Despite Our Best Efforts, Letters Still Arrived

Has it really been four years since that piece on Horror to which I responded? Having a large batch of children is like stepping into a time acceleration machine. As with a lot of your content on cultural issues, I agree with your premise but have concerns about the ambiguity of your advice.

“why on earth would you want them to dress up as something gross or vile or macabre or gruesome or cadaverous or ghastly or morbid?”

This is an entirely subjective standard. Anyone whose inclination is overly prudish, or cowardly, are anti-masculine, or severe in any regard can simply file any objection they like under “gross”. Anyone inclined to dress as something truly wicked can simply claim that the objector is falling into the first group.

Its a topic of particular interest to me having come up in Christian circles that consistently tried to micromanage their children’s culture while having no sensible standards by which to police that culture. Many of the most comically absurd parents would, on paper, have rules very much like you say . . . and then they would smugly condescend about parents who do not follow that rule . . . because they buy their children Count Chockula cereal. He is a vampire. That is technically a cadaver.

I remember in one instance I was at a school friend’s birthday party and had gotten them a game. After it was opened, the parent immediately took it away, and scolded both her daughter and me for the illicit material. See, it had a skeleton on the box. If it has a skeleton on the box, that must mean it worships evil. I tried to explain, the game is explicitly Christian. Overtly so. Bible verses and everything. That didn’t matter you see, it was “ghastly” and “morbid.

Love the content. Keep up God’s work. Bought my No Quarter November flag.

Post Script:

I have been reading on your positions on Calvinism and Paedobaptism, the two areas upon which we disagree, which I had asked about references for the last time I wrote. While I haven’t come around on Calvinism for reasons too wordy to put in this letter, I have come around on Paedobaptism. It wasn’t through any of the arguments on the topic I’d studied, which I have done quite extensively, but just listening to the Gospel. We recently had a temporary but extreme housing crisis, since resolved even better than our situation was previously, thank the Lord, but while I was moving all of our possessions twice in two weeks, I listened to the Geneva Bible on Canon+. When Christ ascended He commanded us to baptize. There was no qualification. Just do it. The burden of proof would then fall to me, the Credobaptist, to devise qualifications Jesus himself did not see as necessary to mention. I can’t. So I am now a Paedobaptist.

Justin

First of all, thank you for your tireless output of bible based wisdom and good sense. Your teaching is wonderfully frank so I would like to ask you for recommended reading relating to pregnancy, new parenthood and being a federal husband. As you might guess from the last part I have found your family series which I intend to select from. Are there any others you would suggest? God bless you and your family,

Brian

In your article “On Shaking Off the Christian Nationalism JimJams” you seem to champion Christian nationalism. However, the way in which you describe Christian nationalism certainly would leave no room for Christians to be opposed. In other words, the only thing you seem to do is to ask, “in which society would you prefer to live?” If this is all that is involved as far as Christian nationalism is concerned, then I see no problem with one referring to themselves as a Christian nationalist, seeing as how one is only pointing out what they may prefer. The problem comes in when we have those who live in our society who are not Christians, who would prefer to live in a different kind of society? Christians should attempt to influence society by getting involved, (politics included) in order to attempt to persuade. However, when our persuasions fall on deaf ears, what options are left? Well, here in the U.S. we as Christians have the option to continue to live as we wish, without attempting to mandate that all others must, and have to do the same. Therein lies the problem. Because you see, I am convinced Christian nationalism involves far more for many Christians than simply what they would prefer. Maybe you know some of the Christians I am referring to, who believe we should infuse the Mosaic law, with all its penal codes into our civil law here in the U.S.? You know, like R.J. Rushdoony? Doug, the questions you need to answer here are, do you believe the general equity of the Mosaic law with its penal code should be enforced in our civil law here in the U.S.? Next, is this your aim? If so, then it certainly seems as if Christian nationalism for you involves far more than simply what you would prefer. Rather, it would seem as if you would like to enforce what it is you prefer upon others. You are indeed a champion of R.J. Rushdoony and his book “Politics of Guilt and Pity,” and Rushdoony was certainly in favor of such a thing. Therefore, since you are a champion of Rushdoony then you either need to explain you are not in agreement with Rushdoony on this matter or come out and own the fact that Christian nationalism would involve far more for you than what you would prefer. If this is the case, then you should stop attempting to shame Christians for not being on board with Christian nationalism as if it were simply what one would prefer.

Jeff Durbin does this same sort of thing. Durbin suggests Christian nationalism is simply a desire to see all people from all nations coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Again, if this is all that is involved in Christian nationalism then you can count me in. The problem is, we all know for a fact there are Christians who champion Christian nationalism who goes further than simply having this desire. This should demonstrate to us clearly that we as Christians cannot even come to an agreement ourselves, but somehow, we want Christians to take control? Therefore, it seems to me we as Christians have enough trouble attempting to take care of our own affairs, without being concerned about the affairs of those outside the faith. As you yourself have acknowledged elsewhere, we as Christians are free to associate with the immoral of the world. However, we are commanded not to associate with an immoral brother, or sister. The reason we are free to associate with the immoral of the world is as Paul says, “what do I have to do with judging those outside”? This should put to rest the idea that we as Christians are to rule the world.

Jack

You make a cogent and compelling argument regarding the name, “Christian Nationalism,” and you will convince 10 or 20,000 folks sitting in the choir. The other 300 million hear “National Socialism.” The left is revving up their balers because they have plenty of hay to make from this branding.

DCH

Regarding “On Shaking Off the Christian Nationalism JimJams”: It’s a great idea to clarify that Christians must believe in some level of organization, whether tribal, national, or international/globalist, but I think you missed two other important categories—there are also anarchists, and there are also (too many of) those who are unthinking/apathetic/blind to the world around them.

Ian

I’d like some clarification on your response to a letter about forgiving a cheating husband. You said: “I think we have to make a distinction because for Christians forgiveness is mandatory, and according to Scripture a reconciliation is not mandatory. “ I was taught that forgiveness requires reconciliation, and where there is no reconciliation then there is no forgiveness. The biblical defense for this view was that we are told multiple places in the New Testament to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. And He does not forgive us but then neglect to reconcile with us.

This teaching made a lot of sense to me, it seemed to check out in Scripture, and I’ve been dutifully following it ever since. So I was surprised to see you say that reconciliation and forgiveness do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Can you please explain briefly how Scripture does not teach that forgiveness and reconciliation must be linked?

Megan

In your recent two paths back to trust, you said:

“A cheating husband could ask for forgiveness from his wife, and genuinely receive it, and still find himself divorced. An employee who helped himself from the cash register from time to time could seek forgiveness from his boss, and receive that forgiveness, and still get fired. “

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a parable about a man who owed the king ten thousand talents, and after begging and pleading with the king, the king forgave the debt and let him go free. That is is stark contrast with the “forgiveness” of the wife and boss in your examples. In the parable, the forgiven man then goes on to demand one hundred denarii from another man that owes him. Then the king calls him in and asked him about it. How would it sound if the man said “Oh, I forgave him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t go to jail. Forgiveness and trust are different!” The king would not be impressed with that weaselly answer.

Trust guides our future actions. Maybe the king doesn’t trust the man, and so won’t lend him any more money. But he doesn’t go to jail because he is forgiven. Can you reconcile the forgiveness in your examples with this parable?

Thanks,

Joel

Uncle Doug,

I recognize it must be wearisome, even for an anarchic personality, to have to wrangle with many-times-resurrected horses, yet I wonder if your plans for world domination (and the cause of Messiah even on a non-post-mil view) might be helped by a published summary from your perspective of the origins and history of your pastorship.

Especially troubling to me have been accusations made by Nick Gier about dishonesty with regard to an allegedly purported signed document (in the first part of his series on your “religious empire”, which series is fairly prominent in Google results).

After a decent chunk of time swimming in obscure details, I’ve found some comfort that Gier may not be a particularly reliable source on these matters, but still, I think a reasonable citizen who may want to benefit from and promulgate your teachings may be hindered in doing so after reading such accusations and not finding a clear explanation or repentance from you.

With love and respect,

C.J.

I have greatly appreciated your podcasts addressing the issues with ethical and artistic relativism.

I have a question I would love your help answering:

What are the objective tests/standards from Scripture we can use to evaluate music and art?

Thank you in advance for your help and I look forward to hearing from you.

Your brother in Christ,

James

This question comes out of a desire for unity among the brethren and an attempt to clarify my own thinking as we work through this as a church. Some of these thoughts were actually prompted by the line during the recent Georgia Senate Debate when Herschel Walker asked Raphael Warnock, “If black lives matter, why are you not protecting those babies? And instead of aborting those babies why are you not baptizing those babies?” Not sure how engaged Walker is in the credo/peado discussions, but . . . How is waiting for a child to develop in maturity before the church administers baptism substantially different for covenantal paedobaptists and covenantal credobaptists? They both delay the sign. The former for the child to emerge from the mother’s womb while the latter waits for the child to emerge from the father’s household.

Or another way of putting it, why don’t paedobaptists sprinkle pregnant bellies? Waiting until after delivery seems to give credence to the pro-abortion rationale. Would a consistent pro-life, paedobaptist practice be to sprinkle as soon as life was detected? Get the baptism in before the pregnant momma takes communion next, ha!

Also, could it be that covenantal credobaptists who raise their children as Christians (e.g., pray, repent, forgive, etc.) and to meaningfully participate in church (e.g., singing, saying “Amen,” raising hands, etc.) can have quite a strong view of federal headship since their children function as Christians under their father’s baptism instead of their individual baptism?

It seems that the gains of each approach results in the loss of something worth striving for. Covenantal credobaptists strive to limit the number of unbelievers who are given the covenant sign at the risk of keeping the sign from true believers, while covenantal paedobaptists strive to limit the number of true believers who do not receive the sign at the risk of giving the sign to unbelievers.

I send this chuckling at the memory of your slip at the Grace Agenda men’s seminar this year referencing the “1689 Project” instead of “1619 Project.”

Paul

Geologic rock strata can be interpreted as representing millions of years or the catastrophic activity of single event. If radiometric dating is to be believed, then there was presumably plenty of time for all the slimy things to evolve into less slimy, ambulatory things. However, if the dating points to a catastrophic cause, this means there was no time for geologic, biologic or chemical evolution, and you then have to wrestle with the very real possibility of a God staring you in the face, all because of the dating.

It seems to me the dating of the book of Revelation, 90’s or 60’s AD, has similar implications for eschatology as well. If John was writing in the 60’s before the fall of Jerusalem and the apocalyptic poetry can be attributed to that time period, it seems like it excludes the possibility of those prophecies also being in our future, as a premillennialist would think,. In this case, we find ourselves forced to do some serious exegetical acrobatics, or potentially change the way we view the entire Bible and what we presumed was God’s plan A.

Would you agree that the dating of the book has such an implication for how we view eschatology, or am I overstating it’s importance? Also, do you think it is possible for someone to read Revelation and the Olivet discourse, accept them as referring to the Jewish wars and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and still hold to a premillennial eschatology?

Thanks

Tim

Thanks for all your labor on behalf of Christ and the Church.

I was wondering if you might offer some advice. Specifically, I have been struggling with what I can only describe as a mental virus. Allow me to describe. It seems that in our age, we have been infected with the tendency to double-speak. Post-modern man so carefully parses his words and polices others’, so as to buttress certain false realities. As one who is perhaps too sensitive to language, I have unfortunately been beset with this tendency. I find myself unwittingly, unwillingly monitoring my speech and others. It’s very 1984-esque, this awful sensitivity to language, and I find myself like Winston Smith, feeling increasingly besieged. It’s like I’m Big Brother to myself.

I have been spending time in the Word, and I know that it is *the* antidote we have been given (Romans 12:2). I have been meditating on and memorizing Scripture. Still, the spirit of the age seems to have settled into my language centers, constantly offering its political commentary on texts, both spoken and written—noting pronoun usage, sniffing out the slightest instances of virtue signaling, etc.

Beyond spending time in the Word and in prayer, what can a man do? I feel so horribly hounded, and am afraid that should I share this with another, his response will simply be, “Wow—you totally need a therapist.”

Any books, beyond the Book, that you might recommend as a corrective to my malaise? Courses of action? Sometimes the anguish of it all makes one want to head for the hills.

Yours in Christ,

CAL

Not in regard to a particular post, but having just finished Mother Kirk, I am interested to learn more about your Men’s Forum. Where might in find additional information?

Jay

Wondering your thoughts on Brion McClanahan’s view that the US is simply too big, that we should focus on regional govt’s instead of national ones, and how this might apply to Christian Nationalism.

He shows, historically, how States have the right to secede and makes good cases for ‘originalism.’

Rocky

As far as student loan forgiveness, why can we not just accept the forgiveness with the similar thought of Joseph—they meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Gen 50:20)? If they wipe my debt out, I’m certainly not going to vote for Biden, and I didn’t vote for him in the first place. Just because someone else acts in an evil way and it benefits me and others, does not mean I always need to give up the benefits, does it? Otherwise, shouldn’t Joseph have renounced his title as a ruler in Egypt, and not have helped all those people live another day? Also, all those people that ate the food that Joseph provided should have gone hungry, because otherwise they would be complicit in the evil perpetrated on Joseph?

If someone confiscates a pirate ship with gold and silver that was stolen. And lets say it’s not possible to return it to the rightful owners, because it’s not known who they are. Is it wrong use that to the benefit of the society that confiscated it?

TR

“The globalists are the Tisroc, the nationalists are fighting alongside King Tirian, and the tribalists are the dwarves, shooting the horses.” I just finished reading through The Last Battle a couple of nights ago for the umpteenth time. Does anyone else have the same feeling about things right now as I do when reading through the first 2/3 of it?

grh

Thank you for your reply regarding the appropriate response to apostasy. I wanted to follow up with more details of the situation in case you could help with the three specific questions at the end of this letter.

I was married nine years ago to my wife. Seven months after being married, my wife and I visited her parents in Germany, where her parents worked as missionaries. They had been missionaries there for 15 years. During that visit, my father-in-law announced to my wife and me and my two sisters-in-law that he no longer believed in God. Having grown up in the church, having professed faith from young adulthood, and having served as a missionary with a mission organisation, he had now come to the point of no longer calling himself a Christian. My wife states that as a teenager at home, she had seen her dad struggle particularly with the doctrine of predestination and balk at the teaching that a sovereign and good God allowed people to suffer greatly. In his quest to reconcile for himself the seemingly incompatible realities of a good God and the prevalence of evil and suffering, her father explored Arminianism and universalism, eventually giving up entirely because he could find no answers to satisfy himself. My wife’s parents resigned from missionary service and returned to Australia roughly six months after my father-in-law told us that he had given up the faith. A letter from the missionary society told supporters that my father-in-law had resigned due to struggles with core Christian beliefs.

I was troubled by the way our church responded to my father-in-law’s denial of the faith. I came to believe that not only a period of mourning in the church was appropriate, but that my wife’s father should receive church discipline, including excommunication, in the hope of his being brought to repentance and restored to Christ and to the church. I based these beliefs on passages such as 1 Corinthians 5, where the man who has borne the name of brother sins in a defiant way and receives dissociation as a consequence. Also Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 1:20. My wife and I had little contact and strained relationships with my parents-in-law while I was seeking to convince our church leaders that church discipline needed to be exercised. During this time, our first son was born. That was way back in 2015. Since then, we have spent some time overseas and also time back in the same city as my parents-in-law where we have had semi-peaceful relations, despite ongoing unease about the situation. My mother-in-law still professes the faith but goes to a different church to my wife and me.

My wife and I now have three children. In June this year, I sent my father-in-law an email severing contact between my wife and I, and my parents-in-law. I had been troubled again over continuing to relate with my father-in-law as if he had not left the faith. Our daughter, Elizabeth, was to be baptised on the 19th of June—this was a catalyst for my thinking again on the subject of my father-in-law’s apostasy because we had originally invited my parents to the baptism. Obviously, my father-in-law no longer attends church. However, on reflection, I thought it was wrong to invite him to celebrate our daughter’s union with Christ in baptism when he is crucifying Christ all over again (Hebrews 6:6). My father-in-law has also recently published a book of poetry including a poem which denies the existence of God. I understand that a senior leader in our church wrote a foreword to that book, which said something along the lines that my father-in-law’s journey was not over yet. I felt like something was out of place there, because it seemed to condone my father-in-law’s apostasy. Since sending that email, I have been encouraged to re-establish contact with my parents-in-law by others in the church, people who disagree with excommunication as being the appropriate response. So, I met with my father-in-law and mother-in-law separately recently. However, I am still confused. I have also begun looking at passages such as Matthew 12:31-32 and 1 John 5:16 about the unforgiveable sin (which Calvin thought was apostasy) and Deuteronomy 13 and 17.

Much tumult has resulted from my sending that email in June. When our minister became aware of it, he visited us and said that he would not baptise Elizabeth on the 19th of June. He subsequently told my wife that he couldn’t baptise Elizabeth unless we invite my parents-in-law to the baptism service. Our minister and I disagree about how to act towards my parents-in-law in this situation. Someone in our church told me that Jesus showed grace to Judas (his betrayer) right up until the end, so I should show grace to my father-in-law (something that G.I. Williamson disagrees with, in his treatment of the unforgivable sin in his book The Westminster Confession of Faith, at p 214, 2004 edition). I realise that excommunication is for the church pastors to do, but in a way my father-in-law has excommunicated himself by leaving the church. What does this mean for our relations with him and his professing wife now?

The three questions I have are:

1.) Should the church excommunicate my father-in-law?

2.) Should I invite my parents-in-law to the baptism?

3.) Should my wife and I have friendly relations with my parents-in-law (i.e. birthday lunches, Christmas celebration, let our children have sleep overs with them, etc)?

With thanks,

David

My family has started a “song time” after dinner to sing fun songs and teach them the joy of music. What songs did you enjoy playing for your children and grand children?

Sky

I’m not sure how much you follow Kevin DeYoung. I’ve greatly appreciated the some articles he’s written recently. Specifically one about Christians having more children, links here and here.

1. Is it just me, or does it seem like Mr DeYoung has been on fire since leaving TGC? He seems to care less and less about being at the cool kids table.

“Just once I’d like to see a Christian college spotlight a stay-at-home mom in its alumni magazine. From the way Christian schools market themselves, you would never imagine that most of their women graduates become mothers or that normal family life is an honorable calling.”

“The Bible never says “Thou must finish thine education before marriage,” or “backpack through Europe before marriage,” or “make time to binge-watch Netflix before marriage.” The Bible does say that it is better to marry than to burn”

Great stuff. The gloves have come off and he’s writing more like you every day. I’m enjoying it.

2. I’m thankful to attend a church where 4-5 kids in a family is much more the norm than 1-2. However, one thing I have noticed is that some families that have the most children (and most outspoken about the need for large families) are the ones led by men who do the least to help their wives with the extra work of those large families. I hear phrases like, “not my job to change the diapers.” So while I do appreciate many of your encouragements in the areas of husbands and wives each attending to their respective roles and thriving in them, certain quarters of the American church could use the gentle encouragement of, “hey, help your wife out a little bit you blockhead.”

Thanks,

Nate

Your words have consistently come as an encouragement to me at my lowest moments. Thank you, and praise be to God.

Best regards,

Wyatt

Long time listener, second time e-mailer: keep up the good work. Is there a way for folks to keep up with the Christ Church building project? Any updates? I’m sure i am not the only one chomping at the bit to see the good Lord’s work over there. Very excited.

May He still Bless,

Cole

What do we do when we have no choice bu to go to the corrupt institution because they are the only option we have? I married my wife in April and we got pregnant soon after. We were devastated yesterday when our midwife told us our ultrasound revealed abnormalities in our daughter’s heart and brain. We are now at the mercy of the corrupt medical system in Grand Rapids, MI whose local children hospital (DeVos) refused a kidney transplant for a Ukrainian orphan whose adoptive parents did not allow their daughter to be a COVID lab rat and then whistled CPS on them for refusing the statist sacrament. Please pray that God will allow my daughter Ashlee to live a full, healthy life. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Brent

Have been blessed with your Mablog content for many years now and just recently moved to Moscow. Is there any way I can get my hands on an NQN flag to help usher in this happy season?

H.S.