PPT Series: Blogger Tim Challies; An Archetype of Protestant Deception
Recently, Andy Young, a co-author here at PPT, brought this article to my attention written by Reformed blogger Tim Challies in 2014. This article is a paramount example of Protestant doublespeak and its progressive justification false gospel.
In the following weeks, we are going to drill down on this article and unpack it from several different angles. Susan and I have decided to finish our series on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Blog Talk Radio) by including the topic in our upcoming childrearing series. We have already done an introduction to this new Challies series here on Blog Talk, and the transcript of the program will be available soon. It is our Understanding that Andy will be writing six articles on the Challies post as well.
Protestantism and ISIS Light
A light version of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria would probably gain little more acceptance than ISIS Lager among most people. Of course, Protestants get a total pass on who they really are while preventing such a pass for other religions. I will give you a thousand bucks for every time you have heard a Protestant say, “Well, not every Buddhist believes what Buddha believed—the fact that he/she is a Buddhist should not automatically disqualify him/her for church membership.” Ya, right. Trust me, I will not be paying.
True, one reason Protestants get a pass on who they really are is because most Protestants don’t even know what a Protestant is. Many people understand Protestantism based on what Protestants tell them which is really, really bad information. In fact, Protestant icons like John MacArthur Jr. don’t even know what a Protestant is. Those of the present-day Neo-Protestant resurgence identify themselves by picking and choosing their identity selectively from Reformation orthodoxy. Yes, yes, the hallowed documents of Reformed orthodoxy; yet, they pick and choose what they want from these documents and pretend the rest is not there. It’s selective proof texting of doctrine and the rewriting of church history.
But when it gets right down to it, tyranny is tyranny. Collectivism is collectivism. And, zero sum life is zero sum life. Indeed, many, many parallels can be drawn between ISIS and Protestantism, but this post is about one. Let’s talk about child brides, arranged marriages, and the idea that the patriarch of a family, viz, the father, retains authority over the children indefinitely based on the 5th commandment, “Honor your father and Mother.” But of course, per everyday Protestantism, “honor” really means “obey daddy.” Right. In all cases, Webster’s Dictionary is only correct if your local Reformed elder says it is. Always vet the meaning of words with your Reformed philosopher king lest you be brought down to hell.
Here are the facts: the Puritans and all of their wacky superstitions, those of the Patriarchy movement, and many more tyrannical groups, are all part of the Reformed tradition and in most cases good ole’ fashioned Calvinists. One stands dumbfounded in considering how the evangelical industrial complex gets away with picking and choosing how they want to be identified from the same body of Mein Kompf-like documents. Certainly this gargantuan scam depends on the fact that most Protestants have never read the founding documents of the Reformation. Certainly, most Calvinists have never read the Calvin Institutes. And likewise, most Germans never read Mein Kompf. I have continually challenged notable Calvinists to come on our radio program and simply comment on readings from the Calvin Institutes. They won’t do it because they know what is in there is a huuuuge problem, or else they know they have never read it while proclaiming to be an authority on Calvinism which speaks to a dilemma that needs little explanation.
So let’s discuss ISIS stuff like child brides and arranged marriages, and patriarchal authority over emancipated children; also Protestant stuff.
A Christian retreat for Quiverfull fathers to marry off their teen daughters has been cancelled after Raw Story readers expressed concerns that the event constitutes human trafficking and contacted the Salvation Army which owns the campground where that retreat was scheduled to be held in Wichita.
Quiverfull patriarch, Vaughn Ohlman, organized a “Get Them Married” retreat for the purpose of providing a weekend where ultra-conservative Christian fathers could network with like-minded families “(and their unmarried young men and women) who are committed to young, fruitful marriage and to help them overcome the barriers which have kept their children unmarried.”
The Raw Story article sparked outrage among readers and many were moved to action, demanding that authorities be notified in order to protect the children who were slated to be married off young for the purpose of procreating lots of babies for Jesus.
Readers discovered that Camp Hiawatha, where the retreat was planned to be held, is owned by the Salvation Army. I contacted a good friend who is a officer at the Salvation Army’s training school in Chicago, and she responded right away to let me know the Wichita corps has already denied access to Ohlman’s group for what would have amounted to a child trafficking “retreat.”
The Salvation Army responded by denying access to the group which is linked to the Duggar cartel. Also, the Quiverfull group has since cancelled the “retreat.” What is interesting is the group’s defense for what they believe right out of the Calvin Institutes. If you go to their website, and this page here, you find an exhaustive argument for their positions, particularly authority over emancipated children, from the writings of John Calvin and other Reformers.
Just saying, the Patriarchy movement is predominantly Reformed and Calvinistic, but mainline Protestants can distance themselves by labeling fruit from the same tree, “ultra conservative.” Listen, the idea that Protestant denominationalism is divisive is a misconception; it actually puts Protestantism in a position of plausible deniability that prevents them from being accountable for anything. The tree can keep growing bigger and bigger while evil fruit is deemed as, “secondary issues.” While the fundamental principles of tyranny march forward, cover is provided for its unlimited evil fruit via “secondary issues” nomenclature. Protestant temples teach whatever serves to control the parishioners while answering objections via “Well, not all of the elders agree on that point.”
Again, everything other-than Protestant is not afforded the same standard by any stretch of the imagination. Mainline Protestant icons can support any group that shares their Reformed goal of ruling over the whole world while claiming denominational differences when such groups get caught with both hands in the cookie jar.
This is why Protestantism gets a pass on everything while bemoaning the unfortunate reality of denominationalism which is wholly disingenuous complaint. In this case (and Protestantism has the market cornered on this), every tree is known by its fruit except Protestantism. Yet, its uncanny similarities to other groups who share the same principles of tyranny are undeniable.
That’s because all come from the same tree with roots grounded in social caste and the authority of men rather than truth.
paul
Christian Living Series Program 16 on Blog Talk Radio
Program 16 of the Christian living series. Due to technical problems the program has been rescheduled for Sunday 5/8/2016 @ 7:30am. NEW LIVE LINK: Sunday, 5/8/2016 @ 7:30am. What’s new at TANC and PPT? …
Source: Christian Living Series Program 16 on Blog Talk Radio
Christian Living Series Program 16 on Blog Talk Radio
Program 16 of the Christian living series.
Due to technical problems the program has been rescheduled for Sunday 5/8/2016 @ 7:30am.
NEW LIVE LINK: Sunday, 5/8/2016 @ 7:30am.
What’s new at TANC and PPT? And, discussion and application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
A Christian Elitist Is In The News Again And It’s Not About Love
The “Christian” elite rarely make headlines for anything good. They either get caught with both hands in the cookie jar or say something stupid. Last week, it was the latter via the mouth of Christian elitist Kirk Cameron. Apparently, this is what caused the uproar: “Wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband’s lead, not to tell a husband how he ought to be a better husband.”
Let me propose something. At best, being your wife’s master is a matter of Christian liberty. You can cite Bible verses that make you the master of the house, and your wife may buy into it, but men are never specifically commanded in the Bible to be the lords of their household. Furthermore, if you live in Saudi Arabia or a place like that, that endeavor works really well, but in America, not so much. In America, if your wife chooses to disobey you, there is really nothing you can do about it other than divorce her or other courses of action that are against the law. For example, you grab your wife by the arm and squeeze too hard—you’re going to jail. And frankly, that’s the way it should be. And wife spanking? I know a guy who went to jail for that, and again, rightfully so.
A pity the Holy Spirit didn’t see America coming; now everything is in cultural confusion. So, when you go to the Protestant temple on Sunday to get more salvation and hear a sermon about the lordship of husbands, and your wife ends up in the isle rolling on the floor laughing (ROFL), what to do?
Let’s interpret Scripture with a big picture and in context. First of all, we must be careful because the essence of sin, according to the Bible, is a lust to control others. Like sin, power-hungry people want to control others—they like to be boss. In cultures like America, those who desire control must improvise accordingly because social caste isn’t the law. This is usually done through assassinating self-esteem. The vast majority of marriage counseling is two people with a long list describing the faults of the other mate in order to make a case for control. “My husband should listen to me and do what I say because he is stupid and here is the list that proves it” and vice versa.
Hence, we can see this very dynamic in Cameron’s statement: “Wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband’s lead, not to tell a husband how he ought to be a better husband.” See it? The wife’s attempt to control; “not to tell a husband how he ought to be a better husband,” and the husband’s attempt to control: “Wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband’s lead.” Of course, Cameron’s statement, like all Protestant-speak, is full of the redefinition of words for purposes of Protestant mind control. Leadership is totally unnecessary where there is authority. Cameron could have honestly said, “Wives are to remain silent and obey their husband’s lordship.” Leadership is the art of persuasion and setting an example to follow, not a demand for subservient obedience. This particular issue is a decent example of the Protestant metaphysical shell game through the use of words: “leadership” covers for “authority,” and “follow” covers for “obey.” And “husband” covers for “lord,” and “wife” covers for “You are the women and Eve sinned first so you don’t know your right hand from your left.”
This is my personal testimony: when I caught hold of how the Bible defines all of these words and their use in context, I lost all desire to control people or tell them what to do. Seriously, I have no desire whatsoever to control anybody; not only am I poor at it to begin with, it isn’t fun anymore. It is so freeing to simply set an example and let people decide whether or not they can benefit from your example. After being a pastor in the institutional church for years and suffering through all of the control politics there are no words to explain the freedom and peace that I feel in all of this. I will give an account for my life before Christ and the example that I set for others; nothing more or less. This is the biblical definition of “love.”
Love persuades people for their own benefit and doesn’t keep a list of wrongs because the goal is not control, but cooperative unity. And unfortunately, many marriages are doomed to failure because people do not understand these biblical dynamics going into marriage. This is why Protestantism produces more marriages of slavery than any other mindset. Orthodoxy, because of the way it defines biblical words, picks a fight with common sense and creates a control war between people on many levels. And, couples are not allowed out of the war because you know; divorce is “against the law of gaaawwwd!” Amen. As a former pastor in the institutional church, I never saw more marriages of coexistence in one place.
This also goes hand in hand with the whole…”The church is the bride of Christ” thing, another orthodox refrain often espoused by Cameron. See, wives should obey husbands the way the church obeys Christ. It is a caste pecking order. The church is the wife of Christ, and He is Lord, so obviously, wives should obey their husbands the way the church obeys Christ. Again, notice that “obey” and “submit” cover for what word used specifically in the Scriptures? Right…”LOVE.” Wives are to “respect” their husbands and husbands are to “love” their wives—not lord it over them.
And remember, when it gets right down to it, Christ led, and NEVER invoked His authority. It just never happened. It will happen, but not in this age. So, there is presently an authoritative pecking order in this age? Well, in case you haven’t noticed, heaven isn’t enforcing it. If you want to know what things will look like when that happens, read the book of Revelation.
Christians are to lead quiet lives of love and edification down where we live and not be entangled in the affairs of the world where power over others is the name of the game. Because Protestantism misunderstands the difference between authority and loving leadership, conflict can be observed on every level of life. Like the world, Protestantism clamors to control the lives of people in their homes, and culturally. They believe God’s kingdom is presently on earth, and this necessarily requires authority on every level of life; what they call, “love.” Cameron even said it in the midst of the controversy: “I love all people and I have hatred toward no one. I’m also a man of conviction, and if you press me, I’ll give you my perspective on a social issue if you ask.”
Right, Protestants love everyone; that’s why you should let them rule over you for your own good. Because they love you so much. And society can also benefit from the way Protestants love their wives; that is, those wives who keep their mouths shut and “respect” (being interpreted, “obey”) their husbands.
Want a good example of how this works? Research the history of Protestantism before the American idea came along. That’s their definition of love.
paul
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