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.

From The Mailbag; Pastor, How Should I Fight In This War For Christendom?

This morning I received a comment from a reader that raised such a good question that I believed it worthy of being placed as its own post. The question came in response to the post “The Storm is Breaking.” For the answer to mailed in question I turned to my friends. God, out of sheer and pure grace has condescended to me by giving me a host of wise and Christian friends who, for the most part, share the Biblical and Christian Worldview. The answers to the question raised by Roger were so excellent I decided to run their answers to his question followed by a short synopsis of my own.

Some of these men I know better than others. Many of them I would go to war with. Many of them have had my back over the years. Many of them I have pastored …. baptized their children …. officiated their weddings. Most of them I would trust with my life. These are good and wise men and I trust you’ll consider with great profit their offerings.

You will find a variety of responses to the question with different shades of emphasis but as the question is not an easy one we should not be surprised to find different shades. However with these different shades one might conclude with Frodo Baggins;

‘Go not to the Elves for counsel for they will answer both no and yes.’

Thank you Roger for asking the question. May the Lord Christ give you wisdom and self-honesty in your arriving at an answer.

Pastor,

“Could you please be a little more specific about those who are striving for personal peace and happiness versus those willing to fight for kinism? I know about the clergy, but I have a very high position in DC, my kids are all married and have wonderful Christian families, and we live in a large home in a nice neighborhood. No one here knows I am a kinist, and because I know the clergy would not approve of my views, my wife and I just watch your church online every Sunday.

I feel convicted that I need to fight, but I also don’t want to lose everything God has blessed me with. I also don’t know what fighting would look like.”

Roger

Joel Franks offered as an answer;

If he is afraid to lose “what God has blessed him with” by standing on biblical beliefs that are contrary to the world and satanic Humanism then I really wouldn’t consider these “blessings” to begin with.

Doing what God has asked often times lands those hot water, granted he could definitely be more nuanced on his approach as the way he is saying seems like he is ready to go dull mask off in an obnoxious manner. Granted they most likely take it that way regardless of his approach.

I hope his kids are on the same page as him on this

Aaron Jagt answered;

It’s hard to give advice without knowing more. A high position in DC could mean a lot of different things. I guess generally if you’re involved in politics pretty much everyone keeps to the politically correct line to some extent, but I don’t think I’d be able to do that myself.

Phillip Jagt (Aaron’s Brother) answered,

Throwing yourself into a fire to destroy yourself isn’t “fighting”. Being wise and use what leverage you have to influence what God has given you to influence. That is fighting. I would take the route of being an authority in something, and promoting your values to those who pay attention and want to listen. Don’t share your thoughts to those who will not listen in good faith. We are not all called to public teaching. Play the long game. Be stable.”

David Biser answered;

Didn’t Daniel face similar situations? He always, always stood firm on his faith. Even in today’s world that is something to be imitated and followed. A certain caution must go along, but one has to be willing to give up everything for Christ, even as we all do from day to day. We all face choices like this, whether it is keeping pronouns out of your corporate email, or just standing against it in the board room, we all have to face it at one time or another.

Jason M answered;

I hope what he is not saying is that what he has is of much more value than us peasants. I hope he is not saying we should do the fighting because we have less to lose.

Jason Von Laban II answered;

It is a simple answer. The only way to strive for personal peace and fight for God is to do His will. Doing His will means following His laws.

Mark Chambers answered,

All, that is ‘ALL’ who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Wisdom has a place in this but not fear. At least not fear of mankind.

Isa 8:13 “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.

You don’t have to kick doors down, God opens doors. You only need to walk through them. But you do have to walk.

John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

And it’s getting darker every day

Dr. Robert M. Shivers wrote,

Well, I have a lot at stake in the world. I am well known and prominent in oil and gas technical work, I do consulting for other companies, I deal with (((financial institutions))) trying to secure funding for capital projects and in addition I have a nice house in an exclusive, respectable neighborhood in town. No one would have trouble finding my home address or office address. In other words, I’m an easily identifiable target.

Yet, I don’t use a pseudonym to post on FB and I’m prone to Luther-esque intemperate language when dealing with idiots and arrogance. One used to be able to find the comment at bottom searching for my name on google

I might have sympathy with a young man struggling to establish his career and support his family while working in a hostile environment, but men who are established need to find the courage to be outspoken and take a stand.

****************************************************************************

“I find it bizarre, on a Kafkaesque level, that people who live in a society where perversion is the norm, where the institution of holy marriage is mocked, where life in the womb is subject to industrial-scale genocide, and where the government enslaves future generations to permanent indebtedness, feel free to level moral critiques against orthodox Bible-believing Christians in the 19th century South, some of whom had slaves. I tell you what Mr. 21st Century American Evangelical, I had rather stand as a Southern slave-holder before the Judgement Seat of Christ than as one of the useless contemporary Christians who watched their country sink into perdition, impotent to do anything about it, and yet point the blue finger of censoriousness towards our grandparent’s grandparents.” – R M Shivers

Matthew Davis answered;

We are not in a position for full frontal assault type warfare. Guerilla tactics are needed. Infiltrators and spies within are needed to chip away at the foundations that have been built by the enemy. Philiip has it right in his comment.

My “wise beyond her years daughter” Laurajane Steinhauser answered;

There is more than one position in warfare. We must never deny Christ and if Roger ever was outed for kinism I believe that would count as standing by his Christian principles.

That said it takes charging Generals with their bayonets out as well as spies who exist undercover to help win wars. Imo this is a heart matter. Are you keeping your cover because you love more the blessings then he who blessed you or are you keeping your cover because you can in your position do more for King Christ being in the role that is more Machiavellian in nature.

Only he can answer that truthfully.

Cody Justice answered;

If he is affluent, he should become a financier for those who are already fighting. There will be no counter revolution apart from a full purse.

If he is not affluent but knows others who are, he should direct them accordingly. Finances are crucial to secure anti-fragility.

(Here Bret inserts commentary)

Roger, there are a number of organizations that you can support in this contest. Before I recommend a few of those I would say that if you are part of a Church that is WOKE/Politically Correct you need to quit supporting that Church with your tithes and offerings because the modern visible Church is either warring against the Church invisible and the Lord Christ or they are Absent Without Leave. Very few Churches right now are engaged in this conflict. There is no sense if funding the enemy.

There are a few organizations I might recommend. First, I would recommend the Pactum Institute as headed by Dr. Adi Schlebusch. This the 21st century version of the Chalcedon Institute. (Full disclosure — I am one of the research fellows with the Pactum Institute.)

Another organization in this war that fights on a slightly different front is the Michigan Firearms Organization. These chaps are fighting for the retention of our 2nd Amendment rights. (Full disclosure — I have close personal contacts who are involved in this organization.)

Another organization is Charlotte Christ the King Reformed Church where I serve as Pastor. Like all Churches we end up having more month than money at the end of every month.

Finally, there is Iron Ink, where we always find God faithful in a host of ways including via the gifts of His people to the needs here.

If you want to find out how to support any of these organizations just let me know.

Conrad Long answered;

I appreciate the commenters remembering our Father Daniel, and willingness to lose everything in Christ’s service and gain eternity as Daniel served in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar and later Belshezzar.

However, I think we would do well to remember Obadiah as well, who secretly served in Ahab’s administration and by his secret work saved the lives of many prophets, including Elijah if I recall correctly.

I think a critical aspect which is often neglected is that God wants us to be tactical. You must be ready to be self-sacrificing in a banzai charge if that is what is called for, but you must also be ready to be self-sacrificing by continuing to hold your position and do other important work, recon, admin, logistics, etc. Even if people call you a POG and say you’re not in the fight.

This sort of thing requires a great deal of wisdom and specific context. What is the outlook for each of your potential courses of action? Do a Christ-centered cost-benefit analysis.

Dan Brannan answered;

The old question, “What’s a man to do?” is answered, “Everything he can, as opportunity allows.”

If he holds high position in DC, he has opportunity to influence policy-makers and policy. He is also uniquely positioned to be a whistleblower or embedded journo, arguing our position concerning inside baseball on the Hill.

But he has to accept that fighting is not optional, and everything can be taken from him.

Lester Holden answered;

As you know Bret, I’m a middle manager in the FED regime.

I mean, there is some care to be taken. The best boss I had, she hired me, was a Muslim woman. A wonderful lady. But I would NEVER be connected with these people on social media. The only colleagues connected to me here are people that I’ve known for more than 25 years, people who already have a sense of who I am. And I do keep my interactions very professional in the work place. Covid was interesting because it did help me to spot those who could be trusted and those who could not. Often people who were not hostile still got the shot, but it became easier to sort out reasonable and unreasonable people.

Interestingly, I also had conversations with an atheist who had listened to Bahnsen debates. I’ve had other difficulties and challenges in the workplace, but it was never because of my religious or political views.

I really don’t mind talking with a guy like this in all honesty. But you can see here that I contacted you directly. I did not “out” myself as a Fed. I NEVER post about my work. Most “friends” in chat groups won’t know what I do. Again, a hard separation between the two. I am also, frankly, in personal interactions and competent in my work, helpful to colleagues, etc. No one cares then when I say, “I’m sorry, but I am not taking your shot”. And I had supervisors who would go to bat because they respect what I do for them.

___

Bret closes;

These are my friends Roger. Many of them bear the scars from this fight. Many of them have been put on National Lists by Bagel organizations, many have been harassed by the FEDS, many have experienced the attempt of cancel culture. Many have been threatened with their livelihoods. Others I know not named here have even been imprisoned. I pray that the Lord Christ will give you wisdom in how to approach all of this honorably and as a disciple of our Liege Lord Jesus Christ.

Statutes To Satan Are All The Rage On State-Property Everywhere

It seems that displays/statues honoring Satan on or around State grounds of various state capitals is becoming all the rage these days. This season both New Hampshire and Minnesota had such displays for the eager public to witness. Previously, as we know, Iowa had a display before it was demolished by a ardent supporter of all things Christian. It seems Illinois in the past has also been a part of this Ba’al Zebub hit parade.

In Minnesota the State House removed its statue honoring Satan during this Christmas season but leaves a similar Satanic symbols up on the State House grounds as seen by a Hanukkah menorah remaining on display on the Capitol grounds. The New Hampshire displays seems to have gone through several different incarnations as it has had to be repaired after several visitations by different citizens of New Hampshire who apparently thought of themselves as the 2nd coming of Gideon. May the Lord Christ raise up many more such men.

On the surface displays honoring old Slewfoot is seen as a bad thing but, as I am one to always find the silver lining in every cloud I see all of this Satan pooping on State grounds potentially a good thing if people will just think through the implications. You see, the argument that these followers of the “Lord of the Flies” have been making is “that since there is freedom of religion, we, as Satanist ass-kissers have a right to ‘Hail Satan’ on the state grounds as much as the Jesus Worshipers have a right to their nativity scenes.” Frankly, this reasoning is sound if we grant the premise of freedom of speech and freedom of religion as those are currently understood by our brain dead overlords, thanks to the brain dead doctrine of incorporation given to us by the brain dead Supreme Court, courtesy the brain dead 14th amendment given to us by the brain dead US Congress. But I repeat myself.

Let’s just say it plainly, without horns or teeth; “The idea of freedom of religion and freedom of speech is skubala.” First of all there is the reality that such ideas are a myth. For example, I do not have freedom of religion because my religion and my God insists that I am not to live with any other Gods before my God. Freedom of religion for everyone means I do not have freedom of my religion to limit other religions as those other religions are now limiting my religion from recognizing that there is no God but God for both myself and for the social order. The God of the Bible is not the God in the Bible when He has to share time in the public square with statues (or even nods) to Allah, to the god of the Talmud, or to Satan. This is not freedom of religion. This is freedom of polytheism in the public square and it is all supported by the State which by inviting all the gods into the public square is therefore proclaiming, by way of policy, that the God of the Bible is not the true God. Freedom of religion is a myth. What we currently have is freedom only for the religion of polytheism/pluralism.

This idea of “freedom of religion” once worked here because the context of freedom of religion was a freedom of Christianity as it existed as among the various different expressions of Christianity. However, with the passage of time freedom for various different expressions of Christianity has become freedom of explicitly Satanic statues in the public square as exalting everyone from Satan to his subalterns Allah, the demon Talmud god, and the flying Spaghetti Monster. I’m sure that soon to come we will have statues honoring Vishnu, Buddha, and some porn queen Goddess. Can’t leave anyone out, you know.

So, we see that “Freedom of Religion” is a myth. By having all the gods in the public square any religion that insists only its religion should be honored as THE religion is ruled out of bounds. This means that the one religion that embraces all religions is the only religion allowed. That is decidedly NOT freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is a myth.

Second, the God that is ruling over all gods and so demanding its religion be adhered to by all is the State God. In the State we now live and move and have our being. The State decides how far any of the gods can proceed in the public square and that means that the state is now god over the various other gods. The state determines if the god of the heathen Mormons will be allowed to sanction polygamy for his adherents. The state determines if the god of some Indian tribe can smoke peyote for its religious services as their god requires. The state tells the Christian God that He will not be honored by requiring shopkeepers to close their doors on Sunday. On and on it goes. Not only if freedom of religion a myth but its also the case that the religion we are required to follow is Statism. Everything inside the state and nothing outside the state.

So, lets me done with the idea that somehow we, unlike other countries, have “Freedom of Religion.” We not only do not, it is not possible for such a thing to exist. Since there is no neutrality there will never be a social order where Freedom of Religion or Freedom of Speech exists.

Because this is true as Christians we should advocate a return to an explicitly Christian Nation, much as existed during our beginnings when State Constitutions would require belief in the Trinity in order to serve as magistrate or belief in God’s Word being inspired, or belief in Jesus Christ or sundry other expressions that were present in the various early and original state constitutions.

Something else to keep in mind here is that the existence of a plurality of faiths in a social order (multi-faithism) will always eventually bring about multiculturalism since faith(religion) drives culture. And since multifaithism and multiculturalism (which is synonymous with pluralism) really is given over to the pursuit of a unitary faith and a unitary culture (a singular undivided statist faith and culture) what has to be in existence at the same time in all pluralistic arrangements is multi-racialism, which is likewise committed to creating a singular undivided race/ethnicity. Just as in ancient Rome where you could serve any God you liked so long as that God served the One Emperor and One Empire so today you can have any religion (faith), any culture, or any ethnicity as long as they are not distinct and serve the State. Distinct faiths, religions, and ethnicities are a mirage. It’s like Henry Ford selling cars along ago…. “You can get the Model-T in any color you like as long as it is black.” So today you can have any faith, culture, or ethnicity you want as long as it isn’t distinct and serves the State. To use an analogy, the state is a giant blender and everything that is distinct goes into the state and gets blended together. If you refuse to be blended you are at best marginalized and at worst sent to the gallows.

So, as Christians let’s be done with not only statues to Satan but also statues to all Satanic gods and let’s once again be a distinctly White Christian culture and nation.

Away With This Move Back To Natural Law

“The citadel of Greek thought, or Renaissance philosophy, & of the Enlightenment has been called by Peter Gay, the great historian of the Enlightenment who also is a great champion of it, simply this; “The autonomy of critical thought.”

What does this mean? It means that when man exercises his reason as he approaches anything, and especially in the processes of education, man’s reason plays the role of God. For us, as Christians, reason is extremely important, but we believe in reason, not as God, but as reason…. Enlightenment faith believed that man’s reasoning, philosophy, education had to be omnipotent, autonomous, or it was nothing.”

R. J. Rushdoony
Education and the Autonomy of Thought

Thanks much to the efforts of Dr. Stephen Wolfe there has, in the recent past, been a push to restore that great whore of Natural Law so as to be sitting, once again, on the throne of epistemology. This despite the fact that it was the Enlightenment that was famous for its appeal to “right reason and natural law” as the means to answering the question of “how do I know what I know.”

Indeed it was the Enlightenment and Natural Law that gave us muck and mire we are currently stuck in by championing as a main principle, “Egalitarianism.” Henry James Sumner Maine, a 19th century legal scholar wrote, on this score;

“There cannot, I conceive, be any question that to the assumption of the Law Natural we owe the doctrine of the fundamental equality of human beings.”

It is this Natural Law … the Natural Law that was championed by the French Philosophes and Revolutionaries, which included egalitarianism that is making a comeback among a new generation of pseudo-intellectuals.

Natural Law suffers from the condition of only being as good as the presuppositions with which one begins. The man whose reason begins by valuing sodomy and pedophilia will easily conclude that, lo and behold, Natural Law teaches sodomy and pedophilia. Similarly, the man whose reason begins by valuing Scripture will find Scripture validated everywhere by Natural Law. His problem however, will be that he is positing the strength of God’s revelation on the foundation of his autonomous reasoning as opposed to founding his reason (which is never autonomous) on God’s revelation.

The Natural Law chaps seem to believe that folks can look out upon reality and quite apart from any fallen biases can begin to read the proper nature of things just by the use of this presumed unbiased reasoning. However, this stands in contradiction to God’s special revelation. If these Natural Law types would refers to God’s special revelation first as opposed to referring to Natural Law first there they would read that “the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things.” As such man never looks out upon creation and reasons in an unbiased manner. As the saying goes, “Man has a ox to gore” and that ox is to read all things in terms of himself as the highest and best interpreter.

Natural law aficionados have failed to take seriously the noetic effects of the fall on the mind of fallen man, and as such they are denying the doctrine of “total depravity” with their precious (gollum gollum) doctrine of Natural Law. Indeed, it is not to much to say that the Church’s embracing over the centuries of Natural Law has been one of the greatest boondoggles of the Church in her entire history.

John Dewey in his book Experience in Education, says that man must learn to set his own standards, his own ideals, in terms of himself, as the ultimate criterion. This is exactly what the Natural Law attaboys are promulgating when they advocate for homo mensura (man the measure). The idea that fallen man will create a just and Christ honoring social order by relying on his autonomous ability to read Natural Law is right up there with the idea that Ph.D. clergy from Reformed denominations are trustworthy men from which to garner advice.

Fan boys of Natural Law think that they are avoiding presuppositions but they have instead merely embraced the presupposition that fallen man has no bias and can indeed act in a neutral fashion as a autonomous free agent. They have returned us to De Cartes by positing that the thinking self is the highest point of reference. This gives us, just as it gave De Cartes, subjectivism. What Natural Law does is it takes the subjective (fallen man) fills him and his thinking with helium so that his thinking becomes a transcendent something and then labels that helium filled subjective as his “objective” naming it with the name of “Natural Law.” The “objective” that the Natural Law man has is a subjective that has been given the status of objectivity. It is a subjective objective.

We would be better served by remembering Van Til on this score;

“If God exists, there are no brute facts. If God exists our study of facts must be the effort to know them as God wants them to be known by us. We must then seek to think God’s thoughts after him. To assume that there are brute facts is therefore to assume that God does not exist.”

There are no facts that can be known truly as independent of God. Fallen man is by definition someone who seeks to be a knower independent of God. He uses Natural Law to proclaim that all facts are brute facts until he, as fallen man, gives them meaning and coherence. He can know apart from and without God just by the use of right reason and natural law. But, without God, pray tell what is the standard for this thing called “right reason,” and apart from God how does Natural Law have any objective meaning whatsoever?

Natural law, when it “works” is a classic example of robbing capital from a Christian worldview and importing into a pagan concept in order to get it off the ground. Natural Law can only work as a reasoning mechanism if one presupposes the God of Christianity to begin with but if one is going to presuppose the God of Christianity then why not go all the way and presuppose that God’s law as found in special revelation? Why presuppose instead man’s epistemological ability to start from his fallen self and by the use of his right (right by what standard?) reason properly cogitate about the nature of reality?

Save yourself of presupposing yourself as your own God and flee Natural Law theory.

The Storm Is Breaking

In a letter former President Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend concerning the 1820 Missouri compromise, which Jefferson perceived as an infringement on states’ rights. Jefferson wrote that the Compromise, came to me “like a fire-bell in the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the Union.”

For Jefferson the compromise was a portent of what eventually came to pass 41 years later with the war of Northern Aggression.

Being able to read the signs of the times is not always easy. However, one does not need to be a Thomas Jefferson to know that the earth is currently moving under our feet. This is true in a number of fields and disciplines but it is especially true in the putatively conservative church where the lack of genuine conservatism is now being exposed in spades.

In the last few years those denominations considered “White Hat” denominations have revealed that their hats are more gray than white. The PCA could not condemn side-B sodomites in their midst. The OPC first had kittens about a potential but unconfirmed racist at one of their recent General Assemblies. They later found out it was a false alarm but not before accusations were flying thicker than flies on cow paddies. Then later the OPC shanghaied Michael Spangler for the grievous sin of calling a she wolf a “She-wolf.” Word squirreled back to me that one of the Presbyteries in one of these White Hat denominations that they ordained a candidate who boldly asserted his embrace of Socialism. Given Red Karl Truman’s embrace of socialist medicine this is not a wonder.

Not to be outdone the denomination that many at one time thought would be the white knight planting a banner around all conservatives might rally to make one last noble stand is now a laughing stock. The CREC, with its “great man,” Doug Wilson, has demonstrated a defiance against traditional understandings on Christian social order as penned out by the likes of Agustine, Chrysostom, Luther, Calvin and numerous others. This was put on parade in a recent advertisement by Canon Press where the cult Star of Remphan was atop a Christmas tree with the prose, “have yourself a Judeo-Christian Christmas … Israel’s role in the Christmas story.” This was obviously some high leveling trolling against the Ogden, Utah group but one is asking … “At what costs Moscow?” I have had several people tell me that they canceled Canon Press subscriptions because of this stunt. This finds me praying that Doug and his crew will continue with such hijinks.

What has been chronicled above is just a whitman’s sampler of seismic shift that we are currently living through in the “conservative church.” The interesting thing here is that a two generations ago (when I was 25) the Church could get away with this kind of behavior without even it being noticed. However, 2025 is not the same as 1985 and now there is a ground swell of men born after 1985 who are raising the black flag and saying … “We are no longer putting up with this skubala from the clergy gatekeepers.”

You see what has happened is that there has been a kind of awakening. Not the kind of awakening associated with the first great or second great awakening. This is a kind of awakening that not only is embracing Christian truth but is embracing the truth of Christianity long held by Fathers in epochs gone past. This awakening is especially as it pertains to what Christianity looks like as it meets social order realities. This awakening is an awakening to the nobility of the Christian fathers who fought in the Crusades … the Christian Fathers who were colonizers for the glory of God … the Christian Fathers who because they knew the Bagel, kept the Bagel at arm’s length…. the Christian Fathers who knew that Martin Luther King was a con and that civil rights was primarily about Marxism before it was about Christianity. This awakening is not afraid to question the historical veracity of all the details of the Holocaust…. not afraid to call Winston Churchill and FDR ruddy tyrants, every bit as maniacal and full of blood lust as Stalin. All of these re-examinations of history that this awakening is bringing to pass is based on a embrace of a Christianity that is of a very different species than what the West has concocted since the Endarkenment.

These younger chaps are to the established “Christian” church what the Visigoths at the gates were to Rome once upon a time. There is a cold fear and a hot protest in the James Whites, Doug Wilsons, Joe Boots, Andrew Sandlins, of the ecclesial world. The Dandys in the official White Hat denominations are pissing in their boots afraid that one of these warriors will show up in church upsetting the peace that has come with congregations embracing government schools, tyrannical governments, and limp-wristed clergy.

The shibboleths are fixin’ to fall and when they fall great will be the crash. Shane Anderson in a recent piece noted some of these Shibboleths that are crashing on the cascading protests of those belonging to another generation besides our clues conservative class;

“Israel is our greatest ally; there’s no Jewish conspiracy to corrupt Christian societies.”

“There’s no real sin of gluttony, and we’re not being poisoned.”

“Working out is gay.”

“Christian men are the problem, women are always victims.”

“Diversity is our strength, and race isn’t real.”

“Humility means doing what your rebellious parents want.”

“If people get upset at you, you have been unwise.”

“Stop wasting time by talking about these things, they don’t matter because they don’t matter to me.”

Men are waking up and in their awakening they are in no mood to be told to go back to sleep by those who have anointed themselves as “the Reformed Gatekeepers.” In this climate Gatekeepers will no longer work because everyone has access to the sources. With the proliferation of information its not as if we need people who can claim the status of “the keepers of the wisdom of the ages.” It’s all at anybody’s fingertips who has the time and desires to delve into the books

To be honest, in all of this I am being intoxicated with the liquor of being vindicated. I’ve been screaming ruddy murder for decades along with a handful of blokes my age who share my convictions, about these same kind of things that those a generation or two behind us are now rightly screaming about but our reward as been a prophet’s reward. We have been treated with the mailed backhand — the same way that Spangler has recently been treated, but without the widespread sense of injustice that has accompanied Spangler’s “spanking.”

So, I am satisfied by all this but still I can pray that the establishment awakens before the tidal wave completely sweeps them away.

For those of you in the Church observing all this or just becoming aware of this battle royale you will not be able to avoid the war. The conflict is upon you whether you would wish it to be so or not. The best thing you can do is seek to que up to speed. The pursuit of personal peace and affluence will no longer serve as a harbor for safety. The storm is breaking in the Church and all across every other front and nobody is going to escape the changes the weather is bringing.

If the visible Church does not alter its course it will either go into eclipse or it will remain even more of a tool for the luciferian social order that we are currently living under. Regardless of which they choose, the young blokes who are in attack mode are not going to retire from this battle.

Y’all know who I’m pulling for.

McAtee Contra Rev. Jim Cassidy’s Putrid R2K

“The anabaptist view of church and state is not two kingdom, but one. They want to apply Christian morality to the sphere of the magistrate. And since Christ said love your enemy and turn the other cheek, the state is to be wholly pacifist.

Unfortunately, the anabaptists are sorely mistaken. The Reformed have always recognized the legitimate role of the state to use coercive force, and to punish according to the lex talionis principle. They also recognize that Christian morality in love of enemy and forgiveness of sin is required of believers.

How do these two things sweetly comply? Only according to a Reformed version of two kingdom theology as you find, for example, classically defined in James Bannerman.

The basis and powers of church and state are distinct. The church’s basis is love and service empowered by the Word. The state’s basis is retributive justice empowered by the sword.”

Rev. Jim Cassidy

OPC Minister

Once again we see the Clergy get matters all bollixed up. Really, are we even surprised any longer?

1.) AnaBaptists, not wanting anything to do with”the world” were clearly two Kingdom. They understood that there was their own community and that there were those who were not part of their community. They believed one set of principles guided their own Kingdom they lived in while believing that another set of principles governed over those “outside the faith.” Can you say “Two Kingdoms” Jim?

This is the same reasoning R2K uses. There is one set of principles for the church realm, as set by God’s special revelation, and another set of principles for everywhere else as set by Natural Law. The only difference is that R2K calls that realm ruled by Natural Law “common,” whereas the Anabaptist call that realm not ruled by their community, “wicked.” In the end, R2K’s “common” looks a great deal like the Anabaptist’s “wicked.” We only have a changing out of the word used.

Now to be sure, inside the Anabaptist Kingdom the Anabaptists believed that God’s word applied to all matters but as they were (and are) terrible heretics are we surprised that they got that all bollixed up? All because the heretical Anabaptists misapply God’s Word to their living in their communities is that reason to think that God’s Word can’t be properly applied to all areas of life. Cornelius Van Til put it this way;

“All proper human activity is therefore activity within the Kingdom of the Christ.”

CVT

Christianity and Barthianism — p. 228

And again;

“You cannot expect to train intelligent, well-informed soldiers of the cross of Christ unless the Christ is held up before them as the Lord of culture as well as the Lord of religion.”

Cornelius Van Til

I quote CVT here because Cassidy likes to think of himself as a CVT fan. Cassidy clearly doesn’t understand CVT.One more from Van Til’s nephew;

The radical, totalitarian character of religion is such, then, that it determines both man’s cultus and his culture. That is to say, the conscious or unconscious relationship to God in a man’s heart determines all of his activities, whether theoretical or practical. This is true of philosophy, which is based upon non-theoretical, religious presuppositions. Thus man’s morality and economics, his jurisprudence and his aesthetics, are all religiously oriented and determined.

Henry Van Til

Calvinist Concept of Culture

2.) Cassidy is wrong to suggest that in the Reformed view the Magistrate has to always follow Lex Talionis in adjudication. That is clearly seen in Reformed Magistrates practicing commutation and pardoning for those who, according to the Lex Talionis, should received punishment. That this is Biblical is seen in Jesus parable of the unforgiving debtor where the Magistrate forgives the debtor his great debt.

3.) Love of enemy and Lex Talionis doth sweetly comply when in each case we exercise what is required of God’s law towards both our enemies and towards those who are before the magistrate, inasmuch as we do unto them what is assigned to us in our particular jurisdictions.

4.) When the State gives retributive justice empowered by the sword it is at that time practicing love and service empowered by the Word.

That is not to deny that Church and State have distinct functions. It is true that the Church proclaims grace while the State provides justice but there is false dichotomy in Cassidy’s thinking. When the Church practices discipline there is justice going on and when the State practices discipline there is love and service going on. It is merely that these look different in different jurisdictional realms. The State does not have the keys and the Church does not have the sword but they still, in a Biblical order, doth sweetly comply.

Cassidy’s R2K is heterodox at best.