The Christian & The Prospect Of Suffering

13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

I Peter 3

Here Peter returns to a point that he had dropped earlier;

I Peter 2:12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The ideas being communicated in each of these passages is that Christians will be challenged by the wicked as to their beliefs … indeed they may even suffer persecution … and in those situations Christians both by their conduct and by their words are responsible to give an apologetic … a defense of the faith. They are to provide a reason for the hope that is in them.

Peter begins here by bringing up

I.) The Possibility of Suffering/Persecution

The Apostle opens in vs. 13 by suggesting that generally speaking those who are followers of good, will be left alone. In vs. 14 though Peter does allow that there will be times when Christians suffer for righteousness sake. Of course we see that throughout the Scriptural record as well as throughout Church history. There are times, especially when the surrounding culture and visible church goes into steep decline, when Christians will suffer for righteousness sake. That is, Christians will suffer because they are doing or speaking the right thing… they are living and speaking consistent with their Christian faith.

II.) Next Peter Enjoins The Proper Response to Suffering/Persecution

Peter says that in light of that unjust persecution and suffering that the response is to first realize that we are blessed. Peter is perhaps recalling here the words of our Lord Christ who also anticipated that Christians would suffer and be persecuted;

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

So, the first response that we are to have should it ever be the case that we are unjustly persecuted and so suffering is to realize that we are blessed. We can rejoice and be glad in the midst of unjust suffering because we know that such suffering is promissory of future great reward and we can rejoice and be glad in the midst of unjust suffering and persecution because we know we are keeping the very best of company being counted as among the prophets. I mean, who doesn’t want to be identified with the great prophets of God who went before us?

Peter then combines the reminder that those are blessed who suffer persecuted for righteousness sake with the admonition to “not be afraid of their threats.” This is the second response we are to have in the face of persecution and suffering. Fear not.

The last few weeks we have been considering the why behind these word “do not be afraid of their threats.” The reason for knowing no fear in light of suffering, persecution, and threats, is that the Lord God omnipotent reigns. God is sovereign and has called His people, “The apple of His eye.” The Holy Spirit has reminded us that all things work together for the good of those God loves and are called according to His purpose. God has explicitly told us that He has engraved our names on the palms of His hands (Is. 49:16). For these reasons we are not to be afraid of their threats. God is our God due to the fact that we have been united to Christ.

The third response Peter writes here to the flock as it pertains to people breathing out threats and persecuting us is to

Sanctify (Set Apart) The Lord Christ in your hearts

This call echoes Isaiah 8:13 where we read;

13 The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.

This call from Peter then to Sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts in the face of persecution and suffering seems to counsel on how to overcome the fear that Peter warns against. Peter writes in essence, “very well, there is this possible persecution and suffering and in light of that there is a natural response to have fear. Well, little flock, the way to deal with the understandable fear of man is to replace it with the fear of God. Sanctify (set apart – hold as holy and distinct) the Lord God in your hearts.”

You see a genuine fear of God – a genuine setting apart God will calm the swells that can overwhelm a understandable fear of men who are breathing out threats against us.

So to “sanctify Christ” as most versions have it or to “sanctify God” was to count His Name as holy (sanctified) above all other names. To “Sanctify Christ” means to own the fear of God, as the only fear which men ought to cherish, resulting in the safeguard against all undue fear of men.

This is not easy. I know I have failed at this in my past. I know if I had sanctified God in my heart and so feared God more than men the harassment and persecution of men would have not knocked me off my center. So, learning the fear of God… learning to set apart God is an arrows that warriors should have in their quiver because warriors are inevitably going to have to deal with persecution and suffering at one level or another.

One more word here. Peter says we are to sanctify God in your hearts.

Moderns tend to want to drive a dichotomy between head and heart. We have all kinds of silly sayings

Follow your heart
Affairs of the heart
In the 1960 Prez campaign Americans heard constantly, “In your heart you know he’s right.”

However the idea that there is this vast dichotomy between head and heart is just nonsense if we are going to understand the language in its Biblical context.

Gordon Clark dealt with this issue two generations ago. After collating all the Scripture that referred to heart Clark noted;

In eighty percent or more of (Bible verses)… the context shows… that the intellect or man’s mind is intended. Maybe ten percent mean volition (will). Another ten percent signify the emotions. Hence the actual usage very nearly identifies the heart with the intellect.

So, it would be a mistake to imagine that Peter is speaking of the “heart” here as though it is referring to the center of our emotions over against the mind with which we think. That kind of dichotomy is a stranger to Biblical thinking. In Biblical terminology the “heart” is the location of our reasoning (Romans 1:21), meditation (Psalms 19:14), understanding (Proverbs 8:5), thinking (Deuteronomy 7:17; 8:5) and believing (Romans 10:10). It is just here—in the center of our thinking and reasoning—that Christ is to be consecrated as Lord, when we are suffering and being persecuted.

So, biblically speaking, “set apart Christ as the Lord in your hearts,” means think as a Christian on this matter. It means to resolve to think properly. We are take ourselves into our hands and talk back to ourselves saying,

“Very well then, matters are getting difficult here. I am surrounded by the Philistines and they are breathing out threats and are persecuting me. I am languishing here. Very well, I must take myself in hand and at this very moment think properly about Christ as being Lord … I must sanctify God as Lord and be done with this fear of man and get on with the battle at hand.”

Then Peter gives some counsel on what more should be done in these situations;

III.) Be Ready to Give an Apologetic

and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” I Peter 3

Now here we should first note that there is only one possible way to always be ready to give this kind of defense and that is by knowing what we believe and why we believe it and what we don’t believe and why we don’t believe it. There is no defending the Gospel hope … there is no defending the reason for the hope that is in us that is absent of knowing our undoubted Catholic Christian faith.

This verse is why I drill your children so much on the catechism. It is why we have worldview classes with the covenant seed. It is why I try while in the pulpit to get into the doctrine the way I do. All of that is explained by this first. I want you and the children and myself to have the ability to give a defense for the hope that lies within us.

It explains why I write the volumes I write on Iron Ink. It explains the existence of Iron Rhetoric. It explains my reading habits. Frankly, I am scared to death that some time will arise when I am not able to give a reason for the hope that is in me. As a minister I likewise daily wonder if I have done enough to help people likewise to be able to give a reason for the hope that lies within them.

This passage teaches us that Christianity is just not a label we wear. Christianity should be seen as a vocation much like being a Doctor or a Lawyer is a vocation. It should be our jobs … our callings to be Christian and like being a Doctor or a Lawyer that requires hard and long study. It requires putting our shoulder to the wheel of learning. Only in such a way can we be ready to give an apologetic … a defense for the reason for the hope that lies within us.

And never was there a time that this was more needed than our time. We are living in a church and cultural insane asylum. The proof of that was brought forth by the renown pollster George Barna in 2021 as he spoke in a Church in Virginia. I can only imagine that matters have deteriorated since then… Barna

Cited recent data indicating that just 6% of American people have a biblical worldview, despite 51% believing they do. The Cultural Research Center, which did the survey, concluded that 94% of Americans do not have a biblical worldview… According to Barna’s research, the worldview problem is in the church as well, with just 21% of evangelicals holding to a biblical worldview. Quick math tells us that 79% of Evangelicals do NOT have a Biblical worldview.

If one does not have a Biblical worldview, whatever one might be giving as the reason for the hope that lies within him it won’t be reasons that are reflective of what is taught in God’s Word.

Consider just one very recent piece of evidence of this lack of a Christian Worldview existing in the Reformed Churches.

Not many weeks ago a ordained minister named Littlepage in a PCA Washington DC church recently announced during a sermon that he was leaving the PCA church because the Lord had led he and his wife to become Roman Catholic. The head of the Home Missions department in the PCA was setting in the service and he along with the Elders and congregation cheered when Littlepage made the announcement. The head of the Home Missions called for the Leaders and Shepherdesses to come forward and lay hands on this departing minister. In the course of all this the now Roman Catholic but still ordained PCA minister was allowed to administer the Lord’s Table.

Talk about not having a Christian Worldview… not only as pertaining to the Minister, but as pertaining to the head of the Mission to North America and as pertaining to the Church Elders and as pertaining to the congregation. It would exhaust me to count all the different ways that this whole show was blasphemous. Do you think any of those people could give a acceptable reason for the hope that lies within them?

So, I return to the thought that we need to start thinking of our Christian faith as a vocation. To those of you here (and I know you’re present) who do constantly seek to sharpen your blade, I salute you. I salute you because you are so rare and as your Pastor allow me to commend you and to urge you to press on. I know what it means to work 80 hours a week, raise a family, and try to continue to pile up the ability to give reason for the hope that lies within me. I know it is not easy… but as you can learn your faith, learn it. While driving around listen to lectures/sermons. While preparing meals in the Kitchen or while in the laundry room pursue the knowing of what you believe and why you believe it and what you don’t believe and why you don’t believe it.

And then when God opens a door, step through it. There is such a need for godly reasoning in private conversations and in the public square.

Be ready to give a defense. There was a time when we might have been able to just let the professionals be the ones giving a defense, but we are living in a time when what is required is “all hands on deck.”

And what of that “hope that lies within us?”

Well clearly that hope is the magnificence of our Lord Jesus Christ who out of love for the Father and for His people took upon Himself a human nature and as the God-Man paid the just penalty for our sin so that God’s name would be cleared of any accusation and so that we could have peace with God. He who knew no sin, became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The hope that lies within us means that the grave holds less terror because we belong to Christ. Then the hope that lies within us means that we no longer walk as the pagans do with their darkened understanding.

Indeed, as we increasingly understand our undoubted Catholic Christian Faith our whole lives become a testimony of the hope that lies within us.

Friends, the visible church and culture desperately needs folks who can give a reason for the hope that lies within them. More important than that even though is that this is what we are called to in order to honor our master and liege-Lord… our great Captain, the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Revival?

In light of the recent Charlie Kirk Llamapalooza there are any number of people chortling that we are either in a revival or are on the cusp of revival. I however, do not agree in the slightest. I mean, I wish that were true – it would be a decades long prayer answered if it was true, but it’s just not true.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have no doubt that there are folks genuinely being confronted with the claims of Jesus Christ and for that I rejoice. However, revival or Reformation or renewal, or whatever one might want to call it is clearly not in the cards.

How do I know this? How can I say this? I can say this by looking at some leading indicators which would communicate and signify that we are in the midst of Reformation.

A few key signs of Reformation really occurring;
 
1.) Existing conservative Churches are emptied out. Since the bureaucracy of the Institutional Church will never allow Reformation one sign of Reformation occurring is the disappearance of the modern putatively conservative Reformed, and Lutheran denominations.
 
2.) Larger numbers of people pull their children out of Government schools. Reformation means that people are done with false religions (see #1 above) and the largest false religion in these united States are the Government schools which serve to indoctrinate and catechize America’s children into a anti-Christ way of thinking. 
 
3.) People quit voting for the uni-party. Reformation would mean that converts quickly learn that the Republicans and Democrats are a uni-party that only intend to give lip service (if even that) to Christianity.

4.) Large numbers of people would quit sending their children to the current Universities and Colleges … especially the Christian colleges. These are places where people go to lose their faith or to have their faith reinterpreted through an alien grid.

5.) Divorce rates would plummet. Families would be strengthened. The Christian faith and worldview would be passed down from generation to generation.

6.) The end of seeing putatively Christian Magistrates going to the Bagel wailing wall in order to be caught on camera “praying.”

7.) The end of the Welfare-Warfare state — the end of the “Invite the world, Invade the world” policy. Soon following the Kirk Llamapalooza Trump announced that he was going to sell the Bagel’s six Billion dollars of war ordnance. Further Trump announced that he thought the Ukraine would win the current war and he has committed sending arms to NATO so that NATO can send arms to the Ukraine. Also, the numbers that the Trump administration are touting in relation to their “success” on repatriating illegals are completely bogus.

I could go on and on but the point here is that the Kirk Llamapalooza event is no indicator that we are experiencing “revival.” What it does prove we are experiencing is the proverb that “there is a sucker born every minute.”

The Kirk Extravaganza…. Random Observations II

“In the present ubiquity of ignorance, one cannot but suspect that many who call themselves Christians do not understand what the word means, and that some who would vigorously repudiate Christianity are more Christian than many who maintain it. p. 14. Towards the end of 1938 we experienced a wave of revivalism which should teach us that folly is not the prerogative of any one political party or any one religious communion, and that hysteria is not the privilege of the uneducated. … The religious fervor has been a fervor for democracy. It may engender nothing better than a disguised and peculiarly sanctimonious nationalism, accelerating our progress towards the paganism which we say we abhor. To justify Christianity because it provides a foundation of morality, instead of showing the necessity of Christian morality from the truth of Christianity, is a very dangerous inversion.” pp. 18-19.

T.S. Eliot
‘The Idea of a Christian Society’

I continue to comment on the Kirk extravaganza by way of random observations. I find this kind of extravaganza to be fascinating, in part because of my life long interests. My degree work in under-grad was politics, history, and religion-philosophy. My degree work in graduate school (Seminary) was theology and cross-cultural ministry. My reading since graduating from both has continued to be largely in these fields while also including sociology and economics. In the Kirk Extravaganza this all comes together as stirred in one pot. The attraction for me to this thing is like a honey bee’s attraction to a flower. I find it fascinating.

Yesterday’s observations earned for me the comment from another conservative clergy Baptist that the reasons for my observations and my unwillingness to jump on the MAGA Kirk extravaganza train is because I am a purist. To that accusation, I can only proclaim that “I am guilty as charged,” right along with the Apostle Paul, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Augustine, Gottschalk of Orbais, Hus, Luther, Calvin, Cromwell, Paisley, Knox, Goodman, Dabney, Machen, etc. There could be worse company to keep. Honestly though, it seems to me the only place left if one is not a purist is to admit that one is a compromiser.

It ought to be clear from yesterday’s post that I am very leery of what is happening. As I said yesterday, I am with St. Paul that we ought to rejoice that whether in pretense or truth Christ is proclaimed. You will see in today’s post that I point out where the Gospel was proclaimed.

Some have (I think rightly) pointed out that the Kirk extravaganza has more than a few parallels with the way the murder of Horst Wessel was used by the National Socialists in the 1930s. The 22 year old Wessel was murdered by the Communists and he became, by the arts of Joseph Goebbels, a martyr for the Nazis around which to rally the German people. That story is limned out a wee bit here;

https://goldengate.substack.com/p/remembering-horst-wessel

I don’t think there can be any doubt whatsoever that Charlie Kirk’s murder is being used in a way that can only be described as propaganda. This is also seen in the way that Kirk’s memory is being fought over. “Kirk was about to become Roman Catholic say the Roman Catholics.” “Kirk was on a trajectory wherein he was going to fully understand the Bagel problem say the Groypers .” “Charlie would want us to….” “Do it for Charlie…” “We are all Charlie Kirk now.” These are all examples of how Kirk is being apotheosized before our very eyes.

Like all symbols Kirk is transcending reasonable analysis that may properly critique real faults with the man and is being lifted up to an untouchable status . Think Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King, or George Washington. Kirk is reaching pantheon status. I don’t do pantheon because the best of men are men at best.

So, the assassination of Kirk has become our Horst Wessel moment. True or not I have no problem with one possible result of our current Horst Wessel moment and that is the destruction of the Marxist left. Even if the memory of the martyred Kirk is being used to manipulate people into supporting the destruction of the Marxist left I am good with that. What I’m not good with is how easily this whole thing could “jump the shark.” I am not convinced that the MAGA movement is particularly Christian and this Horst Wessel moment could be easily used by the Peter Theils, Bill Gates, Larry Ellisons, Mark Zuckerbergs, Jeff Bezos and the rest of the NWO, AI tech villains whose money is behind much of the MAGA movement. Those people scare me almost as much as the Marxist left.

So, I remain cynical. Very cynical regarding this cultural moment. But, I am a cynical chap so that should surprise no one.

Well, on to my random observations;

1.) J. D. Vance went out of his way to proclaim “Christ is King.” A good amount of cheering resulted. You’ll know that MAGA and Republicans are serious about “Christ is King,” when we start seeing sodomites removed from the Government where “Christ is King.”

You’ll know the Republicans are serious about their Christianity when they start seeking to shove the sodomites back in the closet just as they are now trying to shove the Trannies back in the closet.

Below is a list of Sodomites working in the Trump administration appointed by Trump proving that MAGA doesn’t really believe that “Christ Is King.”

Scott Bessent, 62, treasury secretary. The highest-ranking openly sodomite official in US history.

Ric Grenell, 58, presidential envoy for special missions. He was Trump’s director of national intelligence during his first term.

Tammy Bruce, 62, the new State Department Lesbian spokesperson was a Fox News contributor.

Jacob Helberg, 35, sodomite undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment.

Bill White, 57, sodomite ambassador to Belgium.

Art Fisher, 49, sodomite ambassador to Austria.

2.) “Politics at its core is a process of critiquing other people and getting them to change. Christianity … The Gospel message, the message of Jesus begins with repentance. Christianity calls upon you to change…. The only thing that really matters is when we repent of our sins.” 

Tucker Carlson
Kirk Extravaganza

Carlson made the point that this doesn’t mean we are politically passive but he rightly pointed out that change that is top down (politics) has to come in concert with change that is inside out (conversion). That is exactly right.

I thought Carlson’s brief time was the best of the night overall. That still doesn’t mean I don’t think he is CIA or CIA adjacent. I think most of these influencers are operatives for one or several intelligence agencies somewhere.

2.) Tulsi Gabbard talked about “God” a great deal in her speech last night. Gabbard is a practicing Hindu. Pray tell, what God was she talking about last night? She also talked about right and wrong a great deal. Since right and wrong are always descendent from some God or god concept it’s really important to know if Gabbard is talking about right and wrong per her god Vishnu.

3.) Rubio and Hegseth’s presentations were quite good except where Hegseth offered that the gates of hell will not prevail over Charlie Kirk. That was pretty close to idolatry.

My only question for Rubio is… “Where has this Christianity been before last night? Why have you never spoken of it before.” I’m pretty confident that Rubio had a good speechwriter and I find it hard to believe he really knew his material.

Still… whether in pretense or truth Christ was proclaimed.

4.) In his speech Dr. Ben Carson reference W. Cleon Skousen’s book “The Naked Communist” written in the 1950s. Great book dealing with the Marxist intent to destroy the US from the inside out. I would highly recommend reading that book. Though dated the book still resonates. I thought Carson was sincere and the most genuine of all the politicians who spoke.

Unfortunately Dr. Carson also referenced “our Judeo-Christian values.” YUCK.

5.) “I challenge the ministers out there to talk about what the Bible says and not what the Leftists say.”

Dr. Ben Carson
Kirk Extravaganza

This is much needed counsel. Right now the US Clergy is just awful, notable exceptions notwithstanding. Keep in mind clergy that the Bible talks about;

a.) Just weights and measures and so the clergy should be talking about how evil the Federal Reserve is (8th Word)

b.) Not stealing (8th word) and so the clergy should talk about unjust taxation and how Government steals via purposely creating inflation.

c.) How the stranger and the alien is to be regulated and so clergy should talk about the wickedness of illegal immigration (5th word)

d.) About the reality of nations and how we are to disciple the nations as Christians and so clergy should preach on how the Scripture supports Christian Nationalism. (5th Word)

e.) About the importance of family (Ordo Amoris) and so clergy should preach on how the Scripture teaches Kinism and that those clergy who fight against Kinism are anti-family and anti-Christ. (5th Word)

f.) About how Government is God’s instrument and as God’s instrument Government is obligated to rule pursuant to God’s standard articulated by God’s Law-Word. (Magistrate enforces both tables.)

g.) About man as the image of God therefore Clergy should preach on how perverse sexuality is a striking at the image of God in man… an attempt to rip the image of God off of man. (7th Word)

h.) About the sacredness of life (6th commandment) and therefore clergy should talk about the need for capital punishment, protecting the unborn, protecting the aged and infirm, by way of government passed statute.

i.) About the centrality of family (again) and so clergy should preach on how the church and the state should both legislate in order to protect and build up the family unit. (5th Word)

If your minister has never touched these issues at one time or another in the last 5 years or so… flee for your life.

6.) Congress Critter Anna Paulina Luna invokes Martin Luther King, along with JFK and George Washington as being American luminaries whom Charlie Kirk is now standing alongside in the American pantheon.

I’m sorry…. but MLK was a Communist and a whoremonger while JFK was a Leftist and a whoremonger.
7.) The Roman Catholic Jack Posobiec spoke and he was raising Charlie Kirk’s prayer beads for all to see. There is no possibility of success for Christian Nationalism by joining with Papists. I realize many people have a difficult time seeing that Protestants and Roman Catholics cannot co-exist together in one nation but history bears that out. Eventually, this will become more clearly seen. It’s one reason I keep Nick Fuentes at a very long arm’s length away. Candice Owen is a problem for the same reason. Clearly both Fuentes and Owen can say helpful things but when considered as a whole … be very very careful

8.) “Charlie asked me if I were scared of dying and I said there’s a lot worse things than death and one of those things is if we lost the constitutional rights in this country and our children were raised as slaves. And I said to charlie sometimes the best consolation we can hope for is that we get to die with our boots on. Well Charlie died w/ his boots on to make sure we didn’t have to undergo those fates that are worse than death.”

RFK Jr.
Kirk Extravaganza

I thought this was particularly poignant but I would say that we are a good deal now more slaves to the Federal Government than when RFK’s Uncle and Father died with their boots on.

I thought this segment from RFK Jr.’s speech to be particularly good, though I’m not sure that Kirk wasn’t assassinated by the shadow powers as a means to put us in greater slavery.

9.) “Charlie Kirk is in heaven because his Savior sacrificed himself for Charlie Kirk.”

Dr. Frank Turek
Kirk Extravaganza

This is a great truth succinctly and well put. I thought Turek did a grand job though his Arminianism did leak through for those with ears to hear from time to time. I rejoiced over Turek’s time at the podium because he rubbed up against the truth and it is clear that he is a sincere man who loved Kirk very much.

10.) Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.  James 1:27

I am persuaded that Stacey Sheridan’s speech at the Kirk extravaganza was the most revealing of the character of Charlie Kirk. Kirk cared for the widow and the orphan and he did so in the name of Jesus the Christ. More than anything else I’ve ever read, heard, or listened from Charlie Kirk the way he took care of Sheridan and her daughter impressed me the most and brought me to tears.

11.) “Charlie knew that the purpose of life was to know Christ and to make him known so as to populate heaven.”

Dr. Frank Turek

Another great pithy and well put truth from Turek.

12.) Vance invoked the idea that Charlie was a combination of Athens and Jerusalem. Tertullian, the Early Church Father, asked long ago; “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Vance invoked Socrates. No Christian salutes Socrates. J. D. Vance revealed his Roman Catholic slip.

13.) J. D. Vance kept insisting that “we are all children of God.” This idea was communicated by most of the speakers. This is the liberal idea of “the Fatherhood of God over all.”

It’s just not true that we are all children of God. In point of fact only the elect are the children of God. All others are aliens and strangers to God.
Now we don’t know who is elect and who is non-elect but part of the Christian message to the unbeliever is that “all are not the children of God but you can be a child of God if you will own your sin, repent, and trust Jesus Christ.”

This errant slogan that we are all “Children of God,” along with its counterpart that “we are all brothers” is one of the greatest hindrances to preaching Christ in the Church.  It is was cooked up by the Liberals (Modernists) in the early 20th century and it continues to be a by-word among many members of the clergy and of Christians in general.

14.) Generally speaking those considered the lesser lights speaking at the Kirk Extravaganza were far superior to those considered to be the greater lights. People like Sheridan, Turek, Carson, were far better than the luminaries.

15.) Interesting that FBI director Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel did not speak at this extravaganza.

I think I will have one more entry here. I have yet to listen closely to both Trump’s meanderings and to Erica Kirk’s speech. I have listened to both but now closely.

One thing I find interesting in all this is all the hostility pointed in  my direction for critiquing this Kirk extravaganza. It’s almost as if there is a certain (MAGA) portion of the population that finds anyone suspicious if they do anything except cheer mindlessly. This is exactly what the Horst Wessel effect produces.

Instead, we must keep our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, despised the Cross, enduring the shame.

 

 

Eulogy & Gospel; In Memoriam Hilda Mae TeVelde

As we begin the service we note that this service was all planned out by Hilda after Cal died. She decided that all the final arrangements would too difficult for her children given everything else they would be responsible for at her death, so she planned the Memorial service. Upon completion of all the details, she sighed and said to her daughter, Amie …

“It’s going to be such a lovely service, too bad I won’t be there to enjoy it.”

It is my prayer that you will agree with Hilda about the service.


We turn then to the eulogy. Eulogy literally means “Good word.” Christians have always had eulogies at these services because we believe that each life is created as the image of God and as created in the image of God we want to praise that image that was reflected in the deceased. The eulogy is not an attempt to “preach someone into heaven,” rather the purpose of the eulogy is to glorify God for His handiwork in the life of the person being spoken of. The eulogy is to glorify God.

And so we speak of Hilda Mae TeVelde and we thank the Lord Christ for her life. We thank the Lord Christ for how impressed Himself upon her character. Hilda was born and Baptized in a Christian home in the Dutch Reformed tradition with many of the old world traditions part of her upbringing. She was catechized very early and made confession of faith. All of that old world tradition … all of that catechism became part of Hilda’s character.

She excelled in what Christian women of her time and generation excelled at. She lived in a time when the Biblical roles of men and women as found in Scripture were much more embraced… especially as in the conservative Dutch Christian community. As such she embraced the blessing of being a faithful wife and mother as she had embraced before that being a faithful daughter and sister. Eventually with the passing of time Hilda was a faithful Grandmother and Aunt.

Her family was central to her life. A visit to her home demonstrates that. Every occasion when Jane and I would enter into her home I would sit at the table to visit with her and right behind me were photos piled upon photos of primarily her family, but also of many friends and their children. In our conversations I would learn about her recent DeVries or TeVelde family reunion. I think it might have been in these conversations where I learned about the incredible life span the Dutch often have. Hilda would regale us with stories about her nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews… about sisters and sisters-in-laws and brothers and brothers-in-laws and cousins and other assorted family members. My mind could not recall all the names. She loved her family, and this is a characteristic of the godly woman as we find her in the Bible.

She loved and married Cal TeVelde and made a home with Cal and with the children who would soon follow. Perhaps the highest praise of her then could be that of wife and mother, Aunt and Grandmother. She loved y’all deeply. She would commonly ask me to pray for this or that family member during our visits.

Consistent with all this Hilda cooking was legendary. At the various and sundry covered dish dinners at the Church Hilda’s dishes were often the first to be mysteriously emptied. Now, generally speaking the Dutch of her generation knew how to navigate a kitchen and Hilda was a reflection of that.

Hilda loved her gardening year in and year out. During some of our visits she would get as riled as she could about the pesky varmints who were eating her produce. Some men in the Church put up a fence one year but the varmints only found that obstacle humorous. Still, Hilda got a lot of produce out of her garden and would be routinely canning or freezing this or that vegetable. Her fondness of gardening stayed with her to the very end as on her porch this year she had some beans, tomatoes, peppers and squash growing.

As we mentioned earlier though, it was Hilda’s Christian faith that defined who she was. That was seen in her children while little observing their Mom during the evenings sitting alone in the living room reading. Since most of the family life happened in the kitchen or the family room they found that odd but when they became a little older they realized that the book she was reading was her Bible. Hilda routinely stole away from the hubbub of a busy family life to find solace with the Lord.

You see, like all Christians, Hilda’s identity was wrapped up with her Christianity. Like all Christians her Christian faith was not merely an accessory – something one could take off and put on like a piece of clothing but her Christian faith was just who she was.

She grew up in a Christian home being taught the Christian faith. I have found myself wondering over the course of the past few days how many times Hilda might have heard the Heidelberg Catechism or a sermon on the Heidelberg catechism during her life. You see, when she grew up and well into her adult years and aged years she would hear a sermon on that Catechism every Lord’s Day. This was what she was taught and it is what she believed as a Christian.

The Catechism teaches the good news of Jesus Christ. It starts by reminding us that our only comfort in life and death is that we are not our own but belong body and soul and in life and death to our faithful savior Jesus Christ,who with His precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.

Hilda then was taught throughout her whole life that there were three things one had to know in order to live and die in this comfort. This is the Christianity she embraced her whole life and that belief made her to be the person that she was.

Hilda knew, per the teaching of the Catechism, based as it was on Scripture, how great her sin and misery was. Christians embrace the truth that all have sinned and come short of God’s just standard. We know this because that is what the Bible teaches. We understand that without the forgiveness of Jesus Christ whatever goodness we can find in ourselves is as stained and filthy rags. Throughout her life Hilda, sitting under the teaching of her Catechism understood that apart from Christ the only word the Scripture teaches to men is that they are without hope because the just wrath of God abides on them because of their rebellion against God revealing itself in their self-centered living.

Hilda, embraced though that there was a solution to man’s sin problem. She, following that catechism knew and embraced that the only solution to her alienation from God and God’s wrath against her was by trusting Christ. Hilda embraced that Christ who knew no sin, and became sin for us that His people might become the righteousness of God in Christ. Hilda knew that in Christ Jesus there was no condemnation. Yes, sin does accuse but Christ dying in our place as our substitute – the just for the unjust – puts an end to the power of sin to accuse. Hilda, having sat in Christian churches her whole life knew and embraced for herself that her only hope was found in nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness. The catechism teaches that men, in order to escape God’s just judgment against sin must trust in Jesus Christ who alone is the way, the truth, and the life.

Well, we said that Hilda’s catechism taught her that there were three things she must know in order to live and die in the comfort of knowing that we belong to our faithful savior Jesus Christ. We said the first was we must know and embrace the truth of our sin and misery. Second we have said that we must know and embrace the truth that the solution for that sin and misery is the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. The redemption and deliverance for all men pivots on knowing Christ. The third truth we must know in order to have Jesus Christ as our faithful savior is the matter of gratitude.

I remember once in church some years ago I was teaching the children’s sermon and I was trying to get the children to remember these three points of what we must know. The children were having trouble remembering

How Great our Sin and Misery
How Great our Deliverance
How Great our Gratitude.

As they were struggling to remember Hilda piped up and said … “Sin, Salvation, Service,” hoping to make the memory work for the children easier.

And Hilda lived out the service/gratitude part of the Catechism. The catechism teaches that the way we live out our gratitude to God for so great a salvation is to walk in faith, under the unction of the Spirit consistent with God’s Law. The catechism teaches that the Christian who loves Jesus Christ for the great deliverance He has secured by His death and resurrection walks in ever increasing though never perfect obedience to the ten commandments. Walking consistent with God’s law out of the joy of gratitude for being rescued from my sin and misery and not out of the motive fear that God’s going to get me, is the delight of the Christian. It was the delight of Hilda TeVelde.

If you are sitting here and do not know the three things that you must know in order to live and die in the comfort of belonging to Jesus Christ allow me to encourage you to have mercy upon your soul and to own the Jesus Christ whom Hilda is now in the presence of. The lacking of that in your life is too horrible to contemplate.

The Kirk Extravaganza…. Random Observations I

Who would have ever thought that 30+ million Americans would consume 5 hours of a  memorial/political Extravaganza that was all about wrapping up the Republican party in the Christian flag with a Charlie Kirk bow on top?

Here are some of my off the cuff observations;

1.) There is no doubt that there was in that whole imbroglio Christian/Gospel truth spoken and for that we are thankful and rejoice. In Philippians 1 St. Paul could write from prison;

15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16  The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

So where Christianity/Gospel was proclaimed I join St. Paul in rejoicing.

2.) However, I also join St. Paul in understanding that, as it was in his time so it is in our time that people preach Christ from selfish ambition and not sincerely. Look, Politicians at this level are Lizard People. They do nothing that will not advance their agenda. They will say anything, do anything, feign anything to convince the citizenry that they belong to a noble race and only want to do what the citizenry wants them to do. Politicians, as Lizard People have zero compassion, zero genuineness, zero transparency, and zero sympathy. As Lizard People they are not like your average moral American citizen. They just are not.

Last night I saw a whole gaggle of Lizard people saying things that they would never say if it were not politically convenient for them to be saying such things. I would bet the farm that most of them had no idea what they were saying after they were done saying what they said. They had excellent speech writers who put the words in their mouths they needed to say. I mean … please … does anyone really buy the idea of Marco Rubio or Tulsi Gabbard as Christian Evangelist?

3.) I am old enough to remember all the faux religiosity (Christianity) following 9-11. Last night was a case of;

Second verse
Same as the first
A little bit louder 
And a little bit worse

How many times does Lucy have to promise that “this time I am really really really going to hold that football so you can kick it through the goal post, Charlie Brown,” before we realize that Lucy is never going to hold that damn football so Charlie Brown can kick it?

4.) There are many Evangelicals and even Reformed who are insisting, “God is sending us Revival.” Maybe …. but I’d wait on publishing that until we begin to see;

a.) More and more Christians taking their children out of public schools
b.) Less and less aid being given to Israel – an enemy of Christ
c.) Fewer and Fewer Democrats and RINO’s being elected
d.) A significant drop in the violent crime rate
e.) The visible church doing a boatload of repenting and people leaving all kinds of churches because their former churches won’t repent
f.) Abortion being outlawed in all 50 states
g.) People embracing the time honored tradition of Christian Nationalism and the Ordo Amoris (as combined called Kinism).
h.) People raising the issue of returning to a time of blue laws on Sundays
i.) A Nation wide advocacy for the end of the Federal Reserve
j.) A Nation wide advocacy for the end of the Great Society programs
k.) A Nation wide advocacy for the reversal of the civil rights legislation
l.) A return to labeling LGBTQ etc. people as suffering from insanity
m.) An end to both legal and illegal immigration from 3rd world countries
n.) The forced expatriation of all illegal immigrants in these united States
o.) A return to a value backed currency

When these things begin to happen then you can talk to me about how Americans are going through revival/reformation. Until then it is just so much charismania emotionalism.

5.) You want me to believe that RFK Jr. after his life long whoremongering is now a virtuous man? You must be kidding … right?

6.) Honestly, at the end of the day all last night was, was one part Billy Graham crusade, one part Tim Keller-ism, one part Bill Hybel’s Church Growth program, one part Pentecostal “can’t you just feel the Spirit moving” Sunday morning church, and one part Jesus was a populist Republican.

7.) I am all for the left being destroyed. Having said that, I think Edward Bernays (one of the most famous Propagandists of the 20th century) would have been proud of the propaganda feast that was put on last night. For example, you don’t really think the Bagel Stephen Miller is a Christian convert do you?

8.) Just imagine how shattered and destroyed R2K fanboys are this morning. They had to endure 5 hours of Politicians getting out of their lanes and talking about Jesus Christ. Even if those politicians were not being sincere (and I don’t think they were) that event last night finds the R2K crowd suffering major migraines this morning. On the other hand, once last night is finally exposed for being the con it was, R2K is going to be able to point at that extravaganza and say, “I told you so.” Now, as usual R2K will be in error when they eventually say that because of the fact that they do not have the ability to realize that all because a nation’s leader’s wrap up a false Jesus in the American flag doesn’t mean we shouldn’t wrap up the true Jesus in the American flag.

9.) A clerg acquaintance of mine called my observations about last night as evidence of me being “a purist.” It wasn’t intended as a compliment.

Well, I think the only alternative to being a purist is being a impurist, or being a compromiser. So, I’ll go with being a purist along with the likes of the Apostle Paul, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Augustine, Gottschalk of Orbais, Hus, Luther, Calvin, Cromwell, Paisley, Knox, Goodman, Dabney, Machen, etc. There could be worse company to keep.

10.) The Influencer Jon Harris said of last night;

“Jesus doesn’t seem to be letting this country go.”

My response was to say that;

Just amazing because I look at what happened last night and conclude just exactly the opposite.

11.) What was that line from that “Revenge of the Sith” Star Wars movie?

They were deliriously applauding the Sith Emperor’s speech in the meeting of their legislature and Padme says;

 

"So this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause."


12.) In Orwell’s novel, “1984,” the screens, or telescreens, (such as was seen last night at the Stadium and such as what people at home were viewing on) are a constant presence in the lives of Oceania’s citizens, blurring the line between public spectacle and private observation. People are not simply watching the screens; the screens are watching them. Honestly, I view last night as a case of public hypnotism. It was an event intended to provide a vast Republican narrative. If I were a Democrat this morning I’d be very fearful. Of course, I loathe Democrats and couldn’t care less if they’re fearful and if they are eventually totally diminished.

13.) I have to be honest… as I was sitting viewing this extravaganza I was thinking;

OK… Since Charlie Kirk is as esteemed as he is let it be known that not many clergy can make the claim I am about to make.

Both Bret L. McAtee and Charlie Kirk were together on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) “hate” list.

If you want to hear Charlie Kirk’s social order beliefs preached then you’ll have to attend one of the very few Protestant Reformed Churches in the Nation that has as it’s Pastor a man who earned the same disgust as Charlie Kirk did as coming from the SPLC.

TPUSA and Charlotte Christ the King Reformed Church …. fighting the same battle and hated by the same demonic enemies.

If you loved Charlie you should love Bret.

14.) Not to belabor a previously made point but where were all these Christian magistrates 5 minutes ago? Last night was the first time I have ever heard of all this Christian faith being held by all these Christian speakers.

Man, these Dudes got themselves some religion and that almost instantly.

15.) Apparently most people aren’t aware when they are being manipulated.

16.) There are some who would insist that last night was an example of “Cultural Christianity.” Cultural Christianity is defined as that Christianity that impacts the culture from the residue of genuine Christianity but not so much that it is more than an inch deep in sincerity and reality.

I believe in Cultural Christianity. I believe it is far superior to Cultural non-Christianity. However, I see cultural Christianity as the cheap by product that arises when a genuine Christian foundation has been set. If there is no genuine Christian foundation than the resultant “Cultural Christianity” is going to be just as bad or worse than Cultural non-Christianity.

17.) Republicans also embrace the truth of “never let a crisis go to waste.”

18.) No Reformed person who understands their Confessions could ever find themselves getting excited about the kind of Christianity that is being pushed at the Kirk extravaganza. One has to ask which God… which Jesus Christ …which Christianity was being advocated?

Although Bishop Laud would be very excited about this Christianity from last night. Remember Bishop Laud? He was the Christian Bishop who supported persecuting the Puritans.

19.) “We want religion back in America.”

President J. Trump
Kirk Extravaganza

Pray tell ….. which religion or just religion in general?

Trump’s statement reminds me of an old Eisenhower quote from when he was President;

“Our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don’t care what it is.”

20.) The Republican party is now the “Christian” party and the DEMS will have to run against “Christianity” in order to get elected.