You Know, Letters. It’s Tuesday.

I was very excited to hear your interview with Ross Douthat. He is one of my favorite writers. It was a very good exchange. I would say that the way Ross asked questions shows he has been clearly following your ministry for years and has many sympathies with the “Moscow Mood.” I think that made for a very effective conversation that got to the heart of the matter of whatever was the topic at hand.
I’ve been following Ross for over 15 years. From my vantage point, his convictions have not shifted, despite working for the liberal NYT. Ross even has certain “winsome” sensibilities that many in your camp are suspicious of, yet I see him holding fast. Meanwhile, those like David French and Russel Moore have clearly compromised over time.
Rigney warns about living in the progressive gaze. I’m curious your thoughts; how come someone like Ross can live in a liberal environment and not be swayed, whereas French and Moore are so easily shifted.

Roger

What’s your take on aliens?
And more specifically, if it wasn’t a psyop or China and a green person walked out of a flying saucer (and we could prove it wasn’t a product of AI or LSD), how, if at all, would legit aliens be compatible with the Bible?

AH

I am not a Calvinist, yet you have been a tremendous blessing to me. In short, years ago my eschatological and soteriological presuppositions were challenged. Over time I have come to be convinced of post-mil, covenantal succession, orthodox sacraments, and more. I am still open minded on soteriology. In this video, your articulation of God’s sovereignty almost sounds like Molinism, just without the “middle knowledge” constraint. It would be a wonderful blessing and help to me if you dive deeper into God’s sovereignty and predestination, and how Calvinism is similar and differs from Molinism. At risk of asking too much, I will include that my current soteriology leanings are most near that of LCMS Lutheranism and W.B. Pope orthodox Methodism, and thus if you added context as to the problems you see with their conceptions of God’s sovereignty that would be perfect. I heard you mention in another video you prayed that God would show you if Calvinistic soteriology were true, long ago. I have been doing so for years, and my heart is open, yet it is hard to good answers once any depth is reached, particularly as I live in an Arminianistic Fundamentalist Baptist area.
Doug, God bless!

Nate

Recently in “Them Apples” it became clear that at least to me, it is unclear where specifically in Scripture marital rape is identified as a thing.
I am glad you have denounced and decried and disowned spousal misuse and rape in your “On Sexual Justice” and even clearer in your interviews on Young Turks and then Ross Douthat of NYT .
Every sin against a fellow image bearer is ultimately against God and deserves His anger and wrath and just punishment. Yes, there are jerks and tyrants abounding that do not rightly take their appointed place in created order.
Now to the quibbling. Where in Deuteronomy 22:23-29 is marriage in the context of the act? In 2 Sam 13:12 where Amnon forced his sister, that was not a marriage regime.
Even the whore and the foolish young man in Proverbs 7:21 where she forces him with her lips are not married.
You have made the point that adultery is a more heinous sin that by reason of aggravation than fornication. These passages sound at least like the harmed one is someone not your spouse.
Misuse of the dignity of an image bearer within the covenant of marriage is cosmic treasonous horrible sin. It does not seem it is a capital crime. Which is probably why the remedy in equity consequence of not holding fire in Deuteronomy is marriage, not the death penalty.
Help us know the right words to use in this discussion,
What am I missing?

Chris

You should check out some of the books provided by this website. They are Southern pride without racist issues.

A Southerner

I am reaching out because I was wondering if Canon or NSA has or would ever consider a sister school for the pursuit of magisterial studies (politics, law, journalism, etc). I have more recently graduated law school and other than our Christian legal society group, we were in a secular desert. It has been sad to hear of how many have had almost exactly the same experience with professors vehemently against Christianity or just plain old conservatism. I have a desire to pursue a foundational Christian-oriented and taught school in the realm of law and politics where future members of society and government both local and national can be trained with Christianity oozing from them. You are a man of conviction and I think that what you personally, NSA, and Canon are doing are part of a necessary discipleship and wanted to know if y’all would be interested in an endeavor like this. Thank you and God bless.

Taylor

Please explain why Jim Nance is teaching (Logic course) in your online school-or is at least advertised as doing so. Even if the situation w/ Ms. Dye proceeded as YOU described, this man should have NO contact with children/teens.

Barbara

I am writing to you because I find myself in a very painful family situation that has caused deep wounds and division between my two older brothers. For many years, their families were very close. They spent much time together, and their children—all the cousins—would often play for hours without any adult supervision.
Some time ago, it came to light that something very inappropriate had taken place between two of the children over a longer period of time, after the girl involved began to struggle emotionally and, through professional support, disclosed what had been happening. It then became clear that this had been going on since they were about 9–10 years old, over the course of roughly four years. The boy, who is a year older, appears to have been the one initiating and pressuring her into inappropriate acts. To what extent it was mutual, or how far it went, we do not know.
When the truth came out, my brothers tried to talk about it, but their conversation did not lead to any real reconciliation. One of my brothers feels that his daughter has not been treated fairly, and that the other family has not taken full responsibility or helped their son process and take accountability for what occurred. His daughter has expressed that she does not want to see her cousin, and since then the families have broken contact.
The other brother—the boy’s father—often says, when their relationship comes up, that he does not know why his brother has distanced himself, even though he actually does know the reason.
In the midst of all this stand my mother and father. They have received information from the brother whose daughter is involved, but he has also asked them not to tell the other. At the same time, my mother sees how the secret is weighing on the family. When she hears her other son express confusion and wonder why contact has been broken, she feels she is remaining silent while the truth is being withheld. She carries a growing concern that this silence only prolongs the pain, yet she is also afraid of making things worse if she speaks. She wants the truth to come out, but she does not know how or when that could happen without causing further harm.
All of them are confessing Christians.
What should my mother and father do? Who bears responsibility, and what needs to be done?

Anon

In your latest Plodcast episode “The Race Realism Pipeline is Real”, you spoke about using AI in sermon preparation. You spoke about having AI simply write your sermon or give you a sermon outline being immoral (I agree). A minister colleague made the helpful comment to me that AI is not “let by the Spirit” and this process is not Spirit-filled. Therefore, if you use AI in this way, you’ll have something to preach on Sunday morning, but your congregation will likely die.
My question is a) whether and b) how AI can be used in the sermon preparation process.
For example, sometimes I will read a commentary and find a helpful analogy that I tweak and include in the sermon. Is it permissible to ask AI to come up with an analogy (for example) on the difference between redemption achieved and redemption applied and how redemption achieved without the Spirit’s application does not save?
Another example: suppose I do all my work as usual. I pray over my study. I outline and write my sermon manuscript (I’ve did the work relying on the Spirit as usual). Do you think it is permissible for me to then put my sermon through AI and ask it to trim unnecessary repetition and wordiness (moving a 35 minute sermon to a 30 minute sermon)? How about asking it for suggestions on simplifying word choice to a teenager level or shortening sentence length?
Thanks for your thoughts,

Caleb

I appreciated your post “Them Apples” but it needed a deeper explanation of why people (both men and women) are upset about your position. I don’t think they’re upset because you’re attacking egalitarianism, not exactly. They’re upset because they know you’re right and they hate that their own desires affirm your point.
I came to this conclusion after listening to YouTuber Shoeonhead’s video, released the same day as your post, about modern “romantasy” (smut) novels. Apparently women, drawn irresistibly to masculine men but taught to hate masculine men, are now getting their kicks reading about masculine werewolves, minotaurs, and dragons. They feel safe getting aroused by stories of conquest as long as the conqueror isn’t a man.
The Modern Woman hates her desire for submission while indulging that same desire through smut, so she has to hate you for shining a light on her desire. The Modern Man hates masculinity because it looks too much like work and responsibility, so he has to hate you for reminding him that his laziness is a turn off for women. I hate that I had to watch a video about Morning Glory Milking Farm to put all this together.

Brent

On “The Failure of Big God Theology”
If the prophet Samuel was our pastor, he might sound like this: “But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands” (1 Sam 10:19 ESV). I’m ready for you to go all Yosemite Sam on my point, but I tend to appreciate and agree with most of your polemical shish-kebabing. I want us to clarify that if we engage in culture and politics, it’s not for the internet lulz, or for a shiny new savior of political power, it’s to pull lost people off of this sinking ship: “the world is passing away, along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn 2:17).

Josiah

In the last mailbag, you gave some starter recommendation books for conservative thought [Sunshine, Brutus, Kirk, and Hazony]. Can you give your thoughts, concerns, cautions, or support for the books of Mark Levin?
Thank you!

Brian

Appreciate your ministry. Did the OT saints have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? I would assume so if they were regenerated. I know Calvin held this view and his distinction was that in the New Covenant there would be a greater degree/out pouring. I would love to know your thoughts.
Thanks,

Mike

I have found myself listening to your son’s podcast on Stories lately. In one of the episodes he referred to you as, and I’m paraphrasing, the big mean dog that conservative Christians let loose when they need someone to fight a scary foe. Thank you for being the big mean dog.

Ben

Looking through the issues you navigate, I’m curious what are your thoughts on theological flexibility vs. theological firmness? Clearly too much firmness can lead one down the path of the Pharisees, unwilling to accept that God’s reading is not one’s own, even when the literal messiah is standing in front of you expositing. But clearly too much softness can lead to where you’ve got an affirming church parading drag queens.
What are the principles that should make one question whether they’re too soft or too rigid?

Ian

Thanks for your varied ministries. They have been a great encouragement to me. I am a young pastor and have recently found myself in some pretty deep counseling situations. Ultimately, I know that God’s Spirit working through God’s Word is what will help in every case. However, I also want to take my task of counseling the flock God has given me seriously. That said, do you have any recommendations for resources on pastoral counseling that are not therapeutic goo?
Also, I heard you mention that you are working on a book about pastoral counseling. Is that still in the works? It would be a help.
Thanks again,

Levi

I’ve messaged you a few times, and you’ve been very gracious to me in answering. I’m hoping you’ll be willing to do one more:
I’ve had a lot of false starts with properly introducing and consistently raising my children biblically. Basically, I start trying to be consistent in spanking and being joyful in that process, but through laziness and discouragement, I fall back to still spanking, but in anger, and I’ve had several instances of having to apologize to my kids and “start over.” I recognize life will be constant repentance, but I see fruit in my children that frankly scares me (lots of anger, and only obeying when we’re at the point of being upset with them). My question is, how do I repent— really and truly—to where I am more consistent in my child rearing, and how do I turn my own children’s anger back to cheerful obedience? My kids are 5, 2, and a newborn, all boys.
Thank you for your ministry,

Anonymous Dad