12 Brief Notes on the @RollingStone article.

1. I’ve cut my own hair since I was a junior in high school. Thanks for the compliment. Also, my jackets are not tailored. Maybe someday.

2. Unsurprisingly, you missed the distinction I made on “firewalls” between the church and state, and what it means that civil servants, through just law and enforcement “terrorize evildoers.” You wrote that I am a “...hardcore Christian nationalist who believes the government should ‘terrorize evildoers.’” and that, “I don’t see any firewalls that are provided to me by the scriptures.”

In that discussion and here, I articulate the Christian position that there is a distinction between the roles and tools of the church and those of the state.

The church bears the “sword of the Spirit,” namely, the Word of God (Eph 6:17) for conversion of heart, construction of holy living, and correction of sin.

Civil servants bear the sword of justice to protect innocent people’s God-given rights to life, liberty, and property, and inflict “God’s wrath upon wrongdoers.” In this way just law and punishment terrorize evildoers. This is simply Romans 13:1-4.

“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer” (Rom 13:3-4)

While there is a distinction between the roles and tools of the church and state, there is no firewall between God’s rule over the church and His rule over the state, because Christ is King over all by His essential rule as God and His mediatorial rule as God-Man.

All things were created by, for, and through Christ and He rules over all things “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Col 1:16).

rollingstone.com/politics/polit… 3. “Surveying American society, Deevers does not see a religious sphere and a secular sphere...” This is good. Thank you for including. As reported, “In Deevers’ view, civil society, apart from the influence of overt Christian doctrine, is not a neutral middle ground, but rather the realm of the devil, or what he calls ‘a serpentine theocracy.’”

4. “Deevers is operating in the open.” Yes. Like Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16)

5. You’re wrong here. Our message is not “woe be to any nonbelievers,” but come to Christ and know forgiveness of sins, eternal life in the fullness of joy. Also, Christians are offering to protect all people’s God-given rights with equal weights and measures for all. “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Prov 29:2).

6. “elder millennial vibes” Sounds cool.

7. Our nation is not a “democracy.” Never has been. We are “a republic, if we can keep it,” to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin.

An IVF/ART 🧵

The IVF and ART industry engages in overtly wicked practices. As reproductive technology moves further from God’s naturally provided means for creating life, we trudge deeper into morally murky waters after having passed through the piranha infestation. 🧵 As a society exchanges the ways of God for their own, they become “inventors of evil” and there are always consequences (Romans 1:30).

Here are a few:
(1) Discarding supernumerary embryos:

https://twitter.com/DustyDeevers/status/1682453256100892672?s=20

Vocation: A Lost Doctrine Desperate for Recovery

Where the Puritans were so vibrant, we have been inadequate.

Vocation answers questions about your life, its meaning, mission, and calling during this age as we extend the mediatorial rule of King Jesus.

1/5 Vocation/work is: the particular application of God’s providence in each person’s station in life.

In His ordinary providence, God works in the world, by His grace thru the Holy Spirit, thru human means, to glorify Himself, in extending the mediatorial rule of Christ...

2/5

Listen to this episode as soon as you’re able.

Too often, guys w/ charisma and rhetorical talent are positioned above their character & leadership qualifications resulting in incompetent leaders who utilize noticeable manipulator tactics.

7 TRAITS

1/6
fullprooftheology.buzzsprout.com/1249781/128598… Over-ranked, low-character, low-leadership quotient leaders are emasculate & manipulate w/:

1. Blame-projection/guilt-casting w/o specific evidence or actionables. You need to own your “failures” even if they cannot define them. “You know what you did and I won’t tell you.”

2/6

"Few Americans are willing to admit that there can be defect in our system of government or serious danger to its perpetuity. We glory in our Constitution and history, and enter with zest into the celebration of our national holiday. 1/8 "Let us not, however, be blinded by smoke nor defeaned by noise. A nation's safety is neither in its Constitution nor in its history, nor in the enthusiasm with which its people celebrate its anniversary. 2/8

There is an elephant in the room.

Today, @Christ_OverAll published two pieces on loving your neighbor, one by Dr. Stephen Wellum & another by @andrewtwalk.

Wellum adeptly dismantles the application of the Golden Rule to vax mandates. Walker’s is a Golden Rule overview.

1/10 Today, Wellum asks, "Was appealing to the love of neighbor to justify telling people to get vaxed and mask up not only imprudent, but also against the truth?" He answers in the affirmative and for endued moral culpability for Golden Rule violators.



2/10christoverall.com/article/concis…

1/5 Before the 1960s, “fertilization” and “conception” were synonymous terms defining the beginning of pregnancy. Fertilization occurs at the moment of egg-sperm membrane fusion and the formation of the one-celled embryo (zygote). From that moment and thereafter, the embryo… 2/5 …formed exhibits all the characteristics of a new, genetically distinct human organism.

Biologically and biblically speaking, life begins at fertilization/conception.

1/11 Today, Oklahoma Baptists at our annual meeting passed the following amendment to their resolution on RvW and pregnancy resource centers. My message presenting the amendment follows. 2/11 Amendment to Resolution 6: Add the following to the end: “Further, because life begins at fertilization/conception we call for legislation which both outlaws self-induced abortion through abortion pills and establishes due process and equal protection for all preborn lives.”

1/4 @IMB_SBC, thank you for posting. Here’s a snippet for others & then a few questions for you.

IMB’s updated policy from June ‘22, “Effective immediately, the COVID-19 vaccine is no longer required for IMB overseas personnel except in countries…

https://twitter.com/imb_sbc/status/1592551186166874113?s=46&t=yp7KKDYud0HvqsHZ22nUyQ

2/4 “…only accessible to fully vaccinated workers. Moreover, a vaccine requirement will no longer exist for any stateside personnel nor for visitors to the IMB’s learning center in the Richmond area.”

1/19 When considering IVF and so-called "ethical IVF," we must ask, "How does God define human life, and what does God command concerning their conception?”

ANSWER 1. God is the Creator, Possessor, and Ensouler of all life. Gen 4:1; 21:2; Isa 7:14; Eze 18:4; Psa 139:13-18 2/19 ANSWER 2. Each person is created in the image of God to His glory. Gen 1:27; 9:6; Rom 1:19-20; Matt 18:6; Col 1:16-19; Romans 11:36

ANSWER 3. Human life is a sacred gift from God. Gen 1:28, Psa 127:3-5; 139:13-16; Rom 2:15-16; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 1 Cor 4:5.

1/4 In 2020, in the UK, the reported embryo discard rate (murder of embryos) was 58%, transfer rate 42%. A reported 136,549 children/embryos were killed in the UK in 2020 via IVF. This does not take into account those frozen. davidalton.net/2022/11/14/del… 2/4 How does God's Word direct us to think about IVF? How does King Jesus, by Whom, through Whom, and for Whom all embryos exist,
command our attention and affections regarding IVF, and so-called "ethical IVF?"

Do you call yourself “Pro-life?” Understand, there is a significant and growing internal conflict among the self-described #Prolife. It is not going away. Some know this and have begun to try to confront it. There are at least three groups within the current Pro-life Movement. 1/ Let's briefly consider each Pro-life group. This is so important b/c this modern holocaust 10x's that of Hitler’s is ours to steward and legally abolish. Where do you stand? (1) ESTABLISHMENT or BIG PRO-LIFE; (2) CONFLICTED-CONSISTENT; & (3) BLURRY MIDDLE.
2/

Make no mistake, @BartBarber’s 2-day tweet-fury is less about me & more about a movement stirring a reformation. According to Barber, the ab0rt10n abolitionist movement now “represents one of the gravest threats to the work of the SBC” establishment.

https://twitter.com/bartbarber/status/1570377775030349827?s=21&t=LiW0nIz0NjUmNVowHYs6WQ

1/11 Abolitionism is a happy, salty, sola Scriptura, grassroots movement that has begun consequentially challenging the SBC status quo. If it were no threat, you would not see a slanderous, uninformed tirade against a small-town SBC pastor and abolitionism. 2/11

1/ 🧵Read it all. On 3/30/2016, Presidential Candidate Donald Trump told @MSNBC: "There has to be some form of punishment" for abortion. Big Pro-life pounced, proclaiming they have only ever treated an abortive woman as the second victim in abortion. google.com/amp/s/www.nyti… 2/ Jeanne Mancini (@jeannemfl), president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said, "No pro-lifer would ever want to punish a woman who has chosen abortion. This is against the very nature of what we are about." npr.org/2016/03/30/472…

1/20 A TALE OF TWO AMICUS BRIEFS

You need to know about two very important amicus briefs filed in the #DobbsvJackson case before #SCOTUS. When contrasted they are worth their weight in gold for a Presidential vote at #SBC2022. Let's consider: (1) @ERLC's and (2) Abolitionists'. 2/20 Let us contrast each brief on three points: (1) Filers or amici curiae (friends of the court); (2) List of authorities; and, (3) aims. Ask yourself, "Which amicus speaks for me?" For clarity, let's call them the RC/ERLC and FAA briefs.