The Story of a Fool and the Jezebel from Cleveland, Tennessee

This is the story of Ron, a man I've known for about thirty years. We worked together many years ago and have collaborated on projects from time to time. For a lost person, Ron was a decent enough guy in that he had a strong work ethic and tried to be honest in his dealings - though even this could at times get a little fuzzy. There were numerous occasions in which Ron would have liked to form a business partnership with me, which I was never interested in doing. As a Christian I knew we could never run a business together as even our notions of fair and honest treatment of people differed. We would be unequally yoked as the apostle puts it. Ron wanted to make some money and have some status and respect in society. He was also a workaholic - often going seven days a week. Our values were very different and in reality we had little in common apart from shared work and the experiences associated with that.

Piety and an Oversimplified Dichotomy

https://christoverall.com/article/concise/which-way-christian-a-contrast-of-david-platts-radical-and-michael-hortons-ordinary/

Chad Lawrence is keen to warn his audience against forms of Pietism and thinks he's found it hiding in the works of New Calvinist author David Platt.

Platt's 'Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream' was released in 2010 and made a splash in Evangelical circles. Platt's work has some problems to be sure - he rightly wants to counter American consumerist norms but equates the rejection with a model of piety which is expressed by means of the highly flawed and corrupt 'missions'-ministry approach common in modern Evangelicalism and a kind of missional approach which tends toward an agenda of social transformation. And for the record, a mega-church is hardly the venue for Pietism to sink roots.

Bircher Evangelicals Praise Trump and Worship America - Even While They Spurn Zion and Spit on Christ

 An email newsletter arrived in my inbox from VCY-Crosstalk, which should rightly be called Bircher Radio. They are mouthpieces for that organisation (JBS) and its disinformation campaigns. They echo its views and frequently give a platform to its spokesmen. Some of the statements in the newsletter are eye opening and I thought it warranted some commentary and response. The text of the email newsletter is in italics while my comments are in standard font.

The Persistent Myth Regarding Moscow and Covid

On numerous occasions in conversation and from the pulpit I have heard Christians appealing to the example of Doug Wilson and his followers in Moscow, Idaho. Inspired by their resistance to 'Covid Tyranny' in the fall of 2020, this group is being held up as an example of courage and Christian conduct.

Little do these Wilson fans realize, what they deem inspiration is in fact a source of shame, and rather than call attention to an example of heroism and Christian fortitude, they in fact trumpet their own lack of discernment.

The False Dilemma of the 2022 Election

Albert Mohler and other Evangelicals are right, we as Christians cannot vote for Democrats. Amen. And they go further and suggest those that do so fall under condemnation. Amen to that as well.

The Last of the Theonomic Three: Scary Gary North (1942-2022)

https://www.garynorth.com/public/23334.cfm

He was 'Scary Gary' to many – a reference to his cantankerous style. An original member of the Theonomic Three and its last survivor, he married RJ Rushdoony's daughter – a connection I know many did not make.

I encountered him early on in my Christian life. I remember receiving materials in the mail from Still Waters Revival Books. They tirelessly promoted the Theonomic line and in my files I still have many of their pamphlets headed by Bahnsen, Rushdoony, and Gary North.

Christmas 2021: AOC Shames the Evangelicals

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2021/12/09/ocasio-cortez-slams-republicans-over-gun-toting-christmas-photos/

What a sad moment. Ocasio-Cortez the much vilified Democratic representative from New York and member of the hated 'Squad' has spoken truth – and a truth that puts Evangelicals to shame.

Kovalik on the American Empire and its March to War (Part I)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/10/29/what-are-the-prospects-for-peace-an-interview-with-dan-kovalik/

This was a good and insightful interview with much to consider. Kovalik's 'The Plot to Scapegoat Russia' caught my eye a few years ago. Kovalik is one of the few voices on the Left that's critical of the Democratic Party and its increasingly hysterical Anti-Russia campaign. This conversation is wide-ranging and touches on several important issues, ones critical to understand if we're to navigate the present situation and filter the many voices that seek to dominate our thinking.

Siemon-Nietto on Vietnam: No Wisdom Gained

http://uwesiemon.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-wrong-side-won.html

I have written before about Uwe Siemon-Nietto who is a semi-frequent guest on Lutheran Public Radio's Issues Etc. Along with John Warwick Montgomery, Siemon-Nietto often provides what might be described as the view from Europe.

The Trump Acquittal and Post-Trump GOP Hypocrisy

As is already clear in the historical record, reflections and fallout from the Second Trump Impeachment are producing a wide array of opinions and narratives. There is no agreement and the entire episode (along with the January 6 event that precipitated it) will remain shrouded in partisan fog.

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 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.

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.

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.

A New Phase in the Syria War: The Kurds Betrayed Again and the Turkish Invasion of Rojava

I've been writing about Syria and the Kurds for many years as I was fascinated by these topics long before they became part of the nightly news cycle.

With that perspective I can honestly say that I've been more or less dismissive with regard to the present commentary on the part of the Establishment media and certainly the statements being made by the Right and the Evangelical audience.

The Kurds have been betrayed by the US on multiple occasions and while there was some protest in the wake of the Gulf War, for the most part few have cared... except now the situation is in reference to Syria and the presidency of Donald Trump.

The Leaven of Evangelical Sacralism: A Warning Regarding Judaized Politics and the Hypocrisy it Breeds (Part 2 of 2)

Recently I was visiting a Reformed Baptist Church and the pastor, a graduate of Liberty University continually invoked the name of Jerry Falwell Sr. in the pulpit. He obviously admires the man and it was clear listening to him pray and preach that he has fallen into the same idolatrous trap as Dobson, Jeffress, the Grahams, Mohler, Perkins and a host of other conservative and Evangelical leaders have fallen into. They think America is an 'exceptional' nation by which they (as Christians) mean it has been granted a holy or semi-holy status apart from other nations.

The Leaven of Evangelical Sacralism: A Warning Regarding Judaized Politics and the Hypocrisy it Breeds (Part 1 of 2)

Hypocrisy is hardly unusual, especially in the realm of politics. And sadly we must admit it is also fairly common within the larger Church.

And yet there are times when it reaches levels that can only be described as over the top, even obscene. Maybe people have short memories, maybe some can't see it. In other cases one is left wondering if it isn't hypocrisy as much as just plain deceit.

Roy Moore and Old Testament Law

In a previous post I expressed some scepticism and ambivalence with regard to the recent spate of harassment claims. The men are indeed bestial and ungodly in their behaviour and yet many of these women, especially in the arts or corporate settings are not wholly innocent.

In other cases the behaviour can only be described as predatory. While an aspiring entertainer or businesswoman can always walk away and maintain virtue (even at great cost) there are those in other situations that are under real authority in the form of the state and thus under actual threat. These situations are often different in their nature and the women subjected to abuse are truly victims. I'm speaking of officials who hold badges and offices, who wear uniforms and carry guns. These men who use their authority to abuse the weak are of a different and very pernicious stripe.