The Perspectivalist

In the last episode, I argued that DeMar was playing with historical fire. His interest in re-considering the CREEDs carry far more repercussions than he may assume. To deny a physical, glorious Second Coming is to deny the very life of the Church in its liturgical and organizational form.

I do not believe that the issue is to ask the question, "What does the Bible say?" through the lens of interpretive neutrality. I believe the question deserves a bigger platform that includes the normative, situations, and existential, but more than that, the work of the Spirit in the Scriptures.

The question "What does the Bible Say?" assumes an interpretation of the priesthood of the believer. I believe Gary is assuming a papal interpretive perspective which sets a terrible precedent for future students to question the very core of redemptive history.

My hope is that DeMar would see the need to restore a proper perspective on reading the Bible and return to Luther's priesthood, which is a re-statement of the corpus of all biblical priesthood.

INTRO & OUTRO by George Reed

Andrew Sandlin and many others (myself included) sent an open letter to Gary Demar concerning his theological transitions. We posed a few straightforward questions for him to consider. Gary offered an initial podcast response today. 

In this episode, I begin by addressing the gravity of the matter and whether this is simply a topic for dialogue or whether this trespasses historical boundaries. While Gary Demar has done much good in his public ministry, we hope that these exchanges will draw him back to the biblical and historical position of the Church.

Resources:

An Open Letter to Gary Demar

A Statement on Unorthodox Eschatology

Five Ways the Second Coming Motivates our Obedience

Church music is generally relegated to some preference. We are at ease with musical segregation. After all, why would children appreciate great hymns? But does God ordain a certain kind of music for congregational worship that encompasses young and old? Should the Psalms saturate our worship or is it merely a matter of taste? What is Paul's wisdom for singing?

We discuss these questions in this episode.

Resources:

10 Reasons to Sing the Psalms

Singing Together: Bonhoeffer's Lessons to the Evangelical Church 

While there is a lot of debate on the recipients of baptism, what does the Bible say about the mode? Does the Old Testament play a role in shaping how we apply water? Is the case for immersion so clear that any alternative is irrelevant?

In this subscriber episode, I offer a vision for a mode of baptism rooted in the language of the Old and New Testament.

Resources:

Essay: 

The Biblical Mode of Baptism by Robert C. Harbach

The Mode of Baptism by Robert L. Reymond

Books: 

The Priesthood of the Plebs by Peter Leithart

The Meaning and Mode of Baptism by Jay Adams

This is the longest episode I have done so far! I wanted to offer an accessible episode focusing on the nature of Gnosticism and how it has crept into the Church today. The episode delves into its origin, its leader, Marcion, and the evangelical absorption of gnostic thought in worship and practice. I conclude the episode by discussing ways to rid ourselves of this monster.

Resources: 

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Creation in Six Days by James B. Jordan

Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism

What happens when you explore Mr. Collins' character in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice?" The answer is that you gain an accurate critique of high-churchism; a Collins syndrome that offers the epitome of boredom to those in attendance.

In this episode, I explore the nature of high-churchism and how to criticize your own people with a dose of mockery. 

"There is plenty to mock in the pastor-as-CEO business-tie combo. It conveys little seriousness and glory, but I think we should spend most of our time mocking the high-churchism of gay egalitarianism robed in white outwardly and spandex beneath."

Welcome to season 3!

I wanted to begin this season with an overview of crucial relational components that help us think more clearly about how spheres interact. Here are the first five:

a) Each sphere possesses distinct responsibilities and hierarchies (Church, Family, and State).

b) The Church is the headquarters since it is fundamentally Edenic in symbols and types.

c) Roles may overlap, but they should be fundamentally distinct.

d) The Church should speak into the civil sphere because she is the mouthpiece of the kingdom.

e) The Church cannot impose ordinary habits and rituals upon families outside her formal gathering.

Note: I will be in Monroe, LA speaking at the Christendom Lectures from January 9-11. Here is the registration link: https://redeemertwincities.org/christendom

Chapter three is perhaps the most succinct vision of biblical symbolism in TNE. In this chapter, James B. Jordan elaborates on the primary and secondary symbols of the Bible but then focuses attention on the three special symbols that God uses to communicate himself to his people. This is the rosetta stone of chapters on symbolism, and it's hard to grasp the rest of the book without this gem.

I offer my observations as a participant in the National Conservatism Conference in Miami, Fl. The #natcon was a considerable success primarily because of the Protestant conservative voices. This episode summarizes the three days of lectures and fellowship and is also a bit of a case for why such movements need to blossom. This is my subtle attempt to bring Moscow, ID, Theopolis, and #natcon together.

Resources:

Prayer at #natcon 2022 by Rev. Uriesou Brito

Ten Theses of Ecclesiastical Conservatism

TALKS AT NATCON:

Florida is a model for America by Gov. DeSantis

Your God Will Have Been Supplanted by an Idol by Dr. Al Mohler

The Tao in America: The Abolition of Man and the Culture War by Dr. Joe Rigney

How Pastors are Compromising the Gospel to Appease the Left by Megan Basham

A Christian Case for an 'America First' Government by William Wolfe

My 11-year-old son is a voracious reader. His community stirs him to absorb good literature and cherish good things. In some ways, I am still playing catch up with my reading world. But I am grateful that he carries a love of learning. In this episode, I asked him to start us off with a review of a massive biography of George Washington by the president of Westminster Theological Seminary, Peter Lillback. I hope his brief review offers enough of a sample of this great apologia for Washington's Christian beliefs.

We then delve rather quickly into the overview of chapter two of James B. Jordan's masterpiece, Through New Eyes. The second chapter focuses on man's role in creation, the role of creation in illuminating man in his role, and how to understand God properly in his creation.

I hope you will subscribe to these episodes and send your questions for our next subscriber's only episode.