Contents
What Would a Christian America Look Like?
I write this in good faith seeking knowledge after recently coming across a sermon by Pastor Brooks of Pilgrim Hill. I decided to listen to it while working one day and was surprised at how much it resonated with me. Before that, all I had heard about the CREC was about controversies and in relation to extreme versions of Christian nationalism. I’ve enjoyed watching live streamed services, but there are no CREC churches near me where I could sit down and talk to somebody about these issues. I have tried researching it myself, and it has been hard to parse what is speculation/ people conflating CREC with other groups, and what the church actually believes.
I am aware you wrote a book about this, but a lot has changed in the past year, so I feel led to ask you directly:
What would CREC’s vision for a Christian America look like on a practical level? Not in a perfect world, but within the legal framework we are living with in 2026. What would a Christian America look like?
What would change for families? How would they be supported?
How would education and the media be transformed?
What would a just, moral public order actually look like? How would that administration handle issues such as the Epstein files?
I am tired of hearing it would be like the Handmaid’s Tale and other hyperbolic allusions. I want the truth about your federal vision for American society direct from the source, not interpreted by any third party.
Thank you in advance for reading my inquiry and considering it. I appreciate any additional resources you wish to direct me to.
PS- Pete Hegseth deserves way more credit than what he getsA Curious Methodist
ACM, the following is not a plan, but rather a vision. Abortion would be gone, Obergefell would be overturned, the government schools would be privatized, tax rates would be slashed. Your community would be what you and your neighbors made it to be, without any input from Brussels.
An Idaho Election
I hope you’re doing well. We here in Idaho just heard that Mark Fitzpatrick, of Old State Saloon in Eagle, ID, is running for state governor! We go to the saloon often enough, and I was wondering what are your thoughts?ON
ON, I just now heard this from you. I don’t know the gentleman . . . you tell me. Is he running in the Republican primary?
The Basics
I have a brother who is either at the beginning of his life in Christ, or has fallen and is just now turning back to Christ. He is kind and humble man but he got himself entangled in a porn addiction. On top of this he has always struggled with anxiety; to the point where he has lived with my parents for years and only does landscaping jobs in the neighborhood. He has repented and confessed of this porn use to me, but now he is at the point where he feels so guilty and condemned that he sits in a chair and shakes for most of the day. He says over and over that he believes he’s going to hell. I’ve explained the righteousness of Christ, the great exchange, and the gospel to him, but still he sits in terror. I would be very grateful for any insight, Doug. Thank you!BR
BR, it sounds to me like he is not so much addicted to porn as he is addicted to himself. As you encourage him to repent, don’t focus on past sins like porn. Focus on the sin he is committing right that minute. Repentance means getting out of that chair.
Piper’s Tweet
I am writing to ask you about your thoughts on this tweet by John Piper endorsing and seemingly attempting to rehabilitate Russell Moore:
Usually, he uses his account to tweet a couple of Bible verses a day, but it was bizarre that he suddenly chose this hoax tweet by Moore as the subject of a political tweet in a sharp break from his usual routine. He didn’t even mention the invasion of one of his family churches by leftist protesters yet, but he jumped to endorse this post by Moore slandering Trump right after it was made. It indicates at best that Piper is terribly naive on the cultural issues of the day, not even to speak of Moore’s issues, and at worse that he is on the left.
From the previous election cycles, it was clear that Piper had a deep dislike of Trump, but it was just shocking to me how someone who I believe is so biblically grounded and Bible-saturated, and who has formed his entire worldview around the Bible, can be so deceived to the point of supporting Moore’s hoax which was already proven to be a mistake by Trump’s team.
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this.Philbert
Philbert, always beware of instantaneous outrages. Proverbs 18:17 needs to be kept in mind at all times. The manufacture of such outrage is a political tool, run by unscrupulous men, and people who fall for it are themselves political tools. I am afraid that John’s “principled” avoidance of political issues has made him incredibly naive, and so he gets easily played.
Truth That Resonates
I’ve read, enjoyed, and shared your book Reforming Marriage many times. It has been of immense help in understanding my role as husband and father. Recently while reading Ernest Gann’s classic book Fate Is The Hunter (memoir of his time as a pilot from the early 30’s to the 50’s) there was a section on the role of the Captain that struck a familiar chord that I hope you will appreciate the connection to the role of husband and father that you describe. Enjoy:
“To suggest, even by inference, that captains should be given sole credit for moving a multi-engined airplane from one place to another would be the ultimate in strutting dishonesty. Each man in the crew has his manifold duties, and unless he performs them well, the captain is sorely tried.
A captain of any aircraft was, and is, exactly what the ancient and honorable term has always defined. Regardless of the circumstances, regardless of whatever human temptations may invite this man to shift or even share blame and responsibility, he must refuse them. Otherwise he is a man moving in hypocrisy, thieving the respect with which he so freely adorns himself and betraying the very basis of the faith which is always offered to him.
It is a rare captain who is not heavily conscious of his duty; even the most lighthearted recognize that theirs is a special appointment and jealously guard the tradition that whatever misfortune occurs on any flight is fundamentally their fault.”
Respectfully,Allen
Allen, amen. I would prefer to say “their responsibility” instead of “their fault,” but amen.
Illegals are Illegal
Cat mislabels illegal aliens who have committed no further criminal actions in the United States beyond entry or reentry as having only “civil immigration charges”. While the charges for entry are not felonies, but misdemeanors, they are still criminal in nature under 1911.8 U.S.C. § 1325. However, reentry actually IS a felony under the same code. I hope that clears things up.David
David, thanks.
Just Avoid Confusion
I would love to hear your thoughts about Trump’s recent prayer breakfast speech. Does it compromise Christian leaders to applaud and encourage him in this context? Do you have any concern that Trump’s flavor of pseudo Christianity will have a negative impact on the Church?
Maybe you have already addressed this concern and I’ve missed it, but given the evangelical consternation all over social media right now, it might be helpful to revisit the topic.
Thanks,Katey
Katey, Jesus worshiped in the Temple that Herod the Great built. Herod attempted to murder Jesus when He was a baby. A defiled man built the Temple, and Jesus was consumed with zeal for that Temple. Cyrus enabled the Jews to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the Temple. Thanks should be rendered to God for all such mercies, but this must be done without kidding ourselves about the spiritual status of the political leader concerned. The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord (Prov. 21:1).
My Musical Stuff
Re: My Musical Career
Which AI are you using for your demo songs? And how does prompting it work— with a recording or notation or…?Kyriosity
Kyriosity, the AI program for that song was by Sonos. And the prompts would include written lyrics and recorded audio.
Whoa whoa whoa! What about Fade to Black by Cade Foehner ft. YOU?? (Insert Joe Biden “C’mon man” meme here!) The “No, I’m not going to calm down. The way out is glorious!”, part gets the people going!Jimmy
Jimmy, thanks. I honestly forgot that one. I enjoyed working with Cade very much. He and Gabby did a great job on the Turning Point Halftime show also.
Hard to Keep Up
Looking to intercede for the heathens undermining new Christendom in Maine. I’d love to hear your perspective, thank you.Rob
Rob, my perspective is that fraud is bad. I am against it. But there is so much of it that it is hard to keep up.
When a Pastor Leaves a Church
Exciting news for your DC plant! I appreciate your consideration for Pilgrim Hill as they will be losing their lead pastor. My church is in the final stages of getting a new pastor and have been considering the ideal for pastoral transitions. Our last lead pastor left to a leadership position in a Christian organization. We did not have an adequate pastor in-house so we have been searching for about a year now. Our current best candidate will be leaving a church that he is lead pastor of for our church that is significantly larger. I am inclined to believe that this is not ideal unless he believes he is leaving behind a well-equipped associate pastor that he believes would be able to lead that church well. I don’t like the idea of just handing our problem to another church or the idea that a shepherd would forsake the flock God gave him charge of for another.
Do you think there is a requirement for a pastor to have a candidate in mind as his replacement to be called to leave his flock for another?
PS – I really enjoyed listening to your various musical ventures!Stephen
Stephen, yes. When calling a pastor who has an existing charge, it is important to keep the Golden Rule in mind at all times. Do as you would be done by. The people who are losing a good pastor may be disappointed, but they should not feel wronged. Everything should be above board, with everyone seeking the will of God. But if it is the will of God for a pastor to go, it cannot also be the will of God for him to stay. And the book of Acts contains numerous farewells.
Appropriate Penalties
I am listening to the Plodcast, episode 413, “AI Gone Wild.”
You mentioned that those abusing the federal system in Minnesota (and likely California, New York, and probably every state near the coastlines) should be penalized, but that jail is not your recommended option (though it is the one we use now).
Can you elaborate on that subject, or point me to your past writings on it? What would be the more proper system?Jaryd
Jaryd, our current system of imprisonment is not biblical. For financial fraud, the penalty should be restitution. If restitution is not possible, then the criminal should be enslaved, but in a place where he is required to work. The pay he receives for that work should be divided into three parts. One pays for his own upkeep, one portion goes to support his family, and the final portion is restitution to the victim. When the restitution is completed, he goes free.
The Cost of Private Education
I have a question relating to one of your books. A few years ago, I read your book The Case for Classical Christian Education before our kids started at an ACCS school (before that we had homeschooled). Something that stuck out to me was when you said (something along the lines of) if you were taking over a school the first thing you would do is raise tuition.
I am wondering what your thoughts are regarding educational expenses? The thought of our tuition going up makes my skin crawl as it is already one of the most expensive private schools in our area (and, of course, one of the only ones that doesn’t take vouchers). Though there are a number of solid families at the school, because of the cost and great academics, the school tends to attract a lot of lukewarm Christians who have two corporate job incomes and only a couple kids. These families might be able to afford tuition without help but aren’t exactly a boon to the school culture we’d like to see.
The more mature Christian families we know tend to be large and single income (or maybe a small second income), making private education unreachable, even if you scrimp. We’ve had friends check out the school and love it but not enroll because of cost or go for a few years then need to leave for financial reasons. For what it is worth, our school does have financial aid (which we are thankful for) but knocking a few thousand off of a $14K+ bill (times however many kids) still makes it quite pricey if your income is average and your family larger than average.
I’ve thought about this a lot and apart from government intervention (which of course is not allowed in ACCS) the only two ways school can be affordable for the types of families I’m referencing is for grandparents to help (most Christian families I know do not have these sorts of grandparents, unfortunately) or for schools to be denominationally supported (not a bad idea but has some drawbacks—our kids’ school is intentionally independent from denominations). I do know a handful of more affordable schools that are run out of churches (which keeps overhead low) but of course that means the school has to stay small, which also has some downsides.
I guess I am curious to know what you mean about raising tuition? Do you think there should be ways to make things more affordable for the type of families I have described and if so, what ways would those be? I am in agreement with your sentiment that on the whole, private schooling has advantages over homeschooling but maybe, realistically, private school is only for more well off families?Sarah
Sarah, the problem you outline is a very real one. The education that the student receives is a “product” that has a true cost of delivery. That cost is usually borne by three sources. The first would be tuition, the second would be donors to the school, and the third would found in the level of teachers’ salaries. Running a school properly requires a delicate balance. And I would recommend that gifts to the school from donors be used for capital improvements, not the ordinary budget. The one additional thing I would suggest is this. Our church has a Deacons’ Fund, and a subset of that is the Christian Education Fund. When we baptize an infant, the congregation takes a vow to assist the parents in the Christian nurture of the child. We don’t want any covenant child to miss a Christian education because of money. That’s the goal.
AI, Jobs and Work
I would love to hear your thoughts on the interview Dr Roman Yomplaskiy gave on AI and how it pertains both to eschatology and the practical crisis of job loss from AI and the existential crisis of possibly living in a world where the only necessity of getting up in the morning is to worship Christ and not simply to provide for self and others. Lack of scarcity with cheap good made by AI is what i am referring to. That is supposing there is a means to pay with jobs being replaced by robots. Link is below. It is interesting to listen to the end of interview where two nonbelievers contemplate there may be legitimacy to religion, although one believes it is simulation theory. Would love for you to digest this topic and convey hope on topic. I know I and others need it.
Take care and God bless you and yours.Marc
Marc, sorry I haven’t had time to listen to this. While I believe that AI is presenting enormous challenges, and grant that it will replace many jobs, I do not believe that it will replace work. There will always be good work to do (Eph. 2:10).
Lust and Marriage
A few months ago you had responded to a short question wherein you were asked, ‘what advice would you give to someone addicted to porn,’ to which you responded something like this: a boy at 12 who watches porn ought not to be married and needs time with dad. A man at 23 ought to be married, and that man needs a certain kind of woman who needs a certain kind of man.
Similarly on that note, in a post entitled “A Sexual Marketplace,” you wrote, “We still understand the ‘blue book valuation’ for things like cars, and we get the fact that dented fenders lower the value, but we are nevertheless hostile to the idea of accountability for past sexual behavior when it comes to our right to future sexual happiness.”
With all that, what advice would you give a Christian man, now in his mid-twenties, who has been wanting to be married for some time, and still struggles with a habit of sexual sin from his teens? Should such a man presume to seek a wife while he is still fighting—genuinely fighting—his sin? To paint the picture clearer, I do not watch porn, but I do still struggle with the pervasive sins of lust and masturbation. A recently married friend of mine sent me a homily on 1 Corinthians 7 by John Chrysostom, with which he encouraged me that marriage is a help against fornication; however, there is the other sentiment that I’ve heard from some other friends that they would not want to marry until they had their sexual sin under control (what they mean by ‘under control,’ I don’t know). Is there a general line you’d draw in judging a man my age to be ready as opposed to being definitely not ready to marry or to pursue marriage, other than what you’ve already said about men who have an particularly bad view of women?
I understand this is a very long question, but thank you for your time if you do come across this.SJ
SJ, you don’t want to be in the position of a man who can get a loan from the bank if he can only prove to them that he doesn’t need a loan from the bank. If a man is genuinely fighting his lusts, he needs to find a wife who will help him fight. There are Christian women out there for whom such a man would be a Godsend. Find her and ask.
Thanks for Sharing
I previously wrote you and shared a song that I wrote that was inspired by the work of Megan Basham, Eric Metaxas, and several within Canon Press. It was called HIGH HORSE. My friend and I met you when you preached at GMU for the DC church plant back in the fall. I wanted to let you know that I have released a new song calling out progressive pastors for aligning with Molech and for their moral cowardice on the issue of abortion.
It’s called “MAKING A DATE WITH MOLECH“
I am passionate about creating art that speaks truth unapologetically and am hoping to connect with like-minded artists to advance the cause of the Kingdom of God. If you are aware of any other artists, I would appreciate a connection.Geoff
Geoff, thanks for your work.
And Amen to That
For years I’ve been of the opinion that the binding and loosing Jesus mentions in Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 are critical. If the church binds sin and looses righteousness by preaching, teaching, and practice, then this leavens society, God blesses and there is prosperity. If the church binds righteousness and looses sin then this goes out into society and is magnified and soon returns to the church for another round. The process and its results are judgments of God.
This is the leavening law of doctrine.James
James, thank you.
Let’s Not Rule It Out
Have you noticed that when women reject the hair coloring God assigned to womankind, they adopt the colors He assigned to poisonous frogs and venomous snakes? Maybe that’s not a coincidence. Kinda’ like raccoons with their built-in masks that tell us that they’re bandits. Maybe.Daniel
Daniel, thanks. Something else to think about.
Black Sun and Gospel
A couple of thoughts and a book recommendation. Will Spencer recently has gone over “Black Sun” by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. Seems HIGHLY relevant to our current snafus with Webbon/Ogden and “race”, culture, Jew-hate, etc.
Also, if our world really is crumbling into chaos, disorder, sin, and bitterness, wouldn’t the answer be to repent of our sins first and then evangelize even harder? If things are as bad as they seem, having online debates over whether or not interracial marriage is normative seems like a serious missing of the plot. Also, what keeps one at that “moderate” position of interracial marriage not being normative rather than going full bore segregationist? Seems like a small leap given the questions already being asked.Bo
Bo, yes. Confess our sins, and preach the gospel.
A Good Little Primer
My church has in the bookstore Mark Dever’s “God & Politics”. I bought and read it to see where it was coming from, and now I’m looking for a different book to recommend instead. Can you think of a similarly short book (it weighs in at 55 pages) that engages with the issue in a thoughtful way?
I already have and have read FSQ—I like it but I don’t think I could convince my church to carry it. I’m willing to try but I wonder if there is another book to recommend as well.Joshua
Joshua, that’s a great question, but I need to crowd source it. Any suggestions, people?
Infighting and Guilt Reservoirs
The Narnia analogy to our present circumstance works, and in fact something like it occurred to me, and some other people, around ten years ago.
The thing is, Caspian could in fact NOT fight alongside Nikabrik, because Nikabrik was all along the kind of dwarf who would bring the monsters into it. Caspian just didn’t know that until happened. It’s not only who Nikabrik would bring, but who he was himself that was a problem. The reason Nikabrik could unhesitatingly fight alongside a hag and a werewolf was that in his bitterness he had become so near like them in character. Remember too, Nikabrik did not believe in Aslan. Let the reader understand indeed.John
John, agreed. Had Nikabrik revealed his true colors earlier, then the choice would need to be made earlier.
IMO you hit the nail on the head with your Monday post. When we look at all our country’s problems, it goes back to our rejection of God and replacing him with ungodly sexual desire. The conservative movement may be slightly less debauched than the left, but it is still clearly awash in sexual sin.
Which leaves me to wonder: why don’t you write about this more? This post was a bit of a departure from the norm of this blog. Hordes of young Christian men need to be challenged to stop watching porn. But also stop listening to sexualized music, stop watching sexualized movies and TV. To be fair, KDY was way ahead of this when he wrote his post lambasting Christians for watching Game of Thrones way back in 2018.
So my encouragement to pound this point hard.Luke
Luke, thanks for the agreement. But honestly, I believe I take a swing at this kind of thing every chance I get.
Re: Infighting and Those Reservoirs of Guilt
I completely agree with your premise of this article, and that the chaos on the right is part of the judgement of God. From that perspective, what do you make of the fact that the Trump administration seems completely unable to get any prosecutions together? Is that also a judgement of some kind from God, or is that one of the things our nation needs to do to pursue the righteousness again?Ian
Ian, yes. The fact that there have been so few prosecutions—in the face of so much wrongdoing—is also evidence of the hand of God on us.
Yes
Would you agree that Romans 1 teaches that homosexuality is a consequent sin and not the root sin?Zeph
Zeph, yes, I would. Homosexual temptation and sin is the end of the road. The beginning of that journey is a refusal to honor God as God, and a refusal to give Him thanks. As a result of that, God gives them over.
Pastoral Qualifications
I’m not a fan of Joel Webbon. But I just ran across the information about him committing fornication while in his early church planting days.
Maybe I’m too strict. But I would be greatly hesitant to allow anyone who has held any formal church teaching role and committed fornication or adultery to ever pastor a church again. Anyone who has sinned in this way when they were a professing Christian shouldn’t even trust themselves to pastor others. It’s not about forgiveness. It’s about the high standard required for the office of pastor.Nate
Nate, I grant your point and agree. At the very least, the thing should have been thoroughly vetted and discussed. And the whole issue is heightened if the character issues that led to that previous behavior are now manifesting themselves in other destructive ways.
Memorizing Psalms
I wasn’t sure which would be the best way to contact someone in Moscow with this question, so I apologize if this is not the best route. Please feel free to direct me to another email address if necessary. I am looking for suggestions on methods for memorizing psalms to sing. I drive a lot and would love to have something I could listen to repeatedly to help me memorize them. The ones I have found so far are difficult without being able to visually follow along with the written words. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you so very much for EVERYTHING all of you do out there in Moscow. The impact your ministry has had on my spiritual life is immeasurable!Adelia
Adelia, there a two apps available that can help with this. One is called Sing Your Part and the other one is Moscow Armory. Both are available in the app store, and both have the Cantus Christi psalter available. It sounds like you are not asking about metrical psalms, but rather the kind that are called “through composed.” The Cantus contains a number of those, where the lyrics are simply the psalm straight through.
An Older Circumstance
I recently read your book Joy at the End of the Tether. I loved it. I did have a question though. You wrote:
“Evangelical Christians, who ought to know better, have contented themselves for some years now in voting for the lesser of two evils . . . But the Bible prohibits establishing a ruler—whether a ruler or judge—who does not fear God . . . Instead of this, we appoint fools and imbeciles, men who do not fear God, men who love deceit, kickbacks, and bribes, and then we wonder why our traditional values campaign always seems to bog down. “Why, O Lord, dost thou not deliver us from the secularists?” Of course, the answer is that we haven’t stopped voting for them. We are like those who want to be delivered from drowning so long as they get to stay down at the bottom of the pool . . . Only a fool entrusts a man with real power over his fellows when that man does not fear God” (Wilson, Douglas . Joy at the End of the Tether: The Inscrutable Wisdom of Ecclesiastes (pp. 47-48). (Function). Kindle Edition).
This exact perspective is what kept me from voting for Trump but then I was persuaded by your arguments for Trump essentially as the lesser of two evils. (Pink stuff). But he definitely does not fear God and here you say we are fools if we vote for such a man. Can you explain this to me?JC
JC, that statement above is why I did not vote for Trump the first time around. I just flat didn’t believe him. The folly I was referring to was a Lucy and the football folly, where Christians supported Republicans who never kept their word. But then, after Trump was elected the first time, he kept word, primarily on judges. I agree that Trump does not know the Lord, although I think he does fear Him in a sense. I have been willing to vote for him (twice now), but I am hungry for far more, and far better.
Sure. Why Not?
Is it wrong or even a bad idea for a pastor to take public speaking courses? I’d like to become more engaging in the way I deliver my sermons. I’m not a boring speaker, but I know I could improve. It seems improving my public speaking could be part of ‘giving my all.’ But I also don’t want to become self-focused or filled with vanity. Any thoughts?Roger
Roger, nothing at all wrong with that. Do it. A good course will help prevent becoming self-absorbed.
A Curious Methodist, Doug forgot to mention the free ponies, and Jesus coming back while riding a unicorn and singing the Kid Rock songbook. Also, everyone is rich and all their kids are above average. We see Christian Nationalism right now. It is in charge of the USA. This is it, this is what you get in reality, once you take the Vision Board off the wall and try to implement it. Doug loves to say “Christ or Chaos”. His side has produced chaos all over the world. It produced masked secret agents of the state brutalizing people, “nationalizing” elections… Read more »
If Gloria Estefan had been the halftime singer and she had sung a couple of her hits in English, no one would have been upset if she sang a couple of songs in Spanish.
I was in Doug’s circles when Kid Rock was popular — with his hit albums Early Mornin Stoned Pimp and Devil Without A Cause — and he was often mentioned then to illustrate the degradation of culture. You know, because he was a white guy who dressed like a black guy and rapped about doing things associated with black guys. In fact, he even performed at the 2004 Super Bowl, and was sharply criticized by American conservatives for cutting a hole in the American flag — during wartime — and wearing it like a poncho. So I know exactly how… Read more »
Check out Doug’s post from today…we’re losing American because there was a Spanish halftime show. Right. And kid rock is the most wholesome act TPUSA could get? Like you said, when it’s Doug and his, it’s ok…
Overt, mask-off, white supremacism.
To Doug, America means white European, complete with the landed gentry and the racialized underclass who serves them. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.
At this point it’s his entire personality.
Can Buster the Boomer spend more than 0.02 seconds without crying “muh white supwemacy” and spiking his (her?) estrogen and cortisol levels?
Meanwhile, 99.9% of the actual racism in our republic is antwhite, like this:
Marina Medvin https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/svg/1f1fa-1f1f8.svg on X: “When a judge determines a sentence based on a man’s race — despite all evidence, including the man’s own words, showing that the crime is not a matter of race — then the judge is a racist and needs to be removed from the bench. https://t.co/ADf5NHlmg7” / X
By dedicating 2 hours daily to this online job, I brought in $16,453 last month. It’s incredibly simple to start and doesn’t require any specific skills, making it perfect for anyone. For a student like me, this has been the ultimate solution to balancing my studies and finances…
.
For More…………… https://rb.gy/6wvwai
“I was in Doug’s circles” Why don’t you just man up and out yourself if you’re going to keep claiming to know DW and have such a severe case of monomania? Or speak with him in private? If you claim to be a Christian, how is hijacking someone’s blog and spamming the same stale comments ad nauseam an application of Matt. 18? Most of us anons don’t know DW and have never been within 500 miles of Moscow. If I had an issue with someone personally, the last thing I’d do is hide behind a lame screen name and engage… Read more »
Cherrera, very well said. I couldn’t agree more. Buster’s weekly obsession with all things Doug is both tiring and obnoxious. Doug of course is not perfect, and I have my disagreements with him. But no one on this blog is more self-righteous and slanderous (week in and week out) than Buster. And he seems to wear it with a badge of honor.
I adopt the tone and methods of the proprietor purposefully, and I choose my topics intentionally. The comments section exists for comments, AFAIK I have not violated any site rules, which is why my comments are not deleted. Critique on the merits =/= slander, I link to sources and statements and cite patterns of behavior that Doug has discussed openly, and it is not slander to hold people to their own professed standards. As for “real men don’t go anon”… for all you know I am Doug. After all, here is what Doug wrote about anonymous commenting just 8 months… Read more »
“I adopt the tone and methods of the proprietor purposefully, and I choose my topics intentionally. The comments section exists for comments, AFAIK I have not violated any site rules, which is why my comments are not deleted.” None of this refutes any of the claims made against you. This is why people accuse you of smearing. Because to the casual observer, you have not once, ever, made a post on this website without including dishonest rhetoric alongside your critique. Whether or not it is dishonesty by intention or dishonesty by ineptitude at rational argumentation is a valid moral question,… Read more »
Justin, where have I been dishonest? You say this stuff all the time but never produce receipts.
The “causal observer” agrees with me. Only Doug’s co-belligerents do not. Btw, Doug cannot have co-belligerents without someone like me on the other side. This is an argument he wants to have, people like me are necessary for his existence as a public figure.
If you’re upset to see to see belligerence take it up with the guy wielding the flamethrower, not the guy carrying the firehose.
This is unhinged, but it does reveal that Doug’s ministry is largely about (or largely attracts) white grievance, not anything to do with Jesus Christ.
I’m glad I’ve been able to give you a more informed perspective. Sorry to temporarily puncture the echo chamber.
Note: my predictions are coming true. The predictions of Doug and his defenders… aren’t. He has led you astray.
“ You know, because he was a white guy who dressed like a black guy and rapped about doing things associated with black guys.”
I’m sure that’s a direct quote and not at all a deliberately ambiguated smear.
When I want to quote Doug directly I do so and provide a link or citation. That sentiment was more of a general mentality (and I did not attribute it to Doug specifically), but I did hear it expressed essentially verbatim in racialized terms by pastors and elders in CREC churches (and other churches) during those years. Are you disputing that Kid Rock was not critiqued as morally degraded by evangelicals in the late-90s and early-00s? If not then you are engaged in bad-faith argumentation. Doug is not always the worst about this. I actually liked some of Doug’s below… Read more »
Lol
American Christianity I listened about a year or more ago to Ken Ham of AiG, and in his talk he said that the current rate of evangelical ‘growth’ in the USA was that by the time they finish college 7 out of 8 evangelical youth have abandoned the faith. This is going to leave remnant level in just one generation, so why is there all this talk of taking the nation for Christ? There may be some small straws in the wind that the relentless decline of Christianity in the UK for 150 years may have bottomed out, with reports… Read more »
Assuming Ken Ham is correct about the numbers, one strong possibility is that 7 of 8 “evangelical” youth were never IN the faith to begin with. That speaks more to the illusion of a thriving evangelical youth culture and the futility of church youth programs than it does to any effect college is having. You’re probably right that Ken Ham is not helping either. His schtick still finds an audience, but I suspect it is a dwindling and aging one. What doesn’t help more, what does even more to discredit the evangelical church in the U.S., is hitching its wagon… Read more »
They were “in it” according to Federal Vision!
Obviously I’m looking at this from a distance, but if the church in the USA is starting to follow that of Britain, serious decline is in the offing. We are doing the first 11 chapters of Genesis Wednesday evenings, and fortunately not got bogged down in science and scripture. I no longer believe the earth is young, or minimally the bible does not date how old it is. One reason is further study of this recently where I have not limited my thinking to blindly following ÝEC which I was brought up on, and now see the first two verses… Read more »
I forgot seeker-sensitivity! May have been well intended, but I suffered three churches that introduced this where the gospel was compromised so as not to upset the sensibilities of those dead in trespasses and sins. Plus a whole lot of worldliness and borderline occult stuff (mysticism).
The go-to guy for American religious trends is Ryan Burge, a Political Science PhD and ordained Southern Baptist reverend. His new book is titled The Vanishing Church, and it’s about the collapse of mainline protestant denominations, such that the “remnant” (i.e., non-denom self-appointed guys like Doug and his buddy Marc Driscoll and their fellow travelers Joel Webbon, who operate with zero meaningful accountability) is far more reactionary (culturally and theologically) than their predecessors. This seems obviously true to me, but Burge does a lot of data analysis to paint a very clear picture. He introduces the argument in this Free… Read more »
The main crime that most illegals commit which hurts you is identity theft. Whose Social Security Number are they using to work, open bank accounts, etc.
Again, where are your facts besides a single anecdote?
This is a psa to check your dead relatives’ credit reports.
Thanks for the reply. Did you perhaps mean Suno rather than Sonos?
In response to Sarah’s question about the price of Christian private schools, another option (that our school uses) is that every family is responsible to work in some capacity in the school for a certain number of hours per week, and that’s considered part of the tuition agreement. Our school is 20 years old and began this way, so implementing it mid-stream could be a challenge, of course. But what that looks like is “free” labor from parents in the form of administrative help, coaching, cleaning, landscaping, faculty assistants, event planning and execution, substitute teaching, manning the clinic or library….School… Read more »
Regarding John Piper, while I don’t disagree that he has shown signs of political naivety, my guess is that he sees himself and the majority of his audience as being in the conservative “camp” and that he believes there are plenty of voices in the conservative camp who shine the light on the dangers coming from the left, but that there are insufficient voices in the conservative camp who shine the light on the dangers that lie to the right. Therefore, he doesn’t feel the “need” to speak up when progressives trash the neighborhood streets or the neighborhood church; not… Read more »
On the hair coloring thing: the idea of warning colors is a clever and useful point, and I’m not a fan of hair colors that don’t reflect natural hair coloring. However, I’d remind Daniel that those colors are not reserved to such creatures in God’s creation. He also chose to use them for the most beautiful of flowers and birds, sunsets, rainbows, etc.
“TRUMP told [the Palm Beach police chief] that he was around EPSTEIN once when teenagers were present” according to an FBI interview from 2019, shortly after Epstein’s death. The month before Epstein’s death Trump told the media: “I had no idea.” But the police chief told the FBI: “TRUMP called the [Palm Beach Police Department] to tell him ‘thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this”. Of course when Trump says “everyone is saying” what he actually means is that he he is one saying it. We learned this when he was claiming that “everyone was… Read more »
Lesser of two evils, am I right? Sure, god can use anyone, but to fan-boy over an adjudicated rapist and all-around terrible person (lying, cheating, adultery, rape, etc), especially from the “moral majority”, is a load of hogwash.
The guy is neck-deep with every Saudi royal and Qatari emerati and Russian oligarch there is.
“Yeah but judges”.
Yes, he appointed judges. Who gave him immunity. You know, like the Saudi royals and Qatari emerati and Russian oligarchs enjoy.
Doug’s rationalization is that he wanted a judicial dictatorship, the end of democracy and restoration of unaccountable white male rule. For Doug’s enemies? Summary execution by masked and unaccountable agents of the state who are protected by the president’s personal lawyers.
Pretty deplorable!
“Who gave him immunity.”
The same generalized immunity that literally all government employees have. Actions that are within the range of business that job is designed to handle, have immunity.
I’m no Trump fan. Certainly not lately. But these are the deep lapses in understanding that undercut your entire argument Buster. You make a few good points, and intermix with them several spectacularly illegitimate points, destroying your credibility.
Justin, I agree with this assessment.
“The same generalized immunity that literally all government employees have.” I’m sorry, what? No. If that was true then no new SCOTUS ruling would’ve been necessary. SCOTUS’s ruling on presidential immunity is very recent, overturns significant historical precedent, and has been applied to one man and one man only. Doug has been on a “lock ’em all up” campaign for years, and supports Trump in his “retribution” lawfare. Doug supports the aggressive prosecution of Comey and Brennan and many others. Bondi has brought charges against sitting congresspeople and bureaucrats and members of the previous administration. The GOP Congress is threatening… Read more »
that athlete pic- perfect execution
Hey BR, Just wanted you to know that I am praying for your brother and your family. Pray with your brother often. Is your brother a reader? If he is, grab him a copy of John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding. It is his autobiography, and he really struggled with ‘the accuser’ and assurance, many times over in his walk, yet he was greatly used by God. He experienced terror in his soul and fear of damnation repeatedly. As someone prone to similar attacks, with a personality bent toward the sensitive and anxious, the book gave me a real conviction that listening… Read more »
A little primer….
These are not primers but I don’t know if such a thing exists in regards to God and govt.
Gary Demar’s “God and Govt” and B.F. Morris’s “The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States” are 2 very exhaustive, very good reads. Buckle up and drink some coffee though. It’s going to take awhile to get through them.
On a related note, if anyone is aware of anywhere where Christ Church has disavowed Gary DeMar (a heretic who does not affirm the return of Christ nor the resurrection of the dead), rather than continuing to invite and praise him, as recently as a few months ago, then I’d be interested to see that. (Documented here, and in the Substack post that it links to at the relevant point: https://mereorthodoxy.com/doug-wilson-is-not-a-prophet )
And on a similar note, I’d be interested to hear someone in CREC circles generally explain why they continue to give air-time and book recommendations to people like DeMar. The Scriptures tell us (e.g. Titus 3:10-11) to have nothing to do with such people. Why the obvious double standard?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_to_power
A Good Little Primer: “Christ is King” by Greg Bahnsen. A free audio book is also available. https://www.bahnseninstitute.com/christ-is-king/
Thank you, that looks appropriate :)
Thank you, I’ll look into these recommendations.
So is letting the Epstein class get away with their crimes with nary a peep from the likes of Doug part of the Christian Nationalist agenda or am I missing something?
No, not at all. Hang them all!
Even trump?!?!
Make a case for Christian Nationalism by laying out justice and accountability for these folks that have been above the law under every presidential admin for decades. Otherwise it comes across you are totally A-OK with what is going down, and would rather spend time glazing Kid Rock than name names and hold these powerful men and women accountable.
Hello ACM. First things. A Christian America will once again honor, as it did in its founding, the headship of Christ in worship and not be embarrassed as the world now defines. Christ’s royal banner in warfare has been taken down on the western front, with the silent approval of modern ministers. Ironically, Christian nationalists want to impose on society what they fear acknowledging before His throne in worship.