Governed by God

REPLAY: All legislation, or law, is a declaration of value. The question is what we will value and how value will be determined. There is always a standard, but the debate is on what standard will be used. The law that God gave to Israel was not just for Israel but was meant to be an example to the nations. For example, in God's word we find principles of federalism, rule of law, and separation of...

This week is my reading of Part 4 of my Substack series on God's law. In this article, I look at the second and third uses of God's law. On the one hand, God's law serves as a light and lamp for believers, guiding them in how they should live and in what it means to love their neighbor. On the other hand, the law restrains unbelievers, preventing them from being as wicked as they otherwise would b...

REPLAY: What does it mean for Jesus to reign over all powers and dominions? What is the Kingdom of God? What does it look like, where is it, and how do we enter? What does it mean for Jesus to have all authority on heaven and on earth? If you have any questions, comments, or other topics you would like me to address, please email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com . You can follow me on Facebook or Twi...

This week is my reading of Part 3 of my Substack series on God's law. In this article, I look at one of the primary purposes of God's law, which is to highlight our failure and show us our need for a savior. This is only one of several purposes, or uses, of the law. I will address the other two in future articles. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please email me at thegbgpodcast@g...

This week is my reading of Part 2 of my Substack series on God's law. In this article, I look at the effect of the law on our hearts, as well as our naturally sinful response to it. I also consider how sin is lawlessness and what conclusions we can draw from that truth. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com or go to my Substack page at http://...

This week I wanted to share a presentation that I gave at the Future of Christendom Theonomy Symposium in March of this year. My talk was on Deuteronomy 20 and Just War Theory. You can find the video, as well as the other videos from the conference, at the link below: Future of Christendom As always, if you have any questions or comments, please email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com or go to my Subs...

REPLAY: What is Theonomy and what is a basic definition of it? What does Deuteronomy 4:5-8 say and how does it apply to us today? On today's program I play and review several clips from a recent Pastors Talk episode produced by 9Marks. The hosts, Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever, interview Carl Trueman about his most recent book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Although the book and the int...

REPLAY: Politics is dirty (right?), so the Bible has nothing to say about it (or does it?). But when we look closely at Scripture, I think we will find that it says more about politics (i.e., the concerns of the city) than we give it credit for. If you have any questions, comments, or other topics you would like me to address, please email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com . You can follow me on Faceb...

Due to various time constraints, including finishing a PhD, I will be pausing our study of America's history and will be providing shorter content. Today I read my first Substack article of a series titled Loving God, Loving Neighbor. I begin by defining terms such as "law" and "covenant" and set the groundwork for how Christians should understand and apply God's law today. As always, if you have...

In this week's episode, I finish looking at the pastors known as the Black-Robed Regiment who, through their teaching and preaching, helped solidify and give a moral defense of the American War for Independence. Today, I end this series with John Witherspoon, who served as the President of the College of New Jersey (i.e., Princeton University) and then was chosen to be a delegate of New Jersey at...

In this week's episode, I continue looking at the pastors known as the Black-Robed Regiment who, through their teaching and preaching, helped solidify and give a moral defense of the American War for Independence. Today I consider Ashbel Green, who served as the chaplain for the U. S. House of Representatives, and then later as President of the College of New Jersey (i.e., Princeton University). W...

In this week's episode, I continue looking at the pastors known as the Black-Robed Regiment who, through their teaching and preaching, helped solidify and give a moral defense of the American War for Independence. Today I consider Samuel Stanhope Smith, who served as both a professor and President of the College of New Jersey (i.e., Princeton University) in the late 1700s and early 1800s. As such,...

In this week's episode, I continue looking at the pastors known as the Black-Robed Regiment who, through their teaching and preaching, helped solidify and give a moral defense of the Declaration of Independence and American War for Independence. Today I consider both William Cooper and his son, Samuel Cooper. Both men served as pastor of Brattle Street Church, an influential church in Boston whose...

In this week's episode, I begin looking at several influential pastors at the time of the founding of the United States. These men were known as the Black Robed Regiment who, through their teaching and preaching, helped solidify and give a moral defense of the Declaration of Independence and subsequent conflict with Great Britain. The first pastor that I consider is Reverend Samuel Langdon, specif...

In this week's episode, I read through the Declaration of Independence and explain the historical context of each grievance. I also discuss whether or not the colonists had sufficient reasons to "divorce" England. I wonder how many Americans today would side with the colonists? As always, if you have any questions or comments, please email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com . You can follow also me on...

In this week's episode, I interrupt my regularly scheduled programming to respond to an article from Pastor Kevin DeYoung titled 6 Questions for Christian Nationalists. DeYoung's article (linked below) explains why he does not like the term 'Christian Nationalism' and why he thinks it is problematic. While I agree with much of what DeYoung says, there are several points where I differ with him. To...

In this week's episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Pastor David Reece on the topic of civic covenanting. Pastor Reece, who has done extensive work on the topic, discusses the importance of covenant and its role in the founding of the United States. We also look at the role of the civil magistrate and the various ways in which humans have historically tried to justify using force upon each...

In this week's episode, I address the events leading up the American War for Independence. What was English Parliament trying to do, and how were the colonists responding? Was that response correct and Biblical? I consider these questions and similar ones on the podcast. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com . You can follow also me on Faceboo...

In this week's episode, I discuss the context surrounding the English Civil War that eventually led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688. There was both a political/economic aspect as well as a religious aspect that resulted in conflict between English Parliament, the New Model Army, King Charles I (and later Charles II), and the Scots. And through all of that chaos, the American colonies remained n...

In this week's episode, I look at the church-state relationship in Europe at the time of the Reformation, and how many of the Protestant areas continued with Catholic practice. There were some slow changes, such as in Geneva under John Calvin, but in England there were many who saw that the Reformation did not go far enough. These individuals were known as the Puritans, who sought to purify the be...

In this week's episode, I continue my response to a discussion of Romans 13 hosted by Rev. Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio . In that conversation, Rev. Gordon, Dr. Jim Cassidy, and Rev. Dan Borvan look at Romans 13 and consider how that applies to Christians today. They also dive into related topics such as Theonomy and Christian Nationalism. While they say several true things, I believe tha...

In this special edition of the podcast, I deviate from my planned recording in order to respond to the recent martyrdom of Charlie Kirk. I say 'martyrdom' because Charlie was a casualty within a spiritual war and was killed specifically because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And while Tyler Robinson may have been the man who pulled the trigger, Charlie Kirk was ultimately murdered by Asherah. Do I...

In this first episode of Season 6, I respond to a discussion of Romans 13 hosted by Rev. Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio . In that conversation, Rev. Gordon, Dr. Jim Cassidy, and Rev. Dan Borvan look at Romans 13 and consider how that applies to Christians today. They also dive into related topics such as Theonomy and Christian Nationalism. While they say several true things, I believe that...

On this final episode of Season 5, I look at the topic of Statism. Despite using that term in the past, I wanted to do a deeper dive into Statism - the idolatry of the civil government. Referencing works such as Idols For Destruction and Identity and Idolatry, I discuss what Statism is, what it looks like, and how to respond to it. I also play a recent clip from New York City mayoral candidate Zoh...

On today's episode, I finish reviewing a video by Professor R. L. Solberg on the topic of God's law. While I agree with most of what Professor Solberg says, I think that there a few points of disagreement. Most of them surround the application and use of the Old Testament law in the life of a Christian. On a different note, if you have not done so yet, please sign up to attend the Future of Christ...