The Theological-Philosophical Dialectic

This was meant for the glossary but ended up too long. I'll link it from the glossary to this article. I just wanted to define it for those who may not understand a raise a few salient points.

I'll start with a brief definition of philosophy.

Philosophy- is the branch of study engaging in discussion, investigation, and development of abstract ideas and concepts by which man seeks to make sense of reality and the fabric of the universe. The etymology of the word itself means the love of wisdom.

Sometimes the term is used to refer to one's underlying principles guiding actions and interpretations. This is actually a sub-category dealt with below.


Christians are often exhorted to avoid philosophy. Not always bad advice, but there are certain reasons we should not be ignorant of it. I will give two.

An Interaction with a Theonomist critiquing a system he mistakenly identifies as socialism

This is yet another interaction with the Theonomic system. Peculiarly American, this system is on a crusade to defend its political vision. In doing so, it often engages in revisionist history as we've dealt with elsewhere, and in many cases employs so-called Worldview teaching to invalidate and mischaracterize its enemies.

This article from the New Geneva Leadership Blog is a prime example of how Theonomy interacts with systems it doesn't like. I'm not arguing for socialism or capitalism. Instead I want to demonstrate Theonomy's hermeneutic and means of arguing.

I wish to point out that time and time again, Theonomists attack their enemies by accusing them of illogical argument, assertions rather than developed arguments, and poor scholarship. Keep this in mind as you read this interaction.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a non sequitir is a conclusion which does not follow. An argument is made, a conclusion asserted but it does not logically follow from the argument.

All houses in town are yellow. Fred lives in town. The town is in China.

It may or may not be true, but the conclusion hasn't been proven. It's a non sequitir.

Certain camps within Christian circles continue to publish amazing quantities of articles and books and the reason I keep sharing these posts is I want to expose their nature.


For some who have read my other interactions, there will be some redundancy with the material in the other articles.

The original link can be found here.

Beyond Redemption.....

In light of the fact that I constantly hear the CIA praised on Christian radio and in Christian media, I have decided to share this link.

If you've read the other pieces on this site, I've talked about how in many ways the Christians in America are the most susceptible to state propaganda. I said some things in my Why and How series that some will find to be shocking and offensive. Though hardly alone in my thinking, there are few in the Christian community who would echo it.

Johnson's Primer: Discussion, Expansion, and Solution

This article has three sub-points:

Johnson's Hyper-Calvinism Primer, it's strengths and weaknesses.
The Core Principle of Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism.
The benefit of Dialectical Theology

Anyone who has examined the contents of this site know more than once I have mentioned the problem of Hyper-Calvinism. Phil Johnson has done a great service in his very succinct Primer on Hyper-Calvinism which has been read by many and we can be thankful for that.

He outlines several key doctrinal points which are helpful in identifying the Hyper-Calvinist position. Of course not all hold to all the points, but all hold to at least some of them.

Here's Johnson's list:

Vocational Error

Vocational Error

The doctrine of Christian Vocation has been defined by some as a self awareness and focus of one's own gifts and talents being put into use to the glory of God and advancement of His Kingdom.

This doctrine arguably was one of the triumphs of the Reformation. For in it the common man's life was elevated and given real spiritual purpose and meaning. One did not have to become an officer of the church, a clergyman in order to serve God. The common man engaged in trade or agriculture was now viewed as an equal participant in the building of God's Kingdom. This idea has even been reflected in the art which resulted from the Reformation.

While it is certainly true that the medieval order tended to overemphasize the clergy-laity distinction and view only tasks specifically related to the church as spiritual, the Protestant doctrine of Vocation represents an abuse of the Scriptural teaching of the Kingdom equally as grievous.

The Nobla Leycon

There has been much confusion over this document. The actual manuscript has been proved to actually date from sometime after the early 1200's, though the earlier historians placed it at 1100.

Since the manuscript evidence shows it to be later, liberal scholarship has cast doubts on its antiquity, some pushing the date as late as 1400.

The copy in Cambridge is undoubtedly later than 1100, BUT....we have references to the Noble Lesson in the late 1100's and several in the early 1200's.

So the surviving manuscript may be later, but the poem is much older. At least the 1100's.

The Waldensians used the poem for instruction, a noble lesson indeed.

Answering a few questions......

This is a response to a comment left earlier today. I ended up running a bit long, so I decided to just post it as an article. Others may find it helpful as well.

Two worthwhile video clips at Scattered Sheep

Two must see videos......here

One is about a 10min. clip by Reformed Baptist Tim Conway and concerns how we should think about the founding of America and what our attitude should and should not be today.

The other is a short 10min. documentary about Nazi Germany and the theological attitudes and nationalist idolatries that led to average German people supporting it.

Glad to see someone else recognizes that Two Kingdom theology protects us against such things. Sacralism leads to it.......

Have a look.

More from IronInk.....part 3

Mr. IronInk has responded once more. He is so kind to do so.

He refuses to answer the basic questions I have asked. Until he does so....take note, he has lost the argument.

Here's his latest post. He has shown his true colours. He won't post my comments and is obviously not interested in interacting, which is fine. I wrote a short note in reply.

He may go away or he may declare war. Either way, his arguments and lack thereof only demonstrate the failure of the system know as Theonomic Reconstructionism.

I willingly post anything, any of them write against me, so convinced am I their system is bankrupt and anti-christian.

Here's IronInk.....

More letters to Theonomists part 2, concluding post

C---,

Missouri Synod????

Right— we’re both employing many un-argued assumptions. It’s a web-thread. To fully argue many of these points would require hundreds of pages. That’s not the point of this exercise, but you already know that don’t you?

As far as assumptions underlying the structure of our arguments…..well, I find the Constantinian position to rest on foundations which are proven invalid by the NT. We can talk more about that…we have been to some extent. We could take a vote. I think everyone here would say you’re the one who refuses to engage that point. For this discussion to amount to anything, we have to get back to hermeneutics. I’m arguing you’re reading the Bible inverted. You’re looking through the wrong end of the binoculars……that’s why the NT Kingdom is so far away. Show me an instance where an Apostle treated a Psalm or a prophetic passage the way you are?

More letters to Theonomists part 1

More letters to Theonomists....

*Addendum---to be fair, these two men have answered, and yet it would seem the exchange is done at this point. Like IronInk.....they won't answer the questions.

Here are a couple more letters I've posted to Theonomists. They won't even answer, they just run. Don't accept their paradigm, argue from the Biblical categories not their philosophical-based construct and their left speechless. They don't have an answer, and they know it.

These people are in the end, bullies. They function not like people of the Kingdom, but as political hacks. Once exposed to the light, they scurry. Their unbiblical system is completely bankrupt. They have been answered and refuted time and time again. But what they do? They just keep publishing books and articles, patting themselves on the back and ignore our arguments. So just like in politics unless we employ their tactics and tools, the truth is kept from the field.

We will not employ their carnal weapons of warfare, but we will not be silent and allow them to keep deceiving people. Challenge them, I say.

I think those in the Reformed world who know how dangerous and destructive Monistic Sacralism is, really made a mistake in not speaking in stronger terms. The impression I always had say, fifteen years ago was that, well, they're wrong, but still orthodox and we should all get along.

While some may get upset over the sacramental efficacy and conditional covenantalism taught here....I would ask why has the doctrine of the Kingdom become so unimportant that any view seems to be tolerable?

David Barton, Bad Historian or Liar?

Definitely Bad theology to say the least.....

Here's a link related to this that some might find interesting.

No, Mr. Beck, Our Constitution is Not Based on the Book of Deuteronomy

Of course even IF we accept Barton's historical arguments, we would still condemn his paradigm as contrary to the Scripture.

IronInk Exchange Part 2

I am so pleased. IronInk did respond and this is an excellent exercise for those who wish to see the issues and arguments at work. Here's the link to his post regarding my last letter.

A Conversation with a Theonomy(Biblical Christianity)Hater.


Enjoy. And here's my response to his post. I hope he posts it. He didn't with my last, but we'll see. Maybe there will even be a part #3.

Origins of the Waldensians part 2- Lyonists and Lombards

In Lyon situated in the Rhone Valley there appeared in the late 12th century a man named Valdesius or Valdes. The story goes that he was a rich man who was convicted by a poverty tale told by jongleur. Valdesius much like Francis of Assisi was so shaken up he forsook his material goods, left his family after making provision for them and took to preaching and begging. The Passau Anonymous and others tell variations of this same tale.

An exchange on IronInk.

It started over immigration, but its really about much bigger issues. Here's a link to the post on their site.....Random Thoughts on Illegal Immigration.

I wrote a response below.....I got a response....and I wrote again. Here's the exchange, which is also on the IronInk site. I hope I can post a part#2 of this discussion.........

Even if you don't agree, you can learn from the different ways in which we're arguing and how we get to where we are at.......

Discussions with a Van Tillian regarding Worldview

Here I try and briefly explain the problem of Van Tillian informed Worldview teaching and how it leads to the autonomous thought they so want to avoid.....

It ended up being a good exchange. You can follow the whole thread here.

I learned a few things and am pondering what was said. I still hold to what I've written, but will admit it's complicated with Van Til. He said a lot of things and they don't always seem to fit together. Whether he truly laid the foundation for what has happened, or whether the Dominionists have hijacked him......the jury is still out I guess.

Here's part of the comment thread.....

Aristotle's Razor at work.

For Calvinists.....it leads to a hyper-Calvinistic Baptist Theology.

Here's a recent post from the Heidelblog of R. Scott Clark.

Circumcision and Baptism

Clark tries to avoid two extremes in dealing with a text like Colossians 2.11-12 but instead of navigating it, he's trapped.

The Bible is full of dialectical tensions often between the visible/temporal and the invisible/eternal.

Clark and others who depend on Aristotelian based and defined Systematics cannot let these tensions stand. The force and drive of their system insists on synthesizing the two sides and eliminating what seems to them a contradiction.

But rather than submit to God's word, this method subsumes Revelation and consequently the Scriptures are re-categorized to work in a grid-like dogmatic structure.

Ockham's Razor....is a tool of Rationalism which seeks to simplify and eliminate plurality or dualisms.

Aristotle's Razor is a name I've given to another Rationalist tool. This one parses and divides, creates categories that aren't there in order to make the System work with the matrix that it is interacting with.

In other words....re-define and re-categorize Biblical terms so that it makes sense in light of your system.

Origins of the Waldensians Part I

The darkness of the Volkerwanderung and its affect on the historical record.

The origins of the Waldensians are obscure and represent I believe an insolvable puzzle. As I have stated elsewhere the Institution-mindset I think is part of the problem. One will not find buildings with charters and universities etc… with names and dates to signify the commencement of this movement. Also, there is the presupposition of the Episcopal and plural-Episcopal Presbyterian mindset which cannot grasp the Visible Church as a multitude of scattered congregations whose bonds do not consist in Form, but rather in commonality and fellowship based around the Word.

The Reformers and Their Stepchildren

The Gospel Pedlar has posted the Introduction and Postscript to Verduin's The Reformers and Their Stepchildren here.

This book is a must read. He doesn't get everything right, but just let it wash over you, so to speak. For Reformed people it is an eye-opener. If you're interested in any of the things I'm writing about here in relation to Constantinianism, then you'll want this volume and you won't be disappointed.

P.S. It's not just about the Anabaptists. I'm not an Anabaptist in terms of baptism. There are bigger issues here.

Propaganda Indeed!

American Vision is sort of the poster child for everything this project is against. It represents not just Constantinianism but a peculiar and vehement American variety of it. This is exactly what I'm talking about elsewhere in reference to applying the pseudo-Christian worldview to history and current events. This is the telos.

This morning I encountered a rather outrageous post from one of their contributors. I am saddened to see people outside of the United States falling for what is so obviously a culta americana as opposed to Biblical Christianity.

I tried to post this comment, but their website only allows for short posts....we've talked about this before as well. I've tried to email this letter to the author. We'll see what happens? Maybe they'll all come and scream at me, but I keep finding they choose to just ignore their critics or beat up on straw men of their own choosing.

Here's the link to the post: When Your Own Propaganda Turns Against You

And here's my letter to the author:

The American Warmonger’s Bible

This is unbelievable. Laurence Vance writes concerning the new American Patriot's Bible. It's utterly blasphemous. You can read about it here

The editors and publishers and purchasers of this perversion of the Word of God need to repent.

The Passau Anonymous and The Waldensians

The very charming and picturesque town of Passau sits at the confluence of the Inn and the Danube on the southeastern border of Germany with Austria. I've written about this area in other posts. This stretch of the Danube toward Vienna as well as The Forest (Bohemian/Bavarian) to the north was long a hotbed of Waldensian dissent.
There is a famous ecclesiastical chronicler from Passau who speaks to us through the ages as the Passau Anonymous. A lot of our information concerning the Waldenses in this area comes from his pen. Sometime around 1260 he wrote the Waldenses were the most dangerous of all the heretics.

They were most long-lived….meaning ancient.

They were the most widespread.

And they lived piously, adhering to the ancient creeds, and yet 'blasphemed' the Roman church by attacking its clergy and rituals.

What is all the more astonishing is that according to the conventional thesis , these people had scarcely arrived a generation before when a man named Peter Waldo passed through on his way to Bohemia. That hardly seems possible in light of the Passau Anonymous and until modern scholarship re-dated a few key documents it was not the position of anyone who studied the Waldensians. More to come…..

America's Longest War

Eric Margolis always has an interesting perspective on international events. He's always worth a read. Here's his latest,

America's Longest War

He's one of those people that used to be Conservative and is now strongly committed to neither of the main political viewpoints. He's thinking outside the paradigms our media gives to us. This is how we need to learn to think......

What does Al-Jazeera have to do with Sacralism?

As I've enjoyed writing these posts and toying with the blog format I was pleased to see that I could include small access modules to certain news channels. I doubt anyone cares but I'll explain why I would choose include a station like Al Jazeera English. Believe it or not, this is actually all connected in a broad sense to the overall portrait I'm trying to paint on this site.

A Tale of Towers

An instructive allegory concerning the towers build and the nature of God's Kingdom.

I'm afraid you either get it or you don't.

Why am I talking about all this? How did I get here? Part 9

Why am I writing all these crazy things? It's a cri du coeur…….

I know the Theonomists scoff at this question, but they are wrong to do so because they read the Bible wrongly…seeing Christ through the lens of Moses. It's like looking through binoculars the wrong way making the object tiny in the distance…..

But the question is…….Where on the pages of the New Testament do you have a single command or notion from Paul, Christ, or anyone that to be citizens of the heavenly Kingdom we are to go out and either try and conquer the world through political and cultural means?

The Telos of Sacralism. An interaction with Duigon and Stark

I sat down and read this review this morning and it upset me so much, I had to write a reply. Chalcedon wants to tell us how wonderful The Crusades were.

Here's a link to a book review on Chalcedon's website. Chalcedon is the organization started by the patriarch of Theonomic Reconstructionism RJ Rushdooney who died back in 2001.

Review of God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades
By Lee Duigon

This is a perfect example of showing Sacralist historiography at work both in the book and the reviewer. If you want to see how they play with history and current events in the name of Worldview, then please read this interaction. I have a brief intro, and then I directly interact with this book review.

Why am I talking about all this? How did I get here? Part 8

The Truth is never Treason in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Once you leave Sacralism behind you start to see everything in a new light. You see the American Church for what it is….more or less apostate, Beast worshipping, and deluded. You see how Christians are generally not interested in the truth when it comes to news or history. And for most, they know far more about political issues and spend more time on the culture war than they do the Kingdom of God. Do they see the Kingdom?….I don't know.

Why am I talking about all this? How did I get here? Part 7

Ironies of History, Current Events, and Strong Delusion So why do I prefer the label of Proto-protestantism? Because I don't wish to identify with many aspects of what happened during and as a result of the Reformation. I remember being rather proud of my Reformed heritage and talking with a couple of ex-Amish guys outside of a supermarket. We were talking a little theology and history. They know very well how their forebears were treated by the Protestants. And they know that they are excoriated within the Reformed Creeds. I remember feeling not so proud of my faction when I considered they murdered and waged war in the name of the Kingdom of Christ and sought to destroy the ancestors of these men. They did the very same things that the Roman Catholics had done to them and to the Underground. The Reformation has a Bestial political legacy as well.

An exchange on Al-Jazeera English

Here's a comment from someone on the Al Jazeera English Asia Blog........with my reply.

Ms W:

So, let’s see. . . The U. S. and other western nations are spending trillions to keep Afghans and other Muslims from slaughtering each other, to get them into the 21st century, to give them development and a decent life, but—they are seen as “occupiers” and “exploiters”?

What SPECIFICALLY is the U. S. and its allies getting out of this miserable folly? It is costing blood and treasure that the west does not have!

Odd too that no-one ever dumps on China for exploiting the riches of Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan and countless other nations.

Many say the west should leave and close the door behind them. Let these people duke it out until there is only one man left standing. Perhaps then there will be peace, but I sincerely doubt it since this appears to be the regional motto:

"Me against my brother, my brother and I against our father, our father and us against our tribe, our tribe against the world".


Protoprotestant:

I think that might be a little naive. Despite what is presented in the media, U.S. motivations are hardly altruistic. It's a big chess game and sadly rather than having 8 pawns on the board....the teams have millions of people. It's not about development and nation building, that's part of the strategy to gain stability.....stability so the U.S. can have bases and bring in the business and grow the American Empire, a complex of corporations, political proxies and military presence. Everyone is drooling now over the new mineral assessment of Afghanistan. It could be a blessing for the country, but in the end will probably be their biggest curse.

The Good Old Days

I am so grieved when I see so many people come to Christ and get caught up in legalisms which in time they make into the Gospel.

I think of people that have been delivered from great sin….wicked lifestyles and then to fall in with American Fundamentalist legalism and now rather than worship God and learn His Word and how to apply it…….it's hem lengths, whether you should wear jeans or not, whether or not we should go to the mall because you might see an improperly dressed woman.

Where do they get this stuff?

It's the Sacral Stop Point. Bear with me and I'll explain....

Why am I talking about all this? How did I get here? Part 6

Here's where I start bring it together and you're either going to sit up and really think hard about what I'm saying, or you will write me off.

What are the marks of the Church? Or is there but one Mark?

I read and studied more and began to come to the conclusion that perhaps the Middle Ages weren't so dark. Maybe there is some spiritual light there….but it wasn't within the bosom of Rome. It's not with Bernard of Clairvaux and other men we're supposed to admire. Doctrinally, the Underground, these Protestors before the name of Protestantism came about, they were kind of a mess, doctrinally all over the place. Much like today with one exception. These people were meeting and reading and praying under threat of fine, incarceration, torture, and possible death. I think if those conditions came about today, we might find a smaller percentage of Christians today than there were proto-protestants in the Middle Ages. That's a terrible indictment that I obviously cannot prove…but study it out yourself and see what you think.

Why am I talking about all this? How did I get here? Part 5

Sacralist Dominion and Worldview

Chuck Colson is the epitome, sort of the poster child in my mind of everything I think is wrong with conservative American Christianity. I'm not even counting Joel Osteen and people like that. I have listened to Colson's daily radio piece for years. It is amazing. I can only think of maybe once or twice that I have actually agreed with him.

We have very different worldviews. Why?

Even unbelievers can see this.....

It really upsets me when people who aren't Christians have a better understanding of right and wrong.....

Presbyterians: End Israel aid over settlements

AP – Delegates wait to speak at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church as the group took up a recommendation …

Why am I talking about all this? How did I get here? Part 4

Which Kingdom premise teaches Christians to be discerning, and which premise takes away their discernment?

How we are to view the world as a Pilgrim people and what happens when we don't?

We noted it during the 2008 Presidential election when the 'Reverend' Rick Warren hosted a debate between Obama and McCain. Warren asked some rather unique questions…here's an excerpt: