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.

Masquerading Words

I once came across an idea, long ago, that I thought very profound at the time. I still think it is very profound. That idea is that language and words are, and the communication process is often intended to conceal meaning as much as they are intended to reveal meaning. People, who have an agenda, will often use words to communicate with the explicit intent to misdirect people or to make people think they, as the communicator, are meaning things they do not in reality mean.

For example, if you check out what is concealed as opposed to what is revealed — if you do not rely on masquerading words, you will discover that the language of “gun control” once implemented is not intended to control guns, or that the language of “rent control” once implemented does not control rent, or that government’s “stimulus” does not stimulate the economy. Once you learn how language conceals as well as reveals you also eventually learn that many policies that are sold as “compassionate” inflict cruel results. However, in order to get to gun control that doesn’t control guns, rent control that doesn’t control rent, government stimulus, that doesn’t stimulate or compassionate conservatism that is beyond cruel you have to conceal your thoughts.

If you check out the facts, instead of relying on masquerading words, you will discover that Comprehensive immigration reform means amnesty, planned parenthood means abortion, health-care reform means mismanaged death care, and political correctness means reality incorrectness. One phrase I really liked in the 90’s was “invest in America,” which concealed the meaning of “forced increased taxation.”

Then there are biggies. “Social justice” is all the rage these days and has been for quite some time. What does it mean? Nobody knows for sure but if it is invoked, well then, Katy bar the door. Usually what it means is something like “that’s not fair,” and usually fair is defined as some arrangement that doesn’t fit some twisted and uninformed idiosyncratic view of reality. The pursuit of social justice has led to policies that have increased the out of wedlock births, the destruction of the family, the creation of a citizenry that has a dependent mindset, and the glorification of victimization. This is “social justice?”

The whole “rights” language has excelled at concealing. The glory of “Women’s rights” have led to the enslavement of women in their pursuit to be men, the death of many women by abortion before they were born, the objectification of women in sex by the peeling away of sex from marriage, the depriving of women of their children as the children are cast aside for daycare or government schools so mom can pursue equality, and the overall diminution of women in their import and significance to family. Women’s rights, as it turns out, means Women’s drudgery.

These kinds of masquerading words exist often in the Church as well. Often times Churches will talk about “Church growth,” when what they really mean is “redefining the message of the Church.” Churches will talk about “free grace” when what they really mean is “license to sin.” Churches will say that “the Bible contains the word of God” when what they really mean is “the bible only becomes the word of God when you have an existential encounter with the word.” Churches will say, “Jesus died for your sins,” and what they really mean is that you can find favor with God if you follow Jesus’ example and be a good doobie. Churches talk about “repentance” when what they really mean is “recruitment.”

Now you take the reality that I have set forth where people are purposefully deceiving with their language and compound with the reality that language is always going to conceal when person “A” speaking to person “B” has a different worldview from one another. In this situation even if person “A” does not intend any deception, deception will occur as the words “A” uses mean differently in their autonomous worldview than what they mean to person “B” who is hearing those same words in their theocentric worldview.

We are so awash in masquerading words that one would have to be a simpleton to not practice some form of hermeneutic by suspicion.

The Wisdom Of Koran

Quran — 008.012

“Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): “I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.”

047.004

Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah’s Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost.

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The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter.

9:5 When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way. God is forgiving and merciful.

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Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

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O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.

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YUSUFALI: They do blaspheme who say: “Allah is Christ the son of Mary.” But said Christ: “O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help.

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YUSUFALI: They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.

One Part Atomic Opera, One Part R. L. Dabney, One Part Bret McAtee … Stir Vigorously

I do hate evil
And I do hate sin
I do hate divorce
And I hate this state we’re living in
I do hate rebellion
And I do hate greed
I do hate most religious men
And I hate this hating hateful killing
I Am the God of Hate
And My hate is a Holy Flame
I Am the God of Hate
And my hate is a Perfect Thing
I do hate Esau
And I do hate death
I do hate violence
And I hate your whining, waisted breath
I do hate the darkness
And I do hate pain
I do hate the burning stench
And I hate My Love when used in vain

Atomic Opera
The God of Hate

“By the same reason that one professes to be able to regard his enemy without resentment, I should suspect him of being capable of behaving to his friend without affection. Your languid hater must ever be a languid lover. Give me, then, by all means, a good, honest hater.”

“Remember my dear madam, that it was not anger simply which the Prince of Peace himself condemned, but being “angry with a brother without a cause”. To be angry where there is a cause is inevitable nature. He, therefore, who affects to be above anger, makes me suspect that his virtue is not supernatural, but hypocritical.

“He who is angry may be guilty of injustice; he who is incapable of anger must be equally incapable of generous ardor in his friendships. Better the generous foe than the snaky friend.”

R. L. Dabney
Life & Letters of Robert Lewis Dabney –pg 547 — Editor Thomas Cary Johnson.
19th Century Reformed Theologian
Aide De-camp — General Thomas Stonewall Jackson

The Atomic Opera quote is a little bit hyperbolic but it makes the necessary point that God hates whatever is contrary to Him — and necessarily so. A God who did not hate would be a God who could not love, for if God loves everybody and everything then God loves nobody and nothing for if God can not distinguish between what He loves and what He hates then His love is meaningless.

I honestly believe that the chief failure of the 21st century Christian in the West is the failure to realize that the infinite loving God of the Bible is a God who gloriously hates all that stands in rebellion to Him. Scripture clearly teaches that God hates workers of iniquity. Scripture clearly teaches that God hates divorce. Scripture clearly teaches that God hated Esau. Scripture clearly teaches that God hates

haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers

Because God so gloriously hates, we have, by grace alone, learned our peril as we became familiar with the serious character of God. It was the just hatred of God against us and our sins that propelled the elect to find safety in the love of God who provided Christ as the only place where God’s hatred was assuaged, quenched, and propitiated. It was God’s love for Himself and hatred for all that is contrary to Him that found Him covenanting with the Son in eternity to save the people He has eternally loved. Praise God for his violent love to quench His fixed hatred.

What this refusal to honor God’s hatreds has done is that it has created a church that has no passion. The only thing the 21st century Church finds itself capable of being passionate about and hating is the person who has passion and hates the things that God hates. The modern Church has no capacity to love because it has lost the capacity to hate. As such what has been loss to the contemporary Church is not merely her ability to be repulsed by evil but also her ability to be enchanted by beauty.

Lord Christ, grant us the ability to once again hate that which is evil and cling to that which is good.

Spiritual Freedom … Cultural Renewal

A people in bondage to sin will never create free societal and cultural institutions. The Gospel is the answer for societal and cultural institutional slavery because only the Gospel can set individuals free from their sin that they may in turn set their own societal and cultural institutions free from their enslaving tendencies.

However, if a people are churched and those churched people do not kick against the goads of enslaving societal and cultural institutions then it is doubtful that those churched people know what it means to be free from their own personal bondage and enslavement to sin. People who have been set free by Christ from the slavery of sin and the devil do not abide societal and cultural institutions that desire to enslave them to the caprice of a false god.

People who have been given spiritual liberty always incarnate that liberty into the cultures and societies that they build. Individuals who have been set free from false gods always seek to assist in setting their culture free from the false gods that enslave it.

Chekist Letter

Dear Slugbottom,

Sulfurious greetings from the pleasant realm of the damned. I am taking a break from my usual “work” of wreaking emotional torture and enlarging eternal regret upon the formerly living meat that now inhabit our fair land. I often find it incredible that they pay me to do what I love.

However, I have also to attend to the responsibility of being your guide in matters concerning affairs of state. The chain of command has a push on right now for the claiming of meat and should I, through my various underlings, reach and exceed the goals set for me at the beginning of this meat cycle, I shall hit a multiplier that will result in a promotion for me.

As such, I want to write you with some contrary advice that has been received by those I am competing with for this promotion. That blistering Screwtape has written his nephew Wormwood advising that he keep his college charges out of church. You can find his advice here,

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/08/25/a-lost-letter-to-wormwood/

This advice is good for me but bad for the company. It is good for me because such advice is sure to insure that I get that promotion over Screwtape. It is bad for the company because it is more likely that his assigned meat will be won over by our enemy in heaven should they stay out of church.

You see, dear Slugbottom, what Screwtape has failed to take into account is that we now own the Churches in the West. Oh, yes … there are a few here or there who are holdouts against our affections but by and large the Church in Lansing Michigan, and throughout the West is ours. As such, the thing I want you most to do is to make sure your East Lansing University Charges end up in Church. By all that is hot and horrid I charge you, upon threat of loss of your recently gained position, to do all you can to get our meat to Church on Sundays.

We have little fear of those few remaining Churches that are faithful for they are typically so few in number and so opposed to the culture that we have breathed to life that we are confident that any young person concerned about making their way in the world, as a success, will not have anything to do with these churches. What 18-25 year old desires to be counter cultural to the point of being socially ostracized?

No, Church is where we want our meat, for in Church they will typically receive just enough of a bastardized version of the enemies message to insure that they will be inoculated against the real thing. Also, by being in Church they will receive the baptized version of King Lucifer’s thinking. We have so infiltrated the Churches near University campuses that they no longer oppose those things that would be real trouble for us. They no longer officially oppose our schools that we run. They no longer officially oppose the notion that King Lucifer’s Marxism is inconsistent with our enemies theology. They no longer officially oppose evolution, choosing to baptize it as “theistic.” The examples that could be brought forward Slugbottom are endless.

This plan, to infiltrate the Churches and to force them to chocolate coat King Lucifer’s thinking with the title of Christianity, was developed by our Father below and has been pursued for years, and through this plan we have taken the fairest of things, like abortion, homosexuality, government schools, hatred of one’s own people, and have persuaded the Church to likewise count them as fair things and to call these things “Christian.”

Now, there are certain dangers to this advice, as their are dangers present everywhere in guiding meat to hell. There will be times, when, even in our Churches, that hateful theme of the Cross will arise. At such times the best thing to do is make sure your meat is thinking that the Cross only has the effect that the meat gives to it. As long as the meat believes that he makes our enemies work effectual he will never be in danger of abandoning our cause. Whatever you do, make sure that the meat does not start thinking that the mountebank enemy of ours is the one who determines the effectiveness of the Cross. Thoughts, on the part of your meat, that tend in that direction will find you under my discipline and the thoughts of the last time that happened should be enough to motivate you.

So, once again my charge to you is to get the meat in Church. If done artfully and successfully it will anesthetize the meat by making them think well of themselves when in fact they are being put in the chute to our tropical regions.

More might be said Slugbottom, but this is enough for your limited capacity. I expect a report on your progress with your assigned College Meat four weeks into the fall semester.

I will be watching,

Chekist