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.

The Marketplace becomes Zion and other errors

http://www.fln.org/fln-news/podcasts/detail/inside-out-304-ministry-in-the-marketplace/

Dominionism has wormed its way into mainstream Evangelicalism. The erroneous views of Francis Schaeffer and others have borne fruit. This report on the regional 'Christian' radio station exemplifies this.

The Shared Worldview of Albert Mohler and Bob Costas (Part 2 of 2)

Despite the lies and manipulations flowing from FOX, NBC and certainly Bob Costas have been taking constant digs at Putin. And it's interesting the commentary is more or less the exact criticism levied by someone like Mohler. The only exception would be with regard to the issue of homosexuality.

Other than that, the worldviews are essentially the same.

The Shared Worldview of Albert Mohler and Bob Costas

http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/02/21/the-briefing-02-21-14/

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/costas-calls-out-hostile-russian-policy-during-primetime-olympic-coverage/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/22/bob-costas-russian-government-olympics_n_4834810.html

Albert Mohler suggests that his news commentary is guided by a Christian Worldview. Every day he sets out to highlight a few stories he believes are pertinent and offer observations which will help his audience gain a more Biblical perspective on news and current events.

Postmodern Fascists? (Part 2/2)

The Romantics viewed Nationalism through feelings of connectedness with the past, a revival of folk tradition and identity vs. the mechanized view of Enlightenment society.

They were not militarists. Nationalism plus Militarism is what leads to Fascism. This is something remarkably absent from these Conservative criticisms and narratives which seek to tie Fascism to Leftist politics.

Postmodern Fascists? (1/2)

In this two part series I'm addressing some arguments that are being made which try and posit that Fascism was somehow a result of Leftist thinking and Individualistic philosophy.

These same arguments try and suggest the Emergent Church and particularly the Environmental movement are somehow philosophical heirs of Nazism, or at the very least flow from the same source.

While these movements are certainly worthy of critique, these arguments made by some well known figures in Conservative political and ecclesiastical circles are simply false and reveal either a real ignorance of the issues and history or worse, a deliberate attempt to mislead.

We don't need to twist history to advance our causes. Tell the truth.

But unfortunately when the Gospel is politicized, reflection and nuance are not effective tools. The goal isn't knowledge and understanding.
The goal is to win. And if that means crafting a somewhat dubious historical narrative, then there are many who are more than happy to do it.

The Re-Christianization of Valentine's Day

Dominionist thinking demands that all of culture must be subsumed and conquered or else eliminated. At its heart it is a theology of conquest.

In the Middle Ages this was expressed as 'Christianization'. It's tough to explain this to your kids, how on the one hand we speak of Medieval Europe as being 'Christianized' but in no way does that mean it was Christian. It's a Social and Cultural concept that hijacks the word 'Christian' and recasts it in a social mold. You'll be hard pressed to even find a Church history that will deal with this topic in an honest and Biblical fashion.

Everything in society has to fit into this power structure. It must be transformed and given 'christian' value and interpretation or it must be burned at the stake as it were.

The Baptism of Self-Indulgence (2/2)

But think of the Church as the Covenant Community out in the world. It is Judgment when lost people have a stronger moral compass concerning the plight of the poor. It is Judgment when the lost are more indignant and morally outraged about  the rape and pillage of the world that feeds our society's consumer appetites.

The Baptism of Self-Indulgence (Part 1/2)

Our culture worships self-indulgence.

I've said it before, many others have as well, but it needs to be contemplated and understood. We agree too quickly, and in doing so fail to understand what this means and how deeply it affects us.

The Third Rome, Nevsky, and Putin's Russia

Recently I was teaching my kids about Russian history and they found it interesting how connected the Russians are to their past. We spoke of the Mongol Invasion and how the Russian countryside is littered with little monuments and shrines the people still visit to remember the fallen warriors from battles that took place almost 800 years ago.

Even the Soviet period could not completely eradicate this impulse.

Angels of Light / Agents of Babylon (Part 4- Final)

Manipulators Being Manipulated

The wolves are out to win and make money along the way... but they're often being used too. They are often tools in the arsenal of greater powers.

Angels of Light / Agents of Babylon (Part 3)

Power, Not Truth

Their teachers don't want them to know. Their teachers don't want them to learn that many of the ideas they promote are not from the Bible but are rooted in political history....sometimes less than ancient to be sure.

In fact they fear them learning real history from a wide range of sources. Every viewpoint that doesn't serve the cause is labeled as biased or liberal. Rather than teach their people to gain perspective by reading and thinking widely, they teach such thought is dangerous, sinful and unfaithful. Fidelity seems to be gauged by one's zeal for the propaganda.

Angels of Light / Agents of Babylon (Part 2)

Most Leaders Are Self-Serving and Will Use Anyone They Can

The powers of this world are out to manipulate us. Many Christians seem to think the primary and greatest threat is coming from the outside. The Secularists, Muslims, Foreigners or some other villains are out to get us.

Angels of Light / Agents of Babylon (Part 1)

Power, Riches, Wisdom and Anti-Wisdom...

The Manipulation of The Church By False Teachers

The Venetian Refuge

My kids and I were going through a lesson about the rise of Venice and the unique role it played in the Middle Ages...not to mention the outrageous Fourth Crusade. (As if the Crusades weren't already outrageous enough!)

And I was reminded of the brief section in Fox's Book of Martyrs dealing with Venice and the Inquisition of 1542. There are a couple of moving tales. Antonio Ricetti and Francesco Spinola died defending the doctrines of Christ. If you have a copy, give it a read. If you know Christ you will meet them someday.

Perchik's Hermeneutic and the Politicization of Everything (3 of 3)

As Christians we are to die to ourselves. We are in the process of putting to death the old sinful nature and living as those who are already seated in Heaven with Christ.

We view everything through regenerate eyes but we never seek political power. We had better be aware of it, quick to expose it and critique it. The world's devices are both clever and seductive. But the world's goals concerning power and the lust can only create a Pseudo-Zion a Pseudo-Eden... that's the last thing in the world we want.

And for all the Church's efforts to manifest the Kingdom through civilizational and political power, that's all they will end up with. A cheap imitation, a counterfeit, and there's nothing more dangerous than that.

Perchik's Hermeneutic and the Politicization of Everything (2 of 3)

The state has nothing to do with us. We don't go to their courts. We don't seek its approval. We obey the laws, pay the taxes. We interact with it at times and to some degree are glad that it's there. But the relationship is always a bit uneasy. We belong to different worlds and have different goals. The state will use power and the threat of violence for its own ends. But in God's Providence it inadvertently helps us by creating an environment that (hopefully) allows us to live our quiet, peaceful God centered lives.

Perchik's Hermeneutic and the Politicization of Everything (1 of 3)

I was attempting to explain the anti-abortion movement to my kids and trying to help them understand why on the one hand I am completely against abortion but on the other hand I'm not overly keen on what the anti-abortion movement is trying to accomplish.

While that may seem nonsensical and contradictory, the reason I say this is because I believe the anti-abortion movement isn't just about stopping abortion. It's a political movement.

What's the difference? Perhaps I can explain.

Spinning the Reformation: The Propaganda Mill and Christian Media (2/2)

As regular readers will know I am not an Anabaptist, but when it comes to issues regarding the Kingdom, Christian ethics and the Church's relation to culture the Anabaptists are correct and essentially perpetuate the view of the Medieval Dissidents with which I would identify. While there are many similarities between the Waldenses, Chelcicky and the Anabaptists, I stand with the pre-Anabaptists and embrace the inclusion of the children of believers within the context of the visible covenant, the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Trueman in this interview chose to largely ignore the role of the Magistrates. He mentions them commissioning catechisms and creeds but fails to mention that politics did in fact play a great role in the Reformation and the reason Luther and the Reformation succeeded (at least on a human level) was due to political power... and the potential violence that backed it.

Spinning the Reformation: The Propaganda Mill and Christian Media (1/2)

http://www.janetmefferdpremium.com/2014/01/01/janet-mefferd-radio-show-20140101-hr-3/

One of the few figures in Reformed circles that I genuinely respect is Carl Trueman. Generally I appreciate his historical insight and balance. He comes across as non-partisan which is a rare thing in politicized world of denominational and factional scholarship and commentary.

Answering Questions #22- American Church Histories

Can I recommend any books on American Church History?

That's actually kind of a difficult question. There aren't really any histories that I would recommend without qualification. Every history has its good and bad aspects.

The Role of Conservative Think Tanks (3/3)

Heritage also used organizations like Citizens for America to move money around. This is one of the many shell games played by these organizations. Create multiple entities...it's all the same people...but use them in different ways to obfuscate what you're doing, We also see a similar tactic used by many well known 'ministries' in creating a 'for-profit/taxable' activist wing and using the non-profit to support it.

The Role of Conservative Think Tanks (2/3)

The Reagan Doctrine and Rollback

 

Heritage's policy was to reject the Cold War doctrine of Containment and certainly reject Nixon and Kissinger's Detente. They called their doctrine Rollback and singled out numerous countries for this doctrine to be implemented. At this point a quick rundown of the list would be helpful. These are the specific countries Heritage targeted for Rollback and a few comments amount the goals and results.

The Role of Conservative Think Tanks (1/3)

Think tank policy and influence is pretty public. It's just slightly out of the mainstream. The influence easy to find but you'll have to turn to articles and books. You're not going to find the mainstream media explaining the system. They never do that. But for example just listening to a more serious news outlet like NPR you will constantly hear references to groups like Heritage and of course the liberal Brookings Institution (which Colson famously wanted to bomb). Many scholars from Heritage, Hudson, Hoover, AEI, CATO and other groups are regularly interviewed and consulted. The think tanks are in many ways the voice for policy and ideology. They tend to be more candid than politically minded officeholders.