Contents
What’s the Deal, Buzzfeed?
I was perusing my news feed this morning, and came across a buzz feed article about cult towns in the US. Third on the list was Moscow, Idaho, because of the church there. Of course, Buzz Feed is not a legitimate site, but I do truly believe that Bible believing churches (and thus people), will be seen like this more and more as we move forward in this culture of self-worship. Here is a link to the article, which I thought Pastor Douglas Wilson may be interested in seeing. .Jennifer
Jennifer, thanks. I am personally aggrieved that Buzzfeed didn’t rank us at #1. Man, talk about slander . . .
Some Background Bio?
The title of the work that I am addressing is the book: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, and the documentary: Geronimo, Amen! My address to you is not directly referencing those works, just that those works made me ask some biographical questions. Pastor Wilson,
When you think about the beginnings of the institutions you started or helped to start, were you thinking that all of it was part of your calling as a pastor? Did you categorize some of those early projects as adjacent to shepherding, or part of it, or less important?
Was there struggle/criticism amongst your people or elders towards you, charging or at least being suspicious of you not being focused? And, were you focused?
Praise God for how he has used you and the things you set your mind and back to. I think there is much opportunity for institution building where I am. So these question are about your mindset in those earlier days of pastoring, family life, and groundwork for the things you started.
Peace,Charles
Charles, thanks for the question. The culture of our community here, thanks to my father, has always emphasized application. Mere talk won’t cut it, and that includes doctrinal talk. This led us, over the years, to a full-orbed Kuyperian approach to Christian worldview thinking. And the elders of the church were always generous when I devoted any energy to new project.
Dowry Reference?
I was listening to your sermon series Biblical Courtship on Canon Plus to help me better contextualize the biblical case you made in Her Hand in Marriage, which I must say has tipped me rather strongly into complete agreement with the need for this version of courtship. Thank you!
But what I wanted to ask you was your reference(s) you used for interpreting the Exodus 22:16-17’s reference to bride price as a dowry given to the bride. This makes a ton of sense and vindicates God so much against the blasphemous claims of tyrannical patriarchy that God was forced to condescend to in a nation that He had just created. But those in my church who hold that terrible perspective have so many “respected” commentaries on their side. So I would love to have more reference to point to for this new to me view of the bride’s security nest.
Thank you,Steve
Steve, it has been many years now, but I believe I got that from Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law.
A Bit of Blues
I got into the Blues as a 40-something white guy, in the early 90s. (Just to be clear, this was the 1990s, and I was white before and after getting into the blues.) My first foray was to catch a show in a small club featuring H-Bomb Ferguson., cuz I heard he played the Blues. Got there early to get a good seat, and some guys—white and black—were milling near the stage, so my first assumption was that they were the band.
They were, so, so far so good. The black guys were considerably older that the white guys, who looked to be just beyond high school. Mentally I tried to guess their instruments. My most confident guess was that the smaller white kid, who looked like a wrestler, was the drummer, and the taller white kid, with long hair, I imagined to be the bass player.
My head spun round when it turned out to be the lead guitarist and the sax player. H-Bomb was good but not spectacular on keyboards, but the kids carried the music.
Thru those years of a multitude of shows, I never heard any of these great musicians speak the words I longed to hear, ‘I’d like to thank all you middle age white guys for coming to see us, and keeping the blues alive.”
I did hear well-dressed black say, after a set, ‘How come I never hear the stuff on our radio station??’
BTW, later I taught a Sunday school class—David, the Psalms and the Blues. Before they built pyramids, you know some Israelites were forced into the fields to pick cotton for the Geza Dream Sheets. Tell me Psalm 6 wasn’t sung like the blues it was.Steve
Steve, thanks.
Drawing the Sin Line
How would you distinguish or where would you draw the line between laziness, which is condemned in Scripture, and rest, which is commanded in Scripture. It seems to me that having adequate rest and avoiding excessive commitments or busyness is wise and necessary, but it also seems to me that a need for rest can easily become an excuse for laziness. However, some of the benchmarks for what we consider to be legitimate rest vs. laziness seem to me to be somewhat arbitrary. E.g. we might think that someone who works 60 hours a week and says that he is too busy and needs a break has a point, whereas someone who works 30 hours a weeks and says the same does not. However, isn’t this just based on our arbitrary decision to set 40 hours a week as standard full time? Does whether or not we are being lazy just depend on how much work we have objectively done or does how tired we “feel” ever enter into the equation? I have heard a lot of my friends at church talk about the need for “Sabbath Rest,” but they seem to equate this to taking naps, playing video games, having a “lazy day,” etc. I don’t think any of these things are inherently bad, but it seems to me that the Sabbath rest that Scripture talks about is much more about resting in the Lord, worshiping the Lord with his gathered people, having fellowship with his people, etc. than with these activities that may be fun but I don’t think are truly restful to the soul. This seems to me to stem from our culture’s obsession with “self care,” which I think is different from the Biblical concept of Sabbath rest.
Finally, what would you say to someone who says that what they find restful is dependent on their personality? For example, someone who says “I’m an introvert, so fellowshipping with God’s people is really draining to me instead of being restful. I need to go home, take a nap, and play video games to feel really rested?” Isn’t worshiping God in Spirit and Truth and fellowshipping with his people something that should be objectively restful to all of God’s people regardless of their personalities? Can it really be true that the rest I get from worshiping God and fellowshipping with his people is something that other believers only get from watching Netflix or playing video games? What would you say to someone who recognizes the importance of Lord’s Day Worship and fellowshipping with other believers and does these things, but says that they are not restful because of their personality and that they need to play video game or lay around on the couch to feel really rested?
Thanks for taking the time to read my letter!Will
Will, I wouldn’t over-think it. Scripture says we are to work for six days out of seven, and I think that means the full day. The measurement ought to be whether you are tired or not. And all the things that are close to the line, as a number of your examples are, should be left to the individual conscience. After all, you can see your own motives toward laziness or slack entertainment (as opposed to rest) far more easily than you can see the same thing in others.
Above Reproach
What does it mean to be “above reproach”? This is a question which I often receive when people find out I listen to you. Many of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ do not consider you to be above reproach, due to your drinking of whiskey on Man Rampant episodes and your occasional colorful language (“small breasted biddies” being the favorite to attack). What are some things that you refrain from doing or saying in order to be above reproach? I am somehow below reproach for agreeing with 92% of what you say.John
John, thanks for the question. There are certain things everyone sees as not above reproach, so I would start there. Stay faithful to your wife, keep your word, stay in the Bible, and so on. There are other areas that are debatable among Christians. If you indulge in anything like that, then you need to be prepared with a scriptural case to defend what you are doing. In the case of whiskey, for example, what I am doing is biblical (Dt. 14:26), and what the objectors are doing is following the traditions of men (Mark 7:7). Which means they are not above reproach.
Clearing Up a Misconception
I have enjoyed your blog for the past couple of days, so I decided to pull back the curtain to meet the man behind the message. This first paragraph is where I stopped. The last line of the following paragraph punched me in the stomach. Are you implying that Ezekiel was or is a false prophet? This is a serious question.
Welcome to Blog & Mablog. The name is taken from the prophet Ezekiel (Eze. 38:14-16), who was referring to a bad dude named Gog (from Magog), and if you make a little pun, you have a cultural and theological blog that sweeps down from the north out of Russia in order to invade the land of Israel. But I am a supporter of Israel, so I don’t really know what that’s about. Anyway, the fulfillment of that prophecy is about as likely as the other one, and so why let a fun name go to waste?
Thank youStacy
Stacy, no. Ezekiel was a true prophet of God. I was just having a little fun with a particular dispensational interpretation of Ezekiel. I differ with that interpretation, not with Ezekiel.
Infant Baptism
I was writing to you because, I’ve read your book ‘To a Thousand Generations’ and ‘Standing on the Promises’ numerous times, and I am definitely leaning towards accepting infant baptism as a biblical practice, but my only confusion with it is, the difference between being born into the covenant people of God, As seen in Romans chapter 11, with the olive tree, and becoming a part of the elect of God, as described in Romans, chapter 8, and describing how one can be in the covenant but yet not a part of the elect chosen from before the foundation of the world. I can see the differences in Scripture, but it is difficult for me to articulate the differences into words. This question may be addressed in your book somewhere and I’m just not seeing it, but if you could lay that out clearly, that would be beneficial and greatly appreciated.
Your brother,Jarrod
Jarrod, it is the difference between the visible church and the invisible church. The former consists of everyone who professes the faith, together with their children. Knowing the kind of world we live in, that profession need not be sincere or genuine. But God knows those who are truly His, as they are the decretally elect. Thus we have the Romans 8 covenant members and the Romans 11 covenant members. And sometimes, as happened in Paul’s case, the Romans 11 type persecute the Romans 8 type.
Our Overdue Letter
A long overdue letter. You would never have found the apostle Paul using his Roman citizenship to appeal to the secular Roman authorities in order to obtain justice . . .Ken
Ken, yes. Thanks. We are seeing good fruit thus far.
Severe Family Conflict
I thank you for all you and your family do. You have been a great blessing to me and my wife as we try to figure out how to live life as new Christians. My question is how to handle severe family conflict. I’ve had lots of issues with my family over the years, but recently something happened that has pushed our relationship off a cliff. Long story short, my uncle is in prison for distributing child pornography. I recently found out that my mother has given him pictures of my children. She would not apologize when I confronted her about this, so I haven’t spoken to her in weeks. I really don’t know how to handle this situation because no one in my family is a Christian, so I can’t exactly point to the Bible to correct them. Aside from keeping my children and their pictures away from my parents, how should a Christian respond to this situation?
Thanks and God bless,LL
LL, a lot would depend on what her reasons were. It is hard to say anything without hearing what she thought she was doing. I don’t think you need an apology in order to have a functioning relationship, but I think you do need her to agree not to do anything like that again to have a working relationship.
Tapping the Foot Impatiently
When will “American Milk and Honey” be available on Canon Plus for listening?John
John, I record a little bit more every time I go into Canon to record my blog. I would guess another month or so.
Vocational Question
Greetings and gratitude for your ministry! We have a son that many years ago, my husband and I might have encouraged him to join the military or police because of his interests. Unfortunately, we can not in good faith encourage him in these pursuits these days, and are praying about professions that might be similar but without all the moral difficulties, do you have any suggestions?Mrs. D
Mrs. D, I agree with you about the military. While still lawful, every Christian in the military has to be braced every morning for the prospect of wrecking his career that day. Some police departments are the same way, but it still is possible to find a well-run department that isn’t woke. You have more options there.
The Short Answer Is No
Is it possible to sin in such a way so that you are disqualified from being a husband, father, etc.? I’m not talking about “extreme” sins like going off the rails and becoming a transgender . . . I’m talking about sins like adultery, etc. (Although I think adultery is a far more serious sin than what we consider it today..it seems the prevalence of a sin makes it seem not as bad.)Frank
Frank, no, I don’t believe so. If the sin is confessed, the underlying issues have been faithfully addressed, if restitution has been made, as far as is possible, I don’t believe prior sin disqualifies from marriage. But you need to be careful. Any prospective spouse would need to know the whole story, for example.
Expository Preaching
I’m a small church Pastor and my question is about preaching content. I am committed to expository preaching, going through books of the Bible verse-by-verse. I apply the truth of God’s word to the modern day and culture where relevant, and try to cultivate biblical worldview thinking amongst the congregation as we go.
One problem I have, though, is a desire to speak on certain issues that don’t come up in the text. For example, I’ve learned a lot recently about a biblical view on immigration and think it would really help the congregation, but it doesn’t seem to relate to the part of the book we’re preaching through now. I don’t want the service to turn into a weekly diatribe about current events. I also don’t want to co-opt a text with a point that’s not relevant to it. I also don’t want to stop preaching verse-by-verse because I feel it grounds us and honors God’s Word.
I want the service to be centered on the worship of God based on God’s timeless word. But I’m wondering how to balance that with these current-events related issues that seem to fall by the wayside. I also don’t want to give the appearance of politicizing the pulpit (even though all preaching is inherently political, but you know what I mean).
Any advice on how to address current events from a biblical worldview without neglecting faithful verse-by-verse exposition?Bryan
Bryan, here is the general pattern that I try to follow. I preach through an Old Testament book. When done, I preach a handful of topical sermons, and then work through a New Testament book. I do this consistently, back and forth. In addition, I also preach on church year themes when appropriate—Pentecost, Easter, Christmas. And when you preach topically, you still have a text to work through.
Pregnancy and Fat
*Hi, Pastor Wilson. I recently sent this letter to you, and it looked like you may have responded to it (giving that I saw the recent heading titled “Pregnancy and Fat”) but, I did not see your response. Perhaps, there was a technical issue? May I still receive your counsel? Here is my letter again: I am seeking your counsel in preparation for marriage. In a message you gave titled, “Gay Pulpits: The Politics of Feminism, Homosexuality, & Unfaithful Children”, you gave an edifying commentary on the glory of fruitfulness and the beauty of pregnancy. Here is a rough transcript of what you said:
“The glory of fruitfulness. A fruitful congregation is glorious. A fruitful household is glorious. A pastor’s household that is fruitful is glorious. This will be an exhortation to all of you sisters, an admonition, exhortation. When you conceive a child, don’t ever refer to yourself as fat. You may not. In the name of the Lord Jesus, you may not. It was my father who taught me the beauty of pregnancy. Pregnancy is a glory. Pregnancy is just an amazing thing. One of the glories of femininity is the glory, fruitfulness is incarnated. This is where fruitfulness happens. Men, women, never forget that women are the kind of people that people come out of.”
This is glorious! And I believe it. No pregnant woman is to refer to herself as fat. Can you help me think biblically about being “fat” and/or “overweight”, disconnected from pregnancy? With obesity on the rise, if a godly and Christian person that you are attracted to and want to marry is overweight, how should one think and act about whether or not to pursue marriage?Anon
Anon, thanks for the prompt. And thanks for the charitable guess that it was a technical issue. It was probably me just forgetting to go back to finish all the questions. There are a number of things going on in your question. The first is that I would encourage you not to pursue anyone with the goal of “fixing” them. That might happen, which would be a blessing, but you marry a person, not a project. The second thing would be to make sure that you evaluate the whole issue with biblical standards and not with ever-changing cultural expectations. Eglon had a problem, obviously, but it is also true that the fat is the Lord’s.
Definition of Femininity
You have a fantastic definition of Christian masculinity that you use periodically, “The glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility.” You also frequently say “Authority flows towards responsibility,” or something to that effect. Do you have any similar one-sentence definitions of femininity, or any books on the topic?
Thank you!Tyler
Tyler, no books yet, sorry. But I would define godly femininity as the glad acceptance of the responsibility to receive the masculine initiative, glorify it, and return it again.
Sorry, I Don’t
I’m currently do a synoptic gospel’s class in seminary and the prof. is taking a 2 source approach with Markean priority for Matthew and Luke. He is also advocating for redaction criticism.
Would know any good books that push back against this views/ argue for Matthean priority?
Brandon
Brandon, very sorry. I don’t have anything ready to hand. But we can crowd source the question. Anybody?
Baptism at Home?
I’ve been watching your content for a few years now and I’ve been going to a church that doesn’t believe in paedobaptism. My children are 8, 7, 6, and 5. After much study and the encouragement of your content I’ve come to the conviction that paedobaptism is acceptable and should be practiced for believers. [I live about 1.5hrs from the Iowa Church in Pella] I wondered, is it acceptable to baptize my own children at home? Do I have to have a pastor baptize them in front of the church? What is acceptable?
Respectfully,Cody
Cody, no, I wouldn’t baptize them at home. The elders of the church are responsible to see to it that a biblical understanding of baptism is preserved. But doing it “in front of the church” isn’t the issue. The pastor performing it should know that you are members of a church, and are receiving pastoral care, and that the elders of the church would be good with someone else performing the baptism.
A Little Too Tricksy, Eh?
Several weeks ago I finished your book, The Case for Classical Christian Education. You gave it to me for free in Nov (thank you) and I so enjoyed it that I bought a copy for my mom. Anyway, you had a book list that included Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I read the whole thing and realized you tricked me into reading an 18th century version of a chick flick. (On the plus side my wife found it very attractive and I learned that she’s read all of her books. Three times.) What do you have to say for yourself?Ty
Ty, at least it wasn’t first wave feminism . . .
Exactly So
Prejudice, as you describe it, is not just the way the human mind makes shorthand categories of people. It does this with *everything.* The mind builds “schemas”: a typical house. A typical conversation at the bank. A typical dog. A typical childhood. People are certainly capable of recognizing variations on these, but they spare us from having to spend infinite processing capacity on individual instances of everything. In short, the demand that people resist their mind’s tendency to make schemas, one of our most basic mental tools, is just another manifestation of the identity crowd ‘s hatred for all that is human.Jennifer
Jennifer, exactly so. “Hatred of all that is human” about sums it up.
Yeah, Ignore That
At work I’m creating a new account to use more features on a particular software, and it has an acceptable use policy. This policy forbids users from advocating “prejudice or hatred against any person or entity based on their race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual preference, disability or impairment.” Am I obligated, in honour of Christ, not to agree to these terms? Or, is there a measure of freedom I have, given that this is for work purposes, and given that I never advocate hatred or prejudice against anyone?—except inasmuch as the almighty left (hee hee!) defines all forms of correction as hatred and prejudice.
What does one do?
Looking forward to your answer! Thank you for the interaction, and for giving honour to Christ where it is due.
For the King,C-Anon (Press)
C-Anon (Press), I would simply agree to disagree. If you can differ and still use the product, do that. But if they insist that all users of the product be as woke as the dawn, and you have to use it, but you can’t comply, then simply add the qualifier unbiblical to the prejudice and hatred section. Misdirect the woke-bot, in other words.
What Is the Actual Mission?
How are we as Christians to navigate between proper bitterness and forgiveness? I’ve been wrestling with understanding how the founding fathers of this once great nation could rightly rebel given our commandments by Jesus are to love God, love our neighbors and also love our enemies.
I’ve been listening to all that you’ve said on the subject, and although my fleshly nature wants to agree with the idea that there is a time to rebel like Paul and the other apostles did on occasion, my newly acquired spirit (going on 11 years since God began having His way with me) still convicts me because although Jesus did indeed flee, he never took up arms and rebelled.
This, I believe, was because He knew that to cling to this world is a fool’s errand. Shouldn’t we be of the same mind?Tom
Tom, Jesus refused to resist those who attacked Him, even though He could have summoned up legions of angels, because it was His mission to die. He could have defended Himself, and then we would all die in our sins. But there are other occasions where the mission is not to die, but rather to defend. So our study of Scripture should be directed toward the answering of that question. What is our assigned mission?
From a Fathead
Questions from a Fathead for Pastor Wilson
I’d like to preface this message by admitting that, as my title suggests, I am a fathead. I often behave like a fathead. I continually confess my fatheadedness to God and I am in all things endeavoring to kill my fatheadedness, set its corpse on fire, and walk away from the flames with a satisfied grin tattooed on my face. That being said, a residue of my fatheaded past often springs up in the form of questions and inquietudes. This is, almost certainly, one of those times. I am deeply disquieted and I should probably wipe the tattooed grin of satisfaction off my face, as the corpse appears to have been wearing a flame retardant suit all along.
Here is the source of my disquiet. I am engaged to be married to a wonderful woman. As our wedding day approaches, I sometimes find myself thrown into despair by her past sexual history. To be clear, I didn’t want details, don’t know details, and don’t dwell on them. However, she did admit to me that before coming to Christ, she led a promiscuous life. Initially, this did not bother me as I sort of assumed that she had a past sexual history as an attractive woman coming from the world, with past failed relationships. I also understood immediately that this is far from who she is currently. She is truly a new creation in Christ. She is modest, humble, honest, feminine, faithful, and a lover of Christ.
This is where my fatheadedness begins to walk around like an undead fireman. The very idea that she could have given herself in that way to so many men makes me physically ill. This is not the case most of the time. But it has happened to me a handful of times now and I don’t know how to address it. I keep reading books (many of them yours pastor Wilson) and seeking out pastoral advice, and praying. Though a lot of wisdom has been communicated to me (especially by your books ), a kind of anxiety still remains. There’s not a lot of resources that I have found with clear teaching on this issue and so I decided to reach out since your teaching has been the clearest on other peripherally related questions.
But wait, there’s more—it’s a wonder my neck has not broken. In addition to the queasiness involved in the aforementioned thought, I have on occasion wondered if I’ll be compared. And, will I compare favorably or poorly? Will she remember any of the other men? I don’t believe she would intentionally. But, can comparisons be truly avoided? Are they not consequences of sin, even forgiven sin?
But wait, there is still more. On a day that has been particularly trying, I can sometimes behave resentfully, though never in her presence, only in my heart. I do not want this resentment. I have confessed it to God but I am afraid to hurt her by explaining all of this to her. She has been forgiven by God, so who am I to hold any of this against her?
I am most saddened by this because I know how wonderful and lovely she is. I do not intend to renounce to her and in my heart, I am already committed to her. I believe the Lord has placed us in each other’s lives and that I will overcome these inquietudes soon, by the grace of God, and together, we will build a God-centered covenantal household.
Am I displaying a sinful discontentedness? Am I jealous, and if so, is it in a sinful way? What other fatheaded attitudes do I seem to be displaying? I ask because I intend to own up to what is true of me and to confess to her, but I don’t want to leave anything out. I also ask for your wisdom in three things: i) How do I talk to her about this? ii) How much do I share? iii) How do I kill it so it stays dead and doesn’t accompany us into our marriage?
I appreciate that this is probably a heterodox way of posing these questions and you are a busy man. But I hope my letter finds its way to you nonetheless.
Warmest regards,Freddie
Freddie, thank you, and I will come right to the point. What you are experiencing is jealousy in the wrong place. It is good for a husband to be jealous because when done right, it is a protection for everyone (2 Cor. 11:2). But when done wrong, as you are now doing it, it transforms you from a protector into the very thing that she most needs protection from. The last thing she needs is for her fiance to become an accuser, her own personal devil. And you don’t want a jealous someone (a brother, let’s say) wanting to step in and protect her from you. The only one who can protect any of us from the sins of our past is Christ. So He is the only one who can deliver her from the men she was once with. He can cleanse and protect. You cannot do any of that. By attempting it, you are attempting to be Jesus, and you will make a complete hash of it. By attempting to be jealous on account of her former partners, you are only going to succeed in kicking her in the head. So my advice to you is to repent of your misplaced jealousy, to confess it as blasphemous impudence, and to never let a word about it pass your lips.
Hey Brandon, I believe Tim and Lydia McGrew subscribe to Matthean priority, and they advocate strongly against redaction criticism and the ridiculous 37-source “community-written” junk. I’ve found them very encouraging (along with Jonathan McLatchie) in regards to defending the reliability of the gospels and the historicity of the resurrection. I don’t know of any specific writings from them on Matthean priority off the top of my head, but they have a number of books, videos, and blog posts on Synoptic Problem stuff, so I’d suggest you check them out! I will note that they (and I) are evidentialist in their… Read more »
Brandon, to your question of resources for Matthean priority.
Peter Leithart addresses the written order and historic priority of the Gospels in “The Four: A Survey of the Gospels.” It’s not a technically dense argument, but he does argue for early writing in the canonical order. I think it’s a good place to start with the logic of it. https://mycanonplus.com/tabs/none/audiobooks/26794
Maybe Mrs. D’s son could be a fireman? Fire departments aren’t ‘woke’, are they?
Pastor Bryan–if something is revealed to the 2nd prophet, the 1st prophet must shut up and listen. As long as what you’re preaching each time is Biblical, I see nothing wrong with interrupting a series for a topical sermon (or mini-series).
Brandon–“Redating Mt Mk &Lk” by John Wenham. / I say, Mt wrote for a Jewish, even Jerusalem audience, which existed from the day of pentecost and thinned out as the church got more Gentile. After Mk had written for lower-class gentiles, (and Lk for upper class), why Matthew? Maybe more later–back to work now.
For Brandon’s question – Robert L Thomas has a book “Three Views on the Synoptic Gospels.” Highly recommend. Dr. Thomas explains the problems with any view that requires widespread copying.
Freddie, let me add an “amen” to Doug’s advice to repent and go after your out-of-bounds jealousy with an axe. Her sins are forgiven. She is clean. Love her like it, don’t deny it. Might there be consequences? Yes, and so what? It changes nothing of your necessary duty and devotion, only what you face in that duty and devotion. So face it like one who has been forgiven much and whose own sinfulness has and will bear consequences in your relationship also. For it has, does, and will. And remember, you are not alone in facing this sinful jealousy.… Read more »
Cody all of your children are old enough for baptized on their own professions of faith. That being said, focus on making sure that they are actually saved.
Working toward professions of faith is a good suggestion. By “actually saved” do you mean the profession is made with sufficient understanding, and apparent sincerity? Because beyond that no one can see the actual state of another’s heart.
But you can judge the fruit
Of course the same thing can be said with regard to wedding vows or ordination vows.
LL, I have been doing a lot of research on this subject, so here is my .02. Your mom probably believes that her brother is innocent. That is not uncommon for close relatives. If your uncle is guilty, then he is using those photos sexually and he is sharing them. Go online and print out the actual charge and read it to her. Tell her that you are concerned for the safety of the children especially if he took a deal.
I saw in one of your recent pieces where you claimed to be a Paleocon rather than a Neocon. In fact, you are Nikki Haley in a beard.
I don’t know what would happen if you passed out fliers criticizing Putin on the Moscow metro but how about you try passing out fliers criticizing Jews in the USA? Or maybe putting up an “Its OK to be White” poster?
You would have a lot of people mad at you but it is unlikely you would get arrested (assuming you weren’t otherwise committing a crime like trespassing). And that’s a fairly significant distinction that often doesn’t get drawn. Robust free speech is a good thing, and sometimes that includes people who disagree with you exercising their own free speech rights to hurl invective at you. But in this country, you can say what you like about pretty much anyone you like and the government will mostly leave you alone. And on those occasions when it does not, the courts are… Read more »
Hi Mike. I’ve obviously got too much time on my hands…because now I want to find some evidence for the things Trump “really did”. Good use of Epistrophe. I’m curious with regard to the ‘lawfare’ or persecution that you deny. It seems that some of the Trump violations are precedent setters. Being the first to do something wrong or at least get in trouble for it never feels good. Are there other examples/previous cases regarding real estate/defamation/classified material/elections…that are similar to all this ammunition Trump has handed over? Certainly he is a buffoon of the highest order if he’s the… Read more »
J.F., I don’t believe that Trump’s situation is an apples to apples comparison to any other situation for reasons I’ll set out in a minute. But suppose they are. If you get a speeding ticket, it is no defense to say that you were only driving as fast as everyone else. Hitler and Stalin were both mass murderers who had very different outcomes — Hitler committed suicide before he could be hanged at Nuremberg while Stalin enjoyed another 8 years in power before dying peacefully in his own bed — but that doesn’t mean we should feel sympathy for Hitler.… Read more »
Thanks for your reply Mike…actually your speeding example is a good one to me. Although I might have been speeding like everyone else, to be the only one to get a ticket would seem arbitrary and capricious. I’m probably most comfortable with sports analogies – so when the umpire is squeezing my guy’s strike zone but seems to call from chin to ankles for the other guy…it’s easy to call foul. The thing is, I’ve probably seen it happen to my pitcher before…as frustrating as it might be, he’s got to adapt and overcome if he want to be successful.… Read more »
JF, suppose I were to agree with you that Trump is getting “jobbed” and might be inclined to vote for him for that reason. The problem with casting a protest vote is that you then end up with your protest actually being elected to public office. At this point Trump isn’t even being bashful about acknowledging that he sees himself as more of a Caesar than the head of a constitutional republic. He has no policy beyond achieving wealth and power. It’s too late now since he appears to have the nomination sewn up, but again, if you don’t like… Read more »
Viewing this from across the Pond I think evangelicals may be attracted to Trump because he did actually do some Conservative things during his first term. He may also be the lesser of two evils when it comes to protecting the free exercise of religion from the woke insanity that Biden would represent.
I have seen comment sections where evangelicals or perhaps pseudo-evangelicals also see Trump as a kind of saviour, almost a messianic figure sent from God. All I can say to that is gullibility is not one of the gifts of the Spirit!
And on the subject of classified documents, Biden fully cooperated with investigators. He gave them a five hour interview, invited them to search his house, and turned over everything once he became aware that he had it. Given that it was decades old, who knows how it ended up there in the first place, but the point is, he cooperated. Unlike Trump, who stonewalled.
You’ve got two children who did something wrong. One stonewalls, one admits it and assists with the investigation. Which are you more likely to discipline?
I get you with the kids example…but the error goes way further. I was the CMCO on a unit and at 23 years old I knew that personal possession of Classified Material was career limiting. I’m sure I don’t know all the rules, but prior to being President, I don’t think Biden had permission to have any material off government grounds. Trump likely had authority, but appears to have been cavalier in handling. If your reasonably prudent person test tells you that both Biden and Trump have been treated fairly and consistently within the law regarding classified materials, then my… Read more »
Translating from Excuse to English: Biden is above the law.
To hear them screech, one would think Democrats are the party of “no one is above the law.”
But, as always, it’s (D)ifferent when they do it.
fp, you just keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. I know it’s not the only thing you tell yourself to make yourself feel better.
“How anyone could be that irresponsible, and I thought what data may be in there that could compromise sources methods. By that, I mean names of people who helped, etc. It was just totally irresponsible.” -Joe Biden, Sept 2022
Biden was right. Trump’s handling of classified documents was completely irresponsible. I’m glad we all agree on that. For completeness, you could also quote Trump from the 2016 campaign that people who mishandle classified documents should go to jail.
But please don’t try telling us that Biden’s situation is an apples to apples comparison. A Republican special prosecutor looked at the evidence against Biden and decided he couldn’t get a conviction.
Mike, you just keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, I know it’s not the only thing you tell yourself to make yourself feel better.
And I’m glad we agree Biden’s situation isn’t an apples to apples comparison. Biden’s offense was worse: unlike Trump, he didn’t have the authority to declassify documents. Also, Biden wasn’t prosecuted because, as Hur described him, he is “an elderly man with a poor memory.”
Yup, Biden’s totally fit to be President — at least, that’s what you tell yourself.
Ah, you’ve reverted to your usual form of just repeating back when people call you out; I’m sure you find it both witty and a devastating comeback. But you’re the one who appears delusional. A Republican looked at the evidence and decided there wasn’t sufficient proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Being a Republican, he couldn’t help taking a partisan (and totally gratuitous) pot shot at Biden’s age and memory, which is contradicted by pretty much everyone who works at the White House and sees Biden on a daily basis. All that said, I think Biden is too old to be… Read more »
Trump should not be president since he does not understand what a republic is or how a democracy works. Nor does he care about the constitution (and neither does Biden). Trump wants to be King, not president. I think the American experiment has run its course and most likely because of what John Adams is quoted as saying,…”Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” We as a nation have neither of those attributes any longer.
I agree that the American experiment has largely run its course and I have this nagging feeling that we may be living in 1930s Berlin. I’m an old man who probably won’t live long enough to see the worst results of it, but I sure wouldn’t be bringing any children into the world right about now.
I will also say that I think at this time in our history, right-wing tyranny is far more likely than left-wing tyranny, and I understand some here would consider that a feature rather than a bug.
As they say, the devil can’t stand to be mocked. Apparently, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in your case. The undisputed fact remains, Biden willfully retained, irresponsibly stored (in a garage, no less), and disclosed classified documents (to his ghostwriter, among others) when he had no authority to declassify. All of which are against the law. The excuses the DOJ gave in declining to prosecute are that criminal charges have never been brought against a sitting president and Biden’s incompetence to stand trial — hardly ringing declarations of innocence. If the DOJ refuses to prosecute Biden’s obvious… Read more »
Well, I guess that explains why you can’t stand to be mocked, and maybe you should stop saying things that so richly deserve mockery. I mostly don’t interact with you because you so rarely say things that deserve a response, but I do return fire when fired upon. I’m a Democrat because I believe the values espoused by the Democratic Party — taking care of the poor and downtrodden, defending the powerless against the powerful, binding up the broken, taking care of the planet — more closely align with my Christian faith. I am candidly astounded that whenever those issues… Read more »
Mike, I’m pretty much with you when the subject is Trump and MAGA, those being the reasons I’m not a Republican anymore. However, that hardly translates to the Democrats are righteous. We just have two parties of crazy now, is all. One is a personality cult. The other, following a long trajectory, has arrived at ideas like gender fluidity (or whatever they will call it tomorrow), and demands that I acquiesce. Furthermore, that party is dominated, if not formally led at least cowed, by people who say all sorts of ugly things about people like me, and who seem to… Read more »
John, of course. In politics, everything is wide open to characterization. I recognize full well that both my characterizations and someone else’s characterizations tend to come loaded with presuppositions and biases. And there is a great deal about the Democratic Party that I don’t care much for either. I — and many of my fellow Democrats — are far from the extreme radical leftists FP and others here seem to think. All that said, the next president is going to be either a Democrat or a Republican, and my personal view is that the Democrats give me less to despise… Read more »
“So the idea that we look anything at all like a genuinely authoritarian state like Russia is just laughable.” Where do the J6 political prisoners arrested and imprisoned without bail or habeas corpus fit into your view point. Where do those who testified under oath in Congress during the first Trump impeachment, but were several months later proven to be lying fit in? Not one was tried. Where does Vindman fit in? Under oath, he testified that he called his Ukrainian counterpart and passed classified information to him along with an assurance to disregard Trump. Those were direct violations of… Read more »
Barnabas, I was curious how far back I’d heard Pastor Wilson use the term Paleocon to describe himself. A quick search found this: Eager for the Wrong Kind of Vindication: Posted on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 by Douglas Wilson Probably not the earliest reference. Well before I’d ever heard of Nikki Haley…though I see that was the same year she became Governor. Comparing criticizing Putin to fliers regarding racial vainglory (of which Pastor Wilson has written extensively)…seems to be way off as far as analogies go. It’s clear you don’t like him…but why jab so poorly? I’ll admit to reading The Guardian… Read more »
Saying that it’s ok to be white (or any other race for that matter) is not vainglory. In fact, many, if not most, mainstream American blacks put their race above their American identity, and I don’t think that’s a sin. I hope that you don’t love America only because of the ideals of the Founding Fathers. Anyone who would prefer a free country with rioters destroying cities, professional cross-dressers reading to children, and children changing their gender, to a stable fascist country which opposed such things must ask a lot of questions. Would you rather have your child admiring a… Read more »
James, I respectfully disagree. I think if I find myself having to say it’s OK to be anything that makes up my identity…especially immutable characteristics, it sounds like I’m apologizing for God. And your free country/fascist country argument isn’t where I was going at all, but I think I understand what you’re saying. I heard that comparison on a podcast last night…I’d like a participative government AND clean/safe public spaces. Maybe I missed Barnabas’ point in my response…partly because I don’t think there was a good one made. If I read history correctly, this American experiment is an outcropping of… Read more »
Being white is the way God made me, and some people talk as if it’s wrong to be white. So it seems hard for me to see how it could be wrong to counter that, though I do appreciate your respectful tone. As for the American experiment, the link between the founding Father’s ideals and Christianity seems tenuous at best to me. While almost all of the founding Fathers, except for Thomas Paine, were at least nominally Christian, they appear to have gotten their ideas from John Locke, who, as far as I know, was not a believer, there were… Read more »
Dig a bit deeper into where the basics of the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution came from. They run all the way back to good old England, common law and our Bible.
Today, almost everyone knows more about pop stars and movie stars than our history. Monarchies were standard in Europe from days of old. The American Constitutional Republic was to separate America from the old European monarchies and from the French revolution style government.
James, I don’t think it’s wrong to be any color, but as soon as it becomes a focus, is seems similar to me as talking about being tall. It’s an attribute I had nothing to do with…but it becomes a point of comparison, sometimes jealousy. One of my daughter’s is 6’3″ and gets teased a lot in high school. I get it that sociologists like to compare things like IQ, crime rate, heart disease and life expectancy by ethnicity or racial category…but I think it does more harm than good when people are so focused on hierarchies of power/privilege. Psalm… Read more »
I can see your point on the first one, but I cannot say that I agree with it. While skin color is not in and of itself something of great meaning (Sub-Saharans and Aborigines are both black-skinned, but are only related through Adam, Noah, and maybe Noah’s son Ham), the people who are usually called whites are Europeans, who are related more closely than that, and have shared history (likely more than we know), While Europeans were not the first to become Christians (it originated in the Levant) and are not the smartest people in the world (Chinese and Japanese… Read more »
Crocodile tears for CIA asset Navalny but not a word for Gonzalo Lira
Thank you for the reference Barnabas, I was unaware. Apparently Tucker brought it up last month, but I don’t follow him closely. I’m curious how clear the ‘rights’ are for visitors to Ukraine and Russia. Even as a kid growing up near the Mexican border, I knew better when we went south than to do anything that would get me thrown in a Mexican Jail. Even if the stories weren’t true, the reputation was effective. Both their deaths seem nefarious…and also the consequence of visiting an “enter at your own risk” country. I think it’s foolish to expect that any… Read more »
So, what have you done with the same level of selfless courage as Alexey Navalny.https://cne.news/article/4127-how-the-christian-faith-became-navalny-s-support-in-prison
Doug Wilson’s take on the Tucker Carlson interview is basically the same as Hillary Vlinton’s.
I guess that’s what happens when a liberal feminist is inclined to see that Tucker was being played because her biases predispose her to do it, and another person is capable of observing the obvious. They come to the same conclusion.