Piper’s Tweet: Evangelicals Don’t Understand That He is Talking About Our Children Too
“What’s the attractiveness of this philosophy? Simply, an escape from dealing with real life and responsibility in general.”
There is a lot of discussion among evangelicals (who don’t consider themselves New Calvinists) about John Piper. This is not unusual; we evangelicals love to talk about things we know nothing about. In regard to Piper’s heartless tweet concerning the little children who died in Moore, Oklahoma, evangelicals sit back and ponder why he would attempt to reach out to the lost in this way. What they don’t understand is he’s talking about our children too. All evangelicals can apply the principle of the same tweet to your child dying as a result of you fill in the blank.
Reformed theology is grounded in ancient paganism. It flows from the following basic construct:
1. Metaphysics. The material is evil, only spirit is good.
2. Epistemology. Truth cannot be obtained empirically. It must be obtained through some sort of gateway into the spiritual; usually contemplationism of some sort.
3. Ethics. Determined by the spiritual, and manifested by birthing the spiritual into the material realm.
4. Politics. The enlightened rule over the unenlightened masses on behalf of the spiritual. The masses are in bondage to empirical epistemology.
American evangelicals do not see the line in the sand that should be there. New Calvinism is a return to the same Gnosticism that plagued the first century church and even infiltrated Judaism. It has little patience for those who cling to the material in any way. And that includes children. The ability to dress up Gnosticism in biblical garb and its tsunami-like overtaking of Christianity mirrors what was going on in the first century church to a “T.” In New Calvinism:
1. Metaphysics: The idea that God will renovate heaven and earth with fire and dwell with us eternally in the same basic form that we perceive at this time is an abomination. Hence, Christ will not really dwell on David’s throne literally, Abraham wasn’t really looking for a literal city built by God, etc. It’s all allegory because it’s contradictory to basic Gnostic metaphysics (the idea that God would value a sliver of geography called “Israel” is an absurd notion to the average Gnostic). This is why Christians commonly think the Bride of Christ is the church and that we will dwell in heaven eternally.
2. Epistemology. ALL REALITY is interpreted by contemplating the personhood of Christ. Some call this “gospel contemplationism.” The Bible is a gospel meta-narrative (meta-narrative metaphysics) for contemplation purposes, not grammatical interpretation of reality. This is the basis of the Redemptive Historical hermeneutic.
3. Ethics. Manifested in the “flesh realm” by the imputation of Christ’s perfect life lived on earth, and a natural outflow of gospel contemplationism. New Calvinists call this, “The imperative command is grounded in the indicative event.”
4. Politics. Reformed enlightened elders rule over the unenlightened masses in order to “save them from ignorance” (Al Mohler). Adherence to Reformed elder rule and orthodoxy is one’s best chance to arrive at the final judgment covered by Christ’s obedience. As God’s rulers they also have the authority to declare someone saved or unsaved.
What’s the attractiveness of this philosophy? Simply, an escape from dealing with real life and responsibility in general. Contemplating the gospel and disregarding the material enables us to stand back and observe our lives without emotional attachment. Our only responsibility is to live by faith alone, and by the way, John Piper makes faith absolutely synonymous with joy. This is the premise of his Christian Hedonism philosophy. Therefore, the death of children leads to joy because it shows us the utter worthlessness of this present material world. This is also the thesis of Paul David Tripp’s How People Change: ALL events in life are preordained in order to contribute to gospel contemplationism resulting in spiritual fruit. See the chart below taken from a CCEF workbook based on the same book (click on to enlarge):
And another chart from the actual book:
To Luther, this meant a cycle of deaths and rebirths leading to joy—tragedy enables us to empty ourselves and eradicate connections with the present cares of this material world. Here is how one New Calvinist stated it:
What, then, is the subjective power of this message? Firstly, we find that there is real, objective freedom, the kind that, yes, can be experienced subjectively. We are freed from having to worry about the legitimacy of experiences; our claims of self-improvement are no longer seen as a basis of our witness or faith. In other words, we are freed from ourselves, from the tumultuous ebb and flow of our inner lives and the outward circumstances; anyone in Christ will be saved despite those things. We can observe our own turmoil without identifying with it. We might even find that we have compassion for others who function similarly. These fluctuations, violent as they might be, do not ultimately define us. If anything, they tell us about our need for a savior.
That’s it in a nutshell. And it explains Piper’s heartless tweets down to a gnat’s eyebrow. He has no patience for anyone who entangles themselves in the material world. They are ignorant.
Christians better get a grip on this. This is not mere disagreement on obscure biblical ideas—this is a completely different way of looking at reality that has wreaked havoc on mankind for thousands of years.
paul
Joseph Prince: A Kinder, Gentler Calvinist
“Some think that this message originated from Joseph Prince. It does not: it was the message of the Reformation; the message of Martin Luther and John Calvin, and it is still preached today, and needs to be preached much more from all the pulpits in Singapore and Malaysia.”
~ Kenny Chee, senior pastor of World Revival Prayer Fellowship.
The SGM Spiritual Abuse Holocaust: Wade Burleson is Not a Solution; He’s the Problem
“Really? Is that where we are? While our ravaged Christian children languish away in mental hell the big dare from another pastor is to say that I don’t like CJ Mahaney? Is that how pathetic we are?”
I really don’t have time to write this as I am preparing for a conference, but on the other hand I am both fuming and fed-up. “Trigger alert”? Oh this is way past that, hide the children.
Regarding the recent revision of the Catholicesque class action lawsuit against the New Calvinist organization Sovereign Grace Ministries, “holocaust” is not terminology that is out of line. If you have read the revision, I am sure you agree that the number of fatalities pale, but the shear degree of evil, even if half of the accusations are true, is comparable.
During WWII, a lone German pastor left the protection and comfort of his American mission and returned to the belly of the beast to cry out against the Holocaust. For his outcry, he was hung naked with piano wire. The New Calvinist beasts among us criticize Bonheoffer for being “unorthodox” and plotting against the German government while extolling Christopher Love as a godly martyr. Love was a Puritan who meddled in petty European power struggles between kings and was executed for it. Genocide was hardly the issue.
Like the vast majority of clergy during WWII, the American clergy rants ambiguously against the sin, but stands silent against the sinner. The apostle Paul rebuked Peter publically for eating sandwiches in hypocrisy, and commanded that elders who sin should be rebuked publically so that others would fear. Such rebukes in the midst of sin that the heathen will not even tolerate are nowhere to be found on the contemporary evangelical landscape. American pastors are the epitome of coldhearted indifference, hypocrisy, and lust for acceptance in the good ole boys club. They dream of invitations to the big conferences and the approval of those who best teach how to drink orthodox Kool-Aid intravenously. There are no words for the degree of contempt and disgust that I have for these pathetic cowards. Where is the outrage?
Though what I experienced pales in comparison to the SGM victims, I can speak to why victims wait so long to come forward. When things that don’t make any sense happen in an environment of trust, confusion waits for clarity before action. The confused rarely act, and the brainwashed rarely react at all. My responses are now in full gear—seven years later. Seven years. And in relative terms, I “only” lost all of my “friends,” my name, and half of my family.
But back to the hypocrites. Steve Camp, who once wrote a song about feeling the pain of others, even to the degree of tasting the salt in their tears, tweeted to me that the SGM scandal was a “local church” issue and shouldn’t be public. This also apes SGM’s defense; it’s not the world’s business. That was followed up by, “Do you not like him [CJ Mahaney]? I do.” Really? Is that where we are? While our ravaged Christian children languish away in mental hell the big dare from another pastor is to say that I don’t like CJ Mahaney? Is that how pathetic we are? And one of the most popular Christian musicians of our time boasts that he likes a friend of pedophiles? “But Paul, there is no verdict yet.” Yes there is. If Steve Camp likes CJ, he obviously believes CJ and has totally disregarded the claims of eleven people against an elder when only two are needed. Otherwise, he would wait to see if he still likes CJ. But he does, like all the other members of the New Calvinist coven.
And the likes of Pastor Wade Burleson only make the situation worse with his half- pregnant overtures. He becomes a cushion between the beasts and the ravaged. Burleson is a New Calvinist, that is bad enough, but he is passing on the opportunity to use his influence to call out these people by name—probably because he is a New Calvinist that sympathizes with those suing New Calvinists.
From time to time, groups of notable evangelicals come together and sign declarations. It’s always big news. I am still waiting for a declaration of zero tolerance for child-rapists in the evangelical church. It could be stopped. Yes indeed, no doubt. How? A declaration by notable pastors declaring that they will not tolerate it. A group of notable pastors walking down an isle on a Sunday morning and demanding that a man get out of the pulpit until certain situations are resolved. Why not? That’s what the apostle Paul did! And we are talking about child rape, not who we avoid at the diner. THIS IS A LEADERSHIP ISSUE.
Pastors are called on by God to strike fear in the hearts of sinning elders. Instead, they cover for them. One notable Southern Baptist pastor once said to a victim demanding justice, “What do you want me to do, shoot him?” Well, in my book, that would be a start, and certainly better than what is presently taking place. But all the victim really wanted is for this pastor to use his influence to protect others from her same fate. Is that too much to ask from these hirelings? Yes. Absolutely.
Wade Burleson has significant influence in evangelical circles, that’s why the Wartburg Watch slobbers all over him continually. He is a hero among spiritual abuse bloggers because he, get this, shows compassion for the spiritually abused. That’s where we are as well: any notable pastor that even shows compassion towards the spiritually abused is a hero! But we don’t need another polished evangelical celebrity in our day full of soothing words; these are times that call for the likes of Dietrich Bonheoffer.
Burleson needs to use his bogus influence to make a difference. He needs to start calling people out by name and calling other pastors to join him. He needs to stop playing both sides of the fence with compassion on one side and silence on the other. It’s not enough to call out the crime; the criminals need to be called out as well. We know he can name names in his own church when the offender is an average Joe, but will he call out the big-name pedophile collaborators? The victims of SGM are suing people and naming names, not just their crimes. As victims, they are courageously facing their abusers in court because pastors wouldn’t step up. Though Burleson is a “hero” for saying they can sue, they wouldn’t need to if he and others would fully exploit their God-given positions for the sake of victims.
If Burleson is going to play the role, he needs to leave it all on the court and stop separating the sin from the sinner. Victims don’t have that convenience if they get justice. And justice is a big part of healing. Stop playing Dietrich Bonheoffer and be Dietrich Bonheoffer who was a real advocate for victims. Victims were the real cause, not the preservation of social status.
paul
SGM Case Dismissed: Cross Made Bigger
As the blogosphere’s newly appointed “rabid anti-Calvinist,” I figured I would weigh in on the dismissal of the SGM lawsuit and live up to my new name by blaming this vile injustice on Calvinism.
It’s not a huge stretch; after all, the former primary defendants are Calvinists, and even in light of the horrific accusations, CJ Mahaney continues to be supported by the Calvinist community at large via speaking engagements, and silence. I understand that Kevin DeYoung, who has been silent on the issue, was quick to announce the dismissal on Twitter. The case also exemplifies the hilarious notion that these are men of the Word. The Bible states that accusations against an elder should only be heard by two or three witnesses; in this case, there were eleven, and on the record. Yet, NO Calvinist anywhere will take note of the accusations. Besides, the Bible states clearly that elders are to be beyond reproach, and CJ is hardly that.
The contemporary Calvinist resurgence movement known as New Calvinism has been getting massive press on its spiritual abuse for about ten years now. How bad is it? There are now two organizations formed for the express purpose of keeping Reformed churches out of court, and paid for by the sheep through donations! I will make this as simple as possible by once again commenting on a popular Neo-Calvinist illustration, published by them—not me:
Click on to Enlarge
This illustration is Calvinist epistemology. This is a visual description of Calvin’s first sentence in 1.1.1 of the Calvin Institutes: wisdom is deducted by knowledge of God and man; i.e., the top and bottom trajectories. That makes the cross bigger. That’s a good thing, right? In Luther’s epistemology, this illustration is known as the Theology of the Cross or the Cross Story as opposed to the glory story. Any possible contribution of good by us makes the cross smaller. That’s a bad thing, right?
Now think about this epistemology as set against these horrific abuses. Do I really have to do the math on this? How are people with this worldview going to look at the subject of justice? If we deserve justice, our trajectory goes up and the cross gets smaller. What about the victims? If they were totally innocent in the situation the trajectory again goes up and the cross gets smaller. What about any pure outrage concerning the actions? Why outrage? That’s a deeper knowledge of how evil we are which makes the cross bigger.
And to a Calvinist, that’s a good thing.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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