Author: jetbrane
I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling.
I am postmillennial in my eschatology.
Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity
Reformed in my Soteriology
Presuppositional in my apologetics
Familialist in my family theology
Agrarian in my regional community social order belief
Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief
Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic
Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern
Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview
One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics
Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place
Some of my favorite authors,
Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc.
My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture.
Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him.
View all posts by jetbrane
And it was for this very reason why it’s a rare occasion we allow our children to attend any “youth group” functions. Jonathan (about age 13 at the time) was invited to a friend’s youth group one evening and when Michael and I walked him inside, it was nothing short of a children’s nightclub; dimmed lights, loud music, small round table, a snack bar. When he came home for debriefing, he told us they played some “dumb” games and mingled the whole night. Interesting fodder for the next generation.
Yes… while admitting that no doubt there are exceptions, by and large, youth groups, as they are commonly formatted in our contemporary setting, smell of sulfur and yield only questionable results.
35 years ago in my youth group it was common place for 15-17 year old couples to be necking in the back of the bus. After youth groups on Wednesday nights couples would go out parking and (I’m not making this up) switch necking partners after about an hour. Further, 35 years ago while on a Church choir tour the guys went streaking in the community where they were staying over night. I could go on and on but I will finish with the story of how in Church, the Youth Director taught us that petting was proper as long as you were at a certain stage in your dating relationship. His point was that physical activity could increase along with the dating commitment between the couple.
At the time, of course, this all seemed perfectly normal, but looking back on it now, years later, I can’t believe what went on in the youth group I attended. I will end by noting something that will not come as much of a surprise and that is many of the young ladies in that youth group had to get married.
Bizzare stuff
Bret