spiphywarfare

Category: Faith

  • Defenders of the West

    Cover of Defenders of the West by Raymond Ibrahim

    I am about one-third of the way through the book, “Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam” by Raymond Ibrahim. I’m going through it as an audio book, which isn’t my favorite but, when you commute several hours during the week, it isn’t too bad. It’s made me realize a few things.

    I’ve already come to the conclusion that, even though I’ve thought this for a while, we’ve become exceptionally soft. I had no idea of how soft until I hear the accounts of some of the battles of the crusades, from both Christian and Muslim chroniclers. Men their enemies say looked like porcupines due to the number of arrows in them who continue to fight. Men who cry to God to take their blood and their life for His glory. Some of that about one’s own king could obviously be hagiography but, I don’t think it is likely for an opposing scribe to write an idealized version their infidel enemy’s accomplishments.

    The account of Ferdinand III includes two events where he was encouraged to enter battle with others who opposed/threatened him but happened to be Christian. He refused. He claimed he would never do battle with another Christian unless there was no other option. We’ve, well, some at least, have seemingly lost this ability as well. Log on to Twitter, or X, and you will find Christians gleefully attacking each other over Christian Nationalism, baptism, election, or more, all while the world burns and people who are damned to hell for all eternity are dying.

    We’ve lost our way. I’ll proclaim now, I won’t fight another Christian. Some have made me wonder what is wrong with their thinking, but I’ll not fight a brother or sister in Christ. Caveat that if I think you’re a false teacher, fighting you isn’t fighting another Christian.

    Finally, it has made me rethink Islam and how we approach it these days. That, however, is for another time.

  • Disaster Response for Civilization?

    Disaster Response for Civilization?

    CN, if you aren’t aware, is short for Christian Nationalism. The reader can assume what is meant by that, and if you assume incorrectly, that’s on you, not me. To let people know how I view it, I have written about that term here, and here. There is some raging debate on the site formerly known as Twitter between people who agree on all other fundamentals of theology.

    Meanwhile, life goes on. Part of that life is taking training to maintain my Texas Peace Officer’s License, even though I retired from doing that for a living. One of the courses I’m currently taking discusses active shooter incidents and “disaster psychology.” Here, this term is referring to the psychology of a person who unexpectedly finds themselves in the middle of an active shooter event. Basically, what they experience and how it impacts them. They go through the stages of denial, deliberation, and decision making.

    The denial phase consists of people responding due to normalcy bias. Basically, it is our tendency to interpret everything through our normal day-to-day experiences because it is easier for our brain to process information. Hence, many survivors of active shooter events tend to say things like, “At first, I thought it was firecrackers.” It’s an initial denial of the event because, “That won’t happen here, to me.”

    A normalcy bias causes us to assume that, although a catastrophic event has happened to others, it will not happen to me. If it does, we are shocked and unable to cope with it effectively, often underestimating its full effects. 

    Safety Requires a State of Mindfulness – PMC (nih.gov)

    Once the disaster is accepted, they turn to deliberation. However, due to the previous disruption of their environment, people in the midst of a disaster tend to have poorer thinking skills than they would without that disruption. One of the topics discussed in this section involves “social proof” and its role in decision making. Several videos of unfolding disasters show those involved starting to look around at what others are doing, this behavior is shortly followed by a mass of people acting in the same manner. They cited research that a lone individual is more likely to help someone in need than someone in a crowd would be. But social proof of our decisions also tends to make our decisions vulnerable to be less in line with how we would normally act, they may not even make sense.

    When we use social proof to inform our behavior, we are not necessarily acting rationally. 

    Social Proof – The Decision Lab

    Finally, the deliberation turns to decision making and the individual makes a decision to act. This training talks a lot about how those decisions are not always good decisions. One of the events used to demonstrate this was The Station nightclub fire. The image below (from this study) shows the location of the victims of that fire. Roughly half of them died trying to exit the same door, the one they came in, despite there being three other exits, four if you count windows. Helpful hint, always pay attention to where ALL the exits are in every building you enter.

    Sadly, many of these victims may have had a chance to escape had their thinking, or maybe the thinking of others, been more rational. None of this is victim blaming. The purpose of the training is to help civilians be prepared to combat some the naturally occurring physiological responses to stress, and its impact on our thinking, in order to increase their chances of survival. Overall, the course has been excellent, and I can’t wait to use it to help people.

    Studies have shown that when stressed, individuals tend to make more habitual responses than goal-directed choices, be less likely to adjust their initial judgment, and rely more on gut feelings in social situations.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5146206/

    That’s all well and good but why in the world did I start this article with a paragraph about CN? That’s because as I am going through this training, it occurred to me that the phenomenon I am witnessing in some folks response to CN is like watching these stages play out in slow-motion. I wouldn’t know any serious Christian who would say our culture/civilization/society is not in the midst of sudden change (on the timescale of all of society) and that the changes we are seeing are disruptive of our expectations and that in general, it is currently a disaster.

    There are still many who are oblivious to this unfolding disaster, though that number has started shrinking fast. Many still haven’t recognized the change around them is outside normal experience. Still, it seems a growing number of people are moving out of the deliberation phase and into decision making. And this is where the conflict is being generated.

    A group of people looked at each other and knew something had to change for society to survive. Some recognized it much longer ago than others. They saw what each other were doing and recognized it as similar and started to coalesce around similar ideas. The people here I am thinking of are Doug Wilson, A. D. Robles, Joel Webbon, William Wolfe, Stephen Wolfe, and those in that group. They don’t all agree on everything but do agree on enough to begin acting. Personally, I think they recognized what was happening more quickly and started reacting before others. History may show some of their reactions were off target of where they should have been and that’s okay. We, and they, are all humans.

    But here’s where the conflict arises, the Moore sisters were some of the earliest people to warn of Christian Nationalism in the modern era. It got just enough of a foothold that others, still deliberating and looking for social proof of their decisions, saw something that scared them. Their reaction was not rational (in my opinion) and was based on gut feelings and how others close to them were responding.

    That would explain why people I followed for years suddenly began making weird decisions and accusations that were entirely unfounded. Some people have responded rationally. Those folks have calmly stated their concerns and defined what they mean. Others just started out with what were really wild claims.

    I hope we can all take the time to do some social combat breathing, slow our reactionary impulses, and come up with rational, scripture-based responses to concerns and to what is going on with society. Believe it or not, this actually gave me more hope that the conflict I see will ultimately be resolved. I think, if this is a disaster response in slow-motion, many of those who are anti-CN for reasons that are not rational reasons, will eventually get over the shock and disruption and return to sound thinking. I hope.

    If ever a post should end with a verse from scripture, this one should. Peace and Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to you, reader.

    For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

    2 Timothy 1:7
  • Christian, Avoid These Two Things

    Christian, Avoid These Two Things

    Short but true. Christians who want to walk in a God-honoring manner should steer clear of the Enneagram and the heretic Russell Moore.

    Suggest you go read the entire thread

    If you haven’t read much on the Enneagram or are considering using it, do some research on it. At least read this article as an introduction.

    And, if you don’t have a Twitter/X account, you should be able to read the whole thread mentioned above right here. If you do have one, @WokePreacherTV would be worth a follow.

  • Unity, CN, and Body Parts Everywhere

    I sit here writing this wondering if it will actually ever get published or will it end up being another one of those countless posts that remains eternally in the draft stage. However, this has been weighing on me for several weeks now and writing is a form of catharsis for me, even if it is never shared. I wrote a little while back about whether or not I consider myself a Christian Nationalist. The answer there, as here, is, “it depends.” I don’t denounce it, because I see a time coming when the world will make it synonymous with “Christian” whether you like it or not. When that time comes, I don’t want to look back and have set myself up to have my own words used against me.

    That, however, is not the point of this post. In fact, while Christian Nationalism (CN) is what this article is about, it is, in reality, a secondary subject. The point of this post is that it seems to me those Christian brothers opposed to using the title “Christian Nationalism” seem to ignore large swaths of scripture based on what I’ve seen. Disclaimer, as my feelings about CN are not the point, neither is the point of this post to be a gotcha with receipts against specified people yet. The sole point is to remind brothers of scripture and unity.

    It occurred to me that perhaps the best start for this piece might be, “I, Derek, an unworthy believer but by grace a follower of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Church on Twitter/X, may grace and peace abound with, and between, each of you for the glory of God the Father.” However, it took very little thought to realize that would come across poorly to some. Nevertheless, the Church on Twitter is what has inspired this based on the division that is everywhere.

    I think it only fair here that I briefly comment on The Statement on Christian Nationalism, a draft statement that is the result of efforts by some supporters to come to a working definition of CN. The Statement has 20 articles. I’ll briefly put a list of them below and whether or not I support them:

    • Introduction – agree
    • Article I – agree
    • Article II – mostly agree
    • Article III – agree
    • Article IV – agree
    • Article V – agree but have some question on the last sentence in paragraph two
    • Article VI – mostly agree
    • Article VII – agree
    • Article VII – mostly agree
    • Article IX – Mostly agree (not sure what Psalm 104:15 is supporting there TBH)
    • Article X – agree
    • Article XI – Kind of agree. Too few words dedicated to something complex and important.
    • Article XII – agree
    • Article XIII – could agree depending on what “instruct” looks like
    • Article XIV – agreee
    • Article XV – agree
    • Article XVI – agree
    • Article XVII – agree
    • Article XVIII – agree but think “holy war” should be clarified as not referring to the spiritual realm
    • Article XIX – agree
    • Article XX – mostly agree

    The Actual Point

    God’s Word is full of admonitions to love other believers. It is full of warnings to us that we’re not nearly as smart or wise as we think we are. It provides cautionary words lest we wreck ourselves in our pride.

    Judging Believers & Unity

    We are called to be discerning and to call out those in unrepentant sin (Matthew 18:15-17) and to do it publicly if necessary. We are also to disassociate from those preaching “another gospel” (Galatians 1:8). But that is not the end of it. We’re instructed on other ways to relate to brothers in Christ.

    James 4:11-12 carries an admonition to not speak against on another. It also carries a pretty weighty warning that by judging a fellow believer, you are judging the law. That particular role is reserved for God alone. “Who are you to judge your neighbor” the writer asks. As I said, this is mainly directed to the Twitterverse but any time you start a Tweet with, “Oh, he’s a brother in Christ but…” I might suggest giving yourself some extra time to consider whether or not you are about to place yourself in the role of God.

    It’s a terrible look when one boldly declares some self-assured judgment on a brother whose faith is carried out soundly but differently than theirs. “Who are you?” We are asked this again in Romans 14:4. Who are you to judge another man’s servant? God is the judge, and He will determine whether a believer stands or falls. No number of degrees or initials beyond your name can ever qualify you to make that judgment. If it’s not another gospel but rather an implementation you’re uncomfortable with, reconsider public criticism.

    Body Parts Everywhere

    “For just as in one body we have many members” in Romans 12:4 should be a pretty good clue that your function in the kingdom may be much different than mine. If all you knew was the function of an eyeball and were shown a large toe for the first time, you’d have little useful to say about it and you certainly could not understand it. Why would the church be different?

    1 Corinthians 12:4-6 tells us there are different gifts, different ministries, and different results. Why should I expect my brother living out his obedience to Christ to look like mine? Perhaps, some of those who are already anti-Christian Nationalism are in fact, wrong. They could be right as far as I know. However, it’s obvious to me that they’re frequently attacking a version of it that is not the version espoused by the person on the receiving end of that attack. The wise thing to do when you do not understand something may be to hold your tongue, observe, and learn. There is, honestly, an even better reason not to attack CN advocates.

    Fighting with God

    If you’re opposed to CN, and you are attacking people who you also call brother (I’ve seen it), then please consider Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Our love for one another serves the purpose of informing the world that Jesus was sent by God. It’s an essential belief. Calling someone brother while calling them dangerous, wolves, or racist with no supporting information other than they claim the title of Christian Nationalist is not loving.

    I find myself thinking a lot about Gamalial who had to warn the rest of the right-thinking, acceptable religious elite of his day that if they are not careful, they may find themselves fighting with God. Every time I see someone condemn a CN supporter and they offer no scriptural basis or worse, they misrepresent them, I can’t help but wonder if they are fighting God. Woe to those people if it turns out that the forming CN movement is one that God intended.

    The fact that there were Nazis should not be used to condemn every person ever with German heritage. The fact that Westboro Baptist Church exists should not be used to condemn every church with the name Baptist on it. Likewise, the fact that some people under CN may have held objectionable views should not be used to condemn everything with CN on it.

  • Joining a Battle

    I can’t help but think that for years, many in this country viewed “getting saved” as something used on the path to Maslow’s Self-Actualization. Something like a box to be checked to truly experience the American dream and get what we want out of this life.

    Maybe that’s why church membership is dropping and people mock Christianity. Christianity is not a group of people who say a specific set of words that cosmic forces must obey in order to secure an eternal resting place. It isn’t going to a church to see what the church can add to your life. It isn’t using God to give you material blessings and health.

    “Ask Jesus into your heart and voila, you’re done.”
    This ain’t it.

    Christianity, rightly viewed, is loving Jesus so much that you are willing to step into the most vicious, consequential, and longest-running war in all creation. Deciding to obey the commands of Christ, which is what those who love him do; could be, and likely will be, the costliest decision any person can ever make.

    Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘A man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

    Matthew 10:34-39

    A sword is a weapon of warfare. Peace, even in your own home life, is not the goal of following Christ or even an assurance Jesus gives us. Rather, he was clear that we have to love him more than anything and lose our life for his sake if we are to truly find our own lives. You have to lose your life.

    For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him. They will say, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’ Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with 10,000 to oppose the one coming against him with 20,000? If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.

    Luke 14:28-33

    Want to make Christianity into a source of mockery? Don’t tell people what it truly costs. Get someone involved and proclaim them to be believers then watch as they return to their old ways or drop out. Tell them, “Ask Jesus into your heart and voila, you’re done.” This ain’t it.

    Then, watch them “deconstruct” from a faith they never truly held because they weren’t ready, and they didn’t want to pay the true price of following Christ. He told us that even when we do well, we are to consider ourselves as worthless slaves. That’s a far cry from “God wants you to have your best life now” and other sorts of easy believism.

    And what does it truly cost? A dedication to Jesus Christ that could, though it doesn’t always, cost you Every. Single. Thing. In your life. If it does, and if you are called to pay that price, you have to do it. If it does, I pray God grants you strength, comfort, and joy as you endure suffering for His glory!

  • Timothy Keller! You Knock That Off Right Now!

    Tim Keller started folks Sunday with a misquote, quotation marks and all, of scripture on this fine, brisk November morning.

    Jesus was not asked that question in that passage. What kind of teacher will quote scripture incorrectly and what would be the purpose? Translation versions found at biblehub.

  • Am I a Christian Nationalist?

    Christian Nationalism is all the (cause of) rage at the moment. I have to admit that from my view it seems (as in, it appears probable) that many use the term as a synonym for normal, run-of-the-mill Christianity. Some things I read on it make me think, “Yeps, I guess I’m a Christian Nationalist” while other things I read make me think, “If that’s Christian Nationalism, I’m definitely not one. I don’t know anyone who favors conversions at gunpoint.” So, in light of the fact that there is no agreed upon definition I offer the following.

    1. If thinking a nation and it’s people are best served when the government operates with principles and values that align with those laid out in scripture makes one a Christian Nationalist, then I suppose I am.

    2. If voting for candidates and policies that are more aligned with Christian values over and against those that oppose same values makes one a Christian Nationalist, then I am guilty again, and gladly so.

    3. If thinking that as far as your vote determines the direction of the nation, that voting for candidates dedicated to murder and perversion aligns one, and makes one complicit, with wickedness then, once again, I am a Christian Nationalist.

    4. If the ideal form of government forces conversion to Christianity (which it couldn’t really anyway) is what one means, then I am not a Christian Nationalist.

    5. If Christian Nationalism means non-believers are treated like second-class citizens then I cannot be counted among the Christian Nationalists.

    6. If Christian Nationalism includes an idea that the Church and Government are the same institution, or melded together in some form where one holds official power over the other, then I have to say I am not a Christian Nationalist.

    7. If Christian Nationalism involves thinking in terms of race (melanin count) for value of body, soul, or ideas, then I am not a Christian Nationalist.

    The problem I see increasingly is the attacking of items 1-3 and then when called on it, the same people stating they only meant for those that hold positions 4-6. This is a form of argument I first heard of listening to a James Lindsay video. This is why the more I read, the more apparent it becomes that for the vast majority, “Christian Nationalism” is only used to make their attacks on traditional Christianity more palatable.

    I’ll be updating this post as time goes on and this idea develops more.

    May 10, 2023 UPDATE. There isn’t really anything I’ve seen to change my mind on what I’ve written. It’s only been reinforced.

  • Should I Stay or Should I go Now

    I walked into church this morning. Just like I have so many other mornings for the past 40 years. Same parking area. Same building. I can’t say same pew because I’m one of the few Baptist who don’t hold to the Covenant of Assigned Seating. But I walked in with a heaviness that I’d never walked in with before.

    I’ve missed services in the past when I knew my spirit wasn’t right. If I’m off-kilter and can’t get right through prayer before service, I would rather stay home to read and/or pray than bring a disruptive spirit into worship.

    This day was different though. It was different because it was just being there that was causing this heaviness. My intent was to walk through those doors, worship with my brothers and sisters, and walk out of them for the last time. Ever.

    I sat in a pew near the back, giving me a good view of the sanctuary. It was near the door and I only greeted a few people walking in. I looked around and saw no less than two dozen people that had known me for forty years. People who had watched me struggle. People I had let down. People who loved me. Even more, there were people in that building who had known me since preschool. Only a handful but they were there.

    Sitting there brought mixed feelings about my intentions. How could I walk away from this group of saints? I loved every one of the familiar faces, not just the ones I’ve known for many decades. These are my people. Yet, at the same time, my intentions were being solidified. As I looked around, I knew so many of these were not just warming a pew. They were giving of their hard-earned money or time, or both. They were investing in the church.

    In turn, the church was investing in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

    It always has as far as I know. I’d always felt a bit of pride (I know I shouldn’t have) going to a Southern Baptist Church. I felt it because in my experience we were looked down on a little bit for being too concerned with what scripture says and being a little too dedicated in our lives. As a teen and a young adult, when someone asked where I went to church, my response was often met with, “Oh.” As if to say any further conversation was unnecessary. That was especially true when Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses wanted to strike up a conversation.

    Sadly, it isn’t that way anymore. I’ve been watching the SBC fall prey to worldly ideologies for a few years now. It’s been happening for far longer than that. It is disheartening to watch people I love strive together for Christ not knowing that they are giving to an organization that is working against them.

    The latest for me, and possibly the nail in the coffin, is over abortion. The position of the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission (ERLC is funded by Cooperative Program dollars), the position of Bart Barber (SBC President nominee), and many others is that with Roe v Wade likely being overturned, states need to slow their roll on how they proceed on this issue. They, and many other “pro-lifers” have revealed themselves as who they are in a letter to all state legislatures in this country. For the record, Barber is not a signatory but his position aligns.

    Women are victims of abortion and require our compassion and support as well as ready access to counseling and social services in the days, weeks, months, and years following an abortion.

    As national and state pro-life organizations, representing tens of millions of pro-life men, women, and children across the country, let us be clear: We state unequivocally that we do not support any measure seeking to criminalize or punish women and we stand firmly opposed to include such penalties in legislation.

    https://www.nrlc.org/uploads/communications/051222coalitionlettertostates.pdf

    They “firmly oppose” any effort to criminalize or punish women who have abortions. Their position would be that the woman who killed her newborn immediately after birth, should be fine (legally) if only she had gone to an abortionist the day before. I doubt any of them would, at least openly, support the woman in this case not being prosecuted. But they oppose any law that would punish her for killing her child the day before. What is the difference? Location, location, location.

    When I see people having to use close to 1,100 words, or just over 1,400 words to explain why their position makes sense, I tend to expect Olympic quality verbal gymnastics. The links above didn’t let me down. They could state a clear, consistent, and concise position that allows for the off-cases like Barber’s position points out. It could be <thirty words:

    Women voluntarily participating in aborting their child should be prosecuted as any other suspect and should have the same access to consideration of exigent circumstances as any other defendant.

    Me

    I’m not sure how to process this as anything other than deception.

    It angers me to know that so many of these people I love are unaware of where their money is going and what it is supporting.

    End of Part 1.

  • Glasses, Hearing Aids, and False Teachers

  • To Wheat or not to Wheat

    This article was originally published on November 26, 2013.

    There is plenty of disparaging information available about grains in general and wheat specifically. Some of the best arguments against grains one can find are from Mark Sisson. Of course, these are usually calls for complete cessation of grain consumption. It certainly seems that an all-out war against grain is going on. Much of the information is compelling and well-researched.

    I find it hard to beat that drum loudly here when “a land of wheat, barley” is part of the description of The Promised Land. Proverbs 11:26 promises blessings on the one who sells grain. Reconciling my personal results with these and many other references is something I felt the need to do.

    There are some who feel that wheat is bad for you not because it is a grain but because of what we’ve done to it. Wheat itself has been bred and modified to bring farmers the most money possible through high yields, and for properties that appeal to bakers. It’s never been modified for nutrition. Then there is the processing of the wheat into flour. It is ground, separated, bleached, enriched, and maybe recombined to make “whole wheat” in some cases. This is a far cry from the when the disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.

    I’ve therefore taken it upon myself to test this. I purchased some organic wheat and used the Vitamix to grind it into flour. It only takes about a minute per cup to get fairly fine flour. I started to consume a bit of this. Last week I had a little Irish Brown Bread made from this freshly ground wheat. Then one morning I had biscuits and gravy. The taste was fine in both bread and biscuits though the fluffiness found in highly processed wheat was lacking. I plan to change little else and see what happens with my health.

    I will carry this experiment on through the holidays and put the results out after the new year.