regarding Philemon and Baucis tells the story of an impoverished couple visited by Zeus and Hermes in the guise of men. The gods had already traveled through the area and had received no hospitality. The poorest and most destitute household, that of Philemon and Baucis welcomed the gods and were even willing to slaughter their precious goose in order to put on a proper spread.

Wal-Mart and the Library of Sodom

Once again I recently found myself in a Wal-Mart and as usual I perused the book section. It's instructive because of the fact that Wal-Mart is only interested in carrying a relatively small number of books that are guaranteed to sell. In other words Wal-Mart carries the best-selling books within certain categories and of course it also targets its demographics, the types of people that shop in its store.

Stonestreet's Hat Trick (Part 2)

On 9 January 2020, Stonestreet addressed the situation in China. Citing the imprisonment of Wang Yi, Stonestreet seems ignorant to the fact that Beijing would consider Wang a threat due to his open collaboration with the American Empire. Once again while I think Beijing's policies are deplorable and bestial, Wang is not suffering for the gospel but for his political activism.

Stonestreet's Hat Trick (Part 1)

John Stonestreet has taken up the mantle of Charles Colson and promotes his Dominionist Theology through the BreakPoint outlet which runs its daily commentaries on Christian radio stations all across the United States. I often listen but very rarely do I agree with what is said. Even when Stonestreet is right, it's usually for the wrong reasons. Their religion is not the Christianity of Scripture but is instead Capitalist Western Civilisation, a kind of Christo-Americanism. Though ostensibly Protestant their version of Christian Sacralism is particularly broad and easily embraces everything from Roman Catholicism to significant elements within the theologically liberal mainline. What really matters for Stonestreet is that everyone is engaged in trying to build Christian culture, whatever that means.

Jeremiah 3: Covenant Lands and Kerygma Colonies

The marriage language of Jeremiah 3 contains the common Covenant language with regard to blessings and curses. This is why some have posited the existence of a Covenant of Works (or typological Edenic reiteration) overlay to the already extant covenant arrangements. On an individual level salvation was by grace through faith but corporately speaking, as a people the Israelites were in a works-based arrangement. Obedience meant staying in the land and disobedience meant to be cast out from it, to be under curse.

Inbox: Chan, Communion and Transubstantiation

I'm not terribly familiar with Francis Chan and I must confess that I've never been particularly motivated to look into him or his teachings. However I've noticed his name being recently tossed about regarding some comments he made on the topic of Communion and an apparent favourable disposition toward the Roman Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation.

Wang Yi Isn't Being Persecuted, He's Being Punished (Part 2)

Wang Yi could have refused the state and continued to function as a leader in the church. Resulting punishment would be persecution. But instead he chose to actively disobey the law and his activities ranged far beyond the mandate of the Church. He chose to ignore building and business laws in order to construct a sizable facility and to run a business outside the strictures of the law. He committed a crime and while tangentially related to Church activity it was in fact outside its purview. His malformed and imported ecclesiology and confusion regarding the Kingdom and Classical (Enlightenment) Liberalism led him to believe that what he was doing was somehow part of his Christian duty. He was fool but unfortunately not a fool for Christ and he's paying a price for it, something the Scriptures warned about.

Wang Yi Isn't Being Persecuted, He's Being Punished (Part 1)

Early Rain Covenant Church leader Wang Yi has been sentenced to nine years in prison, a harsh sentence by any measure, but these are hard times in China. The Church is suffering a state clampdown and the state itself is under great stress. Great power politics, domestic politics, the threat of external war and internal dissent have created a volatile situation, and Wang Yi has walked right into the middle of it.

Inbox: Why the Focus on Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics? (Part 2)

Such exposés reveal the world is broken, wicked, corrupt and that in reality there are no 'good guys' to be found. There are lesser and greater evils. We are pilgrims, suffering exiles and cross-bearers. The world is at ease, building its kingdoms. It hates the forces that oppose it whether their aims are political or not. As fallen man is a political creature he is not capable of understanding our mindset and posture and thus he will be suspicious of us and ultimately because we will not bow and submit to his idolatry... he will hate us. Sadly the same is true of those who profess Christ but still give themselves to the same fleshly political impulse.

Inbox: Why the Focus on Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics? (Part 1)

I've received more than a few questions along these lines. To some it almost seems like an obsession or to others a waste of time.