A Thanksgiving Model that Must be Rejected

https://churchandfamilylife.com/podcasts/6540dea48035f112bf38cdf8

Modern Thanksgiving was born out of the US Civil War – In 1863, Lincoln wanted the country to be thankful for the turning of the tide post-Gettysburg and following his lead the government issued proclamations in the 1870's.  

In 1939 FDR moved the date up a week wishing to extend the Christmas shopping season – and this remains the practice today.

In other words it's a familiar theme to us even today – it's about the troops and the consumerist economy.

Conspiracies versus Conspiracy as a Worldview: The Epistemological and Ethical Rot of Libertarianism (III)

Due to the necessity of expansion and sheer avarice, Capitalism will inevitably turn to the international sphere and with that comes intrigue and war – and that in turn leads to secrecy and propaganda. As the public begins to grasp this, there is an erosion of trust. And if the forces of finance capital have also purchased the news media – the end result is at first mass conformity, but later this will turn to mass cynicism. For those who only see one small piece of the puzzle their already skewed viewpoint will be subject to easy manipulation. There are those who profit from fear and anger and if allowed to fester these emotional responses can take on a life of their own. And it's not just the Right that plays this game.

Conspiracies versus Conspiracy as a Worldview: The Epistemological and Ethical Rot of Libertarianism (II)

It is both sad and frustrating to me that some who are eager to take certain portions of Scripture at face value – like the commands to turn the other cheek, or the teachings regarding the Kingdom of Heaven will at the same time completely ignore the other parts, about mammon and the nature of the world and worldliness.

Conspiracies versus Conspiracy as a Worldview: The Epistemological and Ethical Rot of Libertarianism (I)

For some time I've occasionally listened to a podcast called Catholics Against Militarism. It's flawed – it is Roman Catholic after all, but interesting at times. Protestant Constantinians and Dominionists are quick to dismiss all such anti-war sentiments as 'Anabaptist' even while they ignore the long and fairly impressive 'peace' testimony found within the spectrum that is Rome.

A Recurring Exegetical Error Regarding Exercise

https://g3min.org/how-valuable-is-bodily-training/

In 1 Timothy 4, Paul speaks of bodily exercise. He says it profits little, or profits a little. Either way it is not of great or supreme profit.

But what is he talking about?

Evangelicalism's Outsourced Worldview

Some time ago I heard someone discussing the 'outsourcing' of a great deal of Evangelical thinking and it has stayed with me. It's another interesting way of framing what has happened.

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.

Churchill's Christian Civilization (II)

The Churchill Cult in the United States finds its most tangible expression in Fulton, Missouri the site of his famous speech. Though most people are unaware of this, a small London church (reconstructed by Wren after the 1666 fire) was dismantled in the 1960's and moved to Missouri and is a symbolic platform for the Churchill museum. In a kind of strange commemorative fusion it combines Churchill, Christianity and (it would seem) the call to take up arms in the Cold War.

Churchill's Christian Civilization (I)

In recent days, with the Ukraine War, the coronation of Charles III, as well as some Evangelical commentaries tangentially connected to these issues, I've been reminded of the still extant Churchill Cult and the inroads it has made within the Christian community. This needs to be addressed.

A Pastoral Rebuke of a Different Kind

This was but another case of meeting Christian people at a church and getting one impression and then finding them on social media and discovering they are in fact something else. The Nazarene body in question is something completely unrelated to the fairly numerous Nazarene churches which are part of the Wesleyan tradition.

Glorying in their Shame: Celebrating the Magisterial Reformation's Sacral Heritage (II)

Kennedy then takes a strange turn by invoking the memory of Reinhold Niebuhr who was not a Christian by any kind of New Testament measure. His faith was not in keeping with the message delivered by the apostles and so I continue to be somewhat baffled as to why his flawed paradigms and bogus 'realist' dilemmas are granted any standing.

Glorying in their Shame: Celebrating the Magisterial Reformation's Sacral Heritage (I)

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The Distorted Thinking Which Dominates Reformed Political Thinking Today

https://americanreformer.org/2023/07/reformed-political-theology-today/

The article errs in its opening salvo. Psalm 2 must be interpreted in light of the New Testament. The tension Kennedy looks for is not there. The New Testament reveals Psalm 2 to be eschatological.

As a consequence of this error, there is an admittedly substantial heritage which Kennedy merely perpetuates. Begging the fundamental question, he offers nothing by way of remedy.

Norwich's History of the Papacy

Having recently finished Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy, by John Julius Norwich (first published in 2011), I must say I was in the overall – disappointed. My hopes were already diminished as I have interacted with some of his other works and found him to be wanting. This book was no exception. There were numerous errors and I found his analysis frustrating at many points. I wanted to give him another try as the nature of the volume intrigued me. He writes about topics that greatly interest me but there's something a bit off about his approach and degree of acumen.

Richard Bennett on the Waldensians

The former Irish Roman Catholic priest Richard Bennett (1938-2019) has always been a figure of sympathy and respect in my book. He was so thankful to have been released from the bondage and false Christianity represented by Rome. His sincerity was palpable and it was almost impossible not to empathize with him and his emotional response to his deliverance from that bondage.

A Libertarian Perspective on Food Freedom (II)

Listening to Mogel's arguments, there are almost too many ironies to enumerate. On the one hand these folks vigorously push for endless exponential population growth and decry any caution or concern to that end and yet seem oblivious to the fact that growth in population means that farming will have to be pursued on a massive scale which is not conducive to small farmers or local food and economically is bound to destroy it.

A Libertarian Perspective on Food Freedom (I)

https://www.ironsharpensironradio.com/podcast/august-25-2023-show-with-jim-mogel-on-food-freedom-agriculture-from-a-biblical-perspective/

This episode of Iron Sharpens Iron caught my eye as it touches on a larger topic of attitudes about food and what is 'natural' that have emerged in more extreme Right-wing Christian circles. I have notes and a partially completed piece on this topic that's been on the back-burner for a couple of years. God willing I'll get to it before the end of this year. It's important and discussions like this remind me of this fact and the need to counter these assumptions.

Antithesis and Small Town Church Dynamics

I live in a very rural area and while some small-town churches can be warm and friendly others can seem cold and unreceptive.

Another Exchange with an Evangelical Pastor

I recently called an Evangelical pastor with some questions as his church website provided little in the way of substantive information.

The Collapse of Yellow and its Context

The collapse of the Yellow Corporation in August 2023 made a brief splash in the news cycle – probably a little too brief. Many individuals and analysts have reason to be concerned when considering the volatility of the US economy as demonstrated by not only this collapse but the numerous banks that have faced difficulty and near collapse over the past year or so.

Inbox: Can an Unbaptized person take Communion?

It seems like this subject is coming up a lot lately as I've encountered it in churches, in conversation, and even in podcast discussions. Sadly, the understanding of this question is often lacking.

The Synagogue Shooter and the Death Penalty

Pennsylvania media has long been fixated on the trial of the man who went on a murderous Anti-Semitic rampage at a synagogue in Pittsburgh back in 2018. Eleven people were murdered and six more suffered injury. The Federal trial resulted in a death penalty verdict and this has generated a range of responses. As I took them in and reflected on them in light of Scripture, I found myself not a little frustrated by the many false assumptions being made both within and without the Christian community.

The Gnadenhutten Massacre

When one thinks of religious conflict and persecution in the Americas, the slaughter of Huguenots at the hands of the Spanish necessarily comes to mind. Hundreds were killed in northern Florida during the sixteenth century as Spain took exception to the notion of a French Protestant colony proximate to their vast Caribbean empire.

Gothardism Under the Microscope and a Christian Parent's Response (II)

Were the Beall's disturbed by watching their little five year old disappear into the bowels of a big institutional facility? They should be. It isn't natural. It's actually highly disturbing and historically anomalous but people have been conditioned to think it's normal. As a Christian not only is it an abdication of parental duty and calling, it is just plain crazy to hand over your precious and innocent covenanted child to authorities that are going to spend all day, five days a week, for at least a dozen years – during your child's most formative period in life, attempting to undermine all the most fundamental things you believe in.

Gothardism Under the Microscope and a Christian Parent's Response (I)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/2023/christian-home-schoolers-revolt/

The new Amazon Prime documentary on The Duggars (Shiny Happy People) is apparently one of the most popular shows of the year, even breaking all kinds of viewing records. What a sad thing. This is what they've brought on themselves – an on the larger Church.

Confessional Presbyterianism: A System of Syncretism, Tradition, and Bureaucracy

https://theaquilareport.com/second-thoughts-about-the-proposed-witness-overtures/

We've just passed General Assembly season in the Presbyterian world and thus there's a lot of talk about polity, discipline, and procedure and yet as this article demonstrates, most of it is off-base and has little if anything to do with actual New Testament polity, but is instead rooted in tradition and what amounts to a functional rejection of Scriptural Sufficiency.

Postmillennial Clash: American Theonomy and British Whig-Revivalism

Having recently worked through Crawford Gribben's 2021 Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest, I was struck by many things but I have repeatedly revisited his reporting on the exchanges between American Theonomy and British outlets like the Banner of Truth. Later as Theonomy would emerge onto a larger stage it would be met with no small degree of hostility from within theologically conservative and Reformed circles in Britain. I don't believe Gribben sufficiently explored this and yet I think the episode to be rather instructive.

The UCC Backlash: Conservative remnants within old Congregationalist, Hungarian, and German Reformed Congregations

https://www.ironsharpensironradio.com/podcast/june-15-2023-show-with-ed-boyle-micah-clouse-on-is-there-hope-for-the-united-church-of-christ/

A recent episode of Iron Sharpens Iron caught my eye as it called attention to some of the conservative remnants and their resistance to theological liberalism within the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Inbox: Christian Kids in State Colleges (II)

For as 'woke' as the environment supposedly is – he's been appalled at the Establishment-friendly narratives (that while sometimes critical of the United States) in the end defend it and justify American policy and conduct in such contexts as Vietnam and its other more recent wars. And so while a Right-wing adherent would be critical of what's being said, a New Testament Christian is left offended by what is in the end a defense of the Establishment regime and its countless episodes of imperialist theft and murder. And it would only be worse in the context of a Christian college.

Inbox: Christian Kids in State Colleges (I)

After having stated on repeated occasions that I don't believe Christians should send their children to public school, how can I justify sending my son to a state or public college? Isn't this the same thing?

The Ripples of Evangelical Collapse

Looking at a social media photo of members of our wider family circle (a network of relations connected by marriage) – I'm struck once again by the rapid fall of American Evangelicalism. The photo is of a mother, her daughters and their 'spouses'. One of the daughters stands boldly and unashamedly with another woman.

Myths Concerning Second Temple Judaism

Having recently finished Gerard Russell's Heirs of Forgotten Kingdoms (Basic Books, 2014) I found myself once again irritated and put off by popular but erroneous narratives concerning Second Temple Judaism.

John MacArthur Continues to Disappoint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-ofKxfYqGw

In recent weeks, as the media focused on the seventy-fifth anniversary of Israel's founding, I have been musing on Dispensationalism and its geopolitical influence. I happened to come across a video of John MacArthur appearing on the Ben Shapiro show back in 2018.

Desiring to be Teachers of the Law (II)

The Great Commission of Matthew 28 is repeatedly invoked but with a Dominionist overlay that re-casts the passage in terms of a Christianisation that does not exist, that has no premise in the New Testament, is refuted by the New Testament, and in no way reflects Christ's imperative in the passage. He was exhorting His followers to make disciples of the nations – in other words the gospel message is not restricted to the Jewish nation but now goes out into the world and is open and available to all people – a point reiterated and reinforced by Pentecost and the Book of Acts. That offer did not include the Mosaic Law as Acts 15 makes clear.

Desiring to be Teachers of the Law (I)

https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=10922121435868

This podcast typifies the kind of confusion that seems to reign at the moment in Reformed and Dominionist circles. There is a Theonomic overlay to the conversation and yet the roundtable discussion is in the end rendered as something of the absurd – all but pointless. The assumptions of Theonomy are effectively invoked and yet the overriding ethos of the participants is that of Libertarianism. The fact that these two approaches are not only incompatible but antithetical seems to escape them. The topic in question is whether or not the government has the right or should be able to impose a regime of licenses and permits. In every case their impulses are effectively libertarian in their rejection of all such mechanisms – a point we will return to below. But there are other preliminary issues that must be considered first.

Two Kingdoms and the Reformed Tradition (III)

It must be granted the appeal to different understandings of law and its implications for Kingdom thinking by Evans is rather astute and is worthy of more reflection – but that's a question of historical theology and while interesting, is of a secondary importance. In terms of the question of Law vis-à-vis the New Testament, the Lutheran Law/Gospel paradigm is certainly artificial and forced, an outworking of the school's absolutising of Sola Fide – to the detriment of other aspects of soteriology, in particular sanctification. The Reformed understanding is more nuanced and remains a point of contention – different camps understanding it in different ways. There certainly is a case to be made (and one badly needed!)for a Law-Gospel distinction in terms of Redemptive History, but this is not the same as the Lutheran attempt to relegate all New Testament imperatives to a contrived category of law.