Governed by God

As we continue this series on Christian Nationalism, I wanted to respond to the next challenge on the list: Aren't we too focused on getting power, and doesn't that make us just like the world? This is an important challenge, and one that we need to take seriously. All things, even good things, can become idols. But civil power, like money, is not a dirty thing that should never be touched. If it...

Today I continue a series on the topic of Christian Nationalism, specifically responding to common challenges to it. One of those challenges is: Won't Christian rulers enforce laws against blasphemy and heresy? Shouldn't we avoid that risk by not having Christian lawmakers or a Christian nation? In response to this, I will look at an 1824 Pennsylvania Supreme Court case titled Updegraph v. Commonw...

Today I continue a series on the topic of Christian Nationalism, specifically responding to common challenges to it. One of those challenges is: Won’t Christian rulers be tempted to use power to coerce others into becoming Christian? And can power even be used in a God-honoring way? At the end of the day, this challenge boils down to who should be trusted with power and how it is to be used. Someo...

Today I begin a series on the topic of Christian Nationalism. While there are many other available podcasts that discuss what Christian Nationalism is, my focus is on responding to the challenges to Christian Nationalism. Most, if not all, of those challenges come from within the Christian community. For example, are we saying that the gospel is spread by force? If a political ruler becomes a Chri...

In this episode, I review and respond to an interview of Professor Richard Dawkins that took place near Easter. Professor Dawkins is a very outspoken atheist, having written numerous books against religion and against Christianity. In this interview, he reveals a very inconsistent and contradictory position: he loves Christian culture but does not believe a single word of it. In other words, he wa...

In this episode, I look at President Biden’s recent proclamation regarding the Transgender Day of Visibility. What does this have to do with Easter and the White House Easter Egg Roll? And how is transgenderism actually one of the most deadly and dangerous false gospels that exist today? I do not mean that transgenderism is dangerous to Christians, but rather to those who are deceived by it...

In this episode, I tackle the rather relevant and controversial topic of immigration. How should Christians approach that topic? Does the Bible have anything to say about freedom of movement, or lack thereof? How do we properly love the stranger and sojourner among us? These are important questions that we need to think about carefully and biblically. As always, if you have any law/government rela...

This week I tackle the controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling on the topic of IVF and the rights of embryos. More specifically, I look at a brief history of the term ’embryo’ and ‘fetus’ and then consider Chief Justice Parker’s opinion in the case. What is a fetus and an embryo? Do embryos have rights? And if they do, what does that mean for IVF? Alabama Supreme C...

This week I look at some of the writings from the 16th Century Reformer Pierre Viret. Viret was a Swiss Reformer around the time of John Calvin, and he wrote several treatises and biblical commentaries. His works on government have been collated into a book titled The Christian and the Magistrate . What is the duty of Christian citizens? How should Christians honor rulers, even wicked ones? And ho...

This week I complete my review and response of a recent episode of the White Horse Inn concerning misunderstood passages of Scripture. In their discussion, Dr. Michael Horton, Pastor Bob Hiller, and Dr. Walter Strickland talk primarily about passages such as 2 Chronicles 7:14, and how such passages are misapplied today. While I agree with much of what they say, there are significant areas of disag...

This week I begin a multi-part review of a recent episode of the White Horse Inn concerning misunderstood passages of Scripture. In their discussion, Dr. Michael Horton, Pastor Bob Hiller, and Dr. Walter Strickland talk primarily about passages such as 2 Chronicles 7:14, and how such passages are misapplied today. While I agree with much of what they say, there are significant areas of disagreemen...

Today I analyze and critique an interview between Dr. Jordan Peterson and well-known atheist thinker, Sam Harris. More specifically, I look at the last several minutes of their discussion, where Harris presents his understanding of evil and the theoretical solution. Ultimately, Harris presents an entirely secular gospel that includes repentance, evangelism, and the giving of a personal testimony....

Given the Christmas season, this week I compare two different narratives: one of Jesus of Nazareth and one of Caesar Augustus. Several years before Christ, Caesar was declared to be the savior of the world, whose coming brought good tidings for all the people. We see that Luke's account of the gospel parallels this, and offers a clear contrast between Christ and Caesar. I also look at Isaiah 9 and...

This week I take a break from historical documents to look at some recent events here in Central Bucks School District. Our recent school board meeting on December 4, 2023 made Fox News and also was mentioned on The Michael Knowles Show. While there is much to discuss, the highlight of the evening involved the new board chair, Karen Smith, being sworn in not on the Bible, but a stack of LGBTQ+ boo...

This week I look at the concept of thanksgiving. First, I consider the importance of giving thanks as described in Romans 1. Then, I address the historical significance of Thanksgiving, including two Thanksgiving proclamations given by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Their proclamations are nothing short of Christian in their theology and terminology. If those proclamations were given toda...

In continuing our study of John Locke's two treatises on government, today I finish up looking at his second treatise. The premise of Locke's version of Social Contract Theory is that, at some point in the past, everyone was completely independent and free but then explicitly consented to form a government. Locke does not explain when this meeting took place, or why it resulted in a system of majo...

Today I shift over to a discussion of John Locke and his works on government. Many consider Locke to be both a secularist and a key influence in the American War for Independence. I challenge both of those notions. More specifically, I look at his first treatise on government, which was a response to the concept of the divine right of kings. Then I begin looking at his second treatise on governmen...

Today I finish our study of Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville, by looking at what he says concerning the women of America. In the 1830s, Tocqueville drew a stark contrast between American women and the women of France. He went so far as to say that the prosperity, success, and strength of America was a direct result of "the superiority of their women." But what was it about American w...

Today I look at two documents. The first is the book of Philemon from the New Testament, which sets the stage for the peaceful end of slavery. The second is Alexis de Tocqueville's book Democracy in America, in which he discusses the issue of slavery in the southern states. He argues against slavery not only on the basis of Christianity, but also on the basis of economics. Simply put, slave states...

Today I continue looking at Alexis de Tocqueville's work Democracy in America, written in the 1830s. He saw Americans as having an inordinate love of the power of the majority. Yet even so, liberty remained strong in the land. How was that possible? What was restraining the power of the majority in the United States? Tocqueville provides the answer to that by highlighting three things that preserv...

To start off this season, I look at the writings of Alexis de Tocqueville, specifically his work Democracy in America written in the 1830s. Today I consider his chapter on omnipotence and tyranny of the majority. In democracy, we say that majority rules. But what restrains the majority from abusing their power? What about when the majority opinion is formed? How are those who go against the majori...

This week, I finish the series on idolatry and the demonic by looking at our modern context. Secularism, at its root, is a modern form of paganism. The idea that there is no God, there is no meaning, and we are all just little autonomous gods running around is simply paganism repackaged. These ideas have possessed our culture today, similar to other cultures in the past. But there is a solution. S...

This week, I continue with the series on idolatry and the demonic by looking at the god Molech, or Moloch. Molech was a god of death and harvest, requiring sacrifices for success and protection against evil. He was most well-known for the demand of child-sacrifices, something that the people of Israel failed to resist. Join me today as I consider the worship of Molech through the ancient world and...

This week, I continue with part two regarding the ancient worship of Asherah, or Ishtar. As an androgynous goddess whose holiest month was June, what else did Asherah worship involve? Most importantly, why does that matter for today? This is part of my greater series on idolatry, the demonic, and the pagan deities of the ancient near east. As always, if you have any law/government related question...

This week, I continue with a series on the demonic by looking at the ancient worship of Asherah, or Ishtar. As an androgynous goddess whose holiest month was June, what else did Asherah worship involve? Most importantly, why does that matter for today? As always, if you have any law/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them...