US neo-cons urge Libya intervention

Here's an article worth looking at.

US neo-cons urge Libya intervention - Features - Al Jazeera English

Many Americans grow frustrated with America acting as 'policeman' as they put it. It's not about America trying to play international cop, nor is about America's generosity. It's geo-politics and empire.

The Pentagon Molech

In light of my recent post regarding Egypt and the comments made from the pulpit, I though this Roberts piece to be appropriate. Why does he see and understand the way things work and so many Christians, so many Christian leaders do not?

Ecclesiology #4- A Theology of Means part 4

With regard to this whole concept of Means.....

What about the Proto-Protestants? What about the Church Fathers?

For me all of this came together at the same time. I remember reading the Church Fathers early on and being very frustrated.

For those unfamiliar with the Church Fathers, I'm talking about the Didache, the Epistle to Diognetus, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and others.

Ecclesiology #3- A Theology of Means part 3

For some this discussion of Means will seem strange. Many who are interested in the non-institutional or as some would put it the tradition of dissent are more often than not Baptistic in their theology.

I'm afraid I'm stepping on some toes here, but I believe these issues to be quite important. For those who don't agree with this whole line of discussion...I understand. Believe me I understand very well.

But I urge you to think about it.

Ecclesiology #2- A Theology of Means part 2

Paul speaks of Circumcision in Colossians 2.11 and then of Baptism in verse 12. The ideas are related. The physicals signs differ but the cutting away is symbolic of the same idea…death and a new person. The Jews should have understood because the Old Testament is abundantly clear that the forms were not the end.

They were told to circumcise their hearts…showing that the outward act could not actually save in and of itself.

They were told to obey is better than to sacrifice showing the obedience flowing out of a regenerate heart was more important than the Form, the sacrifice showing a sign of your repentance.

But that didn't mean you could just ignore circumcision as Moses did in Exodus 4.

Ecclesiology #1- A Theology of Means

God willing this will be the first of several posts in which I try to interact with present ecclesiastical understandings and discuss what I believe to be a better way, the Biblical understanding of the Church on Earth and how it is to work.

Though the idea of Means is not very popular today, this is critical to understanding the tensions between many of the Biblical passages which seem to stand in contradiction.

Paul tells us in Romans 9 that they are not all Israel who are of Israel. This profound passage can be used as something of a starting point for the discussion.

Update on 16 February 2011

Sorry for the lack of posts in recent days. Work and other things have kept me occupied. In addition to writing new pieces I have been going back and reviewing the posts I've already written. I've been meaning to do so, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. And at this point there's somewhere in the realm of 1000 pages of material. If I don't start reviewing, it will get away from me.

I started this blog back in June and was bedridden for a good portion of July which enabled me to write copiously. There were and are so many things I wish to touch on. Initially I was in a flurry to cover a wide range of topics in case anyone actually started reading the weblog. The ideas are interconnected and much of what I was initially trying to say was cumulative in nature. There was some traffic in the early days, but I realized the theology wouldn't mean much to people unless I put it into application. I started commenting on some current events and interacting with other articles….and people started reading those. And now since there's a lot more people coming here, some interest in the other material is starting to grow.

Being bedridden for a few weeks, I produced a lot of material and very quickly. I proofread the material but much too fast and some of the early pieces were not written very well. I am in the process of reviewing them. I'm not changing what I've written, but I'm cleaning up some of the missed typos and occasionally adding a line, or deleting one. But 99% of the articles will stay as they are. It's not a book, but it bothers me to re-read something and find typos. And there are plenty. Also, I want to re-read some of the early material and decide how I can re-visit those topics and present the material in a more readable and useful form.

So in addition to writing some new material, I will continue to plod through the older posts. I might even call attention to certain aspects and ideas as I know some of those posts are not read much. Some readers will be more familiar with my ideas and now may be able to benefit from those early pieces.

Thanks for being patient. New posts will be appearing, but there will be occasional pauses.

Answer to a Vietnam Veteran

I received the following email the other day. I decided to post it and interact with it publicly. I receive a lot of emails, some are from quacks, some from friends, some from honest inquirers. This is one that contains information that some might find helpful...in understanding where other's are coming from.

Christian Right advocates find some of my statements to be outrageous. If you’re at all sympathetic to how I’m approaching history, current events, and theology you will also be more than a little put off by the contents of this letter.

The letter:

Chinese Christians want Washington DC to help them

Continuing this line thought, this article is rather interesting….

Here you have Chinese Christians that want the American Government to put pressure on Beijing to help their cause.

The Three-Self Patriotic Churches are under state control…so back in 2004 they were urged to pray for Kerry, who would have a less bellicose and more amiable approach to Beijing and the rest of the world.

American Evangelicals sure don’t like that…but would they have the same issue if Beijing was urging them to pray for Bush?

Isn’t this all interesting….Churches being steered by political regimes, and other Churches looking to external political regimes for aid.

This is not very encouraging news from China.

The Constantinian Dilemma in Egypt

During the Lebanese Civil War back in the 1980's I can remember very clearly that when the Maronite Christians were mentioned in the news…they were one of the sides in that complex struggle….American Christians did not in any way view those people as being Christians… in the Biblical sense.

Going Down to Egypt pt.2- The Limits of the Common Order

A couple of additional comments....

In Acts we do see Paul making use of the Roman authorities. He's not afraid to appeal to his citizenship as we see in the Phillipi episode as well as the riot in Jerusalem. (Acts 16 & 22)

But this does not mean that Paul expected Rome (or any other magistrate) to help him in his tasks in promoting the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

What would be an instance in which a Christian might appeal to the state in order to help brethren in another country? Or to put it differently, on what basis and with what expectation could we appeal to a state?

I wish it was a joke pt. 2

Very inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhMepzqJvIw

It would be funny except this seems to be going on during a Church service!

I wish it was a joke

For those who really want to 'render unto Caesar'....you might enjoy this link.

Going down to Egypt

A friend recently wrote to me concerning Christians appealing to the US government for aid in petitioning for the release or relief of Christians being persecuted in other countries. While it may sound very strange to even question this practice it's worth thinking about for a moment.

A Concise Apologia for Syllabic Prose as a legitimate form of Poetic Verse

Syllabic verse continues to generate controversy even though it has been an accepted form of poetry for more than a century. While some may dispute the nature and extent of its acceptance, the fact that a British poet laureate championed the style suggests it cannot be dismissed as mere doggerel.

Christ died to save sinners....Now Convert or Die!

The latest and very interesting article from Mr. Vance. As usual, a comment first.

The Crisis in Egypt Thus Far...

We just finished watching president Obama's primetime speech. It's always interesting to see the leader of the United States stand up and speak as an emperor and then for the sake of appearance, backtrack. Mubarak needs to begin the transition NOW, but America doesn't decide who a country's rulers are. We're the nice empire.

Saul's Politics pt. 2

 Today I was thinking about the law and the great importance placed upon it by those in the Evangelical sphere. They place such an emphasis on the constructs of the law, precedent and technical language in order to prove their argument that America is a Christian country, and to employ the law in shaping the culture.

Changes

As you can see I've made a few changes.

I've been trying to clean up things a bit. I realized that most people don't dig through the archives, so I've tried to pick out posts and place them in categories in the margins. That way they'll catch the eye a little better.

I tried to construct some welcome pages that are practical and useful because I know a lot of people come here and are a little bewildered at first.

I've tried to streamline everything to keep the site moving fast....not a lot of busy stuff that bogs your computer down.

The blogger tool throws in a lot of extra spaces at times. I've messed with the settings but haven't got it quite right. Although some readers actually like the spaces, because it makes it easier to read on screen. The paragraphs are kept separate and you don't get overwhelmed by text. Reading online is a bit different than a book. I don't usually like reading off the monitor, but there are little things that can be done to make the experience more pleasant.

I tried to pick a soft background that's easy on the eyes.

Any other suggestions?

The Tools and Tactics to Re-capture the Tower of Babel

This is a longer piece dating from 2004 but is still very pertinent to the discussion at this website. For those who wish to wade through it, it's quite enlightening. It's about Dominionist Theology at work in the Church and the State, with particular attention paid to the United States Military. Some of you will already be familiar with General Boykin. I also mentioned him in a piece from December 2010 called Days in the Cult which was something of a reflection on my time in uniform.

A letter from Nigeria

 Unfortunately, I now believe this to be a scam.

Apparently, there's something of a market for Bibles in Nigeria. There are reports that some of these guys get Americans to send them and they turn around and sell them.

That's too bad.

Amazing the things people will come up with to make money.

I suppose it gets Bibles into Nigeria, but if the premise of the letter is a lie, then I don't want to help them.

Live and learn.

We live in a sad world, how much  more for those who have hope only in this life?

The Dominionist Machine Meddling in Uganda

Speaking of Uganda.....

In the last piece regarding Africa and many others I've mentioned how American Evangelicals often play the role of dupes and financiers for a lot of political interests.

Margolis on Tunisia, and Western Media's Failure in Africa

Another worthwhile read from Margolis.....a few comments first.

When you stop and look at Western involvement in Africa over the past two centuries, or even just within the framework of Africa post World War II, one has to wonder at some point if the people of the African continent won't turn to violence within Western nations.

Though one continent, Africa is really two entirely different worlds. The North is part of the Middle East...if there is such a thing as the Middle East. And the south or Sub-Saharan African is a vast a complex region of its own.

Though quite separate, they are not always unrelated. The Sahara is an impressive geographical divider, but we see North and South coming together...clashing, in places like Nigeria and Sudan. The line, as most is fluid and when you look at alliances and membership in international organizations, it becomes even less clear. Sub-Saharan nations are not divorced from what is happening in the north.

Africa has played the role of pawn for a long time. Maybe we could even call it the gameboard for a vast game between many players. Sadly it's no game for the people living there.

At what point will Africa say enough?

Of course we've already seen something of this coming out of Egypt, Sudan, and nations around the Horn. And a generation ago the French dealt with the blowback from their policies in Algeria. This led to a somewhat modified way in which Western powers like America deal with countries they wish to control. Client-States, Puppet Regimes, and Satellites are more practical models than proper colonies.

But with reference to the rest of Africa, when you consider the fruit of Western policies in Sub-Saharan Africa at what point will there be a backlash? If these nations and peoples are ever able to truly unify, and consolidated nationalist movements arise....it would not surprise me if they take an aggressive posture toward countries like the United States, France, and Britain.

Dictators ruling in resource dependent states don't need popular support. Their revenue is not derived from taxation but from foreign industry and interests purchasing their resources. They don't have to answer to the people...they rule them. This is true throughout much of Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia...hence you end up with strong-arm regimes and basically disenfranchised people.

Answering Questions 8A- continued discussion on Confessions and Polity

 A note to those following along....

This is probably a little exasperating to those who aren't familiar with the issues. There are many who are trying to avoid the free-for-all that we find in American Christianity. We all come to the Bible with baggage. Like it or not as we read and think, we're interacting with our culture and with history. So what do we do? Do we embrace that and work within these ideas that have come down to us....or do we throw them out entirely? Even the most ardent little Independent Fundamental Baptist Church is still standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Even the hyper-hysterical pastors I've seen jumping up and down and screaming are still in some sense depending on historic formulations of doctrine and drawing from them in the terms they use.

Groups like the Campbellites, Church of Christ, have tried to divorce themselves from history. They're very interesting, but even they bring in exterior forces and ideas. American Culture and philosophy has done much to shape their doctrine. They are more Biblical on some fronts than other churches, but they also read the Bible through a lens....like it or not we all do.

For years I've been wrestling with what to do about that, and that drives some of the general doctrinal discussion that you find in this project. I'm often attacking Christian Sacralism, but I'm also interested in peeling back a layer and delving into what I think has led to it. If I'm right, then what I find is a core problem that has led to lots of other problems as well.

For many, they look back to the times of the Reformation and after as a time when groups of men studied out these matters and formulated Confessional documents which integrated what good and Biblical doctrine had come down through the centuries with their own Reformation-inspired ideas.

Even when we say, I just believe the Bible...when we describe what that means and when it comes to certain doctrines, we're standing on their shoulders.

To ignore everything that's happened before us and to suggest that no one before our day has understood the Bible. That's dangerous. That's how cults and even theologies like Dispensationalism have arisen. If the Bible teaches a specific doctrine, it's unlikely someone just came up with it in the 21st century.

But to what extent do we need to operate within the framework of past expressions and formulations of the faith? That's the issue. Rigidly? In which case, which tradition? Broadly, soberly borrowing a little from here and there? Or not at all? In which case, where do we draw the line? One need only look at modern American Evangelicalism to see where that's taken us.

Or, is there really no good solution? Does the embrace of any of these positions ultimately lead to an abuse of the principle?

That's what we're talking about if anyone is interested.

Answering Questions #8 - Personal Questions, Credibility, and Overview

I wanted to answer a series of questions stemming from a couple of comments. My answers are too long to put in the comment boxes. So I just made it into a post.

Babylon becomes Zion- Marinov's praise of Constantinianism

Marinov over at American Vision continues to write articles that are both stunning and telling. My comments are interspersed.

You can find the original link here.

Constantinian Colson gets the Middle East all wrong…on purpose.

As usual, Chuck Colson gets it completely wrong. My comments on Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey are interspersed. You can find the original link here.

The New Church of the East

Here's a beautiful picture of God at work in Siberia. As bad as things are in the American Church, I am constantly encouraged by the news coming out of Russia and Eastern Europe. The Church is growing and vibrant. It's poor and struggling, but they're focused on the heavenly Kingdom.

Twenty Years in Iraq

By no means do I agree with Vance on every issue, but he's a rare...an extremely rare voice in the Evangelical world. He sees the idolatry that most American Christians engage in with regard to Nationalism and the military, and the death and destruction it has led to.

And this article is just another example.

Cronkrite's Kingdom: A response

Not Walter Cronkite, but we will tell it the way it is. This article was interesting. Cronkrite is considerably more thoughtful than the famous lemming with the similar sounding last name. There's a bit of a nuance in his thought, and not a little wisdom.



So close, but yet so far. An interaction with Cronkrite

National Confession and Explicitly Christian Politics sound great, but are they in accord with Scripture?

 National Confession, national repentance? How could anyone argue against that? It sounds pure and God honouring, but is it? The entire sphere of this discussion stems from a basic misunderstanding of the Bible and its teaching regarding the Kingdom of God.



The text article is below, or you can follow the link.... at Explicitly Christian Politics



My response/interaction follows.

Maurina's Critique of www.proto-protestantism.blogspot.com

Sorry some of these recent posts have been so long, but rather than divide them up I've just posted them. If you're here, you know the importance of these issues.

Here's my response/interaction with DT Maurina. This was posted over at a URCNA discussion group. I thought he was pretty fair, but that does not alleviate our significant differences which were pretty clear in the GreenBaggins exchange. They will also be clear here…….

This is yet another excellent opportunity to examine One Kingdom/Dominionist/Sacralist thought and how it perceives what people like me are saying.

The Arizona Shooting pt. 2

Well, I guess Nihilist would probably be a more accurate definition of the philosophical position of this young man. Seeing the world as meaningless and essentially nothing is really the logical end of all unbelieving thought.



It's almost as if some who are lost see the world in all its cursed fallen-ness but not seeing Christ, they despair.

The Arizona Shooting

My take so far.....

You've got a young man who's spouting off about the US Constitution, English language issues, but is also known for smoking pot and being anti-religion.

All over the Internet you've got the Right-wing people calling him a leftist and you've got the Left-wing people blaming FOX news, Glenn Beck, and especially Sarah Palin. During the press conference the Sheriff in Arizona kept referencing extreme rhetoric on radio and television. He referred to this as the price of free speech etc.....unmistakeably a reference to Right-wing talk radio and television.

Abusing the Imprecatory Psalms

Ever heard of the Obama Prayer?

The Imprecatory Psalms, those which call down curses or Imprecations on God's enemies seemed to experience something of a revival in the 1990's. Theonomic ideology had quietly percolated for a few years and then Bill Clinton became the president of the United States.

I never heard it personally, but I knew some who heard pastors pray for God to strike him dead right in the middle of the Sunday morning service.