Letters As November Fades to Black

I must thank you for your work in Collision—your debates helped persuade a Hitchens fan into Christianity.

Do you have any advice on learning how to initiate and handle confrontation for those of us who are conflict-averse?

Is it a matter of experience and trial and error? I figured you might have some insight based on your public events and your pastoral experience.

Many thanks,

John

Regarding those who worship at the feet of Dame Democracy; Nazi Germany was democratically elected using Rank choice voting. If that isn’t a reason to vote against such a voting system…

Zeph

In the last week or two you told us about the penny dropping, and your understanding that a lot of clown-world flows from the definition of outrage. You also included in the Content Cluster a humorous ”Postmodern Drinking Song” from Jordan Peterson.

This caused my own penny to drop—at least part way, I think it’s jammed up—but Peterson said in one of his lectures that a fundamental idea of Postmodernism is that meaning is impossible, which he affirmed as a proven point. (He does pretty good considering he doesn’t have Christ’s weapons.)

So I think Clown-World is flowing from Postmodernism more generally than just the definition of outrage. I think the world is making it up for themselves because Postmodernism says they may as well. It’s the perfect excuse for something they’ve wanted to do anyway.

Craig

Quick question. 

Would you say that we should assume faith is present in our children and treat them as such?

In Christ,

Brandon 

What do you do when your wife goes off on a complaining fit over things you can’t change/aren’t your fault? I.e. the toilet overflowed, so she goes off on a tangent about how she doesn’t like where we live (it’s the best I can do while she’s home with the kids and we’re trying to get out of debt).

How to respond?

Kyle

1) Why do charismatics attract all the supernatural drama? The casting out of demons, the “John, you will find a wife in 89 days,” and John does, and “God is telling me to tell you to join this university.” Why is it so calm in the Reformed circles?

2) Justin Peters was saved while he was serving as a pastor. From his testimony, it sounds like Arminians are not saved because they do not understand monergism. What are your thoughts?

3) Isn’t adultery or the sin of sexual immorality the greatest sin? All sins lead you to hell; but for a believer, isn’t the sin of adultery the most consequential? It is after all the sin that warrants radical amputation? Not that amputation is the final solution, but mortifying that sin does call for drastic measures, no?

4) Do you agree with Garris’s argument (in Masculine Christianity) on women deacons? If no, why not?

Best regards,

Peter

My brother is not a Christian, is married and is dating a woman who professes Christ and who claims to have “deep knowledge” regarding Jewish law. I spoke with my brother in August and encouraged him to not divorce his wife. He basically told me to mind my own business. However, I did manage to tell him that there are only two valid reasons for divorce. The first is sexual immorality outside of marriage and the second is utter and complete abandonment.

His girlfriend jumped into the conversation to defend their very unbiblical relationship and she told me there were actually three reasons God allowed divorce, not two. The third is for lying. They are in counseling (online, watching videos, no actual counselor) and she attends some sort of Jewish bible study where apparently she learned of this third reason for divorce.

This woman also claims that because my brother’s wife had cheated on him (he has zero proof of that by the way and the wife maintains her innocence), he is free to not only marry but God already sees him as single due to the lying and sexual immorality.

Truth be told, this is his second marriage and he wanted out. Period. End of story. However, I am curious as to what OT law she is referring to regarding permissible divorce due to lying?

My parents are not believers and are pretty disgusted with both my brother and the choices he has made. I can’t help but think of what a horrible testimony that woman has been to my parents, the neighbors and the community at large.

Thank you.

T

I have been trying to research an event in Feminist history for my disputations with TERFs, on X. My premise is that feminism is one of the poisonous roots that produced trans-insanity. A mother who excused her son’s cruelty to family pets, shouldn’t be surprised that he beats his wife in adulthood.

Feminism destroys family, men, women & culture. These TERFs can’t use the very ideologies that produced the wave of AGP ‘womenXY’ to defend womanXX spaces from these perverts. Poisonous roots produce poisonous fruits. You mentioned in one of your posts a meeting of radical feminists in late 60’s (coven of witches) that started with some ritual of chants that they would destroy families, encourage homosexuality etc. I can’t find the historical reference to look into this issue.

I did a close search of your blog & AOMIN to see if I could find it. I failed.

Do you remember? Thank you.

SJW

Problem passage. What is the point Jesus is making to the disciples in Matthew 19:10-12 about the eunuchs? Does his point equally apply to women? Resources I’ve looked at seem either sparse or they just glaze over it. Some think Jesus is saying ‘do whatever you want’ others go on about homosexuality.

Justin

Just wanted to say, I’m thankful for the advice you gave my wife and me with regards to my two year old daughter repeating, “amen.” We have followed the advice you gave, and keeping in mind “its a get to, not a got to.” It’s been very helpful, thank you. Also, just finished “Reforming Marriage,” and “Standing on the Promises” books. Next up, “The Covenant Household.” A lot to apply and by God’s grace over time, those biblical ideas/practices will be enjoyed in our home.

Another ask, that I know is related to the books above.

I didn’t grow up in church. When I came to faith and the churches I’ve attended, it’s all been under a Baptist/Pre-mill context. I’m relatively new to the paedobaptist and post mill conversations. Would you be able to recommend a book on both subjects for beginners? I have the Canon app as well, so if it’s something on there, great! But if not, I don’t mind buying the right books.

I don’t have a firm conviction on Baptism, (apart from it’s important, more to that but short and sweet of it) and eschatology (apart from the conviction that Jesus is coming back.)

I really enjoy what y’all do there and I’m sold on a lot of it. But I’m also not interested in being fan boy and go with the flow of it type of guy, just because I agree with someone on “big issues” type stuff. God opened my eyes to the truths of “Calvinism” and the truths of “six-day creation” as He has done with many others through out church history. Nothing new, but it is new to me over the last 15 years. And I know now that what I believe will affect how my home will go in the future. I’m a first generation Christian (in my family) and I want to lead my wife and kids well. Like I said, I’ve learned from what y’all are doing out there in Moscow, and I’ve seen the fruit of those labors, both in your life-long ministry and currently the fruit I’m seeing in my wife and I, thanks to your ministry, to God be the glory alone. So, it’s become increasingly more important for me to delve into baptism and eschatology as I know now what I believe, or don’t believe will have an affect on what my children and grandchildren will adopt. And since you have had a positive affect on my home so far, I want to start this journey with baptism and eschatology with what yall believe first and pray God would do in those areas what He has done for me and my family with the truths of “Calvinism” and “Six-day creation.”

Long post, I guess I could have just said thank you for the advise and what books do you recommend for this or that. But wheres the fun in that?

God bless brother

Freddy

Do you plan to release a Kindle version of your book “American Milk and Honey”?

Daniel

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe you would hold to the classical Reformed view of double predestination, namely that God elects certain persons to salvation and that he simply passes over others, that is, he does not create evil or unbelief in the hearts of the reprobate and does not cause them to sin. In this sense, God does in a certain sense predestine the reprobate to hell, but he is not equally active in damning them as he is in saving the elect. This would be in contrast to another view of double predestination that says that God does in fact create evil or unbelief in the hearts of the reprobate and therefore God is equally active in causing the salvation of the elect and the damnation of the reprobate. I am inclined towards the first view, since the second view would seem to make God the author of sin, since he would be causing people to sin. However, I am struggling with how to understand Romans 9:19 in terms of this view. Paul anticipates the objection that “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” This comes right after Paul gives the example of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. I have heard is said that God did not actively harden Pharaoh’s heart, but that Pharaoh hardened his own heart and that God hardened his heart only in the sense that he gave Pharaoh up to the hardness of his own heart. However, if this is the case, why doesn’t Paul say so? If Paul were teaching that God did not actively harden Pharaoh’s heart, when the objection that no one can resist God’s will was raised, why wouldn’t Paul just say that Pharaoh’s heart being hardened was not a result of God’s irresistible will but that Pharaoh hardened his own heart and God simply refrained from restraining this hardening? Instead, Paul points to God’s right as the Creator to make vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22). If Paul is granting that Pharaoh’s hardening is because no one can resist God’s will, does this not imply that God actively willed and caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened?

The first view of double predestination in which God is not equally active in saving the elect and damning the reprobate makes better sense to me theologically and in terms of other things that Scripture teaches, but I am struggling to see how it fits with the argument that Paul is making in Romans 9.

Will

Thank you for your tireless efforts. Your content really ministers to me. Are you familiar with Off the Kirb Ministries—a YouTube channel? When I first watched a few of his videos several years ago, they were pretty straight forward Gospel messages. Lately, he (I forget his first name. Last name is Kirby) is opening each video with something more sensational, but in all fairness, does tie in a strong Gospel message at the end.

I watched one recently that talked about mysterious holes in the earth, some of which after being dug, produced terror in the hearts of those digging the holes, and they abruptly stopped the digging, and sealed them up. Apparently, they put a microphone down in the hole and heard multitudes of people screaming in terror. Hell.

I don’t generally go for this type of fantastic occurrence, but it got me to wondering that the Bible tells us that hell is deep in the earth. Am I being just silly to think that they could have possible dug that far? Is there any reason why we should not assume that when talking about hell being in the earth, that it is not literal? When Jesus departed the earth, he went up. We assume that heaven is in the sky. There must be a literal place ‘up there,’ so why would there not be a literal place, ‘down there?’

When I heard the supposed recording, it was very chilling. So many people make fun of the seriousness of hell. I watch Ray Comfort a lot, and I am so dismayed when folks kind of laugh hell off, like it’s no big deal. Maybe a recording of this horrific type could put the fear of God in them, as Ray says. I am born again, and it has troubled me, especially because I have so many loved ones that will not hear anything related to Jesus. They shut their ears. Do you think it is reasonable to share something like this with them? I am asking because I have mixed feeling about it. On one hand it seems too out there and could be just a hoax, on the other hand, if it is real, it could give someone pause, and hopefully at least make them think.

Here is a link to the video. I know that you do reaction videos, and I often watch and enjoy them. Would you consider reacting to this?

While I’m on it, another one I would love to see you react to is Jonathan Pageau. He is Eastern Orthodox, and is becoming quite popular. Steve Turley has interviewed him (I just saw you on a Turley interview). When I have watched a few of Pageau’s videos, I find that he doesn’t present the Gospel, but is really into Symbolism. It’s all very human-centered and mystical. My son, who is not walking with God, is quite enamored with him, and it is difficult to figure out where to tackle this beast with him.

Well, thank you for all you do. I do feel that you have given me tools to be a stronger Christian in our culture. I appreciate you

Debbie

Did you read that article about 200 men in Gaza coming to the faith because Jesus appeared to them in their dreams? Do you believe such stories? If yes, then how do you explain Rom 10:14-15?

Technically, that doesn’t rule out Jesus. Guess I’ve answered my own question. But what do you think?

Peter

Have you ever read Peter Moskos’ “In Defense of Flogging”? Every time flogging is brought up in discussions people accuse it of being savage or inhuman, but the book presents this very simple argument: “Imagine you’ve just been convicted of a crime, and you can choose your punishment, either you spend 5 years in a prison or you receive 30 lashes and you’ll sleep in your own bed tonight. Which one would you choose?” Given that the majority of people would choose the lashes, how is flogging more savage than the current penitentiary system?

I’ve always found this one of the worst cases of untethered empathy. Flogging was practiced universally, and recommended by Scripture, but it was pietistic Christians who (in a very similar way to the spanking discussion) decided to be more godly than God and argue that what criminals “really needed” was a timeout to sit in the corner think about what they did, and thus the most impious and cruel punishment was born: The convict’s family loses their breadwinner and law-abiding citizens are forced to pay for the convict’s expenses, his children grow up fatherless, the convict is subjected to the highest rate of rape in the nation, small criminals are pushed to join gangs, the convict is subject to way more violence than the lashes could ever do, etc.

Looks like the quintessential example of how untethered empathy is way more cruel than the supposed cruelty it tries to thwart.

Joao

“This is because to be red-pilled at all is to struggle with the fact that you have been lied to about virtually everything your entire life, and those lies were affirmed by the insider-stupidity guardians, all of them nodding solemnly. And let us be frank. The Establishment did lie, and more than a little bit. But it is no improvement to abandon your reliance on factory farm lies, and go out to the country in order chase down your free range lies.”

The thing I’ve been trying to explain to those who are near this situation is that the media zeitgeist/narrative—which I absolutely believe is demonic—is so all pervasive that those caught in it are totally convinced of everything, even as it changes moment to moment. But those who manage to pierce the bubble and get out of it are caught floundering for anything not part of the bubble that they can try and hold on to as some sort of anchor of truth. And while most of what the media says is based on lies, there are plenty of lies that aren’t part of the media narrative.

Ian

If you haven’t already heard of it, I’d like to direct your attention to Operation Reconquista. This is a movement amongst mainline Protestant denominations to retake them for conservative, traditional theology. According to the website:

Operation Reconquista is a movement of Bible-believing Christians in Mainline Protestant denominations who recognize that our denominations have drifted away from the historic Christian faith. We are fighting to restore our churches to the true faith and revive them, because we do not want the great institutions built for God’s glory to be used against His Kingdom.

While the majority of Mainline Protestant churches have been hijacked by secular liberalism, there is a strong minority of churches in each Mainline denomination (PCUSA, TEC, UMC, ELCA, RCA, UCC, ABCUSA) that have remained faithful. We encourage evangelical Christians to join, strengthen, and revive these non-liberal Mainline churches. Since liberal churches tend to die out, the conservative minority will eventually become a majority if we keep it strong. This is how we will recapture these institutions.

I’d like to know if you support this effort and have any words of wisdom for those that do support it.

Thanks.

JR

My pastor has kids that ended up not Christian. He was also converted later in life when his kids were already in their teens. Does this disqualify him? How or should I take parenting advice from him? Should I cause trouble by saying it was his fault . . . I was escorted out of one church and quietly left another for being Calvinist and post-millennial respectively. Now I’m at a church with many middle-aged men and women who raised terrible kids and I’m here with my wife, both 26, standing on the promises. I want to say what I actually think but, am not sure if a group Bible study is the right place or time to do it.

I get my instruction from your lessons in proverbs, reading the Bible and from a few books that Canon has published i.e. “Father Hunger”, “Men and Marriage”, “Standing on the Promises.” I’m going to go through “The Case for the Christian Home,” “It’s Good to Be a Man,” and “Eve in Exile.”

Thank you,

Dave

Enjoy this comedian channeling his inner Van Til in a hilarious take down of the atheist origins myth.

Rafael

I have a question for you regarding literary fare for my 3-year-old son. I also have a 1-year-old. We are coming into the period of their lives when “Bible stories for children” come into the picture. I do not like the idea of a Bible story books for children. The words of Scripture are important, their accuracy is important, and I do not feel these are preserved in said stories.

I could be overthinking an issue of little importance here, but I was relaying to my wife yesterday that what I would really love to be able to purchase for my son is a collection of illustrated Bible storybooks that draw their text directly from the text of a faithful translation of the Bible, so that my children can be raised pondering the actual life-giving words from the earliest age. (When I say faithful translation, a few that come to mind would be ESV, NASB, KJV, NKJV . . .)

By no means have I exhausted the vast literary resources of Christendom in my search, but thus far I have unable to locate something fitting this description. My default when I cannot find the Christian resource I desire would be to find out how to make it and be off. You are far more acquainted with the world of Christian literature than I. My question is—do you know of a children’s storybook fitting that description and if not, would you be willing to give me guidance in making one? Do you think it is even worth it?

Thank you ,

Judah

In “The Bottom of the Empathy Hole”, you gave a list of additional groups to be called out beyond Revoice and Exiles in Babylon. As to compromise, Christianity Today and Calvin University I am familiar with, but not RUF. I would appreciate a quick summary along with links to where I can read up on the compromise being referenced here.

Zack