Timon Time Again | Doug Wilson

[@MrAbsentmindedprof]

Just today I was working out where the kids I went to Sunday school with in my conservative (RPCNA) church have ended up. Out of 70 kids (from 22 families!) who are now young adults in the 21-36 age range, only SIX still go to church with their parents. A few of those are married to each other, so that's a decrease from 22 families with children in the previous generation to FOUR in the current! Without building more cohesion in our church communities, how are we supposed to implement a top-down solution? Once there are eggs to scramble, let's scramble 'em. But in the meantime, we have to figure out that sending kids to Caesar means you get Romans back, and sending kids to public school means you get apostates back.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Were the apostates homeschooled or public schooled?

[@lukedornon7799]

Out of curiosity, did you account for those that still go to church but not with their parents? Have any of them simply moved to another part of the country?

[@MrAbsentmindedprof]

A significant majority (not all) of the apostates were public-schooled. All of the remainers but one were homeschooled. The church was roughly evenly split between public, Christian, and home.

[@MrAbsentmindedprof]

@@lukedornon7799 I'm one of those. Out of the 70, about half have apostatized, and about 30 have remained in the church but left the congregation. Obviously, I think there are good reasons to end up elsewhere. Marriage, for instance. But losing half of your kids is intolerable, and shipping out 80% of the remaining half is untenable. Even if they're still in the church, the disruption in community presented is difficult to overstate.

[@merg-vh5sx]

​@@cosmictreason2242Their parents were hypocrites.

[@robertmize327]

Just a note to express my deep love and gratitude for Richard Sibbes book "The Bruised Reed". Thank you for your work, the comments , and the space to mention the disciple and the book.

[@brianseverson4570]

I just started reading this book

[@paulasueInChrist]

Thank you from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

[@possumhunter1179]

Well, the mixed bag situation between neopagans and christianization only means that you'll have a little more public support than Paul had whenever you're faced with having to proverbially exhort Felix. That only means that you still have to exhort Felix, come what may, just as Knox exhorted the queen. The downside is that Felix won't be hearing anything new to him this time, and he may retort something akin to, "Well, don't evangelize me. If you won't give me the respect of dealing with me in a secular way, then I'm not going to respect you!" Subsequently, you may find that Felix deals with you in a manner akin to how Herod dealt with John the Baptist. After all, Herod knew enough of the Old Testament. It wasn't new to him, either.

[@cristilaye5912]

Prophets must come,these days, more clever I suppose. When I step away,and return, thers doug, still speaking truth,reason coupled with a strong dose of logic. To that I say thanks. It brings me,and hopefully many " back". Back to truth. Thanks Doug. ITS a winding road. Compass kept at north up, head down and forward we will plow. Mind proceeds matter design and order and mind and prophets to us all.

[@cileford]

This man!💋⚔️🗣️🇺🇸🎯🕊‼️

[@BishopsOpening14]

Amazing Theology That Bites Back!

[@manager0175]

Always remember that Doug is a 5 point Calvinist. As such, he believes God has already chosen the "elect" for redemption, and the rest are condemned. So everything he has recommended, matters not to redemption. In fact, if his Calvinism is true, no Christian activity, nor inactivity for that matter, has any effect on who is redeemed, and who is condemned. So the question arises, why is Doug doing all this? What is his motivation?

[@ethanmulvihill7177]

@manager0175 This is false and exposes a bad understanding of Calvinism. God uses means ALL THE TIME, in fact, every time. The entire universe is a means to a purpose, and just because God has planned something that He is going to do in advance in no way damages the necessity to obey His word. One plants, another waters, God gives the increase.

[@manager0175]

@@ethanmulvihill7177 You said: " just because God has planned something that He is going to do in advance in no way damages the necessity to obey His word.". Of course it does, if Calvinism is true. If Calvinism is true, and God has already chosen the "elect" to be redeemed, and the rest condemned, what prevents me from concluding "God's will WILL be done, regardless of what I do, or do not do."? And from there concluding: "Since all Christian activity has no bearing on who is redeemed, and who is not redeemed, therefore, all Christian activity is meaningless and valueless."? What prevents me from this line of reasoning?

[@RachelNichols-writer]

How much political clout did the first century church have?

[@merg-vh5sx]

Excellent question. I think it took a few hundred years for Christianity to turn into a state political arm.

[@micahclouse]

He's not saying you cant make omlets with eggs. He's saying you cant make omlets without eggs.

[@MadRussian20]

Amen, let us squeeze the pliers ... 😅

[@person6768]

I don't think we are the majority. I don't think most people even know how to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. We need more catacism and logic classes. Everyone would do good to sit there kids down to an R.C. Sproul video once a week and dare I say they listen as well. Another helpful exercise would be going through the book of Romans and asking after each chapter what Paul was saying.

[@manager0175]

An interesting enterprise suggested. I contend there are plenty of logic classes and catechism classes available. The problem is we are no longer in an age where those teachings are relevant. We now know that logic breaks down, math breaks down, science breaks down, reason breaks down, and as a consequence, all of our "proofs", arguments, and evidence for God breaks down. Welcome to the post-modern, post-Christian world.

[@ethanmulvihill7177]

@manager0175 Sir I just saw you on another comment and you appear to be very confused about all this. If you haven't read it, I'd suggest the book called Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton. Ignore the Calvinism bits, he misunderstands it much like you do.

[@manager0175]

@@ethanmulvihill7177 If memory serves me, Chesterton was Roman Catholic. I am not.

[@dmustakasjr]

Im trying to find a theological position I do not share with DW. I think it is my Bahnsen inspired theonomy complete with penal sanctions. That is all.

[@curedbytheonomy]

Would you say, Theonomy is the cure? :) I would.

[@thewisceeeggg1624]

Amen

[@freddavis976]

Now I know exactly what to do tomorrow. Oh, wait, no, I don't. Why do only the liberals understand that you argue theology in the seminary and action in the pulpit?

[@joshuakarr-BibleMan]

I'd never heard of that. I hope it doesn't mean I'm earning a divinities degree at Comment Section College and Twitter U.

[@YSLRD]

Yes. I've tried to share Doug with my Christian, decently educated adult children. The consensus is ' sounds like a lawyer'. They are unwilling to run down the obscure roads. I end up tightening the message, then trying to pass it on.

[@truthseeker5179]

Perhaps the theology (learning about God and Who He is) would lead you to taking the corresponding actions in a way that are particular to your gifts and abilities. God gives many instructions in His Word. It seems to me that the clear takeaway is to evangelize and disciple those in your family and community, and help give power to those to govern as God would have men govern. Additionally, Mr. Wilson presented the names of those who discuss this in more detail to the tune of thousands of pages. Take note of those he named, find their publications, books, and sermons, and then proceed with learning what should be done and the theology behind it. A 10 minute video is hardly the place to learn all that we need to do to obey God to the fullest. At this point, one thing that differentiates liberals from others is that liberals are baited with low-intellect, highly-emotive action-items that amount to little more than pointing at something you hate, calling it bad, and pointing people towards burning it and all of society around it down. Sure, in times past, the liberals strategically wove in their ideologies into every fabric of society (education, media, corporations, etc...), and once they converted the worldview of the culture, they took the seats of power and used that power to further cement their worldview in those areas. Go and do likewise. You have unique strengths, skills, knowledge, and opportunities. Reflect on what opportunities are available to you, and do the things that God tells all believers to do with such opportunities. The actions you exactly take might look a little different than the ones Doug is exactly taking and that I am exactly taking, but you may be surprised at the impact you have on those around you if you acted with confident, deliberate purpose towards a Godly goal to help those around you. One thing that we shouldn't do is pursue a "Christian America" with the intent of making it easy for us to do nothing. I hope this helps.

[@DavidMoore-bl7gb]

I concur.

[@tomhitchcock8195]

What about graphic comics Bible versions?

[@aallen5256]

They'd definitely be banned in school libraries because of the 200 foreskins, et al.

[@stegokitty]

I'm thinking the only right way that Jesus can really be portrayed in artwork of any kind is by not showing his face. And most likely he should be wearing a turban.

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@stegokitty no cause that's not what they wore

[@stegokitty]

@@cosmictreason2242 Um, they most certainly did wear turbans. Here's just one example from the Scriptures, which occurred before Christ was born: "They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat." (Ezekiel 44:18)

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@stegokitty literally the priests, which Jesus was not one of

[@shanpastaflocka]

Algorithm boosting comment

[@virtualpilgrim8645]

Viewing politics through the lens of race and ethnicity has far more explanatory power than viewing politics through the lens of ideology

[@aallen5256]

The lens of race doesn't contain any explanatory power, unless you're including a Marxist reading of historic and current oppressive structures, both economic and social. Without the latter, please explain why different ethnicities generally vote as they do

[@virtualpilgrim8645]

@@aallen5256 "In multiracial societies, you don't vote in accordance with your economic interests and social interests, you vote in accordance with race and religion." -- Lee Kuan Yew, founder of modern Singapore

[@aallen5256]

@@virtualpilgrim8645 Come on! We've discussed this exact quote from LKY before - you know that it misrepresents his views on multiculturalism, of which he said in 1965, on the day Singapore became independent, our country is "not a Malay nation, not a Chinese nation, not an Indian nation. Everybody will have a place in Singapore."

[@virtualpilgrim8645]

@@aallen5256 Singapore is a notoriously authoritarian government. There is an inverse relationship between liberty and diversity. The United States Has become a surveillance state since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. All this happy talk about linking arms with different races is a myth. So called unity is forced upon people at the end of a gun.

[@aallen5256]

@@virtualpilgrim8645 aren't the most notoriously authoritarian governments those nationalistic ones in China and Russia, which operate policies of homogeny, like the One-China policy, evident in their treatment of the Uyghurs? Remember, we discussed the myth you're operating under - it involves confusing enjoying your childhood with enjoying being around mostly white people.

[@interestedmeow]

The formidable enemies the reformers were fighting were functionally indistinguishable from Christendom. They were in fact Christendom. They possessed all the levers of both political and spiritual power and did so LITERALLY in Christ’s name. They had achieved what Doug claims Christ commands in Matt 28. Yet the reformers tore that order down, flipped it over and lit it on fire. In the name of Christ. To this day, both claim the other is heretical and lost in their sins. This is what happens when Christian’s gain the levers of control the postmils want to grab. Not what CAN happen, what DOES happen and manifestly so. The postmil Christendom Doug + Co are imagining and stumping for will become the greatest enemy of Christ yet known on the face of the earth. And it will do so all the while believing it is giving glory to God with the blood of ‘heretics’ on its boots. There’s a reason Christ sits physically on a throne on Earth when he comes to rule in finality. Because anyone else trying to sit on it, or worse yet a group of people trying to sit on it for him, only ends up killing those who are his saints. History is not on your side Doug.

[@umaikakudo]

The worst actions of Christendom were still far better than the darkness of the 20th century totalitarian atheist regimes and the Ottoman empire, which is the barrel of the gun the church is starring down again, except with far better technology to make a Stasi 2.0. Families, churches, denominations, and governments will never be perfect, but to give up on bringing the gospel of the kingdom to any part of human society is being a faithless servant that will get the rebuke of the servant that hid his talents. We are the only theology that has the warning and means not to turn the church and state into pharisaical hypocritical tyrants. Should the church fail in the duty of the great commission due to retreatist Benedict option pietisim, you or your children will be tortured in some atheist gulag or beheaded in the global Jihad. They know they are playing for all the marbles, yet most Christians have been deceived by Age of Reason dualism to think you can serve two masters and have two kingdoms. Colossians 1 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Christ is already sitting on the throne with all authority while the Spirit is actively working to implement his crown and covenant to make all things new since the ascension. He doesn't need to rebuild any temple or sit on a chair in Jerusalem when he has been reigning at the right hand of the Father for the last two millennia.

[@skylinefever]

Indeed. Doug makes me think of the parents who ended up raising reddit atheists.

[@theeternalsbeliever1779]

The Reformers weren't Christian, so whatever mandate you think they had received from Christ to take over politics is based on pure delusion. Christ is NEVER seen telling any of His followers to participate Satan's system, and to argue that He did reveals either wholesale dishonesty or wholesale ignorance. The Reformers doing something in Christ's name doesn't mean He commanded it to be done.

[@stegokitty]

Wow, misrepresent much? Apparently you don't give a hoot about the ninth commandment. I would suggest you actually do a bit of reading before opening your face and making a (further) fool of yourself. There was never any sort of unity in the church of Rome, and that very institute is that which has the blood of the martyrs/heretics on it's boots. Your crass ignorance of the long game of Postmillennialism is quite evident as well.

[@manager0175]

You said: "Yet the reformers tore that order down, flipped it over and lit it on fire. In the name of Christ. ". I agree. However, the reformers also gave us the 30 years war. Which was millions upon millions of Christians killing each other.

[@EarlSimmons-f2n]

*frrrrrrrrt* cope harder

[@mattford9884]

What do you mean?

[@ithurtsbecauseitstrue]

@@mattford9884zoomer-speak for “I disagree, but dont know why, so I have nothing to say - but I desperately need to pretend you are somehow the lesser person for having actual ideas and for articulating actual reasons for them… otherwise my whining disagreement might seem like the childish immaturity that it is. So I will claim you are ‘coping’ to cover for my diaper-rash discomfort.”