This week Pastor Wilson address how conservatives and progressives think about equality. He also talks about J.C. Ryle’s wonderful book, “Holiness”, and Pastor Wilson finishes things off with a look at the word apalgeo. Happy plodding!

Show Notes:

Equality of Outcome:

• We all think that equality is a good thing, but we need to look at the context of the equality

• Conservatives want equality of opportunity, while Progressive’s want equality of outcome
• Conservatives want equality in the rules, while Progressives want equality of the scoreboard
• In order to keep everything perfectly equal, you would have to be God

Holiness:

• Written by J.C. Ryle

• Ryle is a master of clarity, and is a very straight forward writer
• In this book he presents the classic reformed understanding of sanctification
• Ryle shows what it is to grow in holiness and is an enormous help to Christians who want to be holy in God’s sight

Apalgeo:

• Means to be past feeling

• Only used once in the New Testament: Ephesians 4:19-20
• This refers to one whose conscience is seared, whose moral sensibilities have been deadened
• Guilt is a gift from God, without it we would destroy ourselves

This week Pastor Wilson talks about how we should think about tariffs. He also talks about Peter Leithart’s wonderful book, “From Silence to Song”, calling this small book a “treasure trove”. Pastor Wilson finishes things off with a look at the word apaideutos. Happy plodding!

Show Notes:

So What Do We Think About Tariffs:

• President Trump thinks tariffs are great and something we should be doing more of
• Trump is not levying tariffs, he is threatening to levy tariffs in order to get concessions
• Threatening tariffs can lead to an increase in free trade

From Silence to Song:

• Wonderful book written by Peter J. Leithart
• This book is about the tabernacle of David
• In the tabernacle of the wilderness there is no record of music being a part of worship
• But David introduces music into the equation
• Leithart also shows that the tabernacle of David was very attractive to Gentiles
• For those who love Biblical theology, this small book is a treasure trove

Apaideutos:

• Rendered as unlearned
• Found in 2 Tim. 2:23
• In Prufrock, T.S. Eliot warns us against “tedious arguments”
• The apostle Paul was aware of them also
• The servant of the Lord must not get dragged into stupid and unprofitable quarrels

This week Pastor Wilson talks about the problem with deepfake videos, especially in politics and criminal trials. He also talks about Corrie Ten Boom’s book, “The Hiding Place”, and his Mother’s friendship with Corrie Ten Boom herself. Pastor Wilson finishes things off with a look at the word anopheles. Happy plodding!

Show Notes:

Deepfake Videos and the Law:

• Deepfake videos are now coming into serious possibility, especially in politics and criminal trials
• Wilson believes that we ought not accept any kind of electronic evidence in a court of law without the burden of proof with regard to that evidence being shifted
• How are we supposed to know if the electronic evidence condemning someone was not tinkered with?

The Hiding Place:

• Written by Corrie Ten Boom
• Corrie Ten Boom was good friends with Pastor Wilson’s Mother

Anopheles:

• Rendered as unprofitable
• Used twice in the New Testament: Titus 3:9, Heb. 7:18
• This is unprofitable in the moral sense

This week Pastor Wilson talks about the glory of privilege, and how Christians should view our culture’s shaming of white privilege. He also talks about Laura Hillenbrand’s book, “Unbroken”, and his Father’s friendship with Louis Zamperini. Pastor Wilson finishes things off with a look at the word anupotaktos. Happy plodding!

Show Notes:

The Glory of Privilege:

• In this uneven world some people are born ahead and others behind
• In a secular framework this unevenness causes a problem
• God showers His kindness in unequal portions and there is no way to object without objecting to God’s way of doing things
• The issue is not whether certain people are privileged--of course they are. The issue is following the parable of the talents--what do they do with it.
• White privilege does exist, and it should be used to advance the Kingdom of God not advance the kingdom of white privilege

Unbroken:

• Written by Laura Hillenbrand
• This book is based on the story of Louis Zamperini
• Pastor Wilson’s father was friends with Louis Zamperini

Anupotaktos:

• Used four times in the New Testament
• One of the translations is rendered as disobedient (1 Tim. 1:9)
• Rendered twice as unruly in Titus 1 and once in Hebrews 2:8
• In other words, as Christ’s rule in this world is consolidated and made manifest, we will eventually see that nothing is disobedient

This week Pastor Wilson talks about what he thinks is the Biblical response to the immigration and refugee problem in America. He also talks about Theodore Dalrymple’s book, “Romancing Opiates”, and the greek word antichristos. Happy plodding!

Show Notes:

Immigration and Refugees:

• What is a biblical response to the problem of refugees?
• Americans have fallen under the assumption that the state cannot run out of resources
• We are assuming that the state is God
• People who want to accept every single refugee into the U.S. are forgetting that the state has limited resources

Romancing Opiates:

• Written by Theodore Dalrymple
• He argues that there is a mythology that surrounds the use of opiates in Western culture that goes back to the 1700s
• We have grown accustomed to thinking of drugged up artists in a romanticized way
• Anyone who works with down and outers should read this book

Antichristos:

• Rendered as antichrist
• Only used 4 times in the whole bible: 1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3 and 2 John 1:7
• The word antichrist is never used in Revelations
• A common understanding is to see The Antichrist and The Beast as the same thing
• In scripture, a beast is a civil ruler, persecuting the Church (like Nero, Hitler, Stalin…). An antichrist is a false teacher from within, one infected with all the latest ideational leprosy (a soft-spoken Anglican bishop for example).

This week Pastor Wilson talks about Mayor Pete Buttigieg saying “Your quarrel is with my creator” to Vice President Mike Pence. He also talks about Sal Paolantonio’s book, “How Football Explains Amercia”, and the greek word antilogia. Happy plodding!

Show Notes:

“Your Quarrel is with My Creator”:

• Mayor Pete Buttigieg recently made headlines attacking Mike Pence
• He said “Your quarrel is with my creator”, and he was appealing to natural law
• God is not only our creator but also our lawgiver
• Buttigieg is assuming he is unfallen

How Football Explains America:

• Written by Sal Paolantonio
• This book draws a connection between how Americans think about the world and how a football game operates
• Football is a manifest destiny game, it’s all about conquering the frontier
• There is some sort of deep connection between the mentality of a population and plays conducted on the field

Antilogia:

• Refers to contradiction and strife
• Found in Heb. 12:3, 6:16
• Also found once in Jude 11
• The true contradictor is the one who wants to contradict the truth

This week Pastor Wilson talks about lesser magistrates, C.S. Lewis’ book, “The Weight of Glory”, and the greek word antiloidoreo. Thanks for tuning in!

Show Notes:

Lesser Magistrates:

• The doctrine of the lesser magistrate is a doctrine that is very relevant in our day
• For example marijuana is allowed by the lesser magistrates and not the federal magistrates
• Conservative states that do not conform to the federal standard of abortion is another example
• Our reasons for asking the lesser magistrates to stand up to the bad guys should be grounded in scripture
• Book IV of Calvin’s Institutes addresses this problem with civil magistrates very well

The Weight of Glory:

• Written by C.S. Lewis
• Small collection of Lewis’ more famous essays
• This book is one to return to again and again
• Lewis sets the boundaries of what it is like to seek glory

Antiloidoreo:

• This word means to “revile again”, returning bile for bile, spite for spite
• Used in 1 Peter 2:23
• When someone else starts the sinning, the easiest thing in the world is to pay him back in his own coin
• But this is precisely what Jesus did not do