Next, after a thousand years of repose and silence in the Church, the third was developed (Soteriology) through the labors of Luther and Calvin, proclaiming salvation as by grace through faith, leaving the fourth, Ecclesiology, yet to be developed. Do not the providences . . . Continue reading →
Christ and Culture
Isbell On The Types Of Christian Nationalists
There are at least three types of Christian Nationalists: the highbrow Wolfeans (HW), the folk evangelicals (FE) who have always spoken vaguely of “takin’ this country back,” and the barely Christian, mostly charismatic/megachurch dominionist-NARcrowd (I’ll call them CMDs). The self-consciously protestant HW . . . Continue reading →
Trueman On The Temptation To Fuse Christianity With Pagan Power Religion
Some years ago I wrote a piece for First Things entitled “The Calvary Option.” It took its cue from the 2014 movie Calvary, which followed the last seven days in the life of a priest who knew that someone was planning to kill him. The . . . Continue reading →
Why Carl Trueman Is Not A Roman Catholic
Speaking at the Leonine Forum in D.C. recently, I was asked a friendly but pointed question: “Why are you not a Catholic?” The questioner noted that in my talk I had expressed a love for the early Church Fathers, admiration for Thomas . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 10)
How Lawsuits Work I am not a lawyer nor am I practicing law in this space. What follows should not be construed as legal advice but broadly there are two kinds of court cases: civil and criminal. The latter are tried by . . . Continue reading →
Trueman On Welby And Old Boy Networks
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, resigned on Tuesday after an investigation found he’d mishandled the John Smyth abuse scandal. The resignation is a shock but, for those aware of the story, not a surprise. One of the vices I developed as a . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 9)
So far in this series we have considered four ways that Christians can engage secular politics in our time, between the ascension and return of Christ: Prayer, Organize, Persuade, Legislate, and Litigate. Certainly the first point, prayer, cannot be controversial, since Scripture . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 8)
The fourth of our five points of Christian citizenship is Legislate. Last time we considered briefly what it means to legislate, i.e., to draft and pass a law, but how does it happen? How does one become a legislator and how does . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 7)
One of the great errors of the American Christian Nationalists is that they have given up on the American project before they have actually attempted the act of citizenship. They complain endlessly about the so-called “post-World War II consensus,” which they never . . . Continue reading →
Chilling Words From A Significant Figure Behind The Scenes Of The “New Right”
Most American Christians, whatever their views on Big Healthcare and corporate ethics, were stunned and disturbed by news that a health insurance CEO was gunned down on a Manhattan street yesterday. Why would Christians not be indifferent to—let alone support—such a thing? . . . Continue reading →
Trueman On Where Reformation Christians Go From Here
One thing remains true about twenty-first-century America, regardless of recent election results: the USA is a post-Christian culture and that is not going to change in the near future. Indeed, all the signs are that it will only become less sympathetic to . . . Continue reading →
The Failure Of The Antioch Declaration
We do not need to convince the Christian Nationalists that they have a problem with racism. Some of them have recently published a statement on this very issue. They call it The Antioch Declaration. Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 6)
I have been laboring over the middle rubric of the POPLL agenda, namely persuasion, because it is much neglected and yet central to Christian social engagement in a democratic republic like the USA. I am also laboring over it because it is . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 5)
In this part of the series, we are considering the art of persuasion—that is, convincing our neighbors of views and policies that are for the improvement of the body politic. In order to persuade our neighbors, Christians need to make three distinctions: . . . Continue reading →
Is All Of Life Worship?
The distinction between broad and narrow is very helpful here. Broadly considered, all of life may be said to be worship, but not narrowly considered. Continue reading →
Sport Catechizing And Virtue Formation: An Interview With John Miller And Darryl Hart
College Football is not only a huge sport; it is a colossal cultural phenomenon too. Even with its many flaws, it may have evolved into a virtue pedagogue of sorts. Its generational transmission of values may emulate an ancient method, with several . . . Continue reading →
No Longer Married To Coach Satan: Terry Saban As A Role Model For Pastor’s Wives
After Week 8 of ESPN’s College GameDay’s guest pickers, who would you expect to be leading in those standings? A pro-golfer, a country music star, a professional athlete, or the wife of the dark master? A future column will discuss how spiritual . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 4)
There are five points to the citizenship program for which I have been arguing. The third point is persuasion. Last time we looked at some of the challenges we face in persuading our neighbors to support policies and politics that, “under the . . . Continue reading →
Eric Metaxas Is Wrong
Not everything that Christians do belongs to the visible, institutional church. Christians are free to organize in a variety of ways to accomplish social ends but Christ, the Lord of the Church, has given the visible, institutional church a very specific mandate and becoming a political action committee is not part of the church’s portfolio. Continue reading →
Kuiper: Pentecost Ended Christian Nationalism
Although Pentecost was not the birthday of the Christian church, it does mark a most significant turning point in the history of the church. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church implemented the transition from nationalism to universalism. R. B. . . . Continue reading →