Over on Facebook the Rev. Christopher J. Gordon (whom we affectionately and derisively refer to as “Chrissy”) wrote a post repeated below that captures the typical effeminate character of modern R2K anti-Christianity.
Chrissy writes,
The problem for the modern theonomist is that he mislocates the Christian. Our present sojourn is in Babylon, and not Jerusalem. Daniel was not called to Hebrew nationalize Babylon in his temporary sojourn as if Babylon should become the new Jerusalem. Daniel worked within the Babylonian system to remain loyal to Christ, to worship his king, and to patiently wait, during an appointed seventy years, until the exiles were brought home and the kingdom was restored in its fullness.
BLMc responds,
1.) It is because I take this criticism so seriously that I labor assiduously to not mislocate as Christian those who are activists for R2K Christianity.
2.) So, understand what Chrissy is saying here is that all places and locations in all times for the Christian has been Babylon. Never has there been a time or place in all of human history where a locale has been Christian. It’s all been, every where and all the time Babylon. Indeed, the school of “thought” that Chrissy belongs to insists that it literally is not possible to refer to any culture as Christian. It’s all been, is now, and always will be Babylon. Disregard colonial America. Disregard Charlamagne’s Kingdom. Disregard Cromwell’s England. Disregard the Christian states set up under the Crusaders. Disregard all of Byzantium. Disregard Alfred the Great’s Kingdom. All of it … every shred of it was nothing but Babylon.
And as it has always been, is now, and always will be Babylon then obviously any attempt to bring the authority of Christ over the nations to fruition is a vain attempt.
And this is insisted in the face of Revelation 21 where it is explicitly taught,
24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
Chrissy insists upon this in the face of the Great Commission which is the launching pad that accounts for the conversion of the nations that is declared in the book of Revelation. So, our Lord Christ commands us to go and disciple the nations and then in Revelation we learn that commission was successfully accomplished. Yet, Rev. Chrissy insists that all that has been, all that is now, and all that ever will be, will be Babylon. I hear they often call him Rev. Eeyeore.
3.) Chrissy insists that Daniel was not to Hebrew Nationalize Babylon. However,
a.) We are not taught explicitly in Scripture that all Christians of all time will always be Daniels living in Babylon.
b.) We do see how Jonah did Hebrew Nationalize Nineveh.
c.) We do see how the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Canaan were killed by God because they refused to be Hebrew Nationalized.
So, we clearly see Chrissy’s model is all buggered up. Indeed, I would say that Chrissy is an enemy of the cause of Christianity, just as he implies I am an enemy of the cause of Christ since I am working counter to Christ’s true intent.
4.) Note that Chrissy’s model takes what was unique to Daniel’s time and absolutizes that unique period as typical for all time. He does this quite without any exegetical support for that move. Chrissy commits the classic fallacy of taking what is descriptive for Daniel’s time and making it prescriptive for all time. This is something that all R2K-bots do.
5.) Since Daniel was mentioned, we might mention Esther too. The Book of Esther shows that God’s people can, even while in exile settle their scores with people who sought their destruction. Hey, Chrissy, should we insist that the book of Esther is prescriptive? (Hat Tip to Viisaus for this observation.)
Chrissy continues,
So, too, the church waits during her time of exile for Christ to physically return and bring our present, earthly sojourn to an end. Then, the new Jerusalem will descend to us and the kingdom of God will come in all of its fullness and glory. For the present, we look much more like Daniel under Nebuchadnezzar than Israel under her geopolitical kings.
BLMc responds,
1.) Note to Chrissy… The Christian has already been delivered from their exile. We read this reality in Colossians where the Holy Spirit teaches,
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
It is true that there is “not yet” component to the deliverance from exile and I’m glad to believe and teach that. However, Chrissy, and the R2K gang who can’t exegete straight have a theology that is nothing but “not yet.” They accuse us of having a “theology of glory,” and I accuse them of having a theology where Christ remains pinned to the Cross. Their theology is grossly under-realized.
2.) The whole bit about the post-Ascension age looking more like Israel’s time under Nebuchadnezzar than under the godly kings of Israel is pure amillennialism defeatism. It is either a outright denial of Christ’s Kingship or it is a gnosticizing of the Kingship of Christ. It is pessimism at its finest. When people own this theology the only people they fight against is the people who want to fight against evil and wickedness in high places.
I can’t imagine these men standing before Christ in that final day:
Christ: “What did you do in light of my Great Commission?
Chrissy and the army of surrender monkeys:
We fought against the theonomists who wanted your crown rights over every area of life.
Christ: Say what? You did what?
Depart from me. I never knew you.
Since Daniel was mentioned, we might mention Esther too. The Book of Esther is not terribly “spiritual,” but it does show that God’s people can even in exile settle their scores with people who sought their destruction.
You just gave Chrissy a cramp with that observation.