Contents
A Dad Joke Request—Really
You’ve got to know some good dad jokes. Any favorites you could share?Aidan
Aidan, when you say “good” dad jokes, I have to ask . . . by what standard? That said . . .
Q. “What happened to the little girl who ate the curtains?” A. “She got sick.”
But, as it happens, I happen to have written a joke book. And here it is . . .
Q. “What happened to the little girl who ate the curtains?” A. “She got sick.”
But, as it happens, I happen to have written a joke book. And here it is . . .
Jokes I Like to Tell
Over the years, I have accumulated a store of jokes and whatnot. They generally spurt out on random occasions, and some time ago I thought to collect them, or at least most of them. And so here they are.
Some of them are very funny.
$1.00
Age, Voting, and Other Issues
Most people don’t know why we have a legal difference between 18-21. This is tied into WW2. When WW2 started, the legal age for a man was 21, total. A young man could not legally leave home until he was 21. He was legally a minor. The legal age for a woman was 18. America needed troops, so President Roosevelt got Congress to use the woman’s legal age of 18, as a base for conscription. After the war the 18 age of conscription continued. When the 26th Amendment was passed, all states adjusted their age of consent laws to 18. This meant no more foster care until 21. You were on your own at 18. In the 80’s, President Reagan got Congress to pass a law requiring all states to make the drinking age 21. In President Trump’s first term, Congress passed a law doing the same for tobacco. The 21-drinking age created a serious hardship for me, personally when I was 20. I was living in Reno and was unable to find full-time work, because most entry level jobs required one to be 21. I could have gone homeless over this and I know that this is a continuing problem for foster kids who are aging out of foster care. No one who works at a convenience store is under 21, because of alcohol sales. There are many jobs that could be done by desperate people who aren’t 21. We are living in a society that creates a second-class citizenship for 18-20 olds which most older adults are self-righteous about. Twenty-one is not biblical. The legal age of accountability in all of the Old Testament is twenty. If twenty is what Scripture requires, then explain why allowing teenagers into the services isn’t one of our culture’s largest sins? Lord, protect us from our virtues.Zeph
Zeph, thanks.
The Reconstructionists
When one begins to “see what the reconstructionists are saying”. . . where could they find some good critiques, do’s/dont’s, why’s/why not’s . . . y you or others. ThanksLogan
Logan, I can’t remember any critical attacks published at the time that were truly responsible.
Imitative Mastery
I’ve read your book Ploductivity multiple times (it’s a favourite of mine). In the Master Key Chapter, you refer to imitation as one of the steps to mastery. Do you have any resources that allow us to do imitation in a step by strep manner?Kurosaki
Kurosaki, imitation is not really a step-by-step thing. Learning some things that way is good, but imitation is far more organic, and does not reveal to you how you “learned that.” The best thing is to be around people you admire for the right reasons, and read biographies of people you admire.
A Hard Situation
My dream in life was and has always been to be a wife and mother. Now, I have been for almost 12 years, and it’s been trouble all the way down. My husband has had an on and off drinking problem. He is very harsh and crass and unkind when he feels disrespected in any way. I have recently been trying to focus on submission, but now we’re in even more of a mess. We are at a church that has very troublesome theology, I can’t trust the leaders to guide me, and without my “headship,” no progress is made spiritually or relationally in my home. My husband comes home from work only to lay right down while I scurry about doing all the necessary things and managing the gaggle of kids. This is also after I’ve also been working a job all day, one which I don’t like but he wants me to have. I (gently) sat him down and let him know this is hurtful and I feel very lonely, and he got hot under the collar. We fought, I got more sarcastic than I ought, and he cussed me out.
What is a girl to do with a domineering husband when she wants to be a godly wife? When there is no good church support for her? I pray for freedom from resentment and I pray for gentleness every single day, but it has challenged every muscle in my body not to fly off the handle. I always get to the point where just yelling curse words at me and being lazy don’t add up to justifications for divorce, but it is a very difficult life and I can’t understand how I shall then live.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.Sleepless
Dear Sleepless, I am very sorry for your plight, which sounds pretty grim. The first thing to do is to start praying that God would place someone into your lives who would throw you a rope. That said, I would ask your husband about changing churches, seeking out a church that could provide counsel that both of your would trust. Failing that, I would ask him about seeking out a Christian counselor that both of you could trust. Your plea to him should simply be “I think we need help.”
Laughing At and Laughing With
Regarding this quote from you – agreed, it’s an important distinction!
I always like to say that I am not laughing at you; I’m laughing *with* you …
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“All of this is one of the reasons why more than a few readers constantly assume that I am always making fun of them. This is because they belong to a different tradition, that, say, of stuffing all the shirts, and they have trouble distinguishing a man who is making fun from a man who is just having fun.” (No Such Thing as Bad Words, p. 57).Greg
Greg, thank you.
A Few Pointers
I listened to an interview with you and a short haired woman, but I can’t recall the exact interview.
The interview was excellent. I want to make a couple of suggestions for future Internet interviews.
You did a good job of explaining the importance of the wife submitting to her husband.
You did not mention the importance of the husband sacrificing his own life for his wife. A woman interviewer would be impressed that you would be willing to sacrifice your life for her if she were your wife and that her interest would always be included in your decision-making process.
I recommend including in future interviews Proverbs 31, which describes a powerful, competent woman. The husband making decisions for the family does not preclude rigorous discussion before a decision is made.
Again, my ideas would show the beauty of submission and strong leadership in a marriage to a secular person.
Thank you for being an outspoken man of God. SteveSteve
Steve, thanks. These are things that I do want to emphasize. Unfortunately, you can’t say everything every time.
Don’t Sweat It
At night time I usually sit down with a drink, normally bourbon and soda. I don’t have a lot, and I’m not drinking to get getting drunk, just to relax before bed. It is always after I have finished everything needing to be done for the day. However, I grew up in an evangelical culture where alcohol was just completely off limits; it was a sin, ful stop. This stigma has stayed with me and no matter what I do I cannot remove idea from my mind.
So, I writing to ask how I should think and feel about this, and to ask if it is wrong have a drink every night?BR
BR, no, it is not wrong at all. But if it is so strong that you are sinning against your conscience, you should stop until your conscience is in the clear. But if it is a small nagging worry in the back of your mind, just tell it to shut up.
Candace and Lawsuits
In January you posted “The Mess That Is Candace.” In April you followed with a plodcast about “Mean Girls and False Teachers,” describing the Candace Owen debacle (or the debacle that is Candace Owen). You concluded by stating: “Everything about it is wrong with a capital W. And the only thing that was astonishing to me, it has been astonishing to me, is why Turning Point hasn’t filed a defamation suit earlier. I think it’s just a matter of time.”
I was surprised to hear you seemingly speak in support of a lawsuit between a Christian organization and a professing Christian. You’ve preached and written about God’s prohibition of lawsuits amongst believers based on I Corinthians 6. Why make an exception in this instance?Michelle
Michelle, thank you. I don’t think I would describe this as “making an exception.” At one end of the scale, we have Paul’s flat prohibition of disputes within the congregation being taken before unbelieving judges. These would be civil cases. But everyone would agree, at the other end, that if someone stole your car, it would be okay to call the cops, even if you suspected that the thief was a professing Christian. That would be a criminal case. Now in our system of law, rank defamation (an action that causes tangible damage) is something we deal with in civil court. The offense is neither fish nor fowl . . . a civil action with criminal effect. There are different kinds of tort suits, and I believe that when there is an intentional tort, a defamation suit is more like calling the cops over the stolen car than it is like Smith and Jones, from the same church, fighting over a business deal that went south. This would especially be the case when the offender (like Candace) is not part of an orthodox, evangelical church, and if she were, she would have been excommunicated by this point. That said, I would be all in favor of settling such disputes out of court, if possible.
Trump as Seen From Europe
I am a European—not American—Christian concerned about what I believe a profound spiritual aberration in the Trump administration , even before Trump depicted himself as Jesus .
I had written some thoughts on Trump and Babylonian Mythology . . .
The American Theologian Walter Wink wrote a fascinating book (Engaging the Powers—1992; do you know it?), which highlights how Babylonian mythology teaches that the cosmos is founded on violence: creation results from the slaying of a god, and humans—born from that violence—must impose order on chaos by force. Wink calls this the “myth of redemptive violence,”
Wink contrasts this mythology with the biblical view and with the nonviolent message of Jesus.
Engaging the Powers shows how the violent Babylonian Mythology is the total opposite to the non-violent message of Jesus: “Jesus taught the love of enemies, but Babylonian religion taught their extinction.”
Wink further contends that motifs from Babylonian mythology have been reworked into modern cultural and political forms—through literature, film (Hollywood movies), martial hero narratives, cartoons and other media. (see his book for pages of examples!)
Imho the Trump administration follows Babylonian religion rather than Christianity:
Recently Stephen Miller stated, “we live in a world—in the real world—that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world.”
Trump’s inauguration speech ( January 2025) included language promising that
national power would “stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable,” a formulation that frames power as the means to end chaos.
As you know the Bible has very stern warnings about being part of “system Babylon”:
Both the Old and New Testaments contain sustained critique of Babylon as a religious, political and economic power marked by violence, pride, and wealth accumulated through unjust trade and exploitation. (you are familiar with for example Daniel 4, but also Revelation 17-18) and prophecy its sudden collapse
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great . . . in one hour her doom has come!”
So, if Biblical Prophecy is to be believed, rather than “making America great again” Trump—by following Babylon—might (unintentionally) contribute to America’s decline and potentially sudden collapse.
Given the biblical critique of Babylon—pride, unjust enrichment, and violent domination—American Christians in general and certain American Christian leaders in particular should exercise discernment. They should avoid uncritical blessing of a political movement based on a (false) religious ideology that seem to sacralize force or wealth, and instead call the nation toward Christian principles of repentance, humility, justice, mercy, and nonviolent witness.
Because, whatever the church blesses—be it “good” or “bad”—will thrive and gain strength.Anon
Anon, there are many things to respond to here, so I will limit myself to one or two. When you say that the message of Jesus was “non-violent,” you need to make a distinction. There is a difference between the non-violence of, say, Gandhi, and subversive violence of Jesus. Jesus did, after all, crown the Triumphal Entry with no little mayhem at the Temple. That was significant enough that He was killed in retaliation. Secondly, how would you prevent the logic of your position from ending up in a full-tilt pacifism? That would be clearly unbiblical, and totally contrary to the mainstream Christian tradition.
That said, I do agree with you that there is a very real temptation for nations that are strong militarily. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: But we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
That said, I do agree with you that there is a very real temptation for nations that are strong militarily. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: But we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Fictional Letters
I just watched your video “The Central Divide Between Christians and Jews” and it reminded me why I love your letter series so much.
I’ve been following your ministry for several years now. Your teaching has greatly helped me in shaping my worldview and leading my family.
I know you’re a very busy man with a heavy load, so I completely understand if this doesn’t make the cut.
My sister-in-law grew up in a legalistic, hypocritical church. She’s now an atheist who simply says “I just believe in science” whenever Christianity comes up. She rejects the resurrection, miracles, and the reliability of the Bible.
I’d love to see you write one of your open letters to a fictional “Sarah” who uses “science” as her main objection to Christianity.
Thank you for considering it.
In Christ,Nathan
Nathan, thanks. Good idea.
More Than One Problem
How should a believing wife view and respond to her believing husband’s small but daily use of marijuana? When this question was brought before the elders by the wife, she was told it was concerning (for health reasons) but not sinful and would not be directly addressed (as if it were similar to moderate daily drinking not leading to drunkness)
How should a believing wife discipline her children when her believing husband does not discipline the children with spanking? Ought the wife still spank when she has the charge of the children? How does this reconcile with her call to submit to his leadership? What would be the fruit in the life of the children if the mother spanks when they are in her charge though the father does not when he is in charge?RO
RO, sorry about your situation. On the marijuana use, given the stance of your elders, it doesn’t look like there is anything you can do apart from continued prayer. I am assuming that pot is legal in your state? And I assume that you have told him (sweetly) that you would rather he not? On the spanking, even though the discipline is lopsided, it would be far better for the children to have some discipline than none. It is not a submission issue unless your husband has forbidden you to discipline them. And if that were to happen, I would suggest the two of. your bring the question to your elders.
Mosques in Alabama
I live in smalltown NE Alabama. Our area is currently in an uproar over the emergence of two mosques. As we watch what’s happening all over the UK and Europe, residents are obviously concerened. Some suppress objections saying the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but I don’t think the Constitution is a suicide pact. How can we combat the spread of an un-Constitutional seditious worldview and avoid this conundrum?Bill
Bill, the thing that is necessary here is the education of Christians. There has to be more than “we don’t like this.” The objections need to be principled, and that means books and videos. Apart from a particular controversy over a particular mosque, I would suggest stockpiling material on religious liberty issues, and begin educating your fellow believers.
Is Faith a Work?
I used to be persuaded by the logic I’ve heard from some that God must give a person faith b/c if a person believes of his own volition, then the act of believing would be a work. I’m not disputing that God grants faith, but based on Ro 4:4-5, “…but to the one who does not work but believes…” I don’t think this is a good argument anymore. I’m trying to submit what I think is logical to what the Bible says is true. Am I missing something?Tyler
Tyler, yes. I think you are missing something, and what that something would be the sneaky and snaky heart of man. Of course, believing God is not a work . . . unless you start taking credit for it. Real faith is antithetical to works. It is the gift of God, lest any man should boast. But why does Paul write those words? Because some people were wanting to boast about it. The heart of man can do this with anything. Calvinism teaches that God gets all the glory, and man gets none of it. And yet there are Calvinists who are conceited because they know that.
Emphasizing the Failure of Secularism
Well done on “Secularism As Protestant Heresy “. While I know that you have visited this topic often this merits your staying awhile this time even when you will be urged to move on. Secularism is a term nearly synonymous with pragmatism and pragmatism has its contemporary roots in Kant who had his roots in unbelief in the True and Living God who reveals Himself whose arm is not short that he is kept from the “phenomenal “ by the declaration of those under the banner of “a god is a good idea…..useful….you know”. These people would have us believe that the “ effectiveness “of a thing is the important part, substance is unknowable,”so rally under that of the One True and Living God and His Christ if you like but your not helping our cause here”…..And we Christians have “seen” the “reasonableness”of this to our confusion of face and shame.Matt
Matt, thank you.
They (Zionists [not Jews]) are dabbing on you, Doug.
Wow, that soldier is plural all by himself? That’s impressive.
Isn’t this why we are blowing up schoolgirls in Iran to folks like Pete Kegsbreath? The guy who has a kafir tattoo and yelled “kill all Muslims” at a veterans event?
That would indeed be a great rebuttal…..
If in fact I or anyone else involved had made the argument you’re criticizing.
Since I haven’t, there’s obviously no contradiction.
So….. you’re still in the position of explaining why this person represents “zionists”, who are overwhelmingly by statistics, Christians.
Why are we there? The admin can’t keep their answer (or the) strait (har har).
And Doug is a useful idiot to Zionists, yes.
Lets grant all of that as true.
….
NOW will you justify how it makes sense to have this one person represent all Zionists?
The dude in the photo, the person holding the camera, the uniforms they wear, the military equipment that we paid for with politicians owned by AIPAC money, and the IDF they take orders from, while invading and taking sovereign land belonging to Christians (mostly Catholic) and Muslims, are representing Zionism almost in it’s entirety, yes.
So let me follow this argument in its entirety.
If I went and shot up a convenience story, while wearing a Nike sweatshirt, Nike would be responsible.
That’s the level of intelligence you’re working with, yes?
I know this must be hard for you, especially since you are convinced you have followed the argument in its entirety. To continue your analogy, it would be like Nike provided the uniform, the weapons, the crew, drew up plans months in advance to shell and occupy the block, rolled in with tanks, killed civilians, provided the jackhammer, and took pictures of the incident. And in the likely event that these soldier see no actions taken against them, it would be like Nike owns the police and the courts and let their own people get away with shooting up the… Read more »
CREC “theology” always hinges on trolley problem-style thought “experiments”. That is because Doug’s intellectual style is regurgitated undergrad Philosophy. It’s revealing how every argument depends on an imagined scenario, a fictional analogy, a literary allusion. Never informed facts or educated argument, just wild-ass thought experiments with no relationships whatsoever to the actual situation being discussed, matched with “rhetoric” designed to misdirect rather than enlighten. They are never wrong. They must never repent. They have nothing to learn. They are always just being misunderstood… why can’t “they” understand that Doug is just trying to AGREE with them?? Yes. Doug is trying to… Read more »
Way to not answer anything related to trump and his Babylon mentality. And acting like Jesus was violent because of his actions in the temple is insincere at best. He was not violent…in every single aspect except his relationship to the religious folk, (there may be some similarities here with modern Christian’s and the Pharisees) he was absolutely a pacifist…turn the other cheek, love your enemies, you know, that kind of stuff. Does trump look anything like that? Love, justice, mercy, humility, the be attitudes…do any of those describe trump? We are called to something greater, something more, than power… Read more »
Read Habakkuk–God tells Habakkuk ‘I can use Chaldeans (literal Babylonians), bad as they are. Trust Me (=live by faith in Me.)’ Our current president will go to Hell when triune Jehovah is done using him; not sooner. Better, may he repent, and we can all laugh at Satan seeing 78 years hard work (well, easy work) go down the drain. Nebuchadnezzar apparently did (Daniel 5).
Oh, I see…god is just using trump to place judgement on America. Nice…makes perfect sense?
God asks us to trust her when we don’t understand or evil seems to prevail, not to trust the evil. Call a spade a spade…
When it’s their side, God is working through them.
When it’s the other side, it’s demonic activity.
Convenient!
All I know is this: Andrew Lohr is not an Old Testament prophet, these are empty rationalizations uttered to avoid accountability.
Rules for thee and not for me…
What do you know about my former lives?
E: god is non-binary!
Also E: God asks us to trust her…
Apparently, you’re confused. Not only is the feminine pronoun not allowed for anything “non-binary”, but the notion of non-binary is itself binary.
Of course, what else would we expect from a pagan trying to pass her goddess off as the God of the Bible in a Christian forum?
Just calling a spade a spade.
You can insert whatever pronoun you want for god…not a human, no gender. I never said “non-binary” either, just making the point that god is not a “he”. I’m good with the god of love…you can stick to your god of war…
So God the creator is not allowed to ‘choose his own pronouns’. I’d be a bit careful if I were you – your eternal destiny is in his hands, not her hands and not your hands.
Most of the NT pronouns, etc, are masculine.
And…patriarchy much?
“God asks us to trust HER”? Uh, oh…
“he was absolutely a pacifist”
If you do not have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
Where in the Bible is that?
Luke 22:36
Ok…what about Luke 22:50-51? Context matters…did Jesus contradict himself?!? What about verses like Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-28, the sermon on the mount?
You complain of context, then provide none. In 22:50-51 Jesus explicitly endorses the death penalty. “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword” is a reference to the Judaic law punishing murder. Your own verse proves Jesus was not anti violence. Being anti-violence and opposing the murder of a police officer are not the same thing. Matthew 5 doesn’t come anywhere close to preaching pacifism. Loving your enemies definitionally requires that you have enemies. The verse does not say pretend your enemies are your friends. Loving someone does not require pacifism, and there’s no Biblical basis to claim… Read more »
I enjoy having you do the legwork:) again, actually read the gospels…Jesus’ words…if you don’t see the peace and love, may god have mercy on your soul.
Jesus came to fulfill the law, he came to change the status quo (you know, like patriarchy, wealth, power). Of your god/jesus are violent, please keep them for yourself.
Well I appreciate the banter, and I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m comfortable playing with harsh words.
But if the only argument presented is, “If you don’t agree with me, than you’re a bad person”, then there isn’t much to discuss. Please do continue if you ever discover an argument that supports your position.
Not sure where I said you’re a bad person…
“if you don’t see the peace and love, may god have mercy on your soul.”
The argument on the table is that if I’ve read the Gospel and don’t come to the conclusion hat you have “may god have mercy” on my soul.
That is literally the only argument on the table. That I’m a bad person if I don’t agree with you.
Not the argument:) I don’t care about you like that. Jesus is love, god has no gender. That’s the argument…no need to get egotistical!
Endorses the death penalty? That’s absolute nonsense. “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword” is a statement about the futility of violence, it’s not a pro-death penalty statement. Jesus makes a statement of habitual truth, “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”, NOT a statement of command “He who lives by the sword must be killed by the sword” or a statement of moral imperitive “He who lives by the sword, should be killed by the sword.” Reading that as a pro-death penalty statement would be like reading “Cigarettes lead to early death” as… Read more »
Wow, Justin, that’s a misinterpretation to the point of outright abuse. Jesus was making a dramatic reference to the difficulty of the path they were about to undergo, he wasn’t literally telling them to buy a sword. This is obvious because: 1) Just two lines later, Jesus tells the disciples NOT to buy a sword, after they make obvious that they’d missed the point. Why would he command them all to buy a sword and then turn around and tell them not to get any more swords after all? 2) How would two swords protect 12 disciples, considering they often… Read more »
“The wrath of the Lamb”? Revelation 6.
The wrath of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, however gentles He often is.
“Jehovah is a warrior”? Exodus 15.
(Paraphrase) God woke up like a drunken soldier. Psalm 78??
And try reading Habakkuk. All 3 chapters, or even just the first two.
Good defense of your military Jesus. Try reading the gospels…then let me know what Jesus’ message was.
You rightly mentioned that “Jesus came to fulfill (not abolish) the law” (Matthew 5:17). Can you define what you mean by “fulfill”? I understand that Jesus did not ultimately introduce a new law or oppose the law (Matthew 5:18-19); rather, certain aspects of the old covenant system were brought to completion and thus ceased, because Jesus – the end/purpose/telos of the law has arrived. As for Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels, first (correct me if I’m wrong), but you seem to be trying to set them against the rest of Scripture which is also Jesus’ words, since he is God… Read more »
What about Philippians 2:10-11? Or John 3:16? Jesus did not write the Bible…and I would agree that the Bible is god-inspired…but Jesus absolutely did not write the Bible. Who assembled the Bible? How did they decide what texts to include in the canon and what texts to exclude? Did Jesus make those decisions? Why are some bibles different than others? Why are there so many translations of the Bible? How do we know which one is RIGHT?!?! What’s the theme of the Bible? I’d say it’s gods redemptive, all-consuming love for their people, for their creation. What do you think… Read more »
On God’s wrath-filled love, keep reading in John 3. Verse 18 and 36 particularly. Regarding Phil.2:20-11, yes, everyone will bow before the Lamb/Son. And those that don’t bow willingly will be forced to bow (Psalm 2:9 – see context of the entire Psalm). This world is engaged in spiritual warfare (see entire Bible…) and God will destroy all who refuse to submit to him. Regarding inspiration – the Bible’s human writers were not inspired the way I might be inspired to make a painting by a sunset. 2 Peter 1:21 says that men spoke from God as they were carried… Read more »
And you know that because the Bible told you so? Again, there are SO many different Christian perspectives…not just yours.
An “overarching theme” may not include every detail. Even Secular novelists create evil characters who do bad things without the novelist, or the overall story, ceasing to be good by the novelists’ standard. Ayn Rand created Ellsworth Monkton Toohey in “The Fountainhead,” just as C.S. Lewis created the White Witch in “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.” And that Aslan killed the White Witch doesn’t mean killing is Aslan’s “overarching theme,” just that it’s part of his repertoire not to be overlooked. Law and demolition are not Howard Roark’s themes in “The Fountainhead”–he’s a creative architect–but he does use… Read more »
In one word, “Repent!”
Meaning, You are horribly wrong; change; fix it now!
(And He had nothing but respect for the Old Testament. Read Habakkuk.)
Every one of those verses refers to the role of God as judge. A role that Jesus refused to take on while he was in human form, and a role he (and James and Paul) explicitly told us humans not to take on. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”“Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves… Read more »
Judge not, but some people are swine and dogs within a few verses (Matthew 7). Avenge not yourselves, but let the higher powers do it (Romans 12-13). Notice that the weeds are weeds. If no one murders, no one gets executed for it, and that’d be nice. But for the occasional murder, we do need the occasional execution. Jesus compared the Father to an unjust judge, and himself to a thief in the night–and our friend E wants nothing to do with Trump or Habakkuk?
Metaphors, ya know. And no, I want nothing to do with trump. I can’t understand how ANY “Christian” can support him or his policies. They, and he, are anti-Christ. You getting blasphemous by comparing trump to Jesus?!?
Let’s back up before you hide the goalposts altogether. Your initially attempted to defend human violence by appealing to God’s wrath. I pointed out to you that the New Testament makes an explicit contrast between God’s authority to judge with wrath and out authority, such that God’s anger can never be used as a justification for our violence. Thus, your original argument cannot be valid. Jesus did not deny that weeds are weeds – he stated that YOU are not the one to make the decision, and that this is not the time to judge the decision. You would have… Read more »
To the lady whose husband is smoking pot: my doctor told me once that the greater danger is the secondhand smoke in your kids. It does raise the risk of schizophrenia to people under twenty. I don’t have documentation, but I am sure it is there.
Alex Berenson has some great data.
“Secularism is a term nearly synonymous with pragmatism and pragmatism has its contemporary roots in Kant”
So does the concept of “worldview,” yet Doug seems to think that invoking it means he can say and do whatever he feels like (for some unexplained reason).
Federal Vision is a Kantian framework. Christian Nationalism is Hegelian in its teleological interpretation of the Great Commission. Doug learned these modes of thinking while studying Philosophy at a secular public university.
His entire schtick is remixed secularism, which is why Protestants (like NAPARC) have deemed it heretical for 20 years and counting.
Name calling? Try losing your identity theft. The real Buster Keaton had touches of humor.
“Identity theft”
LOL.
For all you know I am Doug Wilson. After all, I started popping up shortly after this post in June 2025:
Hmmmmm.
LOL.
https://dougwils.com/books-and-culture/s7-engaging-the-culture/a-handbook-for-online-anons.html
Assuming Sleepless is telling it like it is, I’m curious, why does her husband want her to have the job she has? For years, men (including me) have said of or to women “You can’t have it both ways”. Well, that works both ways. A husband cannot rightfully demand of his wife that she be homemaker all by herself and co-breadwinner at the same time. Perhaps she leaves something out? Perhaps he does useful and necessary things around home, just not the things that she is so frazzled busy doing. Or not. How can I know. Why does he want… Read more »
A lot of men need a working wife these days because, in some cities like mine, the cost of living is through the roof and one paycheck isn’t enough. And now a couple of generations have grown up with working mothers, and many take it for granted that women will share the financial load. When I worked before I got pregnant, my ex-husband took it for granted that I would still do all the cooking and housework. That was one of the reasons I persuaded him that, due to the fact that daycare would eat up half my salary, it… Read more »
I can see some good reasons a man would want his wife to hold a job. And some not so good reasons. The conversation Sleepless needs to have with her husband might depend, in part, on his reason. Is it is to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table, and shoes on the kid’s feet? Or is it so he can afford his toys? Or, is paying for her wants the reason he believes they need the additional income? Something else entirely? I would say the why needs to be part of the conversation. Yes, women going… Read more »
To Sleepless:
I’m so sorry to hear about your plight. I strongly recommend you seek out a certified biblical counselor for marriage counseling. I included the link below to a solid parachurch organization that provides biblical counseling.
https://biblicalcounselingcenter.org/
And things are just peachy keen over there in Europe, aren’t they, European Anon? No profound spiritual aberrations there. Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds in Northern and Western Europe!
Meanwhile, enjoy the next addresses from King Charles, the Supreme Head of the Church of England, for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr while completely neglecting Easter.
fp – it is just possible the decline may have bottomed out. Very very late in the day a chunk of the European population has started to realise the continent has a Christian tradition that it owes much of its freedom to, and that Islam is waiting in the wings to occupy the vacuum left by empty churches. I don’t think saying ‘we are a Christian country’ in Britain will be enough. Jesus himself demanded more than that. There needs to be a genuine widespread repentance from the sin and evil that has gone on in an increasingly secular country,… Read more »
Michelle, I think Paul is saying it is wrong for Christians to take disputes before the civil courts rather than have them be judged by believers. That presupposes the existence of something like an ecclesiastical court, a Christian arbitration ministry, or a board of church elders to which the disputants can appeal. It also presupposes that both disputants recognize the authority of those entities and are willing to submit to it. Catholics are also strongly encouraged to resolve disputes through mediation but they are not required to endure grave injustice if good faith efforts to resolve disputes privately have been… Read more »
“n appeal from a fellow Catholic who happens to be her Vice President of her country also
did no good.”
I consider it very charitable of you to call her a fellow Cathlic. I’ve been of the opinion that her conversion was the result of needing a new in-group to appeal to because she had begun burning her bridges with her previous in group. Catholicism is authoritative by nature. I haven’t seen any evidence that Candace respects any form authority of any kind in this world or the next.
It probably also had a lot to do with her marriage to the Honorable George Farmer, son of Baron Farmer, who converted to Catholicism during his Oxford years. She was baptized at the Brompton Oratory which is probably the center of trad Catholicism in the UK. He was at one time the head of Turning Point USA. I know nothing about her case in particular but there is some concern among Catholic clergy and laity about “celebrity conversions” which bypass the normally required six months to two years of formal instruction. People should have a thorough understanding of Catholic doctrine… Read more »
I’m also unaware of the details of the process by which she was instructed but I have not observed any deviation from Catholic doctrine or practice on her part since her reception into the Church two years ago.
Converts do have a reputation for an excess of zeal which can feel uncomfortable to those of us who are descents of more reserved Northern European societies.
She does seem to have played some role in Charlie Kirk’s movement in a Catholic direction prior to his death. Her openness about that may be fueling some of the negative reaction to her.
And here I thought it was the wild and baseless accusations of (checks this week’s report) an Israeli conspiracy to hire lookalikes to fill the area to confuse the investigatory process, and THAT’S why the prosecution has the crime on video.
The lying constantly, all day and all night, on every possible topic does indeed rub some people the wrong way.
The prosecution may have the crime on video, but whoever does have possession of that video has been refusing to release it for the last seven months. The rooftop video which was initially released had that moment clipped out.
So, it isn’t evidence unless its released to the public before its played for the court, in contradiction to how justice has worked in literally every court, in every nation, since the dawn of time?
How thoroughly do you trust federal agencies?
“We have this really dope evidence back at the office. Just trust us bro.
No, you can’t see it yet. You’ll be really impressed when we do show it. It’s ironclad. Indisputable. A slam dunk. Just trust us, bro.”
If you are in the habit of trusting the Feds, maybe you’ll find those reassurances persuasive. Some of us can no longer muster such faith in governmental authorities.
I don’t have to trust the feds, which I don’t, because there’s simply absolute zero alternative claims on the table to consider. I have a deep seated bias which I’ll admit. I’m studying the law, and intend to pass the bar in my spare time and you know what? I favor the defense far too often. Given that’s the case, you’ll understand, why it is very strange that you find yourself so incapable of coming up with any argument whatsoever. The claim here is tha tMAYBE the prosecution didn’t provide something, at some point, for some reason. Though you have… Read more »
The UVU campus is covered with cameras. TPUSA had multiple cameras at the event.
Of this, all that has been released is one video of a man running across a roof and a few blurry stills of a man walking up stairs. No big old hunting rifle is visible in any of them. The video of Robinson’s surrender is “lost”. DNA details are unavailable. Message details (time, carrier) are unavailable.
Hand signals, odd t-shirt, chain and TPUSA staff movements are unexplained.
The many problems with the official narrative (and some alternative explanations) are detailed here:
Who Killed Charlie Kirk?
“ which bypass the normally required six months to two years of formal instruction.” Jill, I respect you, which I think is clear over the past ten years as I use very harsh argumentative language with just about everyone other than yourself, but….. 6 months to two years? That sounds utterly exhausting! The last time I was involved in the membership process of a church (A CREC back in Washington, around the time I started commenting here), I spent a week probing the pastor about the precise phrasing of the statements of belief and was dissuaded of the possibility of signing… Read more »
Much easier than becoming Jewish. At least you don’t have to learn to read Hebrew! Many people are ready in six months of weekly classes and reading at home. It depends a lot on their background–it’s a lot easier for Episcopalians than for people with no religious background at all. I used to give AP Euro prep classes and many of my students were non-Christian. I had to give a crash course in basic Christian doctrine before I could begin to explain the Reformation and the Wars of Religion. I would think I had made some headway and then one… Read more »
Truth is an absolute defense to defamation in the United States. So far, Candace Owens has been careful not make any assertions which TPUSA or Erika Kirk have flagged as untrue.
Since Charlie Kirk’s assassination was a very public event, much of the discussion about it will be unavoidably public.
Much of the conflict would be quieted were TPUSA to release pertinent information or reply directly to questions about inconsistencies in the official narrative.
No lawyer on the planet would advise someone to start speaking directly to the public about evidenciary matters relating to pending cases. This is an incredibly unrealistic expectation.
Would any pastor on the planet advise someone to stay quiet if they had exculpatory information about a defendant in a pending case?
Why do you baselessly accuse them of withholding information from law enforcement simply because they withhold it from social media?
You are not the police officer, nor the judge, nor the jury. They owe you nothing.
They have made public accusations against the man now in jail for murder. They are in possession of information (videos, travel logs, etc.) which might clear his name in the eyes of the law – and the eyes of the public.
Sharing that information with the FBI would be proper of course. However, the FBI is not sharing information with the accused’s defense lawyers, leaving him in limbo.
Given that, do they have a moral obligation to make public information which could possibly forestall a miscarriage of justice?
“However, the FBI is not sharing information with the accused’s defense lawyers, leaving him in limbo.”
You think they’re ignoring their legal obligations to share their discovery with opposing counsel?
That’s fascinating. Where did you get the information?
In last Friday’s hearing, the defense asked the prosecution for the data files from the DNA analysis performed by the FBI. The prosecution is unable to provide those files because the FBI (which performed the analysis more than six months ago) had released only a summary of their findings without any details of the analysis itself.
The FBI also has possession of Robinson’s rifle and phone – neither of which they have made available to the defense.
We’ve only just begun evidenciary hearings, which take place before preliminary hearings, and your basis is that they’ve yet to provide information on two completely separate and wholly unrelated issues? Even if we pretended that the Prosecution not having yet shared this information at this incredibly early stage amounted to failure of duty, and even if we, completely irrationally mind you, pretended that these unrelated reports were related to TPUSA testimony, none of that would still speak to TPUSA’s moral obligations of reporting. Where is your basis for conclusion that TPUSA hasn’t reported the relevant materials to the relevant authorities?… Read more »
Last June, Charlie Kirk spent two days at the White House persuading Donald Trump not to engage in a regime change war in Iran. Were he still alive, he would have again done his utmost to persuade Trump not to have started this current war.
Kirk’s death was an immense benefit to those who are profiting from the current war. For everyone else, Kirk’s death has made us all significantly poorer and sunk America deeper into debt.
Kirk’s public execution was not a private matter. It altered the course of history and the public is owed an explanation.
You really have Kirk up on a pedestal, don’t ya?
Trump credited Kirk with mobilizing the youth vote in 2024 which pushed him over the top in the popular vote. Kirk persuaded JD Vance to run for the Senate in Ohio.
Along with Tucker Carlson, Kirk was the strongest voice against a full-on war last June. Unlike Carlson, he would not have been easy to sideline in the lead up to this war.
The war has not been the quick simple operation it’s proponents promised up front. It has settled into the quagmire which Kirk predicted it would.
He sounds like a true modern day prophet…ha.
Yeah, but expecting a jury to know nothing about a case that’s in the news seems kinda unrealistic. Trusting US courts, from the supremes on down, seems rank lunacy. (“Put not your trust in princes…”–Psalm 146??) The supremes gave us Dred Scott, Roe, Miranda, etc, tho doing a bit better lately; locally, my youngest stepgirl just turned 18 (!) and finally aged out of court-ordered visitation with my wife’s ex-boyfriend, who once (and only once) covered her (girl’s) back with bruises, and once a sister’s back. We need good lawyers to stop bad ones, but the system has plenty of… Read more »
Some of Owens’ wilder claims are probably not actionable because only in the fevered brains of her followers would they be considered damaging to Erika’s reputation even if they were true. –That she has seen a picture of Erika as a toddler making a Masonic hand sign. –That Erika’s great-grandmother was once involved with illegal slot machines. –That the elementary school Erika attended was “exceedingly Jewish.” –That her mother is not her real mother. –That Erika Kirk got a college scholarship, befriended a woman married to a pastor who was close with another pastor accused of covering up his father’s… Read more »
The difficulty with sourcing lists from critics is that they often highlight minor details while ignoring major claims.
For example, the major part of Candace’s report on Erika’s father’s first wife was that she designed the psychological program at Erika’s grade school and was a friend and colleague of Dr. John Money.
Erika’s mother’s various CIA/defense-related LLC’s formed with sketchy partners are more significant than other friends/family members’ activities.
Erika’s possible connection to the NYC modeling agency was as a real estate agent, not a model.
Candace has pledged to retract any claims shown to be false.
If it is true that Erika’s father’s first wife designed a program at her school, and if it is true that her mother had some connection to the CIA, why would that implicate her in a plot to assassinate her husband? TPUSA denies that she ever worked at the company owned by Epstein’s friend. To me, it sounds like randomly throwing mud and seeing if any of it will stick. She went to school with a lot of Jewish kids? So did I. How is that possibly relevant except to suggest that there’s something pretty sketchy about adults who grew… Read more »
In NYC, she was an employee of the Corcoran Group, luxury real estate brokers. The biographical details are of interest as they would be for anyone commanding a highly influential political organization.
More directly relevant to the assassination are details such as her exact location at the moment it occurred.
Even if the person who falsely defamed you claims to be a Christian? I was defamed, slandered, and defrauded, but settled—twice—rather than going to court against someone who claims to be a Christian (Catholic), even though this person slandered me, and committed perjury and fraud. That’s why I found Doug’s stance surprising. I think I did what’s best, but also feel foolish for not knowing I had another option as a Christian. I let the wicked win, in a way, but have to trust that God will make it all right in the end.
Michelle, unless there is a risk to other people,I think we seldom go wrong in being merciful. It might, in the long run, make her (assuming it’s a her) feel far more remorse than going to court would have done. If I deliberately caused grievous harm to someone who didn’t go after me because he or she saw me as a sister in Christ, the guilt would eat me alive. If she practices her faith at all, the guilt will catch up to her and a priest will tell her the only way she can get absolution is to seek… Read more »
That’s the conundrum: the “professing Christian” status. Do I accept it without question or disregard it based on a person’s repeated, unbridled unrighteousness? Is the person a backsliding Christian or a non-believer? I erred on giving the person the benefit of the doubt.
Aidan, my own all-time favorite:
How much does it cost a pirate to get his ears pierced?
A buccaneer!
Why are the Irish always so rich?
Because their capital is always Dublin.
When does a joke become a dad joke?
When it becomes apparent!
Doug crying about getting destroyed on Piers is so funny.
OMG…it was awesome! Glib answers for complicated topics.
“Incidentally, we know that Jesus was not a socialist because he could actually feed people.”
Woof. Puts a whole new spin on “We negotiate with bombs.”
Those of us who have been warning about how Doug was leading the church astray and destroying its witness had moments like this in mind.
But it’s going to get a lot worse.
Too true…and he’s got a lot of sheep behind him (obvious from all of the peeps defending him and his here)…
Honestly? Few are defending him anymore.
Doug’s (former?) friends have mostly gone silent in the past month or two. The defenses they mount are half-hearted. The stridency is gone.
Just a few months ago they were promising a Great Awakening. And in fact that happened. They just didn’t think it would be against them. That is because they deluded themselves into thinking they knew the will of God.
Sleepless, Get serious with God regarding your marriage and husband. Go boldly before the Throne and ask for real change to your husband. This assumes you’re taking your role serious, including all aspects of the marriage covenant. When God gets your husbands attention…. and he knows how to do it….. then don’t worry about what that looks like. It will involve humbling the man and it might not be pretty. Unless he is just an “infidel” he will emerge on the other side a much better husband. What God needs is “your” trust and boldness with Himself first.
Sleepless, you will notice that these men have no practical advice. They speak in platitudes like “Get serious”, which trivializes the fact that You. Already. Have. For 12 years you have. That is because it is their teachings that have empowered him to treat you in this way. They resist all accountability for wicked men — from Donald The Pussygrabber on down — and this is the result: mini-tyrants at home, who drunkenly abuse their families, and expect to be able to do the same to others. Like Pete Hegseth. Repeatedly getting drunk and yelling curse words at you *is*… Read more »
Sleepless is asking for advice as a last ditch effort in order to save the marriage, not whether she has grounds for divorce…. as if divorce doesn’t have any serious down sides. There must be untold numbers of marriages that have turned around after this kind of thing. Not all but many. My “practical advice”, before divorce, is ask God directly to deal with her husband in what ever way He sees fit in order to save the marriage. This is empowering for the believer when in a no-win scenario.
I doubt if there is any intention to empower abusive men, but I cannot but notice the massive emphasis on wifely submission compared with the comparative lack of emphasis on the husband’s duty to love and care.
I think the wife’s role should be taught to young wives by wise, tough old ladies who’ve seen all the obvious mistakes, rather than a man who can read the Greek
@Tyler (Is Faith a Work?)
Faith is given and “received.” Some translations say “granted” or “obtained.”
2 Peter 1:1 NIV
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: