So it’s time to Cowboy Up.
The Angst is here.
Sabotage is coming.
And Jesus is real.
So pick up your sword and shovel, plant your feet on the Rock, and get back to the wall.
The choice of ways is before you.
Your move, Pastor.
Note who is congratulating Guy for taking this poor child away from his mother to be raised by two men:
A Who’s Who of “Conservatism”
Reminder: A conservatism that cannot conserve the most basic institution of society—the natural family—is worthless.
Three prayers in light of the leaked draft:
1) Lord, strengthen the hands of the justices to not buckle under pressure.
2) Lord, install pro-life officials around the country in Nov to outlaw abortion.
3) Lord, empower your church to continue to love the least of these.
Watching some Christians react to election news is a sober reminder of how easy it is to forget the unborn and the horrific evil and injustice that is legally done to them every day in this country.
This is why it was absolutely foolish to outsource political decision-making to “public health experts” who manifestly had no concept of tradeoffs and risk assessment. And the damage done to the social trust and order will linger.
This is absolutely astonishing 😳 Francis Collins admits the massive, unnecessary "collateral damage" from their botched covid public health response was due to an elitist beltway-centric myopic POV …oopsie!
The Christian Super Bowl Ad They SHOULD Have Made
A group known as 'He Gets Us' released an advert during the Super Bowl which, whilst perhaps well intentioned, failed to convey anything of the gospel to the hundreds of millions who saw it.
Here's my take on what they should…
Hot Take: Trump putting the Constitution & Declaration of Independence in a Bible is simply making explicit what
@DavidAFrench
&
@drmoore
functionally believe.
You believe that American liberal democracy is sacrosanct? Well, Trump just included your religious confession in the…
Christian, get clear on this: an unborn’s right to life, and your responsibility to advocate for & defend that right, are not contingent on any other action you take or policy you support.
One of the ironies of this article by
@drmoore
is his criticism of Wilson for his "creepily coarse novel about a sex robot" (referring to Ride, Sally, Ride).
I say this is ironic because when Russell Moore taught ethics at Southern Seminary, the final exam each year involved an…
Hot Take on Eschatology and Christian Nationalism:
Eschatology matters for the Christian Nationalism discussion, but not in the way that many (such as MacArthur) think.
The basic duties of political philosophy (the “oughts”) are established by the doctrines of God and man—every…
One of the strongest arguments for voting for Trump is what this article lays out— an administration filled with people who believe “that the country was founded as a Christian nation and that Christian values should be prioritized throughout government and public life,” that…
Here
@MSNBC
helpfully makes it clear their disdain for Christians in America.
She says that if you believe that your rights come from God, you aren’t a Christian, you are a Christian nationalist.
Somehow they seem to not mention that our own founding documents make this…
When people object to “tone,” my first question is always, “Are you saying *the same truth* in a “better” tone? Or are you just not saying it?”
It’s good to set the same truth to different music. But tone objections can easily be masks for emphasis and content differences.
The Christian Super Bowl Ad They SHOULD Have Made
A group known as 'He Gets Us' released an advert during the Super Bowl which, whilst perhaps well intentioned, failed to convey anything of the gospel to the hundreds of millions who saw it.
Here's my take on what they should…
Some thoughts on the disappointing results for the pro-life cause last night.
The success of abortion at the ballot box is owing to:
1) The cultural conviction that "sex must not have consequences." Suzy's dreams must not be derailed by a baby. Ambition, thy name is Molech.
If it was evil and unacceptable to vote for the party of “Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever” (and it was), then so also is it evil and unacceptable to vote for the party of “Abortion Now, Abortion Tomorrow, Abortion Forever.”
Driving across this great, beautiful country of ours, few things are more grating than the fields of giant windmills marring the rolling hills. Their ugliness is matched only by the grift and stupidity they represent.
It's with a deep sense of my own insufficiency, and a deeper sense of God's all-sufficiency, that I accept the call to serve as the second president of Bethlehem College & Seminary.
A great mix of emotions for us.
Much sorrow in leaving the amazing folks at Bethlehem, Cities Church, & Agape Christi.
Hopeful & excited about the next season at NSA & Christ Church.
And underneath all of it is the goodness of Christ.
We truly cling to him as he upholds us.
It is my sincere pleasure to announce that
@joe_rigney
will be joining the
@NewSaintAndrews
faculty as a Fellow of Theology this fall. Read more about it at:
It’s with both sadness and gratitude to God that I announce my resignation as president of Bethlehem College and Seminary. It’s been a tremendous honor to serve this school for the last 16 years.
Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion.
Raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Disciple the nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey Jesus.
This is the way.
The Great Sort currently occurring in the church is between those who believe in the supremacy of Feelings & those who believe in the supremacy of God over feelings. As always, there are two sides who know what the fight is over, & a lot of folks in between still figuring it out
On Satire, Moods, and What We’re Known For: A Response to
@RevKevDeYoung
I’m grateful that Kevin raised many of the right issues, but I think his critique of the Moscow Mood misses the mark.
@AmReformer
I don’t normally post family stuff on Twitter, but I thought I’d make an exception for a great little story that some of you may enjoy. Anyone who knows me knows I love baseball. I coach both of my older sons here in the Twin Cities. This is a story about my oldest son’s team.
The Democratic Party is wholly committed to two wicked propositions:
1) We must be able to kill children for any reason at any stage of pregnancy before they are born.
2) We must be able to groom the souls and mutilate the bodies of children after they are born.
Republicans want a national ban on abortion—but if you give me two more Democratic senators and Democrats keep the House, I promise you we will codify Roe v. Wade.
When it comes to gendered language, these Christian leaders agree on three things: Everything is changing so fast. We’re figuring it out together. And we should give each other grace.
“When does equal protection of the laws attach to a human being?”
"I don't know."
"What is a woman?"
"I don't know."
Anthropology is the defining issue of the 21st century.
We began
#NQN
with Karen objecting to my claim that each of us is responsible for his (or her) own actions.
We end
#NQN
with Karen resolutely insisting that each of us is responsible for his (or her) own actions.
Don't tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor.
I was attacked more times than I can count by Rachel Held Evans (may she rest in peace). I’ve also been slandered by many over and over in this app. But it didn’t destroy my soul the way Rachel is being blamed today for doing to Doug Wilson. The only person responsible for Doug…
Former county clerk Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses in Kentucky to same-sex couples, must pay a total of $260,104 in fees and expenses to attorneys who represented one couple, according to a federal judge’s ruling.
Too many Christians have a little progressive in their head, judging everything they do and framing every issue. Break free from the progressive gaze, and seek to please Christ.
My latest
@WNGdotorg
Very true. And then, after Lewis runs that play on us (“You are the man!”), he does it again with Eustace two books later, but this time turned up to 11.
One of the the things that makes The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe so incredible is how successful Lewis is at making you hate Edmund. He’s repulsive. And then, through the sacrifice of Aslan, Lewis makes you realize that you actually are Edmund, and you always were.
Foot washing in the Bible: part of Christ commissioning humble Christian leaders.
Foot massage in the
@HeGetsUs
ad: part of reinforcing the woke hierarchy by identifying who is a special object of affirmation (and who isn’t).
“Pretending that marriage can exist between people of the same sex will send ripple effects of dysfunction and destruction in every direction, most of which are now unforeseen.” —John Piper, 2012
The invitation is open to
@ConceptualJames
to come for a visit to Moscow on our dime. We'd love to host a discussion with Doug about culture war, Christian Nationalism, "it's all an op," & whatever else James would like to warn everyone about. Just takes a DM to get it rolling.
🧵 A missing piece from this comparison: unlike Jesus’s day, today we are dealing with *Sexual Pharisees*—those who combine sexual immorality with high-handed pride and self-righteousness.
Some reflections as things become clearer in the aftermath of last week (apologies for the length). Obviously the situation is still in process and I've not looked at everything. But the following (at this point) seems to me to be the case:
When I see the bizarre reactions to
@RevKevDeYoung
's criticisms of French, Barr, DuMez, Kwon, all I can think is "It's Bulverism as far as the eye can see."
Yes, you should care for orphans, adopt children, & support mothers in crisis (and a thousand other good works).
But you must steadfastly resist the manipulation that demands you produce a laundry list of other good deeds before you’re allowed to advocate for the unborn.
Last night was unbelievably special. It was deeply humbling and encouraging to be surrounded by so many friends and partners in the gospel as I was installed as the 2nd President of Bethlehem College & Seminary. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing.
The
@RoomForNuance_
interview with
@douglaswils
and me.
We cover the waterfront: Federal Vision, the Moscow Mood, Ligon Duncan, the Embargo, mass communication, the sin of nuance (!), and more.
Have a listen:
“Who is building something better, more sustainable, and more rooted?”
Great question.
Who is building communities where glad-hearted worship is central, where godly men build and godly women glorify, and where swords are paired with shovels and not strippers?
#MoscowMood
I have my own critiques of this sort of thing, but I am similarly concerned by the sense of condescension and contempt expressed here on X towards attendees.
Driscoll et al tap into real spiritual hunger, loneliness, and masculine identity. The raw contempt for them and their…
How did Frankenstein end up on the podium accepting the gold medal for women’s swimming?… How did Frankenstein end up in the girls’ locker room, showering with your thirteen-year-old daughter? Because Medusa let him in.
So much good here:
The way that Dad plays his part
The way that Mom sets it up (a helper fit for him, indeed)
The way the brothers bond over their successful trap.
The family that plays together stays together.
Watching the video of George Floyd's last minutes, all I wanted to do was join the crowd pleading with the officers. "This man is a human being! He's made in God's image! For God's sake, get off his neck!" It didn't have to end that way. Come, Lord Jesus.
Me:
- Praises compassion as a virtue
- Warns about the cruelty of untethered empathy
- Condemns the wicked actions of an authority figure
- Raises the question of whether 18 year olds are responsible for their actions at all.
*Kaboom*
The Empathetic Mob never ceases to amaze.
I really would be interested to hear Begg defenders respond to this argument. The asymmetry in reaction and defense is obvious. No one would encourage a grandmother to attend her grandson’s KKK “hooding” (is that a thing?)
@drmoore
@gavinortlund
@samueld_james
NEW: hearing
@WinsomeSears
referred to
@pwcdanica
on the
@VASenate
floor as "sir."
Chamber has gone into recess twice after reportedly "Sears refused to apologize."
"I'm not here to upset anyone, I'm here to do the job the ppl of VA have called me to do."
#VALeg
In reading about the planned murder of Justice Kavanaugh, I'm struck that the man went thru all that planning, & then changed his mind at the last minute.
Then I think, "Many Christians have been praying for the safety of the justices since the leak."
SDG
Here
@MSNBC
helpfully makes it clear their disdain for Christians in America.
She says that if you believe that your rights come from God, you aren’t a Christian, you are a Christian nationalist.
Somehow they seem to not mention that our own founding documents make this…
3) 50 years of bloodguilt. It's very difficult to restrict abortion after having so many for so long; to do so would require deep repentance that far too few women (& men) are willing to do. They would have to look their evil in the eye & truly turn from it to Christ.
For many years,
@drmoore
was a professor at
@sbts
. I know many of his former students. I also know that Dr. Moore insisted that his students represent their opponents in a way that they would recognize. Golden Rule Hermeneutics: Treat authors the way you want to be treated.
Some personal news: on Monday I successfully defended my dissertation on Jonathan Edwards’s understanding of divine attributes. Grateful to God, my family, my supervisor
@mike_reeves
, and
@BCS_MN
for all of their support.
At the risk of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, I'll just say that I'd be happy to represent the classic Protestant/2K view of Christian Nationalism in a discussion with
@DavidBahnsen
&
@ostrachan
(or
@ScottAniol
) & the
@CrossPolitic
guys (or anyone else).
A reminder (and application) for Christians:
In Christ Jesus, neither vaccination nor unvaccination counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
All of Brian’s albums are excellent. I’m loving his most recent offering. It’s a feast of straight Bible. Make the psalms the soundtrack of your life.
#SingTheWholeCounselOfGod
Helpful article from
@AuronMacintyre
on the Managerial Regime, the administrative arm of the Subjectivist ideology.
“A person with an identity tied to nothing, not even their own biology, can be led to believe almost anything.”
It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you're trying to comprehend the celebration of Hamas's atrocities, look no further than the passion of empathy.
Empathy, when untethered from what is good, is myopic & selective. Empathy for the in-group demands hatred for the out-group.
@Brian_Sauve
@RevKevDeYoung
Thanks, Brian.
This whole situation reminds me of the lyrics of one of your songs:
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age.
Know what I mean?
@tompawnbadil
@Eric_Conn
People ask: why do folks go along with this? How did Frankenstein end up on the basketball court, injuring high school girls?
Answer: Medusa let him in.
Giant male in Kipp Academy in MA injured 3 girls during a girls basketball match. They ended the game early before he can hurt more girls.
Men beating up girls is celebrated by the Left in the name of inclusivity.
This isn’t inclusive. This is criminal.
A 🧵 on this.
The entire frame of the After Party is that you’re Exhausted by the drama and the angst.
“Trauma” from 2016 and 2020.
And now 2024 is here and you don’t want to be triggered again.
Curtis Chang says the purpose of "The After Party" is to take the "bullseye" off pastors by moving political teaching from the pulpit to small groups.
"If people get mad, they get mad at Curtis, Russell + David. They get less mad at you. You can have plausible deniability."
Progressives today will say in one breath: “We must stop Christian efforts to ban surrogacy!” and in the next breath, “Christians want to turn women into incubators!”
Like, do you not understand what surrogacy is?
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools…”
Just arrived. Four years ago, Justin Taylor asked if I'd consider writing this volume. I told him I wasn't sure I was the right guy. But he encouraged me to think about it, &, on this side of the project, I'm glad he did. I learned so much from Lewis in writing this book.
How am I spending the day after Election Day? Listening to
@JohnPiper
in chapel as he talks about his deep affection and love for Wayne Grudem, Al Mohler, Doug Wilson, Eric Metaxas, & John MacArthur, a love which flows from a deep saving faith in Jesus, who is the bread of life.
So, every time this sort of dustup happens in response to my interviews & writings on empathy, I find that it's a real opportunity *for me* to do a couple of things:
For years, I’ve been recommending Edwin Friedman’s Failure of Nerve as a leadership text. This course is my attempt to root Friedman’s insights in biblical soil, and apply it in the home, church, and world.
@megbasham
@DelanoSquires
It is remarkable that people will actually say, “If you won’t personally adopt five babies/support government healthcare/etc, then we should be able to kill the babies,” and still think that they’re the good guys.
In case you were wondering about the state of evangelical publishing, here is one of the featured titles from
@BakerAcademic
in their spring catalog.
"Eve Isn't Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend our Assumptions"
The book's webpage offers…
Pastors, don’t be like this.
Don’t run from the angst.
Don’t go weak in the knees.
Don’t hide behind the skirts of Moore, French, and Chang.
And certainly don’t outsource discipleship to the Demoralizers.
Instead, try this:
Curtis Chang says the purpose of "The After Party" is to take the "bullseye" off pastors by moving political teaching from the pulpit to small groups.
"If people get mad, they get mad at Curtis, Russell + David. They get less mad at you. You can have plausible deniability."
If I set the sun beside the moon,
& if I set the land beside the sea,
& if I set the flower beside the fruit
& if I set the town beside the country
& if I set the man beside the woman
I suppose some fool would talk
About one being better.
— GK Chesterton
#LetTheReaderUnderstand
My hope and prayer is that Jesus is magnified thru this transition. I believe God has much good in store for me and my family and for the Bethlehem community, as we all continue to abide in Christ, for apart from him we can do nothing.
I would just like to thank Bryan for *not* tagging me in this (accurate) quote from a recent interview. As a result, it is his mentions that are clogged with the defenders of Empathy (all rise), not mine.
The most empathetic leader in the Bible is Aaron at the golden calf. He took pity on a weary and traumatized people by giving them everything they wanted.
--Joe Rigney
Owen is actually correct here.
Christian women are fruitful vines, with olive shoots scattered around the table, PB&J smeared on their faces.
And Christian children are arrows in the hands of a warrior, shot like the black arrow of Bard, King of Dale, into the chest of Smaug.
Prepping for a modular course at Bethlehem College and Seminary. CS Lewis and the Dark Enchantment of Modernity. The Silver Chair, a bunch of essays, and the Ransom trilogy. The aim is to cultivate the faith of Puddleglum to face the thrumming, incense, and spells of the Witch.
Two weeks ago doctors discovered a mass in my sister-in-law’s brain. Stage 4 astrocytoma. She’s pregnant with their 3rd child. “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted thru the prayers of many.”
Yesterday I discovered that you can no longer get salad dressing with a burrito or bowl at Chipotle; you must purchase an actual salad.
My 11 yr old responded by saying, "I'll have a salad, hold the lettuce. And could you wrap it in a tortilla?"
I've never been so proud.
New idea: red state election officials removing all trans supporting politicians from the ballot based on “insurrection against Nature and Nature’s God.”
Gov. Mike DeWine had a golden opportunity to help stop the tr
@nsgender
insanity that is destroying a generation of children. It was on his desk. All he had to do was sign it.
Instead,
@GovMikeDeWine
vetoed it. He caved to pressure from activists.
Shameful.
Josh makes some great points in this thread about the 1-2 punch of CRT & Queer Theory, as well as the way that untethered empathy weakens an institution's immune system on these matters.
I'm seeing a lot of people on the right share this meme. While it may be a strong satirical response to those who get lost in nuance, it fundamentally fails to recognize why the left wants to talk to your kids about sexuality. Let's connect some dots. 🧵 1/23
One of my favorites. Like, I wish I had come up with it. I wish I had been in the room when it was unironically proposed. I wish I could have been there when the realization dawned that, “Wait, two of those don’t even click.”
Some things I learned today:
1) Some people will condemn all political violence.
2) Some people will condemn the other side’s political violence after excusing their own.
3) Some people will tepidly condemn certain political violence & then drop a rhetorical hammer on others.
1) It's an opportunity to obey Jesus by rejoicing when people slander and misrepresent you.
2) It's an opportunity to obey Jesus by praying for opponents and critics who willfully misrepresent you and attack strawman versions of your arguments.
I mean, I can think of one particular document in the conservative political tradition (a declaration even!) that holds certain truths to be self-evident.