Superimpose the fire?

I give it a 5 Stars. Really enjoy these podcasts - they are very interesting, educational and fun to listen to. The topics addressed are many of the same questions I have . Thank you for helping me develop and grow in my faith journey. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

I give it 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I'm learning a lot from listening to your podcasts.

Jesus is King. Jesus commanded His followers to disciple the nations. That means preaching Christ to politicians unapologetically and Christian politicians governing according to God's Word.... unapologetically. Christ is King. And a society will have Christ or demons at its center.

If you’re not talking about Scottish liberal enlightenment you’re misleading people. CN is an ideology meant to take dupes to fascism.

Was Jesus a Christian nationalist? He would not have explained the concept if you’d sat down and spent a whole day trying 😂 Nationalism and the idea of the state as an ethnic and cultural orthodoxy is two centuries old.

So informative thank you for sharing . I have enjoyed listening to all of the podcast over the years.❤

Jeesh, talk about generational trauma! Indoctrinate much? I’m just messin’. But it is truly amazing how strong that sh** is. Former Christian here, in my 40s now…yet it was only just five years ago that it occurred to me: if I was born to a different set of parents in another part of the world, like Turkey, with high certainty I can say: I would NOT be Christian. How could I go so long without discovering that?? Indoctrinating your kids works because of how early it begins and the significance of the person doing it. This would suggest to me that the reason religion is or is not a major part of our lives has little to do with our individual choice. And when a faith doesn’t ever encourage ‘questioning’ that faith is not our choosing; rather, it happens to us. Which just begs the question: how much inherent credibility can Christianity possibly have?

Karl Marx took his ideas from the Book of Acts. From each according to their means, to each according to their needs ;-)

Kudos to Dave, as even in a short amount of time researching and attempting to grapple with the text of Marx, a good base of understanding was achieved. Marx's great contribution to political theory was understanding the movement of capital, and extracted value. Workers produce a good or service at a higher value than what they are paid hence businesses make a profit. What is to be done with that profit is the key question. In capitalism, that gets pocketed by in large by a tiny slice of the population. A socialist/worker's collective approach to that, would give the workers the decision making. Either they could work less or pay themselves more or fund other projects/make capital improvements. Also, Jeff is completely wrong about capitalism raising the poverty levels globally. If you look at that incredibly weird statistic that the World Bank created, its China that contributed the most to raising people out of poverty, since naturally the state capitalist system will help more people than capitalism. By in large Jeff needs to read more of what Dave was looking into, its impossible for older generations to look at Marxism impartially, since it was so heavily propagandized against. To be a true student of history I recommend reading "The Dawn of Everything" by Dave Graeber. And by in large, reading a lot more liberation theologists that came out of South America.

No, he wasn’t even a Christian!

I think the question is who was the real Jesus? How was he as a person in his time? Was he how most Christians describe him from what they learned growing up or is the answer more nuanced and complicated? We only seem to know him from the Bible (mainly) or other sources but the fact remains is that none of us today know with 100% certainty. People just think they know but it's all wrapped up in a long history with different opinions and guess work. Maybe he was just a spiritually enlightened person who just tried to help people discover their own inner-light and self-confidence. Maybe things about him have been so misunderstood for years that we actually know jack shit about him. And Christians seem to think they got the right story on him. I think he would be absolutely appalled, horrified and disgusted at the thought of people killing in his name.

Jesus is God. Christians follow Jesus the Christ. We work to make the invisible kingdom reality. In the United States of America we vote to make this a more Christian nation. Everyone benefits from a more Christian America.

If we're to be really honest about the founding of the United States, due deference must be given to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) for a great deal of structural and procedural methods in our Constitution. Both George Washington and Ben Franklin were thoroughly familiar with it and knew the first "united" American nation was indigenous. Of course it's hard to admit to this as the Iroquois Confederacy has no Christian influence behind it. Jesus was not a prescriptive government Advisor, but He did lay out the values that should accompany all our dealings. Unfortunately I don't think most Christian Nationalist narratives promote the "meek" inheriting the Earth.

Christian Nationalism is Old covenant thinking with the facade of Christianity. Its not biblical christianity. Its the idea of a christian safe space on earth, when the Lord himself said this world is not our home.

So called "christian Nationalism" is nothing more than a glorified word for Theocracy, and no, Jesus wasn't in favor of that, as the home and the nation of His followers, and Gods kingdom itself, are not from this world. Some numbnuts have already tried this "christian Nationalism" since the middle ages, and tried to justify their absolute monarchism with it... which lead to enlightenment and to the philosophers and thinkers like John Locke.

Jesus was Jewish. A Jewish Rabbi, no less.

I like this guy

Great discussion guys! However, there are many more nuances to the conversation. You would be remiss to think of the framework of the foundation of our nation in anything other than Christianity. In fact, the major drivers in the separation of church and state was the abolishment of a singular state-sanctioned church, like English rule had in the Church of England. Religious freedom was idealized as the freedom to practice any denomination of Christianity, namely Catholicism, Baptism, etc., many of the followers of which were discriminated against in early America. The United States were founded on Christian values, as evidenced by the writings of our founding fathers (see below). Further, the majority of states even required religious oaths and/or a belief in God to hold public office (the most recent of which was South Carolina, which revised its law in 1997). John Adams- 2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence: "The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their address, or by me in my answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty... "Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System." Thomas Jefferson- 3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever..." John Hancock- 1st Signer of the Declaration of Independence: "Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. ... Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us." James Madison- 4th U.S. President: "A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest while we are building ideal monuments of Renown and Bliss here we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven." John Quincy Adams- 6th U.S. President: "The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made 'bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God' (Isaiah 52:10)." The list goes on…The first Thanksgiving, signed into law by George Washington on October 3, 1789 was as a national day of prayer and thanksgiving to the Christian God, “that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”

Perhaps blind and unquestioned patriotism is one of US-America's most substantial historical flaws. By the way, if it wasn't for the France saving your asses in the revolutionary war, the US would be singing "God Save The Queen" today.

Jesus wasn't even a christian.

Acts 4:34 says that “there was not a needy person among them” due to distribution of the proceeds of the sale of houses and land. Now, as stated above, we don’t know how long this arrangement continued. However, by the end of the eleventh chapter, there were certainly many needy believers, many who lacked. In fact the church in Judea had become so impoverished due to a worldwide famine that the Christians in Antioch took a collection to help them.

Thank for you addressing such an important topic. Benjamin Cremer (into the grey) does a great dissection of nationalism in his weekly newsletter as well. That said: On why people support it: I think it’s accurate to say some portion of its proponents are reacting to a culture they no longer recognize or desire. That said, I think supporting a concept whereby Christianity is ‘installed’ across society essentially represents a level of ~fascism that while they may not overtly support, actually do. And while they don’t want to associate with “white” Christian nationalist, supporting CN to get back to the ‘good times’ would likely be times that were disproportionally more supportive of white people over other races. So while the pain the feel is valid, supporting CN feels extremely dangerous and would hope they reconsider their stance in that they can support Christianity without trying to strip away parts of the constitution or progress made around race. On whats the alternative: I suspect anyone against christian nationalism can still be followers of Christianity and supporters of democracy. I would think that is the default ‘status quo’ position is that. That said, democracy is extremely messy. People against Christian Nationalism but feel the deterioration of society should find ways to ‘be the change you want to see in the world’ and explore leadership roles in their own community. Find ways to influence locally (or digitally). Be a mentor, be a big brother/sister, volunteer at church. Lead small groups. Hone speaking skills to present to audiences. By pushing outwards and blaming the government, they are actually a symptom of the problem and not the solution. I also struggle to not view CN as a threat (both to Christianity as a whole as well as our government) when there are initiatives like Project 2025 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 . I think dismissing this aspect or movement within CN is sidestepping what makes it dangerous

I would like to say that people are evil and out to get each other is a very central thought in CN. The concept that morality comes from a christain god is problematic as it implies all others have no morality. Places where Christianity had not spread were no less civilized than any other place, it may be more technologically advanced, but that does not equate to morality or civility. The protection is of rights not becuse people want to do others harm. It you can take a second to look at that view point you can see how CN is very dangerous and assigning "Christian" to valuse (being any values) makes them problimatic. So i dont see removing the word christian or bible versus fro. Things an attack on Christianity. I think that it is accessibilty for this place that people used to call the melting pot when i was i kid.

Well the thumbnail is dumb as Jesus wasn’t even a Christian.

Please study Rodger williams he fought the puritans to create a secular america after the witch burnings

Praise Odin.

Christian Nationalism IS dangerous. Christian Nationalism is NOT good in any way, shape or form.

Marxism is confiscation of wealth, property and division of family. Goes against ten commandments so unless jesus hated his own religion I doubt it. What I dont understand is why people can't put their hands in their own pockets to help people. The greed in this world makes me sick. Seems to me like the ones with the money are only interested in getting power.

This was the most good faith reading I’ve ever heard a Christian make of Marxism/communism. It’s very impressive work you guys are doing. Teeny tiny thing: the whole power of the state thing is more of what we see in implementations of Marxism in the Soviet Union and China. Marx had envisioned a dictatorship of the proletariat, or basically a collective uprising of workers to seize the means of production and run society. The Soviets justified this pretty large difference by saying Russian peasants were too uneducated in Marxist theory to do Marxism as it was originally intended so it was up to the intellectuals to do the proletariat’s job. China largely copied this model with Maoism so some have argued the statist way isn’t actually Marxism and it is worth noting that each of the other -isms have the names of leaders who basically kept the language of Marx but took a lot of liberties with the original concept.

Marx was a critic of capitalism. Capitalism did not exist therefor no one was a Marxist before capitalism. Jesus was a communist who lived communally with his disciples and all chipped in. Marx won't exist for nearly 2 thousand years and the notion that humans living communally in small mostly related enclaves for 99 percent of our existence has nothing to do with Karl Marx.

I remember once watching a bowl of porridge cool, the top layer changing colour and hardening. That was pretty exciting, comparitively.

One of the worst things of 2020 was the start of nationwide protests and destruction, with no police action. Over t he last couple years it has become worse, threatening.

I like the new studio. Can’t wait to visit again this Sunday!

Thanks for having this clear, understanding conversation about communism!

My favorite shirt to wear to mass is "Jesus was a Communist"

I also heard the Statue of Liberty at Convention-it was so moving to be there and I will never forget it! (I'm one of the Sheridan girls and just a little older than you.) It remains one of my favorite patriotic songs. I also enjoy your podcasts--the multi-generational perspectives are so good--keep sharing.

Vietnam is communist, Jesus was a communist, if you actually look at history it's been infighting and foreign interference that has undermined it's successes. Many Christian commune style communities exist across the globe and live a life of service and sharing, like Jesus and like Communism intends. Mennonite and Amish communities along with lesser known sects use the same concepts Marx advocated for. China has lifted billions out of poverty. Capitalists have started just about every war in the last 100 years, not communists. -sociologist trying to give this a fair shake

Great discussion, guys! The CN label will be the straw man thrown around during the election, but you have faithfully dissected “the animal” for the rest of us to give reasoned responses to those who may caricaturize Christianity and the Bible. Thank you!

Capitalists have profited mightily because of that "in God We Trust" on our currency. I think "Christian Nationalism" is part of a commodification of culture and religion. Godless communism versus God's chosen capitalism. The 1980s positioned capitalists as the good guys top to bottom in culture. They knew what they were doing with that bit of propaganda. Jesus wasn't a capitalist and would have been horrified by our system. He wouldn't even get on the news these days, that's how they stifle movements now.

What an utterly idiotic and blasphemous title. Jesus can't be a Christian because He is the Christ-get it? By definition, a Christian is someone who follows Christ. We worship Him. I didn’t bother watching this discussion, but judging by the title alone, I can only imagine how ridiculous it must have been. It’s clear these guys aren’t deep thinkers. The title is not just misguided; it’s downright disrespectful.

Render unto Caesar. No. Christian Nationalism is a perversion of the religion. Not that it matters to Christians, what denomination isn't one at this point?

Christian Nationalism is just Nazi-Lite. Sad thing is, it's based on a fictional character named Jesus.

As a former Christian turned atheist I am still interested the sociology of religion, how religions influence and are influenced by societies. I appreciate the objective and thoughtful tone of this video and the respect shown to different views. One of my many problems with CN is that I do not see a respect for pluralism within it. I see a lot of intolerance and authoritarian practices actually. The rise of this group is deeply concerning to me. Though an atheist I _do_ believe in freedom of religion and am a big fan of live and let live.

Two of the many reasons CN is wrong or bad: It goes against Biblical principles John 18:36, Matthew 22:21, Mark12:17, 2 chronicles 20:15, etc. God gives everyone the freeway to choose to serve him or not so making his principles a prerequisite to becoming an American is taking that freeway away. The Second reason is CN makes sin a crime so what is the difference between CN and Radical Islam/Isis? When the Bible or Christian principles become the law of the land, it makes breaking the law a crime. The founding fathers did not separate church and state, Jesus did. Our God is omniscient so he will never give that authority to politicians.

Thank you so much for addressing this issue.

In my observation of thousands of KZbin posts, that Christian Nationalism springs from a lack of understanding of what it means to live a Christian life. If you take a poll asking "what is your purpose in life", most Christians will answer exactly as nonbelievers, basically to be a good person, to give back to the community, etc. The great majority of Christians don't know their purpose in life and it has left them vulnerable to charismatic leaders who tell them they will find their purpose in fighting and hating. The MAGA Christian response to the attempted assassination was "fight, fight, fight" when it should have been "forgive, forgive, forgive".

Excellent podcast!! Learned so much!!!

That is so good Pastor Jeff! That really hit me as a reminder!

I would LOVE to see the baptism of the Holy Spirit built into each worship experience! I always felt that when it was offered and then the group was taken away to receive the teaching and actual baptism, it felt very mysterious and I wanted to know what was being said…even though I am baptized in the Holy Spirit.