Protestantism and “Good Germans” | It’s ALL About AUTHORITY
The biannual Neo-Protestant T4G conference was bigger than ever this year. Captivating was images of thousands of pastors walking past the SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) protestors with visible indifference. Snap is performing its service in Protestant circles now as child rape is no longer exclusively Catholic.
All in all, whether Protestant or Catholic, the powers that be need only to wait until the protests die—they know it will all pass and business as usual will return. Why? Because they understand the authority issue. They understand that when it is all said and done, Catholics and Protestants alike are “good Germans.” The Urban Dictionary defines the term this way: “A citizen of Nazi Germany who participated in or overlooked atrocities while denying personal moral responsibility by appeal to his submission to supposedly legitimate authority.”
In a recent dialogue with a young man who was once mentored by Susan and me, he explained his conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism this way: Catholicism was first and long before Protestantism. The Church began in Rome. It’s a matter of authority. If everyone would submit to the true church, there wouldn’t be all of these denominations spawned by the Reformation. Obviously, it is massive disunity. Of course the Church is not perfect, but it is anointed by God.
By the way, those in the Protestant church we were a member of set out to save this young man from our “dangerous teachings.” Now they are beside themselves that he has converted to Catholicism which is actually closer to the truth than Protestantism when it gets right down to it; at least the Thomist aspect of Catholicism.
And let us not forget, both are predicated on perpetual resalvation (progressive justification) that can only be found in an institutional church. Church, whether Protestant or Catholic, is moneyed-up because they are in the salvation business. What will people pay for their eternal salvation? Everything they have. Look around; nothing is more obvious. Money is invested in infrastructure (not people) because infrastructure invokes and speaks to what? Right, AUTHORITY. This explains everything going on in the church.
Sure, many Germans disagreed with the genocide, but where would the world be without Germany? They were in Germany and under the total control of the Nazis; what choice did they have? Sure, no one agrees with child rape, but where would we obtain our salvation apart from the Church? And after all, there is no perfect church and we are all just…”sinners saved by Grace.” If the Church’s dirty laundry is displayed to the world, they will be dissuaded from the Church and subsequent salvation. We can’t have that.
This is why, for example, the outrageous ABWE scandal is now forgotten history and it is business as usual in the GARB churches. A pity what happened, but the source of salvation must not be cut off because of a sinful few that got caught. This was plainly stated numerous times when the scandal was getting press.
The problem with the Bible follows: its simplicity escapes us. When Christ said that “ALL” authority in heaven and EARTH has been given to Him and only Him—that’s exactly what He meant. No matter how many times the apostles stated that there is only ONE mediator between God and man, we just don’t seem to get it.
But you can be sure of this: ALL good Germans will be held accountable. Read some history; the plight of the German people after WWII is excruciatingly painful to read.
But if that was from those who speak on earth, how much more from Him who speaks from heaven?
paul
The Truth About Tullian Tchividjian
Fact is, Tullian Tchividjian always preached the true, authentic Reformation gospel to a “T” and nothing more or less. In fact, Tchividjian probably understands Reformation soteriology better than most theologians of our day. He’s not confused about the issue like John MacArthur and many others.
Tchividjian’s detractors fall into three categories: those confused about what the Reformers really taught; those who think he is too honest and not nuanced enough lest he spook the Protestant herd; and the utterly clueless.
Furthermore, his forced resignation is indicative of how pathetically confused Protestants are. Adultery is unacceptable while the Neo-Calvinists circle the wagons to Protect CJ Mahaney who is at least guilty of blackmail via confidential counseling records. Nobody really cares about sin until it is useful for getting rid of someone. Tchividjian was a threat because he taught the Reformation gospel in a clear and concise way.
The following clip is a good example, enjoy. And if you really want to be a proper expositor of the true Reformation gospel, pay close attention.
When is Enough, Enough? It’s Time for Churchless Christianity
Let me begin this post by noting this week’s Protestant rock star that got caught with both hands in the cookie jar: Darren Patrick. Like Tullian Tchividjian, after preaching anti-moralism for years to the sounds of “amen” coming from masses of adoring followers, he was forced to resign for a “historical pattern of sin.” Is there anything more confused than a Protestant? At least Catholics know what they believe and their doctrine is reasonably consistent though wrong.
Also, note the cause of Patrick’s demise: “historical pattern of sin.” That means everybody in the upper caste system knew for years, but keeping Patrick in the limelight became bad for business. In the case of Mark Driscoll, his tyranny was common knowledge for years; yet the supposed reason for his termination. We will probably never know the real reason he was thrown under the bus, pun intended. While Protestants vehemently deny their serial man-following, the demise of these leaders invariably results in the collapse of the ministry empires founded on their names.
And again, while extolling the total depravity of the saints and demanding a “lifestyle of repentance” from the herd, ministries seek to cover-up the sins of their patron gods like in the case of RC Sproul Jr. A well-known friend of RC Sproul Sr., John MacArthur Jr., once demanded that Stuart Scott resign as pastor because Scott’s emancipated children were misbehaving. This is why Scott is now plying his biblical counseling snake oil trade in Louisville KY rather than California. But of course, we will hear no similar demand from MacArthur in regard to the iconic RC Sproul Sr. Why? Because like all Protestant popes, MacArthur is a serial hypocrite.
Well, enough of that as there is only one thing that could ever rival the number of these instances in the Protestant church; the sands of the seas and oceans. If you doubt that, spend a day surfing the discernment blogs.
This brings us to a worthy thought: the problem with Bible interpretation is not its supposed depth and mystery, but rather its utter simplicity. Bless your heart, are you confused by “all of them-there big theological words”? Jesus tried to make it very easy for everyone; even those who are lazy thinkers: “By their fruits you will know them.” Got that? How hard is this? At what point do you ask yourself what the real problem is in all of this?
Which brings us to the main point of this post. I am writing this post about a trending Protestant event; this is a criterion that I abandoned some time ago because evil in the Protestant church is no longer newsworthy. However, though we tire of the business-as-usual evil reported on the local news, at times, there is an eruption of evil that really gets our attention.
Yes, this week, one such eruption of evil occurred at the bi-annual T4G (Together for Gospel Contemplationism) “pastors” conference in Louisville KY. CJ Mahaney, who has been under fire for the exact same leadership sins as those aforementioned, was a keynote speaker at the event. The caste overseers have seen fit to salvage him for whatever their reasons are, but belaboring the double standard would be a gross overstatement.
And of course, Protestant evil rarely yields at the local news level: the not-so-circumstantial evidence points to the fact that CJ Mahaney was complicit in covering up multiple instances of child rape. Apparently, the victims have an attorney that is the last person you would ever want coming after you legally and the litigation is ongoing.
Whatever happened to an elder being “beyond reproach”? Here at PPT, the following fact is a broken record, but here we go again: the Protestant Reformation denied a grammatical interpretation of the Bible. Sure, grammatical interpretation is used in sentences that lead to a metaphysical redemptive outcome which these snake oil salesmen fail to mention while picking your intellectual pockets, but this is why they don’t see their decision to invite Mahaney as any kind of biblical anomaly whatsoever. Few of their followers have any idea how these guys actually interpret reality itself. There is a reason why they act in direct contradiction to a grammatical interpretation of the Bible, time, after time, after time. It’s simple; that’s not the way they interpret the Bible…or reality.
Let’s pause for a moment to consider the good people in the Protestant church. Seriously, they are little different from the clueless lot that supported Nazism by default. “You mean Hitler really meant what he said when he said it? And when he did what he did, my assumptions about the appearance thereof of were mistaken? Someone who seemed so together could really be that evil?” Yup.
Whatever the assumptions are in regard to what the T4G gang were thinking when they invited Mahaney, let’s look at what they actually did. Inviting Mahaney is one thing, but Dr. Albert Mohler actually mocked the rape victims. He used his intellectualism and humor to do so subtly, but the points were not hard to miss. In light of the quality of attorney and zeal in seeking Mahaney’s head, this displays a stunning level of arrogance on Mohler’s part. I mean, for example, how many national sports titles have been lost by trash talk that ginned up the competition’s resolve? So, in light of the tenacity already displayed by the victims’ legal team, Molher scoffs because he places confidence in the power of the evangelical industrial complex paid for by the good well-meaning Protestant herd. Remember, this guy is President of Southern Theological Seminary; the flagship seminary of the largest Protestant denomination in the world.
The Protestant herd is complicit in the evil. A good example is John Owen’s pathetic protest in regard to the Protestant church-state executing “heretics” before the American Revolution came along: “If state physicians think otherwise, I say no more, but I am not of the college.” Gee whiz, I bet those on death row awaiting execution by the Protestant church-state really appreciated that uncompromising attaboy from Owen. At any rate, it is an apt example of the same mentality coming from the Protestant herd who think they are saved by church membership and thereby putting themselves under the “authority of godly men.”
Telling on this wise is video recorded of the SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [or Protestant popes]) protest at this year’s T4G. The organization had requested that Mahaney be removed from the speaking schedule. In the video, thousands can be seen walking past the protestors with complete indifference.
Ironically, the theme of this year’s T4G conference was “We Are Protestant: The Reformation at 500” highlighting the Protestant protest against the Catholic Church which also excels in covering up child rape. In spite of Pope Francis’ hardcore rhetoric, the cover-ups and reinstatement of rapist priests continue unabated (SNAP continues to document case, after case, after case). And regardless of this, the Catholic Church is presently experiencing historical growth in numbers.
How can this be? It’s not the least bit complicated; it’s all about salvation via the church institution. Whether organizations like SNAP or discernment blogs, the goal is to save the salvific institution because that’s our only way to heaven. But one must ask: how can the T4G popes ignore a plea like this one with cold indifference? Because those confronting T4G have no idea what Protestantism is really about. If it seems like the Protestant popes have some sort of other-than-normal view of reality—it’s because they do.
Even if one finds a “good church,” separation from directly or indirectly supporting the overall evangelical institution is impossible. Besides, more than anything, the root problem is the institutionalization of Christ’s body that began in the 4th century and became the Catholic Church. Protestants can call themselves “protestants” all day long, but in the final analysis, the Reformation was just a continuation of the same old pagan-state caste system that monopolized world history until the American Revolution.
Despite the outcry for hundreds of years it’s business as usual in the Catholic Church, and as Protestantism continues to bring its true roots more into focus, it will catch up with the monster that birthed it…Roman Catholicism. The fruits of child rape are the same because they both believe in the same caste logic. Theological debate between the two is just bickering among reprobates who dress well.
Go to church if you will, but obviously, if something bad happens, you are totally on your own and without recourse. It has now come to the point where Protestant leaders are openly mocking rape victims. Trust me, others will receive even more disdain. In addition, why would it be acceptable for these things to be taking place as long as it doesn’t happen to you? And why are you funding it?
But God was way ahead of the curve in regard to all of this drama. He left us a true model for Christian fellowship in the New Testament. Everything after that is church history full of religious wars and unspeakable brutality. This is unacceptable; Christ made His expectations clear in letters to seven assemblies (Revelation).
That’s why it is time for churchless Christianity.
paul
@Al Mohler
@albertmohler So many perplexed by your indifference and mockery of the child rape victims; not me, it's because you believe a false gospel.
— Paul M. Dohse (@PaulMDohse) April 14, 2016
Latter Day Parenting
Contemporary parents are producing a mass of demonic sociopaths. Said parents are marked by their own lazy thinking. On the secular side of things, it is assumed that good parenting flows naturally from narcissism while the religious use faith as a license for oligarchy. Apparently, there is only one thing worse than losing one’s freedom; the responsibility of thinking. But in either case, it’s just plain laziness. While applying themselves diligently to making money or other self-centered endeavors, they are lazy parents. Their children are barley more than roommates.
It’s rare, but some children rise above the laziness and ignorance of their own parents. But for the most part, today’s children are the product of ineptness regarding the art of living and parenting skills in particular. How bad is it? Almost every misbehavior is labeled as a medical disease. That was easy. Problem-solving and the gaining of applied parental wisdom; hard work, are replaced with medication and coping. Parents who don’t want to be inconvenienced let others raise their children, viz, Hollywood and the public school oligarchy.
True, according to the Bible, the works of God’s law are written on the heart of every individual born into the world; we are created in His image. In other words, parents get a head start, but soon squander the asset via laziness. Others will soon teach the child that inner inclinations towards virtue are misguided, uncool, unhip, and politically incorrect. I saw this in action just the other night. A toddler held a door open for Susan which shocked the parents. The response was something like, “Where did he get that?” How easy it would have been for me to erase their incredulities by suggesting that he got it from the Disney Channel.
The other day, Susan and I took our grandson Blayne to an aquatic museum. One thing is clear; children keep those places in business. Why? Their natural desire to learn about the world. This is another natural head start for parents. Why would people who dare to call themselves “parents” farm-out that responsibility to strangers?
I suppose it is time for me to confess what has incited this rant. In my wonderful new career, the best career on earth, I work with the disabled. In many cases, this involves a severely disabled parent. In these situations, the lack of compassion found in the children towards the disabled parent is a breathtaking reality. However, I believe these situations merely undress the reality of our day and expose our cultural parenting for what it is. We are truly raising a generation of brute beasts dressed in Oshkosh B’gosh. The coming of a new predator is just another intoxicating pagan celebration that laughs at the future whether wedding or baby shower. “Eat and drink for tomorrow we die” replaces sober optimism for what our child’s mark will be on the world.
How ignorant are the lazy thinking parents of our day? They don’t even know why they are having a child. Ask them, and the answers you will get are incredibly shallow. Scarier yet is the fact that people of Western culture are woefully uneducated about their own state of being. They think they are going to raise a child, but they don’t even know who they are much less the person they are bringing into the world. At least the Nazis knew for what purpose they were having children albeit for a so-called master race. Someone should do a survey to find out how much consideration is given to bearing a child by women beforehand, or by a married couple if that’s the case. Would the overall substance of the decision speak to the value that this culture puts on life itself? I think it would.
Parenting is hard, selfless work. Why? Because life is of high value. How parents invest time is telling. From the earliest years, love for good and hatred of evil must be taught and modeled at every moment. We must also endeavor to raise thinkers. Parenting must focus on opportunity to teach, not one’s own inconvenience. Get a grip; is cancer yet uncured because a child was not properly invested in? I think that is a possibility.
What will your child bring to the world table? Sure, he/she might bring much to the table despite your laziness, but that will be rare. Parenting is a major factor in the wellbeing of an individual and their impact on the world. If you raise your child without diligently looking for the gift within and the development thereof, you are making a statement about their life value…and they will get the message loud and clear. They don’t need Ritalin to quiet the results—they need you. Come to grips with the fact that you cannot parent any better than a bottle of pills, and change.
Be different. The Bible clearly predicts what the children of the latter days will be like, and it is eerily similar to what we see in our day…
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
paul
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