Israel’s Future Salvation
I’m still a little confused on your opinion of the Jews and Israel’s future salvation. You clearly state that you believe Israel will eventually be converted to Christ; but do you believe this because all nations will be converted to Christ? In your view, is there currently a distinction—at all—to be made between Israel and the other nations? Is there any distinction because of the Abrahamic Covenant?
John
John, yes. I believe there is such a distinction. Ethnic Israel is currently outside of Christ. But they are still unique in this. Just as their unbelief brought a great blessing to the Gentile world, so their future conversion to Christ will be the key to a far greater blessing than that. All of this is the topic of my next book, American Milk and Honey, soon to be released.
A Round-Up On Race, Ethnicity, and Antisemitism Many, many thanks,
Anna
Anna, thank you.
Unmarried and Expecting
What is the correct response to news of an unmarried pregnancy? How might the response differ for expectant parents who attend church vs. those who do not?
Quinn
Quinn, for those who are not professing Christians, we should not be surprised, and should be grateful that the mother is not seeking out an abortion. For members of the church, the pastor should determine whether or not the couple is repentance. If not, there should be church discipline of some sort. If there is repentance, that should be made known to the congregation as they figure out ways to be supportive.
A Gap
I have been eating up the marriage and parenting books found on the Canon+ app. It has been extremely helpful for being a husband and father in general and fathering sons specifically, but there seems to be a lack of fathering daughters books. I think I know to teach skills and challenge my sons but should I hold back from teaching and challenging my daughter those skills if she has interest in them? What books would you recommend for specifics in fathering daughters?
Stephen
Stephen, you are right. There is a gap there.
Check It Out and Let Me Know
First off thank you for your podcasts they are a blessing. Tactical Civics—could this be a God thing?
The founder of Tactical Civics comes from a reformed background (Kuyperian). I joined (paid the $5) and downloaded the books and media. After reading, watching and listening to the material, and asking the Holy Spirit for discernment to see if it lines up with Scripture, it seems to.
I’m 67 years old and have been self employed most of my life. A couple of things I’ve found to be true are:
1. Management’s job is to find permanent solutions to recurring problems.
2. Evildoers must have a downside. Hear and Fear
Deu. 13:11, 17:13, 19:20, 21:18-21
Tactical Civics seems to do both these things.
This might be an answer to some of our prayer
Also our mens group is going through Mere Christendom at Christ Community Reformed Church.
John
John, thanks for the reference.
Self-Defense and Such
I’m wondering if you have any recommendations for books/resources regarding the Christian right to self-defense, owning firearms, etc. Also, do you have any recommendations for books/resources as it regards the War of Independence and the reasoning/justification for it from the Christian perspective?
Reagan
Reagan, on the former, I believe Covenant Media Foundation has some material by Greg Bahnsen on that. With regard to the latter, I would start here.
Spiritual Disciplines and Kids?
If I may ask a parenting question . . . Currently my wife and I are praying with our two year old and after each prayer we say “amen.” If our daughter doesn’t say “amen” we wait until she says it. (whether it’s after each meal and before bed) Is it wise to discipline our child if she doesn’t say “amen?” Would this count as disobedience if she doesn’t say “amen” every time? Is this something we should consider as a situation to pursue disciplining her because she doesn’t say it? and also at this age should she be expected to repeat us every time.
Part of our concern is her associating good things like “amen” with discipline at that early age. We don’t want any long term negative effects because we choose to discipline her over her not saying “amen” at an early age.
This is something we are struggling with in general with associating good things with discipline. Thank you again for your time.
Freddy
Freddy, thank you for asking. This kind of thing should be a “get to” not a “got to.” I would only discipline for something like that rarely, and only if the refusal to say amen was coming from a surly attitude—like when she refuses to say “thank you” to grandma.
How busy is busy enough? To set the stage my wife and I have five children. My vocation provides for our family enabling my wife to focus her energy in the home. She is a productive and fruitful wife and mother and does an outstanding job. We also educate all our children at home. We faithfully attend a wonderful church and are engaged in various ways of serving there. When we are not busy with the above, we enjoy a variety of other activities, largely together as a family. Cooking, preserving food, gardening, hiking, hunting, and the like. Nobody’s a couch potato, we all like to read, we rarely watch TV, no video games, etc. When we are meeting the scriptural requirement to work diligently and provide well for our families, training our children well, and being generous with our resources, are we able to say “We are doing enough. We don’t need to feel pressure to add anything else.”? There is a constant external pressure to do more, achieve more, and stay busier, much of which draws us away from the home and apart from each other. Get that certification so you can be more competitive for that next promotion, get your kids involved in competitive sports, get them playing an instrument, another church activity/program starting up, more activities, more functions, more engaged with the community, etc. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but we like the pace of life that we have. I enjoy sitting on the porch with my wife and watching my children play in the evening, and I don’t understand why most people are trading that kind of time for an organized activity away from home most evenings and weekends. Especially when you ask them how their family is doing and the response is always, “Just staying super busy.” Why the breakneck pace? My grandparents would sit down to a home-cooked meal at noon every day and then return to the workplace for the afternoon. Many employees in my organization either don’t eat lunch or eat at their desk while working. This kind of pace is evident in many areas of our lives today. We don’t live like we used to. C.R. Wiley’s Household and the War for the Cosmos touched on some of these topics. The way my family lives our life is somewhat unusual, even among our Christian circles. So, I ask this question because I want our family life, including the pace of it, to be pleasing to the Lord. I know the answer is not entirely objective, but how busy is busy enough? Are we displeasing to God when we lead a simple life that doesn’t leave our family overloaded and fatigued? Are there any scriptural principles I’m overlooking? Are we not pulling enough of our own weight in fulfilling the Great Commission and somehow a lacrosse tournament, a promotion, a new church program, and an empty gas tank in the suburban is going to get us on the right track? I would appreciate your insight. Thanks!
JK
JK, I would encourage you to not overthink it. Are you getting your responsibilities done? Are you having a good time? Then check, and check.
More on Restitution
I would like to get more council from my restitution question. Thanks for responding. So when you say estimate high, would I have to go back to the laws of the early 2000s and buy the entire albums for songs I downloaded? And . . . I promise I’m not trying to weasel out of anything . . . am I going overboard now that every song in the world is available on streaming services?
As far as the latter category goes . . . the sites that required licenses for photos . . . do I go back and look at my entries and buy every license? Aside from the fact that those stock sites cost a fortune, I don’t think it can really fix the situation. The receipts wouldn’t match publishing dates and the site would still be at risk for damages. Side note: the sites current image policy is still potential for infringement (i.e. screenshots of movie trailers and YouTube videos that are still copyrighted). Considering the fact that these licenses are beyond my spending power and can’t really fix anything, it seems like my best bet is take the money the site paid me and make that my church donation
I will say I have paid for some of the movies I watched and I felt good paying a copyright owner their dues.
I also agree that copyright is good, but it is presently overboard. I recently learned that playing music at a retail job is infringement, but past bosses in coffee shops allowed this. I don’t feel a need to make restitution for that.
Sorry if I seem crazy
Eddy
Eddy, not crazy at all. The world of intellectual property is a mess. It seems to me that there is such a thing, but that we should not allow a Sanhedrin full of lawyers to define what is ethical for us. I would encourage you to Golden Rule it. Just one illustration. Say that it was back in the day when there were record shops, and you were walking up to the counter with an album. Your friend say, “Don’t do that. I can burn you a copy.” You return the album to the shelf, and your friend sends you the pirated version. Your behavior and his just cost that band a sale. But suppose there is a band that you didn’t really like, and had no intention of ever buying anything of theirs ever. Your friend sends you a copy of one of their songs that he thinks you will like, and you do. You become an avid fan. Does your friend have the right to invoice the band for the free advertising?
Nudity in Art
In a recent response to a reader’s concerns about displays of nudity in CCS curricula (largely, I assume, related to the art of Antiquity and the Renaissance), you mentioned that you object to Michelangelo’s David. I’m hoping you might expound on that objection? I am a teacher at a CCS and I’ve displayed the (sanitized) works of Michelangelo and others on many occasions to inspire wonder in my students. The artistry really is awe-inspiring. Is there room to appreciate the God-given talent and craftsmanship of these artists, or does the copious nudity disqualify them from Christian classroom use by default? Appreciate your time.
Samwise
Samwise, the problem I have with the David is not the nudity, but rather the humanistic glorification of man. If teaching a course that contained it, I would not censor anything, but would rather teach the students about the message that is being advanced. I would also teach them to appreciate the amazing artistry. But look at the size of David’s hands, and try not to think of Soviet agricultural art.
Decisive Point
In the past you’ve described going for a town that’s important and winnable. You said we could take podunk in a weekend, but it would do no good. Here’s a little friendly pushback. You could take podunk and then at the council meeting declare that podunk is a 2nd amendment sanctuary; come here if you want full auto. Podunk is also a town that doesn’t honor the Civil Rights act, come here if you only want to hire men for your business. And so on and so forth.
Small Town
Small Town, and what are your resources for the counter-attack that is sure to come? The town’s legal budget is $28, and the federal government just came after you.
Thanks for the Recommend
In the October 3 mailbag, a “Sarah” asked you about material on the history of public schools.
I would like to recommend “The Old Country School: The Story of Rural Education in the Middle West” by Wayne E. Fuller.
It’s cheap on Amazon. I got a lot out of it because, at the time, I was also listening to everything Canon+ had on education.
I think Fuller maintains gratitude for what the rural schools accomplished while still showing how the corruption of the public school movement was inherent in its “success.”
Thank you very much! My family is so blessed by yours.
Amanda
Amanda, thanks very much.
A Real Problem
The Bible study for the person who is not allowed to marry outside his ethnicity doesn’t help when the problem is coming from Mom and Dad. Imagine you are the pastor the First Chinese Presbyterian Church of NYC. You are giving encouragement to a young man to consider courting and this comes out of his mouth. If he does marry a non-Chinese, he may have to leave the community. How would you counsel him?
Zeph
Zeph, assuming that all the parties were members of my church, I would say that the parents were within their rights to discourage a match outside the Chinese community, but they were not at liberty to disinherit for that reason. I would encourage the young man to do everything within his power to honor his parents’ wishes, as much as possible, with the recognition that this is not always feasible. If a good match came up, and the parents were upset about it, I would seek to broker a deal.
CREC Baptists
Suppose a family in good standing at a CREC church practicing paedo-baptism and paedo-communion moves to a a different city (for necessary or justifiable reasons), and the only CREC church in the area is baptistic (LBC). Per the governing documents of the CREC (Article III, sections A, F, and G), would that baptistic church be expected (required?) to serve communion to their 5 year-old who had been partaking at their previous church?
I’m trying to understand the extent to which Baptist churches in the CREC (are there any?) are expected to accommodate convictions that run contrary to their confessional standards.
Thank you!
Wilsonian Baptist
WB, we actually just addressed this (in principle) a few weeks ago at our Council. We want our churches to receive one another’s ordinations, baptisms, and communicant status—even it we would not have conferred that status ourselves. And churches are still not required to confer such a status themselves. But this is not necessarily contrary to the 1689. That was a consensus document that made room for those Baptists (at that time) who did not require “proper” baptism in order to join them.
Start Small
What is your advice for a young man in his twenties who struggles to look people in the eye, is shy, gets ignored by his peers, apologizes too much, is prone to catastrophizing and generally struggles to be assertive?
I am thinking of a young man who already has a good job, serves in a church and is unmarried.
Thank you for your ministry. I have a gained a huge amount from the Dawson letters (and the Darla series . . .).
An Over-Apologetic Young Man,
JH
JH, I would encourage him to pick one event per week (a Bible study, say), and attend with a certain number of goals. Look three people in the eye. Shake hands firmly. Apologize for nothing. Go home and review the game film. Do it again the next week.
I’ve seen your whole series on “Dear Dawson” and it’s really helped me in the way that I think about dating and being a Christ-like man, counter to what the world and even modern churches say.
One thing I feel like you’ve missed that many younger Christians deal with is the temptation to go back to your past partner when you weren’t saved.
Do you think you could explain why, once you’re saved, these temptations happen? What passages in Scripture are good for combating these desires? And if this temptation to be back with your ex-partner will ever go away in this life.
Thank you,
Andy
Andy, that is a good question. I think the temptation comes from the fact that if you are seeking to live as a faithful Christian single man, you are doing so without a lawful sexual outlet. When you are not gifted with celibacy, that can be a challenge. When dealing with the temptations that come with that task, and the thought occurs to you that there is someone out there would probably say yes, the temptation can get serious. But if you find and marry a Christian girl, I don’t believe the old flame temptation would be a life-long thing.
Okay, You Caught Me
While perusing your Reading Log from 2022, I was at the same time impressed and deflated. Impressed that you were able to read 33 books in January alone; deflated because it has taken me years to read 33 books. How do you read so much in one month/year and is it something that I can do as well? Lastly, I also noticed that you have some of your own books in your Reading Log. Just curious as to why you go back and read your own books. To refresh your memory?
Much thanks for taking the time to read this (assuming you did!),
Adam
Adam, for your first question, there is an optical illusion involved. My basic goal is to hit an annual average of two books a week. If I get to 104 with a month or so left, I still read, but delay finishing them. That means the tally for January is lopsided and heavy.
As for reading my own books, yes, there is that. This has become more of a thing recently, and so this next year when I post my list for 2023, I was going to add something like the following:
“For those of you who check this book reading blog of mine, all three of you, you may have noticed that I routinely record here having read books that I myself have written. “What strange narcissism is this?” you may have wondered. In the first place, I should note that I do refrain from rating them the way that I rate all the other books I read. A simple, modest whattabook is all that I say about it. So there’s that. But why do I read them at all? There are some good reasons, actually. Really. First, a number of them I have read aloud for Canon Press, as they are making more and more audible versions of their catalog available. Second, I find that as the number of books I have written has increased significantly, I have to do a little more work in tracking what I have said and where I have said it so that I don’t repeat myself (too much), or reuse material that I have already used elsewhere. And then, when it comes to fictional series, like the Monroe family books, I have to keep track of everybody so that I don’t contradict myself. Anyhow, there it is.”
Thanks for the Suggestion
Have you read “The Day is Now Far Spent”? It is by Cardinal Robert Sarah of the Catholic Church so this recommendation might get me expelled from the CREC! But it is an excellent book (once you wade through the Catholic language, for instance, his chapter on the Crisis of the Priesthood and of the Church has to be heavily reenvisioned through a Protestant lens or simply taken as insight into the Roman Catholic church) that echoes a lot of what is coming out of the CREC and other churches that recognize what is happening. I think it is worth a read if nothing else because it shows there are others out there that see the danger and recognize that the church needs to act. Here is one of many good quotes from the book (always recognizing that we take Church to mean the body of Christ while his meaning is slightly more narrowed): “More profoundly, the Church makes herself the guardian of human nature. The immense misunderstanding that prevails on this subject with the modern world is frightening. When the Church defends the lives of children by fighting against abortion, when she defends marriage by showing the profound harmfulness of divorce, when she preserves the conjugal relationship by warning against the dead end of homosexual relations, when she tries to protect the dignity of the dying against the temptation of euthanasia, when she warns against the dangers of gender ideology and transhumanism, in reality, she makes herself the servant of humanity and the protectress of civilization. She seeks to protect the little ones and the weak against the unwitting extravagances of sorcerers’ apprentices who, out of fear and out of hatred of their own humanity, risk leading so many men and women toward solitude, sadness, and death. The Church tries to set up the rampart of humanity against the neo-barbarism of the post-humans. The Barbarians are no longer at the city gates and beneath the ramparts; they are in positions of influence and in government. They shape the laws and public opinion, often animated by a genuine contempt for the weak and the poor. As so the Church stands up to defend them, convinced of the truth of Jesus’s words: “As you did it to one the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (pg. 159)
Anyways, I found it to be one of the best books I read last year and recommend it to anyone who is interested.
Andrew
Andrew, thanks. Ordered it.
The Safety Cult
I have recently switched jobs from law enforcement to the mining industry. In my first week at my new job I have been quite taken by the cult of being SAFE. It is out of control. I do not know how anything is getting accomplished in this industry. The consequence of this religion is turning the common man into a robot and if that robot malfunctions, send it out the door. One of the policies at this company requires the termination of a witness of an unsafe practice if it goes unreported. Another policy addresses joking around and jesting with your fellow co-worker and the example used in getting the point across was that you cannot tell another co-worker that “his Dallas Cowboys suck,” as this may offend your co-worker. Is this just feminism on steroids in the workplace? Have you written on this? Any thoughts? In conclusion, I’m worried about you. There’s a good chance the ol pickup you drive to work does not have adequate tread on it’s tires, nor an orange buggy whip, and I doubt you wear a bright colored vest from your truck to your office on that dangerous trek. Please can you just telework at home from now on?
Be Safe
Be Safe, what is a mania for safety from the fearful is simply a mania for control from the manipulative. Fear is the handle that tyrants use to pick us up.
A Hard Situation
I am a 42-year-old wife and mother who was saved by God’s mercy and grace 10 years ago. My husband of 13 years remains unsaved. I am attending a Missionary Church with our daughter (14) that teaches the full counsel of God through his Word and my husband will often join us out of kindness and to support what he finds interesting yet objectionable. I am involved with a wonderful women’s Bible study group (BSF International) and work a full time corporate job from home. My life has changed in unfathomable and inexplicable ways in the last 10 years.
I am hoping you might take a moment to guide me or other women in my particular circumstance toward Scripture and wise counsel concerning marriages that are unequally yolked. By now my Bible flips easily open to 1 Peter 3 and God has given me such a sweet gift of loving the whole of his word—I cannot get enough.
There are moments when I long to weep with a friend over the particulars of this loneliness, but I don’t for fear it would do more harm than good. I pray constantly for my husband’s salvation so much so that if I didn’t know better I’d think the Lord tired of it, yet I know he doesn’t. Once, early on, I even sought a biblical counselor to speak with who send me home with a recommendation to determine my Enneagram so I could better relate to my unsaved husband—I never returned. Even at only Christian infancy the Holy Spirit led me running from that mess. He has been so kind and gracious.
There are times I’ve considered seeking advice from my pastor, but I don’t know how to do it without feeling like I’m bringing disgrace upon my husband and once I’ve considered it for a while I convince myself that this battle it to be won of quiet faithfulness. I do long for encouragement though and for genuine wisdom concerning my life under a head that wants little of God. This is hard. One goes from “His grace is sufficient for me.” to “His grace is sufficient for me?” rather easily on certain days.
Thank you for considering my letter and please know what a supplemental encouragement your church, wife and daughters have been in my learning to love God more and more.
Blessings,
Sonja
Sonja, what I would recommend is this. It sounds to me as though you are doing exactly what you ought to be doing, and living out precisely what Peter tells women in your situation to do. It doesn’t sound like you need counseling, in other words, but just the encouragement of knowing that people are praying for you. So I would encourage everyone reading these words to lift up a prayer for Sonja. And Sonja, what you could do is say something like this to your pastor, “Pastor, I am not asking for counsel because I know what my duties are. But it would mean a lot to me if I knew that you and the elders have prayed for me and my husband from time to time. Thank you.”
A Two Kingdom Oopsie
Dear Mr. Wilson (may I call you Doug?),
Hello. I am a fan and a follower of your ministry. My wife and I follow Canon Press and Blog and Mablog, and I listen to The Plodcast. I appreciate your thoroughly biblical, thoughtful, and erudite teaching. I also appreciate how Christianly you apply your teaching, your jokes, rebukes, praises, satire, and so forth. Your humor is not missed, most of the time ;-).
I do have a beef with something you said in your October 2nd Blog and Mablog post “A Round-Up On Race, Ethnicity, and Antisemitism.” I quote: “The answer to the chaos is Christ, and far too many conservatives either can’t name Christ, or for some bizarre two-kingdom reason won’t name Christ.”
Amen. I don’t have a problem with the truthfulness of this claim, save the latter part. My wife and I are Lutheran Christians and our denomination (LCMS) adheres to a “two-kingdom” theology in matters of church and state. Therefore, your comment is an unjustified and pointed dig at faithful Lutherans. (I’d be happy if all Lutherans were “conservatives.” Alas, that is not the case, even in the LCMS.) Having listened to you for some time now, my gut tells me you have someone in mind. Is there a particular “two-kingdom” Christian conservative you have in mind with this comment? I hope so. If this is a blanket attack on Lutherans, it is false and misguided. We believe in the Lordship, sovereignty, and sufficiency of Christ and happily and obediently, by the grace of God, “name Christ” whether in the godless civil realm, to enemies of Christ, with non-believers, non-yet-believers, fellow believers, the church writ large, in front of the magistrate, or any other context in which the Lord has placed us.
I respectfully ask for a clarification. Thank you.
Your brother in Christ,
Greg
Greg, thank you for seeking a clarification. And the reason it was needed is my fault. I was referring to a particular version of two-kingdom theology, which in Reformed circles is called “radical two-kingdom” (R2K). It is strongly associated with Westminster Seminary in Escondido. I was not referring to Reformation-era two-kingdom theology. My apologies.
The Creed and the Pledge
Re; The Creed and the Pledge (2008 Revisit after our country’s has sunk far deeper into sin since then)—United Officer Command versus Christian conscience
Hello Pastor Doug, I am a young Volunteer Fire Captain in a tiny close-knit rural community in the mountains of NC. In our Department the leadership structure is as follows Chief, then Assistant Chief, then Captains, then Lieutenants, then Firefighters, then Probies.
Our Department meetings are always opened with prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ. Recently some leadership has decided to add the Pledge of Allegiance and an American flag to our meeting opening in addition to prayer. We have a lot of “God and Country” Republicans here from your generation, many ex-military, that think America is still the shining city on the hill that it used to be.
Back when this country was still “running on Christian fumes” in the 90’s I wouldn’t have objected to the pledge, but the car ran out of Christian fuel in the late 2000’s and the government has since chosen to stuff unicorn farts, trannies, child exploitation, abortion, corruption and weaponization of the legal system into the gas tank. I’m unwilling to pledge any kind of allegiance to a nation that supports that so I won’t be saying the pledge.
What are your suggestions for opposing it (assuming you agree) keeping in mind I am a Captain (in command of one of our entire stations) with all the responsibilities that follow? Should I quietly stand with everyone else but not say it? Should I sit and not say it? Does my opposition to it mean I should resign from leadership if I’m going to not participate so as not to construe a divided command structure? I want to honor the Lord. I don’t want to be inconspicuous about it as if I am hiding my faith, nor do I want the attention to be about me, but rather the why of it.
Appreciate your wisdom and God bless,
Mtn Man in NC
Mtn Man in NC, given your convictions on the matter, I would stand and not say it, hand over heart. Or, if you are feeling daring, don’t say indivisible, and substitute Christ for God. But whatever you do, your resistance should be respectful of what the old-timers are still trying to respect.
Praying today for Sonja!
Yes, Sonja, praying for you and your family from Canada, too!! May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you peace. Peace… LET the peace of God rule in your heart, just like Nancy said about being master over our emotions…. they are often big dogs that need to be told to shut up and get off the couch!!! Your testimony in your letter here was a real encouragement, and Doug’s reply was spot on as usual.
Same!
Praying for Sonja and my other friends who also are in the same situation. Also I have seen the other side of this with the husband coming to Christ. It’s a beautiful unity to behold.
“Samwise, the problem I have with the David is not the nudity, but rather the humanistic glorification of man. If teaching a course that contained it, I would not censor anything, but would rather teach the students about the message that is being advanced. I would also teach them to appreciate the amazing artistry. But look at the size of David’s hands, and try not to think of Soviet agricultural art.” Excellent, spot on. Normally I don’t go out of my way to just point out where I like your writings, but I think the lack of understanding in this… Read more »
I hear what you’re saying and I agree. (Though I did not cancel my sub.)
That said, sometimes certain kinds of content can be used as a time-saving screening process, or as a shorthand for bigger problems. For example, “I don’t even need to get into this film’s humanism because its glorification of the occult is all you need to know.”
I’m a nerd, so the handling of entertainment by Christian culture is of personal importance to me. I’m more likely to be miffed by doing it poorly than the average person. While yes, on certain categories, a shorthand can be used, my objection isn’t to the legalistic content rating. Its to confusing the legalistic content rating for substantive evaluation. Christians can and should be leaders in arts and entertainment analysis. Instead, we don’t even try, and make it into a contest for who can condemn the most products over ever increasingly superficial reasons. Like safety evaluation commissions, there’s social benefit… Read more »
Agree. I have three novels out. It does annoy me a little when people like Andrew Klavan say “Christians aren’t making good art,” and here I am frantically waving my hand from the back of the room. I have had one person balk because my novels are set in 10,000 BC, which isn’t 100% pure Young Earth, though it’s closer to Young Earth than Old Earth and that was my synthesis at the time of composition. That said, there are certain things that will make me instantly DNF a book or movie. One is Class War, and another is Girl… Read more »
JK – in my experience, a lot of people live at a break neck pace with outside activities because they don’t want to be couch potatoes either but they don’t have the knowledge or inclination or self discipline to occupy themselves and their kids productively at home.
JK, My wife and I decided we were not going to live in the fast lane when we first started our family 35 years ago. Never regretted it looking back. When folks come into our lives that are living in the fast lane they have to slow down if they want to keep up with us….. and sometimes they move on because of it. Keep doing what you’re doing!
I think this is spot on. We do so much outside our homes because there’s not actually a lot going on inside our homes. Especially what to do with middle school/high school boys? when a Dad has no skills to pass on or projects at home.
So, turn off your brain and get mad? That’s the same take you had with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a more measured response and in response to a bigger threat than any of the American military actions in my lifetime. Israeli regular bombing of Syria, open assassination of Iranian citizens, Western piracy of Iranian ships not to mention Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians. You’ve never had anything to say about it. Oh, it’s the killing of civilians you have a problem with. From the Indian wars, to Dresden, to Nagasaki, to Iraq, the USA has a long history of killing… Read more »
Barnabas, I don’t think Doug endorses any of the examples you brought up of the US military action. I think he agrees that those were bad too.
See, nope. He said that there are good guys and bad guys and and if you wanted to talk about root causes or point out problems with the “good guys/bad guys” paradigm then you are complicit. He said that war crimes on the part of Western nations might happen in the heat of battle but are prosecuted by the governments of those nations. I think I can make an airtight case that Western nations deliberately plan war crimes at the top level of government (in addition to the heat of battle thing). The propagandist has two tacts… 1. The enemy… Read more »
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19, 20 Barnabas, what should be done? Without Jesus, all of the national sins you mentioned will continue to be accomplished and will be accompanied with those saying it was done for the good of the people. If you read the actual treaties, agreements and other documents associated with the Ukraine and the old Soviet Union along with the Eastern European… Read more »
“America is still the least offensive nation in the world despite our evil actions.” Well, that’s just nonsense. There is no properly executed Christianity that brings about an end to war in this life. That’s not the Bible, that’s Fukuyama.That kind of thinking leads to a bizarre Utopianism where Christians are unable to learn any lessons from history because every past society must have been ungodly (People were unequal and some bad stuff happened) and unable to pursue a better current politics. A Globohomo domino strategy that takes out Russia, China and Iran would be very bad. The unaccountable people… Read more »
want
Barnabas, do we agree that the Great Commission needs to be carried out in order to lessen the evil actions by nations?
And it is not silly to say that America is the least offensive, Bible command disobeying country in the world. If you have been around the world living and working, that is clearly obvious.
Also, you didn’t answer the question. You complain, but don’t have an answer for that which is wrong.
Barnabas, what should be done? Right now. In our lifetimes. Today.
Either the Great Commission has been carried out or if you prefer it’s an ongoing process that will never be completed. Either way, the world resulting from the Great Commission is the world you’re looking at.
Mayberry is a peaceful, godly place and may be nicest place on Earth. America (the AngloZionist empire) has been a meddling bloodthirsty monster for at least a hundred years and now spreads the worst aspects of American culture all
over the world at the barrel of a gun.
Barnabas, you still didn’t answer the question. And no, the world today is not the world after the Great Commission is completed. As the Carpenters sang, we’ve only just begun.
What should be done? Right now. In our lifetimes. Today.
Ummm. What should who do and in relation to what?
I’m going to assume you’re talking about individuals and not governments and in relation to international conflicts. I don’t have some counter utopian plan as an alternative to your Postmillenialism. Individuals have little to no influence on decisions about war making but I’d advocate for a Washingtonian non-interventionism. I want people to stop being suckers. Obviously don’t sign up to go kill or die on behalf of an elite that hates you.
Yes, as individuals and as the churches we worship at. We do have powerful weapons to stop the continued evil in America. Are those who pray to change the hearts of our elected officials and appointed officials suckers? “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth… Read more »
By all means pray but people have been praying right along and yet here we are.
Barnabas, do you believe that prayers are answered and the answers can change men’s hearts?
“I’d advocate for a Washingtonian non-interventionism.” I think Dave does as well. As do I. I think that’s why y’all are going in circles. The difference seems to be Dave’s view that the U.S. still receives more of God’s blessings than other nations because of her Christian past. That part I’m not sure about. OT Israel never got any slack when they rebelled just because they were faithful a few generations earlier. And you wouldn’t see this in Russia, China or anywhere in the Middle East, however sinful they may be in other areas. Russia Mocks Biden Admin for Parading… Read more »
Let’s hear it for Washington. His thought was not pacifism or isolationist at all. Even so, American Christians need to get up and start living like Christians instead of just acting like a Christian on the surface. Covid 19 shook out the church in America and explicitly showed which churches honored God, worshiped God properly and lived out the Christian life regardless of the threat of government action. I lived and worked around the world and America is still blessed. Other nations are also blessed, but not as much. Once when my wife and I were visiting Korea, we had… Read more »
“So, turn off your brain and get mad? “ You open your moral condemnation with a lie. No request to turn off your brain, nor anything vaguely resembling that, has been made. Your broad conjecture based condemnations of the honesty of political leaders, most of whom are opposed by the people you’re criticizing, is somewhat compromised when the first foot forward you highlight in yourself is your own willingness to be dishonest to paint opponents in a negative light. “Israeli regular bombing of Syria, open assassination of Iranian citizens, Western piracy of Iranian ships not to mention Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians.… Read more »
It is safe to say that both sides are wicked, and I don’t want to support either one of them. However, that the Jews are being treated horrendously does not excuse what they did to provoke it, nor did the acts of the Nazis excuse what the Jews had already done in the Weimar republic (they wrote many books which promoted vice, Stephan Zweig wrote a dubious biography of Marie Antoinette which advocated adultery based on an alleged affair of the protagonist). A couple articles from National Geographic in December 2007 and June 2009 reveal the plight of Christians in… Read more »
James, in recent history, especially since WW II, the Jewish settlers purchased the land from the individuals living there. The Six Day War, initiated by Egypt, Syria and Jordan resulted in large gains without cash payment, but rather payment by blood from all sides.
I don’t agree with your settled versus unsettled option on Israel. There is lots more to the story.
Wilson makes an explicit argument against objectivity. I’ll assume that the fact that you deny that instead of defending it means you find it indefensible.
Im confident in my opinions so I don’t need to deal in double talk. I’ve plainly stated my reasons for pointing all the “war crimes” by nations other than Russia and Palestine. I’m not challenging Wilson to condemn each and every one of them. I’m challenging his assertion that Russia and Palestine are in a unique moral category.
Finally, I’m not wallowing in the citations with you, Poindexter. I think you really just enjoy typing.
Wilson makes an explicit argument against objectivity. What? Where? I can’t find it. I (and probably Justin) would be willing to engage if you could explain what you’re referring to. Vague gestures don’t help, because your description does not match anything I recognize. By “wallowing in the citations”, I take it you refer to the practice more commonly known as supporting assertions with facts. Since you offer no support for your assertions, they can be dismissed without further consideration, and since they would be damaging to the character of at least one person (and an elder at that), they must… Read more »
This is great.
I’m putting you both down as advocating for a nuanced and historically objective understanding of conflicts between nations including Palestine and Russia.
Thanks for your support.
There’s no hard evidence for beheading babies yet. People need to remember we’re being played with instant, 24/7 programming like never before with all the algos running media/social media, targeted articles, etc. This is a good take: 🈲 Kai Chang:Shadow Broker of Grey-Market Ideas ☢️ on X: “If you find yourself in a frenzy of rage at the atrocities of a distant people/nation which you had no strong opinion about two weeks ago, it’s nearly certain you’re being played by sophisticated propagandists who count on you (and other similarly-susceptible marks) to blindly…” / X (twitter.com) As for Russia-Ukraine, I agree… Read more »
Regarding the piracy question, no the person would not be within his rights to invoice for advertising with an illegal copy. Fanbase growth or not, it was an illegal copy. Granted, some artists do seem to appreciate that fans who never had a chance to hear them with money could discover them even through problematic means. Restitution for downloaded music and movies may be a good move, but how do you do it. If you were pirating in the early 2000s before iTunes, do you pay for the album even if you only downloaded one song. Or, is it sufficient… Read more »
Teach your daughters to check their oil and to pay attention to the monitors in the car. Learn what they are for and what needs to happen when they light up. Other suggestions?
-Teach modesty by starting from the premise that they are beautiful and will be a commodity and they need to behave with class and dignity and to protect themselves… not starting from the premise that they are fat/ugly and should be modest out of shame, or that there is something wrong with being a young woman and they should try to hide their feminnity out of shame. Many young women get this message. -Many life skills are ones moms will teach: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. I just suggest moms teach these without a lot of perfectionism, criticism, and frustration, or… Read more »
Also, handling money.
If you want to beat shyness, in addition to what Doug suggested, join Toastmasters for six months. Most towns have a club. It is coed. It is designed to improve your public speaking skills. It did me a world of good.
“One of the policies at this company requires the termination of a witness of an unsafe practice if it goes unreported.” Mining is an exceedingly hazardous occupation. If someone is using improper practices and no one corrects him, or reports him for correction, his failure can kill all of his co-workers. Including you. Mine disasters are not things that just happen in third world countries or in the distant past. They have happened within living memory in the United States. Safetyism can be a plague on industry, and there are a bunch of safety practices that can be counterproductive, but… Read more »
“Gain the discernment…”? Thanks for your 2 cents. What’s a blog post without a political answer stating the obvious with a dash of pomposity? Thankful for Doug’s reply and also thankful that first responders have not been limited to carry out their duties due to the cult of Safey.
My proposed alterations to the pledge which retains the cadence:
I give high honor to the flag and to the republic for which it stands, our nation, under Christ, strongly united, with liberty and justice for all.
“I disagree with Doug Wilson when he says X”
“That’s preposterous. I’m a long time reader and fan of Doug Wilson and I can assure you he writes a lot but never SAYS anything!”
Barnabas, you too write lots and don’t interact on questions either.
What should be done? Right now. In our lifetimes. Today.