Inbox: Rights Based Ethics and the Evangelical Movement (II)

Understanding the hopelessly corrupt nature of the world and its vanity we can then (with Paul and the Corinthians) take comfort in being 'the little people', the 'nothings' in the eyes of the world – the types that a reprobate like Trump would call 'losers'. For no one hates Christianity and Christians more than Donald Trump. Obviously the Church doesn't understand this one bit. Led by fools they think he's an ally and an asset to the Church's cause in the world. So misled by the false shepherds and shaped more by the epistemology and values of the Right than by Scripture, they have latched on and in increasing numbers have sold their souls to this charlatan and now his lackeys and imitators.

Inbox: Rights Based Ethics and the Evangelical Movement (I)

In a recent piece I wrote concerning the Dominionist-driven Evangelical movement:

Their values are based on the pursuit of political power, ethics rooted in a system of 'rights', and economic concerns – namely profits. It is both tragic and obscene that a large majority of professed Christians have embraced such Social Darwinist ethics and utterly abandoned the religion of the New Testament. But generations of Rights-based ethics have done this and Church leaders have abdicated their responsibility to denounce this false system that is contrary to the New Testament.

I was asked to follow-up on the question of Rights-based ethics and what this has meant for the Church.

The Consecration of Russia and Fatima

Under the banner of co-belligerence, Evangelicals continue to deepen their ties to Roman Catholicism and openly work alongside elements within its larger order in pursuit of their political goals and aspirations. As Catholicism represents a spectrum every bit as broad as what is found under the definition of 'Protestantism', it is the Traditionalist Catholics (so-called) who are the natural allies of the Evangelical sphere – as they too labour to turn back the cultural clock. And while their conceptions of 'Christian America' or Christendom are different, they are united with Evangelicals in opposing secular humanism.

Dominionism and the Tucker Carlson School of Homiletics

Visiting another church this Sunday once more proved to be a serious disappointment. The congregation was something of a hybrid between Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism and yet Sacralist thinking dominated. The pastor continually confused the identity of the Church and the nation and begged the question regarding the Christian call to engage and dominate culture.

Dominionist Eisegesis and Doctrinal Cowardice

https://caldronpool.com/the-gospel-has-many-political-implications-for-a-nation/

New Calvinist pastor Matthew Littlefield asserts that those who believe the Church should not engage in politics are guilty of trumpeting ignorance. He then proceeds to elaborate what he believes are the political implications of the gospel.

A Fundamentalist Elegy

As we're in the process of revisiting area churches, I had occasion to attend a rural Fundamentalist congregation about forty-five minutes from where I live. I had last visited there 3-4 years ago and the level of decline just in that relatively brief period of time was remarkable.

Chimeric Experimentation and the Bioethics of the Pro-Life Movement (II)

Returning again to the chimeric experimenters, they're tinkering with things that are beyond them. We're not materialists. There's more to life and reality than that which is merely empirical. The reality of the materialists is a reductionism of true reality and Christians shouldn't think in those terms or operate under the ethics that flow from such thinking.

Chimeric Experimentation and the Bioethics of the Pro-Life Movement (I)

https://evangelicalfocus.com/science/15001/christian-doctors-see-no-ethical-problem-in-genetically-modified-pig-heart-transplant-to-human

The current Evangelical world is rife with scepticism regarding modern medicine and yet some will remember a time in which the attitude that long dominated the movement was very much pro-medicine and pro-technological development. Whether right, wrong, or indifferent, the shift is interesting and more should be done in examining the reasons behind it.

Inbox: The Glory of the Nations in Revelation 21 and the Question of Eschatological Continuity (II)

*updated 9 April 2022

Even the Old Testament casts doubt on the continuity reading of Revelation 21. Ecclesiastes, a book that is so problematic for modern Evangelicalism and Dominionism has its message spun. The end result of their exegetical machinations is that the world is not given to vanity and corruption even though Paul forcefully and explicitly reiterates this point in Romans 8 and elsewhere argues that this world in its state of curse is subject to temporality. This is in contrast with the eternal (and thus ultimately true) nature of the eschatological Kingdom. That which is temporal is impermanent. This is not Gnosticism opposing matter or the material world or suggesting that it is illusion. It's a state of existence resulting from the Fall of Man and the curse God has placed on the world – not matter as matter, but this world which includes its fallen matter subject to decay and death, a matter sundered from its spiritual moorings as it were.

Inbox: The Glory of the Nations in Revelation 21 and the Question of Eschatological Continuity (I)

Doesn't Revelation 21 teach cultural continuity? Doesn't it teach that cultural attainments will be part of our life in heaven? Are there any historical readings of the passage that specifically refute this? Are there any commentators that argue explicitly for discontinuity in reference to this passage?

Continuity here refers to the idea that cultural progress and attainments achieved in this age will continue into the age to come. In other words, advances in the arts, science, philosophy, architecture and the like will play a part in our heavenly life. Proponents of this view believe that the productions of the great artists, particularly those that were God-honouring in what they produced, men such as Bach and Rembrandt will be part of our life in heaven.

Texas, Florida, and Anti-Sodomy Laws: Some Theological Dangers and Warnings

Many Evangelicals will undoubtedly celebrate the recent legislative moves in Texas and Florida and both governors (one Catholic and one Evangelical) are certainly viewed as allies or even champions in the Christian Right's culture wars.

Thinking Several Moves Ahead: Geopolitical Maneuvering and History's Warnings in Light of The Ukraine War

In light of current events Moldova and Georgia have applied for EU membership. For its part, Moldova has been engaged in a tug-of-war between the West and Moscow and yet unlike Ukraine and Georgia it has been able thus far to avoid violence.

The Dark Side of Covid – The Establishment's Reordering of Society (III)

Are these concepts surrounding social credit, access, and economics harbingers of the Mark of the Beast?

The Dark Side of Covid – The Establishment's Reordering of Society (II)

What are some areas that are of genuine concern – areas being exploited by people in power to bring about great and sweeping changes to society?

The Dark Side of Covid – The Establishment's Reordering of Society (I)

Certain elements within society that want to deny the reality of Covid or seriously downplay its impact tend to focus on what might be called the dark side of Covid. This refers to the sociological elements and upheavals connected to the Covid epoch and while they've been exaggerated by some (and this line of discussion is often corrupted by a great deal of misinformation and even blatant disinformation), there is nevertheless something to it.

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.

Flags in the Church

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2021/11/the-history-of-national-flags-in-churches

The debate over flags in the Church is riddled with problems and clouded by false assumptions. There is a problem with the sanctuary model to begin with, the idea that a building is somehow a 'holy' place, a 'sanctuary' or that the front of the structure is some kind of focal point – a leftover of the unbiblical altar-theology of Romanism.

Memories of 1983 and an NPR Report on Russian Activity in Latin America

From the Olympics to computing, from news to politics, the Russians are everywhere in the news or more accurately the Anti-Russian propaganda campaign is everywhere. This is by far the worst we've seen in forty years, since the tense period accompanying Reagan's ascent to the US presidency. Almost immediately he began a rapid military buildup and a series of aggressive military Psyops directed against Russia. The US pushed the Russian security perimeter by air, land, and sea. At that time the Soviets were in dire fear of an American First Strike and became very edgy and the tension led to events like the shootdown of KAL 007.

Dominionism and the School Board Strategy

https://religiondispatches.org/baby-we-were-born-for-war-to-dominionist-christian-group-no-election-is-too-small-and-colorado-is-just-the-beginning/

This is a problematic article to be sure but nevertheless it should be read. The School Board Strategy is proving effecting and it's expanding – and it's likely that it's already affecting your church or soon will be. The author is sounding the alarm and we should be alarmed – but for reasons different than those of the Religion Dispatches reporter.

Cawthorn and the Testimony of the Dominionist Homeschool Movement (II)

These are serious challenges we all face on a personal level and one wonders if many parents caught up in the movement missed the trees for the forest. They saw the big sweeping picture in terms of goals and aspirations for their children but missed the nuts and bolts, the essential parts that require so much time and attention.

Cawthorn and the Testimony of the Dominionist Homeschool Movement (I)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/11/madison-cawthorn-trump-republican-north-carolina-voters

I am a strong proponent of homeschooling and believe that for Christians it's the best option available when it comes to educating our children. While we deliberately never joined the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), we nevertheless made occasional use of their website, following some of the legislation and developments in our state and around the country. And so it was in that vein that we began to hear about Patrick Henry College and later the HSLDA-connected Generation Joshua project.

A Misreading of Paul in Acts 16 and the Larger Question of Legal Rights

https://agradio.org/paul-and-his-roman-constitutional-rights

This reading of Paul is common in Evangelical circles but a more careful reading of the passage reveals that it has been misunderstood.

The Dissemination of Vigano's Warning – A Warning to all New Testament Christians (II)

As stated before, there are plenty of reasons to doubt the government and the Covid episode is no exception. Over many years the government and media have destroyed their own credibility and so in some respects they have brought this on themselves. And yet as also stated, conspiracies (to be judged as viable) have to make some kind of sense and they have to operate within the framework of reality. Many of the conspiracies floated by today's Right are divorced from reality and in other cases indicate a pervasive unfamiliarity with basic concepts, how institutions work, history and the like.

The Dissemination of Vigano's Warning – A Warning to all New Testament Christians (I)

https://theaquilareport.com/archbishop-viganos-startling-warning-to-the-american-people/

The fact that the Calvinist-affiliated Aquila Report published this piece by Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is both interesting and informative in and of itself. That a publication such as 'American Thinker' found Vigano's comments profound is not too surprising.

The Ukraine Trap

If Russia invades Ukraine, then Putin will fall for the trap NATO has set for him. As anyone who partakes of any news is sure to know, the Western propaganda campaign is running white hot, to the point that even questioning the official narrative can take down a high ranking admiral – as was seen recently in Germany. The US and NATO are doing all they can to provoke Moscow. This run-up to war is a campaign in itself and there are several angles to consider.

Turning Point USA and Donald Trump Jr.'s Unintentional Truth

https://baptistnews.com/article/donald-trump-jr-tells-young-conservatives-that-following-jesus-command-to-turn-the-other-cheek-has-gotten-us-nothing/

Trump Jr. has openly rejected the teachings of Christ and when one considers the present Evangelical confusion with regard to the Trump movement's relationship to Christianity – I'm glad for it. I hope it will wake some people up and cause them to re-think the roads they've traveled.

The Complicated Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Right's Revisionism and Deceitful Appropriation of His Message

On this Martin Luther King Jr. day we are once more reminded of the massive revisionism taking place within Right-wing circles. I've written about this repeatedly and focused deliberately on these points back in 2012 and 2014. This revisionism is something I noticed years ago and was left somewhat stunned to hear figures like Glenn Beck and Charles Colson attempt to appropriate the King legacy and argue that somehow his ideas were resonant and representative of their own. It was a re-writing of the history and yet few seemed to notice.

The Geopolitics of the Kazakhstan Protests, the Ukraine Crisis, and Eurasia's New Cold War (II)

The Central Asian states which were run by former Soviet apparatchiks (turned into authoritarian capitalists) relied upon energy revenue and the extraction of natural resources – and in the post-Soviet setting Western corporations flooded into the region to develop these sectors. Wall Street scored major victories and wealthy oligarchies developed in the Central Asian states. Needless to say corruption is endemic. This new post-Cold War political order and economic development in part explains the ongoing tensions with Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan. The logistics of getting resources out of landlocked Central Asia proved daunting and were never resolved. The ruling oligarchies were plugged into the energy economy and these countries rely on this money to function and pay the bills as it were.

The Geopolitics of the Kazakhstan Protests, the Ukraine Crisis, and Eurasia's New Cold War (I)

The January 2022 street protests in Kazakhstan which have received considerable Western news coverage seem at last to be calming down. On the one hand it appeared to be a grass roots uprising in protest of surging inflation, fuel prices and (at least in part) frustration with social restrictions on activism and free speech.

The Deacon Problem in Both Anglican and Baptist Circles (II)

But they're not the only group that has a problem with the diaconate. In Baptist circles there's also a great deal of confusion on this point. For them, the office of 'pastor' is akin to Paul's bishop in 1 Timothy 3.

The Deacon Problem in Both Anglican and Baptist Circles (I)

I recently had an exchange with a priest from the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). As our church situation has collapsed due to the degeneration of worship into therapy, politics, and entertainment and the fact that Trumpites are running rampant in many local congregations including our own, we've been looking for an alternative.

The Fragmentation of the Social Order

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/leonard-pitts-jr-the-social-covenant-has-shattered/ar-AARkgok

I occasionally glance at syndicated editorials. Pitts is sometimes interesting and thoughtful and other times less so. This one struck me because it's something I've been talking about for years. Pitts barely scratches the surface but it was still refreshing to read. At least someone is thinking about these issues.

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.

Scott Morrison, Dominionism, and Evangelical Politics in Australia (II)

Scott Morrison, Dominionism, and Evangelical Politics in Australia (I)

https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/10/12/its-time-to-call-it-out-scott-morrison-doesnt-care-about-secular-accountability/

https://www.crikey.com.au/topic/god-in-the-lodge/

The Crikey series is worthy of consideration and yet typical of such journalism it offers a secular assessment that deals with issues that at times the authors and editors clearly don't understand. Given that the name of the publication is tantamount to blasphemy, one must expect a degree of hostility to the Christian faith. But it shouldn't scare us or cause to dismiss the reporting out of hand.