The Fourth Way: Recent Episodes

The Fourth Way

A podcast focusing on issues related to nonviolence, and a member of the Kingdom Outpost.

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Blog Version: https://crucifiedpeace.wordpress.com/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7405655-cralls
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Blog Version: https://crucifiedpeace.wordpress.com/2022/11/06/peace-in-the-new-testament/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7405655-cralls
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • A Covenant of Peace: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/118928.Covenant_of_Peace
  • Send Forth Your Light: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2726483-send-forth-your-light

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Blog Version: https://crucifiedpeace.wordpress.com/2022/11/01/shalom-the-hebrew-scriptures/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7405655-cralls
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Al Mohler's Interview: https://albertmohler.com/2021/04/28/james-olson
  • Fair Play: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176691.Fair_Play?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=H2HqctGyh2&rank=1
  • Lying Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/finished-augustine-and-lying

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3:20 Intro to Christian Anarchism, nonviolence, and their connection
7:30 Christian Anarchism's freeing from moral consequentialism
9:30 Why use the term Anarchism? Is voluntaryist a better term?
12:45 Is the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina a good picture of what an anarchist society would look like?
16:45 What do you consider the strongest argument against Anarchism that makes you think twice?
19:00 Why pursue Anarchism rather than reform?
21:00 Would you vote for Ron Paul?
23:00 If all Christians left politics, wouldn't that have a negative impact?
25:30 How do you hold such a negative view on government and human tainting of power while not becoming a conspiracy theorist or jettisoning truth? How do you discern truth?
39:15 Recommended resources
42:30 Importance of viewing Christian Anarchism as a cumulative case

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • The Bad Roman Project: https://www.thebadroman.com/
  • Christian Anarchism: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7106065-christian-anarchism?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=VzWeZ76Fda&rank=1
  • Chaos Theory: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159697.Chaos_Theory?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=BPbaG4Ejgi&rank=4
  • Early Christians in Their Own Words: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/409951.The_Early_Christians?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=QIppWjD33J&rank=1
  • Godarchy: https://www.godarchy.org/
  • Anarchochristian: https://www.anarchochristian.com/
  • Jim Jeffries, China, and Facial Recognition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybUxINOe5ws

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Christian Nonresistsance in All its Important Bearings: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1610861.Christian_Non_Resistance?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=llYG3Yi7am&rank=1

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video on Benjamin Lay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3v9m6PY6c
  • Fearless Benjamin Lay: https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Benjamin-Lay-Revolutionary-Abolitionist/dp/0807060984/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+fearless+benjamin+lay&qid=1605836939&sr=8-1
  • All Slavekeepers Apostates: https://www.amazon.com/Slave-Keepers-That-Innocent-Bondage-Apostates-ebook/dp/B088Q5GH7P/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=all+slavekeepers+apostates&qid=1605836920&sr=8-1
  • Wilberforce Prolonged Slavery: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/aug/03/wilberforce-slavery-sierra-leone
  • Noll on the Civil War: https://www.amazon.com/Theological-Crisis-Steven-Janice-Lectures/dp/1469621819/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mark+noll+civil+war&qid=1605836883&sr=8-1
  • John Woolman: https://metrovoicenews.com/john-woolman-the-conscientious-quaker-who-paved-the-way-for-abolition/
  • Britain paid on debt to slave owners through 2015: https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Britains-Loan-toPay-Off-Slave-Owners-Not-Repaid-Until-2015-20180223-0016.html#:~:text=Her%20Majesty%27s%20Treasury%20recently%20revealed%20that%20British%20taxpayers,that%20were%20formerly%20part%20of%20the%20British%20empire.
  • A little more background on Lay and the Colonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FALMgWNCXjI
  • Conceived in Liberty Volumes 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933550988/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_1XW48KH6KFJ1TFTDRVNP
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

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The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
Conceived in Liberty Volumes 1-4
The Civil War As a Theological Crisis: 1st (First) Edition
All Slave-Keepers That keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Bradley Mason's CRT Series [Part 3]: https://thefrontporch.org/2020/07/the-christian-and-critical-race-theory-part-3-a-bridge-dr-derrick-bell/
  • Preston Sprinkle talks about dismissing CRT's methodology while recognizing the problems it legitimately points out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAalg-yhR_M
  • "Unbelievable" podcast episode on CRT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbzPDoEgO_s
  • "Cynical Theories" explores the problems with critical theory taken to its full, logical end: https://www.amazon.com/Cynical-Theories-Scholarship-Everything-Identity_and/dp/1634312023/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=cynical+theories&qid=1602772561&sr=8-2
  • Political Changes to the American Westminster Confession 1788: https://opc.org/documents/WCF_orig.html
  • Response to SBC statement on CRT: https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/other-opinions/commentary-where-i-stand-on-the-statement-by-sbc-seminary-presidents/
  • Romans 13 Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13
  • Romans 13 Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2
  • Abstention Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se2-abstention-from-political-idolatry

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Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody

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0:00 intro

8:25 Joash intro

10:55 how to define justice

17:50 how to do justice Jesus's way

25:30 how IJM works with the state

31:15 position on nonviolence

35:10 how handle government corruption

41:30 how would you not include the state in sex trafficking

44:00 does a top down approach just mask the evil

53:30 court vs. wilderness prophets

58:00 how do you work through the lesser of two evils complicity

1:02:50 temptation to wield power

1:06:20 west distracted by personal inconveniences

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • International Justice Mission: https://www.ijm.org/
  • Video Interview: https://kingdomoutpost.org/justice-in-the-kingdom-nonviolence-the-state-and-human-trafficking-off-script-with-joash-thomas/
  • Drug legislation doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlse-4pNCwQ
  • Catechisms and Killing Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/draft-catechisms-and-killing

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Economic pornography article: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/economic-pornography-and-pet-sins
  • People to Be Loved: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27427679-people-to-be-loved?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=A79EvmNYp1&rank=
  • Social Justice articles: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/social-justice
  • Embezzlement: The Corporate Sin of Contemporary Christianity: https://relationaltithe.com/featured-resources/embezzlement-the-corporate-sin-of-contemporary-christianity/

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0:00:00 Introduction
0:07:30 War and violence inherent to government
0:10:10 True free market vs. government meddling
0:24:00 Why do libertarians want government if they acknowledge that they just screw things up?
0:31:40 Why do libertarians want a free economic market, but not a free market of governments (like HOA's?)
0:34:00 Government is inherently destructive through fiscal policy (taxation and inflation)
0:53:00 Why capitalism is often misconstrued as greedy and wasteful
1:13:45 How would privatization of the market actually work?
1:29:30 Why are you a libertarian and not an anarchist?
1:46:00 Response to episode on the positives of communism
1:57:00 Discuss Atlas shrugged and greed vs. self-interest
2:05:10 Closing

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Michael Crichton Transcript: https://www.independent.org/events/transcript.asp?id=111
  • Michael Crichton Video: https://www.independent.org/multimedia/detail.asp?id=1350
  • Atlas shrugged: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/662.Atlas_Shrugged?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=3TNTSGnnbK&rank=1
  • The Creature from Jekyll Island: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66499.The_Creature_from_Jekyll_Island?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_27
  • The Law, by Bastiat: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1609224.The_Law?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ChrBYB7gH8&rank=1

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0:00 Episode Preview
17:00 Guest Intro and background
1:02:00 - Introduce government and communism discussion
1:23:00 - Rethinking communism
1:35:00 - What about force, legislation, and redistribution?
1:42:00 - Demerits of capitalism
1:55:30 - What about the negative examples of what communism leads to?
1:58:00 - Cuba
2:00:30 - U.S. manipulation of socialist countries
2:13:00 - Owner and consumer responsibilities
2:19:30 - Communism and capitalism are both wielded in empire seeking endeavors

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Taylor's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newtranscendentalist/
  • The Radical King: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22125264-the-radical-king?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=GiFTlbW5Vt&rank=1
  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76401.Bury_My_Heart_at_Wounded_Knee?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_16
  • Negroes with Guns: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/591966.Negroes_with_Guns?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_17
  • Radio Free Dixie: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/448669.Radio_Free_Dixie?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Kph13p1JCh&rank=1
  • How Europe Underdeveloped Africa: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40630.How_Europe_Underdeveloped_Africa?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_25
  • Kleptopia: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45306313-kleptopia?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=naXJW9PJO6&rank=1
  • Death in the Haymarket: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171634.Death_in_the_Haymarket?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MqKatTHcDM&rank=1
  • Vischer on Evangelicalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiiRnO7UTTk
  • Fitzgerald on Evangelicalism: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753872-the-evangelicals?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_23
  • Richard Wolff's socialism for dummies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZC0JOYYWw&t=520s

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0:00 - My Intro
6:00 - Dr. Keown's Intro
8:00 - Discipleship and Individualism
12:25 - Why does the gospel seem difficult to share when there aren't consequences?
17:10 - Do government and religion always marry?
23:50 - Is government antithetical to the Kingdom?
32:45 - Government and violence go together
42:50 - How does submission under evil empire work?
57:45 - Revelation, empire, and submission
1:05:00 - Egalitarianism and submission

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Paul's Vision of a New Masculinity: https://www.academia.edu/36607328/Pauls_Vision_of_a_New_Masculinity_Eph_5_21_6_9_
  • World Upside Down: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9487035-world-upside-down?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_9
  • Jesus in a World of Colliding Empire: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39948664-jesus-in-a-world-of-colliding-empires-volume-one?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=NSrodkCOUU&rank=1
  • Kierkegaard's Attack Upon Christendom: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34271805-kierkegaard-s-attack-upon-christendom-1854-1855?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4mRMOXc2Kh&rank=1
  • The Kingship of Jesus in the Gospel of John: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45168636-the-kingship-of-jesus-in-the-gospel-of-john?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=SHWYw99JG6&rank=1

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • World Upside Down: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9487035-world-upside-down?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_9
  • Jesus in a World of Colliding Empire: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39948664-jesus-in-a-world-of-colliding-empires-volume-one?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=NSrodkCOUU&rank=1
  • Kierkegaard's Attack Upon Christendom: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34271805-kierkegaard-s-attack-upon-christendom-1854-1855?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4mRMOXc2Kh&rank=1
  • The Kingship of Jesus in the Gospel of John: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45168636-the-kingship-of-jesus-in-the-gospel-of-john?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=SHWYw99JG6&rank=1

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Article: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/political-rebirth-and-the-kingdom-of-god
  • Letter to Diognetus: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm
  • Terraform: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55276654-terraform?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=jjfEvfF7Xq&rank=2

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0:00 - Preface
2:30 - Cody's Introduction
4:30 - Does a face value reading of the Bible give you a violent, statist God?
12:45 - Can enemy love be grounded in the character of God if his standards for it have changed over time?
23:00 - Is the Antenicene Church helpful in forming our beliefs, and if so, how do we choose what to accept and dismiss from them?
30:45 - The Antenicene Church helps us embrace diversity, unity, and humility.
34:00 - How do we deal with the fact that many Christian Anarchists dismiss or diminish the resurrection of Jesus?
44:30 - How do we relate with other Christian groups who are more liberal, which many anarchist and nonviolent groups are?
53:15 - The diversity of the anarchist community

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLpi-OoaNCg&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=17
  • Unhitched: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56564333-unhitched?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=mVJ3HGmeB5&rank=1
  • Fight the Powers: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41034619-fight-the-powers
  • A Second Adam: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25842702-a-second-adam
  • What Belongs to Caesar: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60381489-what-belongs-to-caesar

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0:00 - Intro
3:00 - Aree's Intro
11:00 - Inerrancy
21:00 - Is God nonviolent by nature or by decree?
39:50 - Eastern Orthodoxy and Sacralism
53:00 - Is nonparticipation in government violence towards the oppressed?
1:03:10 - CRT helps anarchism

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBDO1ZR05bI&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=15

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0:00:00 My Introduction
0:4:00- Craig's Introduction
0:11:20 - Why should we care about the early church?
0:21:00 - What are some of the biggest differences between the Antenicene Church and the Post-Constantinian Church?
0:28:00 - Did Constantine change the church overnight, or was he just watering the seeds latent in the church?
0:38:10 - What is the Donatist Controversy and how does it inform our discussion of empire, orthodoxy, and ecumenicism?
0:49:45 - Are the Donatists or the Post-Constantinians the true/best representation of the true church?
0:56:15 - How do we know what orthodoxy is and what aspects of the faith handed down to us is the winners writing orthodoxy/history?
1:09:00 - What did disputes in the church look like prior to having access to the sword of the state?
1:013:45 - How has the power of the sword influenced our world today? What might the world look like today if Christians didn't bear the sword?
1:24:20 - Closing thoughts: The church changed, but empire remained the same.

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS8QdMGShJU&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=11
  • Craig's Website: https://crucifiedpeace.wordpress.com/christianpacifists/
  • Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4465311-christian-attitudes-to-war-peace-and-revolution?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_26
  • Constantine Revisited: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18185002-constantine-revisited?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_22
  • The Early Church on Killing: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13789120-the-early-church-on-killing?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_23

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview with Matthew Milioni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8Q8jXjSegE&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=8
  • Voting as an Abdication of Responsibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBAs9jmanzs
  • Spooner The Constitution of No Authority: https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/spooner-no-treason-no-vi-the-constitution-of-no-authority-1870
  • Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1461694.The_Anatomy_Of_A_Hybrid?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=SbB0UDw1D0&rank=1
  • George Carlin voting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLvm16MKCpA
  • Electing Not to Vote: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3402646-electing-not-to-vote?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=WUxsN9wXUl&rank=1
  • Hauerwas voting coercive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOk78SSyKtM
  • Just War Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xQaDDKY7k
  • Dial 911: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8994266-dial-911?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=uwBGNQRE7H&rank=7
  • Romans 13 episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/c-g-romans-13-replay-12
  • Romans 13 extension: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/c-g-romans-13-extension-i-pet-and-i-cor-6
  • Spanking Episode Part I: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/97-means-and-ends-spanking
  • Talking Into the Chasm: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-in-the-chasm/id1492844106
  • Followers of the Way: https://www.followers-of-the-way.org/
  • Dank Kingdom Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dank-kingdom-podcast/id1506853313

0:00:00 Intro
0:04:00 Is abstention from government a shirking of our Christian duty to do good in the world?
0:16:00 Is it a false dichotomy to say we can't serve God AND government?
0:26:20 The impracticality of governmental pursuit and coercion vs. example
0:31:25 Voting as religion and the sacralism of the state
0:39:50 Voting as a tool to appease and silent the masses and quell civil uprisings
0:45:25 How government steals the credit and props itself up as savior in regard to societal good done by activists
0:48:35 Government is idealistic, and Jesus is a better and more practical savior than government
0:56:35 False dichotomy part 2: can't we serve God through government?
1:00:20 Democracy and voting are inherently coercive and factional, so what about decision making in the church?
1:08:55 If the police and laws do good and provide order in a fallen world, how do we navigate issues like legitimate lawsuits for damages, calling the police for intruders, or reporting sexual abuse?
1:24:15 Informing the state about crimes in their domain vs. petitioning the state to use their sword on my behalf
1:30:00 How do I maintain a consistent application of noncoercion to other areas, like parenting and spanking?
1:35:10 Isn't justifying spanking based on the benefit for my kids the same consequentialism Christians who vote use?
1:39:00 What about Jesus ruling with a rod of iron, and Christians ruling in the age to come? That sounds like we're wielding government and sword.
1:47:41 Christocentric vision as core
1:52:27 Matthew plugs his stuff
1:53:54 Outro

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0:00:00 - Episode Intro
0:05:00 - Jay Newman Intro
0:15:30 - Complicity in the system
0:19:00 - Is Christian Anarchism retreatist?
0:30:30 - Consequentialism's willingness to compromise
0:37:30 - Coercion as top down vs. Discipleship as bottom up
0:44:00 - The Upside Down Kingdom as true power
0:48:45 - Ellul, Anarchism, and Propaganda
1:00:00 - Exiles in Babylon
1:01:45 - Avoiding negative anarchy for positive anarchy and kingdom building

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ815n_kcQQ&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=16
  • Robert Meeropol Interview: https://share.transistor.fm/s/b8142f61
  • Christian Nonresistance: In All Its Important Bearings: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1610861.Christian_Non_Resistance?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=TuZN24MbmY&rank=1
    Aiden Ballou quote from "Christian Nonresistance in All its Important Bearings:"

As constituent supporters of human government, ( whether civil or military, or a compound of both -) in its state or national sovereignty, men are morally responsible for all constitutions, institutions, laws, processes, and usages, which they have pledged themselves to support, or which they avowedly approve, or which they depend upon as instrumentalities for securing and promoting their personal welfare, or in which they acquiesce without positive remonstrance and disfellowship. Thus if a political compact, a civil or military league, covenant, or constitution, requires, authorizes, provides for, or tolerates war, bloodshed, capital punishment, slavery, or any kind of absolute injury - offensive or defensive, the man who swears, affirms, or otherwise pledges himself to support such a compact, league, covenant, or constitution, is just as responsible for every act of injury done in strict conformity thereto, as if he himself personally committed it. He is not responsible for abuses and violations of the constitution.

But for all that is constitutionally done he is responsible. The army is his army, the navy his navy, the militia his militia, the gallows his gallows, the -^ pillory his pillory, the whipping-post his whipping-post, the branding-iron his branding-iron, the prison to prison, the dungeon his dungeon, and the slaveholding his slaveholding. When the constitutional majority declare war, it is his war. All the slaughter, rapine, ravages, robbery, destruction, and mischief committed under that declaration, in accordance with the laws of war, are his. Nor can he exculpate himself by pleading that he was one of a strenuous anti-war minority in the government. He was in the government. He had sworn, affirmed, or otherwise pledged himself, that the majority should have discretionary power to declare war. He tied up his hands with that anti-Christian obligation, to stand by the majority in all the crimes and abominations inseparable from war. It is therefore his war, its murders are his murders, its horrible injuries on humanity are his injuries. " They are all committed with his solemn sanction. There is no escape from this terrible moral responsibility but by a conscientious withdrawal from such government, and an uncompromising protest against so much of its fundamental creed and constitutional law, as is decidedly anti-Christian. He must cease to be its pledged supporter and approving dependent.

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IN4L6JooZE&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=10
  • Our Foundations Podcast: https://ourfoundations.podbean.com/
  • Creature from Jekyll Island: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66499.The_Creature_from_Jekyll_Island?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_18
  • Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4465311-christian-attitudes-to-war-peace-and-revolution?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_26
  • The Fourth Turning: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/670089.The_Fourth_Turning?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_14

0:00:00 - Introduction
0:12:45 - Christians should seek idealism and perfection, despite its unattainability
0:18:00 - Why don't we teach pursuing the ideal in governing our world, but we teach pursuing the ideal in regard to things like adultery/lust and murder/hate?
0:22:00 - Reverse incarnation as hope and hypocrisy as a lack of pursuing the ideal
0:24:30 - how do you know which ideal to embrace when there are competing idealisms?
0:29:40 - The practical nature of the Kingdom of God and his orderly universe
0:40:40 - Cycle of individualism vs the cycle of institutionalism
0:46:00 - Flipping the script: the idealism of the statists and just war adherents
0:56:00 The practical nature of God's kingdom
1:01:00 - The alternative of no government seems worse
1:05:00 - The market as organization rather than state
1:20:00 - Free markets incentivize non-discrimination
1:31:45 - Cycles in human history
1:38:00 - Outro and plugs

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXlUUEbD1ak&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=14
  • John's website: https://antiwarwarvet.com/
  • Lysander Spooner's "No Treason": https://www.scribd.com/book/426684842/The-Complete-Works-of-Lysander-Spooner-The-Unconstitutionality-of-Slavery-No-Treason-The-Constitution-of-No-Authority-Vices-are-Not-Crimes-Natura?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google_search&utm_campaign=3Q_Google_DSA_NB_RoW&utm_device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwu_mSBhAYEiwA5BBmfyAeOQrLz1F1oT9Aza8SLWTGTM-SfHiyZxSx3YUYGB2dP5zsRPe63BoClx0QAvD_BwE
  • David Grossman's "On Killing": https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/0316040932
  • War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Injury-Robert-Emmet-Meagher/dp/1498296785
  • Achilles in Vietnam: https://www.amazon.com/Achilles-in-Vietnam-audiobook/dp/B07DR1DK7Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZN6NYE4VSPSX&keywords=achilles+in+vietnam&qid=1650411772&s=books&sprefix=achilles+in+vietnam%2Cstripbooks%2C169&sr=1-1
  • War is a Racket: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198259.War_is_a_Racket?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mhUu4ganRr&rank=1

0:00 - Introduction
6:20 - Pacifism vs anti-war
9:45 how our freedoms and security are hampered by protecting our freedom through military action
20:30 - Diffusion of responsibility as cogs in a wheel that run the machinery
26:30 - inalienable rights aren't inalienable, as we don't apply them to other groups
31:45 - Smedley Butler
34:15 - Is war a racket?
41:20 - Taxes, contracts, and Lysander Spooner's "No Treason"
47:30 - Moral injury and the cost of state violence

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On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
War and Moral Injury: A Reader

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1wPu_Re6Y8&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=3&t=844s
  • Caesar and the Lamb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16237822-caesar-and-the-lamb?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PRc1uFbXGi&rank=1
  • Air Force Chapel: https://www.usafa.edu/facilities/cadet-chapel/
  • Anabaptist Perspective Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyqfc43wM9U
  • When Helping Hurts: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6595233-when-helping-hurts?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_18
  • The Locus Effect: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17656566-the-locust-effect?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_16
  • Followers of the Way [FOTW]: https://www.facebook.com/FollowersoftheWayBoston
  • FOTW It's Just War Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xQaDDKY7k
  • FOTW Christianity and Voting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zitBjs1Y1r8
  • King Jesus Claims His Church: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18470201-king-jesus-claims-his-church?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_28
  • Fair Play: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176691.Fair_Play?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=EOle79pVaf&rank=1
  • To Change the World: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7846894-to-change-the-world?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_26
  • Sattler College: https://www.sattlercollege.org/
  • My episode on Christians and Lying: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/finished-augustine-and-lying

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0:00 - Introduction
7:45 - Incoherence of Current Moral Theories
8:20 - Virtue Ethics & Arbitrariness
9:25 - Consequentialism & Arbitrariness
10:15 - Deontological & Arbitrariness
12:45 - Virtue Ethics & Egoism
19:20 - Deontology & Egoism
21:30 - Consequentialism & Egoism
26:05 - How does the resurrection fix arbitrariness and egoism?
27:40 - Purpose and existence in creation
30:40 - Separation from purpose and existence
33:45 - What the resurrection gets us - theosis
40:40 - Existence and pure nature are required for purpose and morality
46:20 - Privation theory of evil
51:20 - Isn't hope in resurrection a self-centered hope?
1:00:05 - Resurrection prevents the sacrifice of other
1:10:15 - Means are concomitant with their ends
1:11:50 - Conclusion
1:14:15 - Implications on Christian Anarchism and Othering

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a1tsRIJQCw&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=12
  • Necessity of the Resurrection Article: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/a-morality-of-being
  • Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7106065-christian-anarchism?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Fiu9MyYhqw&rank=1
  • How Did Sin Originate in a Perfect World? discuss essences and adjoining to God through theosis: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/how-did-sin-originate-in-a-perfect-world
  • (96) S6E4 Means and Ends: Purposing: rooting purpose rather than creating it, and how purpose is relational
    https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/means-and-ends-purposing
  • Hitchens vs. Hitchens Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNlskhOlYBY

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0:00 - My Introduction and Preface
17:00 - Participant Introductions
20:30 - How did the book come about?
26:40 - Christian Anarchism connected to Liberation Theology
30:40 - Parties cherry-pick critiques of the state
36:30 - Post-anarchism
39:30 - How can CA contribute to modern Christian politics
44:40 - General and specific loves of groups
51:50 - Othering, domination, and hierarchy
58:00 - Anarchy and compulsory vaccinations
1:05:15 - Resource recommendations

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a1tsRIJQCw&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=12
  • Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7106065-christian-anarchism?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Fiu9MyYhqw&rank=1
  • How Did Sin Originate in a Perfect World? discuss essences and adjoining to God through theosis: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/how-did-sin-originate-in-a-perfect-world
  • (96) S6E4 Means and Ends: Purposing: rooting purpose rather than creating it, and how purpose is relational
    https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/means-and-ends-purposing
  • Hitchens vs. Hitchens Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNlskhOlYBY

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Video Interview with Abby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyZtSxbk1jQ&list=PLNrd6lQRh0iZzSxgMo_zhz69clqkD0W9J&index=6&t=686s
  • Adin Ballou: https://archive.org/details/christiannonres00ballgoog
  • Abby Cleckner Podcast/Article: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-49
  • Milgram Experiment: https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html
  • "Ordinary Men": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/647492.Ordinary_Men?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=aRJ3vzYP9K&rank=1
  • "They Thought They Were Free": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/978689.They_Thought_They_Were_Free?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=wkBRNkaOz3&rank=1
    "Defying Hitler": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65458.Defying_Hitler
  • The Bad Roman Project: https://www.thebadroman.com/
  • Stanford Prison Experiment: https://www.prisonexp.org/
  • "I Got a Monster": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51171365-i-got-a-monster?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=GES4IA1axW&rank=1
  • Hauerwas and the church as politics: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/unsystematictheology/2016/10/hauerwas-on-the-political-task-of-the-church-in-america/

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • China Partnership's translation: https://www.chinapartnership.org/blog/2018/12/my-declaration-of-faithful-disobedience
  • Hannah Nation's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahfsnation/

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • "Generous Justice": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8414177-generous-justice?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=EirtdWLhk5&rank=1
  • "Way of the Dragon or Way of the Lamb": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55918687-the-way-of-the-dragon-or-the-way-of-the-lamb?ref=nav_sb_noss_l_17
  • Solzhenitsyn: https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/live-not-by-lies
  • Havel: https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/the-power-of-the-powerless-vaclav-havel-2011-12-23

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Moral Chemistry: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/moral-chemistry
  • "Fight Like Jesus" has a great discussion on taxation: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58667575-fight-like-jesus?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hqJjnW3u05&rank=1
  • Anarchochristian: https://www.anarchochristian.com/tag/taxation/

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Anarchochristian: https://www.anarchochristian.com/how-an-anarchist-obeys-1-peter-213-17/
  • Adin Ballou: https://archive.org/details/christiannonres00ballgoog
  • What to the Slave is the 4th of July?: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/speeches-african-american-history/1852-frederick-douglass-what-slave-fourth-july/
  • Book of Eli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSMHmtaoXtI

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Pre-Episode Introduction
0:00:00 - Introduction and Robert's story
0:04:20 - Manichean nature of propaganda
0:08:20 - Government destroys culture, not just resistance
0:10:15 - Timing of this episode

Interview with Robert
0:13:45 - Propaganda in the case of Robert's parents
0:19:15 - Role of fear and othering in propaganda
0:27:25 - Why was it important for propaganda that the kids of the Rosenbergs were targeted as threats?
0:38:25 - Propaganda in the media as a sedative that gets people to work within the system rather than buck it
0:51:50 - How can we know truth in a world saturated by propaganda?
1:00:30 - Why can't the government bring itself to admit they're wrong?
1:11:45 - Why do we need activists today if we solved discrimination with Civil Rights?
1:21:50 - Resource recommendations and plugsA huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!

  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Questions and Notes for the Episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wXPgp06Xp5Hc-IlB3x81Fwi6ZCCHL4uu2Xs8Wu1rKJs/edit?usp=sharing
  • YouTube version of our interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbzPXxJ2PTo
  • PRE-RELEASE EPISODE 1 INTRODUCTION: https://share.transistor.fm/s/4fec1099
  • PRE-RELEASE EPISODE 2 HOW PROPAGANDA FUNCTIONS: https://share.transistor.fm/s/7f9c0a8c
  • PRE-RELEASE EPISODE 3 THE FALSE PROPHET OF PROPAGANDA: https://share.transistor.fm/s/89025034
  • An Execution in the Family (Robert's Book): https://www.amazon.com/Execution-Family-One-Sons-Journey-ebook/dp/B003J5UJJK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=252RAVF2FZJCL&keywords=an+execution+in+the+family&qid=1650622614&s=digital-text&sprefix=an+execution+in+the+family%2Cdigital-text%2C193&sr=1-1
  • Executing the Rosenbergs: https://www.amazon.com/Executing-Rosenbergs-Death-Diplomacy-World-ebook/dp/B015P7A066/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1IUJQLH31QLL9&keywords=executing+the+rosenbergs&qid=1650622585&s=digital-text&sprefix=executing+the+rosenberg%2Cdigital-text%2C190&sr=1-1
  • Rosenberg Fund for Children: https://www.rfc.org/
  • Ellul's "Propaganda": https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Formation-Mens-Attitudes/dp/B08YJ3V7F4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GGCP6WP3WUXW&keywords=ellul+propaganda&qid=1650622694&sprefix=ellul+propagand%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-1
  • Chomskey on Propaganda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suFzznCHjko
  • The Radical King (on King and Communism): https://www.amazon.com/The-Radical-King-audiobook/dp/B0799ZNCQQ/ref=sr_1_39?crid=1FHIRH7P45O7X&keywords=martin+luther+king&qid=1650620746&sprefix=martin+luther+kin%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-39
  • "Strange Fruit" sung by Billie Holiday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI
  • Robert Williams and Radio Free Dixie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Dixie
  • Negroes with Guns by Robert Williams: https://www.amazon.com/Negroes-Guns-Robert-F-Williams/dp/1773230522
  • Slavery into the 1940's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4kI2h3iotA
  • Slavery into Modernity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OXbJHsKB3I
  • Terror Factory: https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Factory-Inside-Manufactured-Terrorism/dp/1632460653/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RHU33LH9VVFD&keywords=terror+factory&qid=1650622428&s=books&sprefix=terror+factory%2Cstripbooks%2C211&sr=1-1
  • Nixon's War at Home: https://www.amazon.com/Nixons-War-Home-Guerrillas-Counterterrorism/dp/B09HVC31CS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DHD4VELWJKKK&keywords=nixon%27s+war+at+home&qid=1650622483&s=books&sprefix=nixon%27s+war+at+ho%2Cstripbooks%2C194&sr=1-1
  • Not a Nation of Immigrants: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Nation-Immigrants-Colonialism-Supremacy-ebook/dp/B08K7QKCCK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1650622505&sr=1-1
  • Yippie Girl: https://www.amazon.com/Yippie-Girl-Exploits-Protest-Defeating-ebook/dp/B09MS4YS68/ref=sr_1_1?crid=276EC2B44V265&keywords=yippie+girl&qid=1650622525&s=digital-text&sprefix=yippie+girl%2Cdigital-text%2C190&sr=1-1

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Anarchochristian "Anarchy in Pennsylvania": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anarchy-in-pennsylvania/id1339744391?i=1000447731440
  • Scars of Independence: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31453065-scars-of-independence?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=cYitg7NK0m&rank=1
  • War is a Racket: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198259.War_is_a_Racket?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=7hHcGpWvmR&rank=1
  • Lysander Spooner and the Post Office: https://explorethearchive.com/lysander-spooner
  • Postal Clause: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_Clause
  • USPS Monopoly: https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-bulletin/privatizing-us-postal-service

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • The Gospel or a Glock: https://documents.pub/document/gospel-or-a-glock.html
  • I Got a Monster: https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/440180470/I-Got-a-Monster-The-Rise-and-Fall-of-America-s-Most-Corrupt-Police-Squad
  • Behind the Bastards Policing: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/slavery-mass-murder-and-the-birth-63913529/
  • The End of Policing: https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/400924172/The-End-of-Policing
  • Dial 911 (I know it doesn't look like the right resource, but it is): https://www.amazon.com/Dial-911-Peaceful-Christians-Violence/dp/0836119525/ref=sr_1_11?crid=DHX6M9KTPLQV&keywords=dial+911+book&qid=1652725121&sprefix=dial+911+boo%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-11

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Moral Chemistry: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/moral-chemistry

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • A great conversation on a philosophy behind abstention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqEc3NNGol8&feature=youtu.be
  • Phil Vischer on abortion and politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWD7ykNjCc&feature=youtu.be
  • Voting as coercive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiiyZsCzP9k&t=1s
  • Voting as an abdication of responsibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBAs9jmanzs&t=9s
  • Christian Sacralism in "Anatomy of a Hybrid:" https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htm
  • Electing Not to Vote: https://www.amazon.com/Electing-Not-Vote-Christian-Reflections-ebook/dp/B00YD5D0Z0/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=electing+not+to+vote&qid=1577199172&sr=8-1
  • Essay on Civil Disobedience (Thoreau): https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/201/Thoreau,%20CivilDisobedience.pdf
  • Kierkegaard Quotes on Politics: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/politics/politics-and-the-state
  • The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2
  • Consequentialism Series (beginning ep. 24): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes?utf8=%E2%9C%93&year=2019&month=
  • Romans 13 Part 1 (Biblical Case): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13
  • Romans 13 Part 2 (Practical Case): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2

As Christians in the U.S. start thinking about voting for a commander in chief this fall, I thought I'd throw out an unpopular option for everyone to chew on. I've done a significant amount of reflection on politics, voting, and Kingdom living over the past few years, and I have concluded that the option of abstention is something that needs to be on the table for Christians. It may not be something you do in this election, or any future election, but it needs to be a tool you have available to you and one you can respect others using. In this podcast episode I lay out that case for this option, but if you want the summary and don't want to listen to a ninety minute episode, I'll summarize below.

https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se2-abstention-from-political-idolatry

  1. Many Christians view what James calls true religion as optional (helping orphans, widows, etc), as few Christians judge others for not doing these things. Only people who are "called" to those things are required to do them. Few people in our churches adopt, volunteer at the food pantry, etc. We view those things as optional, and understand if congregants don't have the time to participate. However, many view voting as morally necessary and the responsible thing to do. This mismatch of moral obligations seems to me to be political idolatry. How is it that orphans and widows are optional, while voting is obligatory? The state has replaced the church as the Christian ethic in American Evangelical society, which is why a vote every four years is lauded more vocally than doing the hard work of consistent community interaction and love.

  2. When all candidates and/or platforms require our own moral compromises or implicit support of evil, the testimony of Christ should be prioritized and our salt/light to the world maintained over any action which promises perceived effectiveness. When all options are evil (a threshold we may disagree on), a holy example is only maintained through our abstention from evil and subsequent faith in God to accomplish his means through the church. As Daniel resigned himself to prayer, Moses's mother resigned her son to a basket, and Jesus resigned himself to a cross - God may bring us to a moment where following him means throwing off seeming effectiveness and simply resting in God's promise to sovereignly control history not through our subversion of his means, but through our clinging to him and his holy will over human wisdom, methodology, and power..

God's express and implied will for our lives is holiness and a growing conformity to Christ. If all political parties and/or candidates require moral compromise, abstention is important to maintain moral holiness in our avoidance of evil. It is only through holy distinction (being salt and light) that incarnation is possible and meaningful. Had Jesus met us where we were, but not maintained his holy distinction from us, his incarnation would have been meaningless because he would have condescended without providing us a hope for our ascension. Christ may have met the prostitutes and tax collectors where they were (literally at their place of work or in their homes), but his maintained holiness and distinctiveness was what gave them hope that they were and could be more. Likewise, the church is to be distinct in our incarnation - being in the world, but not being of it and compromising for it. Without that holy distinction, we are not depicting Christ and have no hope of which to tell the world. Without a two-fold incarnation (condescension and holy distinctiveness), the message of the gospel is unintelligible, disingenuous, and worthless.

  1. Even if all candidates and parties are morally acceptable, abstention can be important to avoid personal political idolatry. There are many actions which can be good which are made morally wrong or unwise for someone with certain struggles/proclivities. Those who struggle with pride in regard to their musical ability may refuse to join the praise team at church.While praising God and serving the church are good, good things can be corrupting influences or temptations for some individuals. Even if any particular election has a viable candidate for Christians, it may be personally necessary for an individual to abstain from voting in order to abstain from personal idolatry.

  2. Abstention may not only be the best approach for personal and communal moral distinction and holiness, but it may be the best option for long term positive results, as group adherence to such an action could best ensure future candidates and policies will be brought up to standards rather than the voting base be brought down into moral compromise, and a slippery slope of morality ensue both in parties/candidates and the voting base. For example, had the conservative Christian community abstained in the last presidential election, while a Democrat would likely have won, it may be that the Republican party would have seen the need to put forward a morally fit candidate and platform this term who represents Christian values (in policy and example) far better than the current or even previous presidents. Likewise, we may not have such a backlash in response to our current president, and may not have made more far left candidates (like Sanders) viable options for the Left. Rather than a lowering of the bar all-around, abstention could have potentially halted and reversed the degradation of political polarization, immorality, and childishness.

  3. We recognize abstention in other realms (e.g. the financial) as being not only meaningful (symbolically and actually), but morally necessary in some cases. Most conservative Christian women likely avoid supporting Planned Parenthood even for general procedures not related to abortions. We also see abstention advocated by the most big vocal conservative Christians in the recent outrage against the Superbowl half-time show. They are arguing that Christians boycott (a.k.a. abstain from watching) the Superbowl or the half-time show next year unless changes are made to the program. Christians understand abstention to be a valuable tool in other areas - areas where we can conveniently find alternatives (boycott a clothing manufacturer and you still have plenty of brands to choose from, boycott Planned Parenthood and you can still go to another healthcare provider, or boycott the Superbowl and you can still find other forms of entertainment or watch highlights the next day). However, political power is an idol for us and we think we need it to control the world, so we can't loose our grip on that. Therefore, abstention is condemned in the political sphere while deemed valuable in just about every other area of life.

ADDENDUM of ANECDOTE: Having contact with a lot of international people and missionaries, I always love polling that community on political ideas. I find that among missionaries, many break the mold in political thinking from what is stereotypical of their denomination. Here are just a few insights related to voting from the conversations I've had with some expats.

  1. Many missionaries I've talked to don't view voting as that big of a deal, and a number don't bother doing absentee voting. They just don't view politics as where lives and hearts are changed. Kingdom work seems to have very little to do with political power. As you experience ministry (especially cross-culturally), the church seems to be the true power of Christ, not politics.

  2. Some missionaries and individuals who have ministries and friendships overseas, or who live in diverse communities - in locations like Mexico, Central/South America, and the Middle East, find that voting along American Evangelical lines hinders their testimony. How do you chant "build that wall!" and then preach to your Mexican congregation that we are aliens in this world and there is neither Jew nor Greek... Mexican nor American? Many missionaries find it all too convenient for those living Stateside to have neat parameters for voting "Christianly," but that neat package tends to ostracize and ignore the other 95% of the world who compose the Kingdom from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Abstention not only seems like a possible option for individuals in some cultures, but sometimes the most Christian option which allows expats to love non-Americans and maintain their testimony to those they serve.

  3. In many countries, Christians have no option to control the government and they don't really care to change that. They recognize that government isn't how Christianity asserts its power in the world. If Christianity asserted its power through politics, then most of the world, for most of history and through today (and including Jesus) were ineffective Christians. Was Christ's goal really for Christians to grasp at political power to wield their wills over the opposition? I was speaking with a missionary from one country where Christianity isn't persecuted, but neither is it even close to being in power. This person said that the church doesn't care about politics at all. They view it as, "why would I want to be or have part with Caesar?" The grasp at political power is viewed as almost antithetical to Christianity or Christian interests in some cultures.

  4. Conservative Evangelical Christians in some cultures are flabbergasted by the political frenzy of American conservatives. While this particular point comes from listening to an international podcast rather than direct conversation (Justin Brierly from "Unbelievable"), I think the point still stands. Conservative Christians overseas just don't understand the compromises American conservatives are willing to make. Brierly said that U.K. conservatives thought the only difference they had with American Christians prior to 2016 was a little bit of language difference, but after 2016 they recognized that our Christianity looked significantly different in regard to its view on politics. It's important to recognize that conservatives from other cultures can provide us with some insights and balances we ought to consider, as it's easy to be blind to your own idols.

  5. Finally, the nationalism of the U.S. stands out to so many missionaries returning from overseas. Going to a church and seeing the U.S. flag flown with the Christian flag (with the U.S. flag always in prominence, above and/or to the right), having patriotic services in church where always stoic congregants turn into passionate ones, having missions conferences where the world flags are flown - but with a special entrance for the U.S. flag that is raised above all the others and sung to - it just feels weird. It's weird to be so Kingdom minded only to return and have one kingdom raised above the others, including above THE Kingdom. We call it patriotism here, but a lot of missionaries I've talked to feel it's strange and goes beyond that for Christians.It seems a lot more like nationalism (worship of country) when you step away and return. While this last point isn't directly tied to voting, it does say a lot about how we elevate our nation and government, and therefore how we likely view an act like voting, which is integral to our government's elevation and the narrative of what we're lead to believe about our nation and our responsibility to it.

In conclusion, American Evangelicals need to consider moral consistency, faithful action, and holy integrity as more important than becoming drunk on perceived power, security, and control. Holy sacrifice and conformity to Christ is what allowed impoverished peasants to transform pagan, pluralistic Rome, not compromise with the powers that be. Abstaining from evil and trusting in God, while simultaneously putting our money where our mouths are and exemplifying true religion (helping the least at cost to ourselves) is how we change the world, because that's what Christ taught us and showed us. Therefore, abstention in voting is an important tool to consider.

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The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church
Electing Not to Vote: Christian Reflections on Reasons for Not Voting

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • The Faithful Executioner: https://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Executioner-Turbulent-Sixteenth-Century-ebook/dp/B0096MTBO4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1650315570&sr=8-1

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Sin Eaters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater
  • Tolstoy's "My Religion": https://archive.org/details/myreligiononlife00tols
  • Ballou's "Christian Non-Resistance in All its Important Bearings": https://archive.org/details/christian_nonresistance_0906_librivox
  • Sowell's "Civil Rights Rhetoric or Reality": https://www.scribd.com/book/163602107/Civil-Rights-RHETORIC-OR-REALITY
  • The Blinding of Isaac Woodard: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/blinding-isaac-woodard/

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • A Solemn Review of the Custom of War: https://archive.org/details/solemnreviewofcu00worc
  • How Europe Underdeveloped Africa: https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/390635665/How-Europe-Underdeveloped-Africa?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google_search&utm_campaign=3Q_Google_DSA_NB_RoW&utm_device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwxZqSBhAHEiwASr9n9INX3RsRxRdms3lyp1VFHH5BqE7vIZkBqAzOF8qf9nW6cj0vFF1OXxoC4-sQAvD_BwE
  • Proximate vs. Efficient Causes: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/does-god-cause-sin

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Dan Carlin's "Painfotainment": https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-61-blitz-painfotainment/
  • Sterilization Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3_c9pZ4SKc

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • The Myth of the American Dream: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-American-Dream-Reflections-Affluence-ebook/dp/B07ZG7H9YV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PFHTFMEVNUH4&keywords=myth+of+the+american+dream&qid=1647434301&sprefix=myth+of+the+american+dream%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1
  • Salvian's "On the Government of God": https://www.amazon.com/Government-God-Salvian/dp/1785165054/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3T6FZW4FWAR7M&keywords=on+the+government+of+God&qid=1647434348&sprefix=on+the+government+of+go%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-4
  • Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/anatomy-hybrid-study-church-state-relationships/dp/0802816150/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WCC0NV62IKV1&keywords=anatomy+of+a+hybrid&qid=1647434378&sprefix=anatomy+of+a+hybri%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1
  • Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-Vicit-Agnus-Noster-ebook/dp/B0921S4YQZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=XNOICV40747H&keywords=politics+of+jesus&qid=1647434421&sprefix=politics+of+jesus%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-3
  • Havel's "Power of the Powerless": https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/1979/01/the-power-of-the-powerless.pdf
  • Bonhoeffer Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se3-bonhoeffer
  • Bonhoeffer Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/47-se5-bonhoeffer-pacifist-or-assassin
  • Niebuhr's "The King's Chapel and the King's Court": https://www.religion-online.org/article/the-kings-chapel-and-the-kings-court/

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The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power
The Politics of Jesus
The anatomy of a hybrid: A study in church-state relationships

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Burke's "A Vindication of Natural Society": https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/edmund-burke-a-vindication-of-natural-society?v=1627919432
  • Hume's "Of the First Principles of Government": https://davidhume.org/texts/empl1/fp
  • Graeber's "The Dawn of Everything": https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Everything-New-History-Humanity-ebook/dp/B08R2KL3VY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2S2AMO72L5D0H&keywords=graeber+dawn+of+everything&qid=1647434039&sprefix=graeber+dawn+of+everythin%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1

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The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Hauerwas's "The End of American Protestantism": https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-end-of-american-protestantism/10099770#:~:text=If%20I%20am%20right%20that,Stanley%20Hauerwas%20is%20Gilbert%20T.

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Jason's book, "Fight Like Jesus": https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Like-Jesus-Waged-Throughout/dp/1513809342/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A089L6PJ2UDH&keywords=fight+like+jesus&qid=1647963938&sprefix=fight+like+jesu%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1
    0:00 - Episode Introduction
    3:10 - Jason's Introduction
    11:50 - Jesus paying taxes to Caesar
    20:20 - How does submission and Romans 13 play out in a modern day context
    26:15 - If we can't bear the sword, can we be involved in government? Isn't abstaining from government retreatism?
    31:00 - How do we think about nonviolence when real life happens, like the war in Ukraine?
    42:15 - How does violence tend to do injustice primarily to the poor? How does nonviolence look like justice?
    52:10 - Is nonviolence idealistic? How ought Christians to pursue the ideal through community, or an alternative politic, the church?
    1:02:55 - What does it mean to be nonviolent and submissive in the face of oppressors?
    1:11:05 - The Passover as liberation vs. as atonement

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Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week

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  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Washington as land speculator: https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/articles-and-essays/george-washington-survey-and-mapmaker/washington-as-land-speculator/
  • The Apotheosis of Washington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington

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*I misspoke and said that Baptists are essentially anabaptists. While Baptists do re-baptize, they are of a different strain than Anabaptists and not considered as such.

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  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Dan Carlin's "Painfotainment": https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-61-blitz-painfotainment/
  • Verduin's "The Reformers and Their Stepchildren": https://www.amazon.com/Reformers-Their-Stepchildren-Dissent-Nonconformity/dp/1579789358

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The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Dissent and Nonconformity)

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  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
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  • Constantine Revisited: https://www.amazon.com/Constantine-Revisited-Leithart-Constantinian-Debate/dp/1610978196/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LEOL8H9FBDT5&keywords=constantine+revisited&qid=1644061866&sprefix=constantine+revisite%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1
  • Verduin's Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/Reformers-Their-Stepchildren-Dissent-Nonconformity/dp/1579789358/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YE7GGBETOBZS&keywords=leonard+verduin&qid=1645881258&sprefix=leonard+verdui%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1
  • Verduin's The Reformers and Their Stepchildren: https://www.amazon.com/Reformers-Their-Stepchildren-Dissent-Nonconformity/dp/1579789358/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YE7GGBETOBZS&keywords=leonard+verduin&qid=1645881258&sprefix=leonard+verdui%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1
  • Luther's On the Jews and Their Lies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Jews_and_Their_Lies
  • Rhineland Massacres: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhineland_massacres
  • Havel's Power of the Powerless: https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/the-power-of-the-powerless-vaclav-havel-2011-12-23
  • St. Francis and the Sultan: https://aleteia.org/2017/06/28/st-francis-and-the-sultan-an-encounter-of-peace-between-christians-and-muslims/
  • Spanking Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/98-means-and-ends-spanking-part-2
  • Benjamin Lay Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/draft-juneteenth-nonviolence-and-abolition
  • Christian Attitudes to War and Peace: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Attitudes-War-Peace-Revolution/dp/1587432315/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3EAQJBT5OOY&keywords=christian+attitudes+to+war+and+peace&qid=1645881846&sprefix=christian+attitudes+to+war+and+pea%2Caps%2C264&sr=8-2

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Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Dissent and Nonconformity)
Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate

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  • Constantine Revisited: https://www.amazon.com/Constantine-Revisited-Leithart-Constantinian-Debate/dp/1610978196/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LEOL8H9FBDT5&keywords=constantine+revisited&qid=1644061866&sprefix=constantine+revisite%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1
  • Verduin's Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/Reformers-Their-Stepchildren-Dissent-Nonconformity/dp/1579789358/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YE7GGBETOBZS&keywords=leonard+verduin&qid=1645881258&sprefix=leonard+verdui%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1
  • Verduin's The Reformers and Their Stepchildren: https://www.amazon.com/Reformers-Their-Stepchildren-Dissent-Nonconformity/dp/1579789358/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YE7GGBETOBZS&keywords=leonard+verduin&qid=1645881258&sprefix=leonard+verdui%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1

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The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Dissent and Nonconformity)
Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate

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  • Rothbard's "Anatomy of the State:" https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-State-LvMI/dp/B0817597XP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K2HDFC92062U&keywords=murray+rothbard&qid=1644061364&sprefix=murray+rothbar%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1
  • "A Solemn Review of the Custom of War:" https://archive.org/details/solemnreviewofcu00wor
  • Tolstoy's "What I Believe," or "My Religion:" https://archive.org/details/whatibelievemyr00tolsgoog
  • Ballou's "Christian Nonresistance in All Its Important Bearings:" https://archive.org/details/christiannonres00ballgoog

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The Anatomy of the State (LvMI)

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My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
The Early Church on Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=U2PVGRHOLMH8&keywords=The+Early+Church+on+Killing&qid=1645277213&sprefix=the+early+church+on+killing%2Caps%2C346&sr=8-1
Early Christians in Their Own Words: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Christians-Their-Own-Words/dp/0874865964/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=2M0RLR6E23ORZ&keywords=eberhard+arnold&qid=1645277273&sprefix=ebberhard+ar%2Caps%2C460&sr=8-5
Early Church Quotes Compilation: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church
Why the Early Church is Important: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/finished-importance-of-the-early-church-for-practice

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The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment
The Early Christians: In Their Own Words

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Psalm 34

1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

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My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
Augustine and the Death Penalty: https://www.academia.edu/3524394/Augustine_and_the_Death_Penalty

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Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
  • Government Concordance: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T4uWOPXvLdnhv2Yti8m0PRSDLDNx-q6kkAuBC2KKXF0/edit?usp=sharing

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  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
  • Me and Gideon Article: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-ministry-in-romania/me-and-gideon

Genesis 41 and 47:

56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere...

...13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.”

16 “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[c] from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”

26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.

27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.

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  • Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing

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  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
  • Lord's Prayer as a fealty oath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOlIcfp8bEs
  • "Jesus for President" (audio version rocks!): https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-for-President-audiobook/dp/B001N4CA9G/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jesus+for+president&qid=1629773027&sr=8-1
  • "The Day the Revolution Began": https://www.amazon.com/Day-Revolution-Began-audiobook/dp/B01KY0V6GC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+day+the+revolution+began&qid=1629773068&s=audible&sr=1-1
  • The Kingship of Jesus in the Gospel of John: https://www.amazon.com/Kingship-Jesus-Gospel-John/dp/1532617224/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+kingship+of+jesus+in+the+gospel+of+john&qid=1642054230&sprefix=kingship+in+the+gospel+of+john%2Caps%2C351&sr=8-1
  • Jesus in a World of Colliding Empires V.1: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-World-Colliding-Empires-One-ebook/dp/B07C6134N3/ref=sr_1_9?crid=29CDWB1PHX67M&keywords=mark+keown&qid=1642054253&sprefix=mark+keown%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-9
  • World Upside Down: https://www.amazon.com/World-Upside-Down-Reading-Graeco-Roman/dp/0199767610/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EMTGEHTY005P&keywords=world+upside+down&qid=1642054322&sprefix=world+upside+down%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1

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The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
World Upside Down: Reading Acts in the Graeco-Roman Age
The Kingship of Jesus in the Gospel of John
Jesus in a World of Colliding Empires, Volume One: Introduction and Mark 1:1—8:29: Mark’s Jesus from the Perspective of Power and Expectations

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  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
  • Anarchochristian and Babel as the first government: https://www.anarchochristian.com/babel-the-first-government-ac054/
  • Josephus "Antiquities of the Jews": https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm
  • Heiser and the table of nations: http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/05-deuteronomy/text/articles/heiser-deut32-bs.htm
  • The Unseen Realm: https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Realm-Recovering-Supernatural-Worldview/dp/1683592719/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1629772689&sr=8-1
  • The Temple wasn't desired: https://www.rivalnations.org/enoughisenough-temples/

Josephus Quote:
1. Now the sons of Noah were three,—Shem, Japhet, and Ham, born one hundred years before the Deluge. These first of all descended from the mountains into the plains, and fixed their habitation there; and persuaded others who were greatly afraid of the lower grounds on account of the flood, and so were very loath to come down from the higher places, to venture to follow their examples. Now the plain in which they first dwelt was called Shinar. God also commanded them to send colonies abroad, for the thorough peopling of the earth, that they might not raise seditions among themselves, but might cultivate a great part of the earth, and enjoy its fruits after a plentiful manner. But they were so ill instructed that they did not obey God; for which reason they fell into calamities, and were made sensible, by experience, of what sin they had been guilty: for when they flourished with a numerous youth, God admonished them again to send out colonies; but they, imagining the prosperity they enjoyed was not derived from the favor of God, but supposing that their own power was the proper cause of the plentiful condition they were in, did not obey him. Nay, they added to this their disobedience to the Divine will, the suspicion that they were therefore ordered to send out separate colonies, that, being divided asunder, they might the more easily be Oppressed.

  1. Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!

  2. Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them divers languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion. The Sibyl also makes mention of this tower, and of the confusion of the language, when she says thus: "When all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower, as if they would thereby ascend up to heaven, but the gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the tower, and gave every one his peculiar language; and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon." But as to the plan of Shinar, in the country of Babylonia, Hestiaeus mentions it, when he says thus: "Such of the priests as were saved, took the sacred vessels of Jupiter Enyalius, and came to Shinar of Babylonia."

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The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible

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  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • My Reading List Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21940220.J_G_Elliot
  • My Reading List Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10h_yL0vO8-Ja_sxUJFclff11nwUONOG6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103262818858083924733&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Season Outline: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xjGIXdNdoZWbN97kVOJk-t91i9V3FZ1u-1TdTsm5sc8/edit?usp=sharing
  • Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions": https://www.amazon.com/Structure-Scientific-Revolutions-Published-University/dp/B00HMVLURM/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2WZI9G015F0H9&dchild=1&keywords=kuhn+structure+of+scientific+revolutions&qid=1629772326&sprefix=kuhn+struc%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-2
  • Season on Nonviolence: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-uncovering-biases

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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 3rd Edition by Kuhn, Thomas S. Published by The University of Chicago Press 3rd (third) edition (1996) Paperback

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Christian Peace and Nonviolence: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Peace-Nonviolence-Documentary-History/dp/1570759227/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=christian+peace+and+nonviolence&dchild=1&keywords=christian+peace+and+nonviolence&pd_rd_i=1570759227&pd_rd_r=d94f26a1-8200-44e1-936f-2136a457576d&pd_rd_w=IYXD4&pd_rd_wg=d4ihm&pf_rd_p=1835a2a9-7ed8-48dc-ad07-fcd7527bd2bc&pf_rd_r=HDQF88BTQ7TES366MZ0W&psc=1&qid=1607232720&sr=1-1-80ba0e26-a1cd-4e7b-87a0-a2ffae3a273c

Letter to Diognetus Quote:

"What the soul is in the body, THAT Christians are in the world... The
flesh hates the soul and treats it as an enemy, even though it has
suffered no wrong, because it is prevented from enjoying its
pleasures; so too the world hates Christians, even though it suffers
no wrong at their hands, because they range themselves against its
pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and its members; in
the same way, Christians love those who hate them... The soul, when
faring badly as to food and drink, grows better; so too Christians,
when punished, day by day increase more and more. It is to no less a
post than this that God has ordered them, and they must not try to
evade it."

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Christian Peace and Nonviolence: A Documentary History

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Doctrine of Other: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-doctrine-of-other
  • Living Gently in a Violent World: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Gently-Violent-World-Prophetic/dp/0830834966/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=living+gently+in+a+violent+world&qid=1607233092&s=books&sr=1-1
  • Strong and Weak: https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Weak-Embracing-Life-Flourishing/dp/0830844430/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Strong+and+weak&qid=1607233059&s=books&sr=1-2
  • The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: https://www.amazon.com/Patient-Ferment-Early-Church-Christianity/dp/0801048494/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=patient+ferment+of+the+early+church&qid=1607233122&s=books&sr=1-1

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Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing
The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire
Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness

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  • On A Day When Men Were Counted: https://hymnary.org/text/on_a_day_when_men_were_counted#:~:text=On%20a%20day%20when%20men%20were%20counted%2C%20God,silent%20shepherds%20watched%20their%20flocks%20upon%20the%20plain%2C
  • Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Through-Middle-Eastern-Eyes/dp/0830825681/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jesus+through+middle+eastern+eyes&qid=1607265457&sr=8-1

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Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

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  • God's in the Flesh: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/gods-in-the-flesh

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Jesus Unarmed: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Unarmed-Prince-Disarms-Violence-ebook/dp/B09KK266M4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jesus+unarmed&qid=1637312804&sr=8-1
  • Keith Giles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithagiles/?hl=en

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Jesus Unarmed: How the Prince of Peace Disarms Our Violence

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Great Video on Smedley Butler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg-nUy2DalM&feature=youtu.be
  • Butler's Letter to Mothers: https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/smedley-butlers-message-mothers/
  • War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Original-Smedley-Butler/dp/1939438586/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=war+is+a+racket&qid=1604453188&sr=8-3

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War Is A Racket: Original Edition

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I461LY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Brueggemann's "A Gospel of Hope": https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Hope-Walter-Brueggemann/dp/0664262287/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=a+gospel+of+hope&qid=1607230056&sr=8-3
  • Heiser on gates of hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3BrVkmKELo
  • "Perspective" series of blogs discussing some mercy cases: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-ministry-in-romania/category/mercy-and-social-justice

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A Gospel of Hope

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  • Teach Children a Capacity for Violence: https://thelibertarianrepublic.com/we-should-teach-our-children-to-be-capable-of-violence/

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Episode #53 for the Retraction: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/46-the-case-against-abortion-bad-christian-arguments
  • Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/does-numbers-5-mean-abortion-is-ok
  • Numbers 5 Passage: https://carm.org/does-numbers-5-11-31-proscribe-abortion-drugs-in-cases-of-adultery

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Westminster Larger Catechism: https://thewestminsterstandard.org/westminster-larger-catechism/
  • Luther's Catechism: https://sacred-texts.com/chr/luther/largecat.htm#Heading8
  • Hidelberg:https://heidelblog.net/2015/08/heidelberg-105107-you-shall-not-murder-1/
  • Luther's Development:
    https://issues.cune.edu/enlightenment-liberty-vis-a-vis-christian-liberty/widerstand-luther-and-the-freedom-to-resist-unjust-authority/
  • Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed -
    https://www.socalsynod.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/606.pdfWestminster Larger Catechism

Q. 135. What are the duties required in the sixth commandment?
A. The duties required in the sixth commandment are, all careful
studies, and lawful endeavours, to preserve the life of ourselves and
others by resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing all passions,
and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices, which tend to
the unjust taking away the life of any; by just defence thereof
against violence, patient bearing of the hand of God, quietness of
mind, cheerfulness of spirit; a sober use of meat, drink, physic,
sleep, labor, and recreation; by charitable thoughts, love,
compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness; peaceable, mild, and
courteous speeches and behavior: forbearance, readiness to be
reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and requiting
good for evil; comforting and succoring the distressed, and protecting
and defending the innocent.

Q. 136. What are the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away
the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice,
lawful war, or necessary defence; the neglecting or withdrawing the
lawful and necessary means of preservation of life; sinful anger,
hatred, envy, desire of revenge; all excessive passions, distracting
cares; immoderate use of meat, drink, labor, and recreations;
provoking words; oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding, and
whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.

Luther from his catechism:

Secondly, under this commandment not only he is guilty who does evil
to his neighbor, but he also who can do him good, prevent, resist
evil, defend and save him, so that no bodily harm or hurt happen to
him and yet does not do it. If, therefore, you send away one that is
naked when you could clothe him, you have caused him to freeze to
death; you see one suffer hunger and do not give him food, you have
caused him to starve. So also, if you see any one innocently sentenced
to death or in like distress, and do not save him, although you know
ways and means to do so, you have killed him. And it will not avail
you to make the pretext that you did not afford any help, counsel, or
aid thereto for you have withheld your love from him and deprived him
of the benefit whereby his life would have been saved.

Therefore God also rightly calls all those murderers who do not
afford counsel and help in distress and danger of body and life, and
will pass a most terrible sentence upon them in the last day, as
Christ Himself has announced when He shall say, Matt.25, 42f.: I was
an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no
drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed
Me not; sick and in prison and ye visited Me not. That is: You would
have suffered Me and Mine to die of hunger thirst, and cold, would
have suffered the wild beasts to tear us to pieces, or left us to rot
in prison or perish in distress. What else is that but to reproach
them as murderers and bloodhounds? For although you have not actually
done all this, you have nevertheless, so far as you were concerned,
suffered him to pine and perish in misfortune.

It is just as if I saw some one navigating and laboring in deep
water [and struggling against adverse winds] or one fallen into fire,
and could extend to him the hand to pull him out and save him, and yet
refused to do it. What else would I appear, even in the eyes of the
world, than as a murderer and a criminal?

Therefore it is God's ultimate purpose that we suffer harm to
befall no man, but show him all good and love; and, as we have said it
is specially directed toward those who are our enemies. For to do good
to our friends is but an ordinary heathen virtue as Christ says Matt.
5, 46.

Another Luther Quote:

Therefore God and government are not included in this commandment nor
is the power to kill, which they have taken away. For God has
delegated His authority to punish evil-doers to the government instead
of parents, who aforetime (as we read in Moses) were required to bring
their own children to judgment and sentence them to death. Therefore,
what is here forbidden is forbidden to the individual in his relation
to any one else, and not to the government.

Now this commandment is easy enough and has been often treated,
because we hear it annually in the Gospel of St. Matthew, 5, 21 ff.,
where Christ Himself explains and sums it up, namely, that we must not
kill neither with hand, heart, mouth, signs, gestures, help, nor
counsel.

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  • Jewish Tradition for Noah's flood on Tishrei 1 (9/11): https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/NB-138-Transcript.pdf

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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Nonviolent Discipline Article: http://www.roadofpeace.com/why-do-we-use-violence.html
  • PBIS: https://www.pbisrewards.com/blog/what-is-pbis/?msclkid=4ff0bff6c18e1e44e81de078ff9a193b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Internal%20PBISR%20Search%20Only&utm_term=positive%20behavior%20intervention%20system&utm_content=PBIS%20General%20-%20Search_Behavior

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • "Being Consumed": https://www.amazon.com/Being-Consumed-Economics-Christian-Desire/dp/0802845614/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=being+consumed&qid=1602776389&sr=8-1

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Mohler and Olson Interview: https://albertmohler.com/2021/04/28/james-olson
  • Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying: https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Play-James-M-Olson-audiobook/dp/B079Q5ZBLD/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=fair+play&qid=1629517804&sr=8-3
  • My article on atonement and ECT: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/a-transactional-atonement-makes-god-unjust
  • Just War Season: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/54-the-incoherence-of-just-war-theory-history
  • Consequentialism Series: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-heart-of-compromise
  • Sproul arguing for ECT based on infinite differential between God and humanity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He4EWayaJaY

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Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Free Will Articles: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/free-will
  • That All Shall Be Saved by David Hart has a whole section on free will which is very interesting in its relation to this discussion: https://www.amazon.com/That-All-Shall-Saved-Universal/dp/0300246226/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=13NE4EIUUSID9&dchild=1&keywords=that+all+shall+be+saved+bentley+hart&qid=1603142504&sprefix=that+all+shall%2Caps%2C428&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNjBLWVVIRVlIRjZHJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDQwNjY2MkZMSEpXWFlOOURGTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODg3Njk4MjIyUUlLUlRKMkxNRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
  • Clay Jones jabbing pen in eye example: https://youtu.be/zrBeTAJMfS8

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That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: https://www.amazon.com/Spontaneous-Expansion-Church-Causes-Hinder-ebook/dp/B006Q21PHS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Spontaneous+Expansion+of+the+church&qid=1604453615&sr=8-1
  • The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062334395/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VLTOFbCMGN0QT

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The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes Which Hinder It
The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Christian-Beliefs-editor-Bercot-ebook/dp/B00MBGNG66/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=david+bercot&qid=1603157784&sr=8-1
  • The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: https://www.amazon.com/Spontaneous-Expansion-Church-Causes-Hinder-ebook/dp/B006Q21PHS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+spontaneous+expansion+of+the+church&qid=1603157873&sr=8-1
  • My Compilation of Early Church Quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church
  • The Early Church on Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+early+church+on+killing&qid=1603158202&sr=8-1
  • 40 Quotes from the early church on violence and enemy love: https://jasongporterfield.com/40-quotes-from-the-early-church-on-violence-and-enemy-love/

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The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes Which Hinder It
The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment
None

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Dr. Clay Jones on Evil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCvgl94RvR8
  • Some of my writings on the problem of evil: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/problem-of-evil
  • Plantinga's Free Will Theodicy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0tLRO8_qRI
  • Soul Building Theodicy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWcgHmXV09g

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View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Simpsons Voting: https://youtu.be/Q8hDsIoEFYw

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Against Lying: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1313.htm
  • On Lying: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1312.htm
  • Previous episode on lying: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-moral-conundrum-of-lying-to-save-lives

Quotes:

1: Of lies are many sorts, which indeed all, universally, we ought to
hate. For there is no lie that is not contrary to truth. For, as light
and darkness, piety and impiety, justice and iniquity, sin and
right-doing, health and weakness, life and death, so are truth and a
lie contrary the one to the other. Whence by how much we love the
former, by so much ought we to hate the latter. Yet in truth there be
some lies which to believe does no harm: although even by such sort of
lie to wish to deceive, is hurtful to him that tells it, not to him
that believes it.

2: Some man will say, So then any thief whatever is to be accounted
equal with that thief who steals with will of mercy? Who would say
this? But of these two it does not follow that any is good, because
one is worse. He is worse who steals through coveting, than he who
steals through pity: but if all theft be sin, from all theft we must
abstain. For who can say that people may sin, even though one sin be
damnable, another venial? But now we are asking, if a man shall do
this or that, who will not sin or will sin? Not, who will sin more
heavily or lightly.

3. Apostle Peter had that in his heart which he had on his lips when
he denied Christ? Surely in that denial he held the truth within and
uttered the lie without. Why then did he wash away with tears the
denial which he uttered with his mouth, if that sufficed for salvation
that with the heart he believed? Why, speaking the truth in his heart,
did he punish with so bitter weeping the lie which he brought forth
with his mouth, unless because he saw it to be a great and deadly
evil, that while with his heart he believed unto righteousness, with
his mouth he made not confession unto salvation?

4. Why then do we not rout out heretics, in order to their being
caught, by the flesh committing lasciviousness in adultery, and yet
think right to rout them out by a mouth committing fornication in
blasphemy? For either it will be lawful to defend both the one and the
other with equal reason, that these things be therefore said to be not
unjust, because they were done with intention of finding out the
unjust: or if sound doctrine wills not even for the sake of finding
out heretics that we should have to do with unchaste women, albeit
only in body, not in mind, assuredly not even for the sake of finding
out heretics wills it that by us, albeit only in voice not in mind,
either unclean heresy were preached, or the chaste Catholic Church
blasphemed.

5. But he who says that some lies are just, must be judged to say no
other than that some sins are just, and therefore some things are just
which are unjust: than which what can be more absurd? For whence is a
thing a sin, but for that it is contrary to justice? Be it said then
that some sins are great, some small, because it is true; and let us
not listen to the Stoics who maintain all to be equal: but to say that
some sins are unjust, some just, what else is it than to say that
there be some unjust, some just iniquities?

6. commit not thou a great crime thine own, while thou dreadest a
greater crime of other men, for be the difference as great as thou
wilt between thine own and that of others, this will be thine own,

7. e36For if a lewd woman crave of you the gratification of her lust,
and, when you consent not, she perturbed with the fierceness of her
love should die, will chastity also be a murderer? Or, truly, because
we read, We are a sweet savor of Christ in every place, both in them
which are saved and in them which perish; to the one, indeed, a savor
of life unto life, to others a savor of death unto death; shall we
pronounce even the savor of Christ to be a murderer? But, for that we,
being men, are in questions and contradictions of this sort for the
most part overcome or wearied out by our feeling as men, for that very
reason has the Apostle also presently subjoined, And who is sufficient
for these things?

8. m37 (context of telling a lie to a man on death bed about his son who
died): Nay more: for these persons who are so enamored of this life,
that they hesitate not to prefer it to truth, that a man may not die,
say rather, that a man who must some time die may die somewhat later,
would have us not only to lie, but even to swear fasely; to wit, that,
lest the vain health of man should somewhat more quickly pass away, we
should take the name of the Lord our God in vain! And there are among
them learned men who even fix rules, and set bounds when it is a duty,
when not a duty, to commit perjury!

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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Internationalists: https://www.amazon.com/Internationalists-Radical-Outlaw-Remade-World/dp/1501109871/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+internationalists&qid=1605837537&sr=8-1
  • Video Summary of "The Internationalists:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2tfebkUbPo

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The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

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Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Fire Next Time - There is a sadly beautiful part in this work where Baldwin talks about black submissiveness and gentleness and asks how that can be good, or how being like Christ in that way gives him hope of heaven. "What, is heaven just another ghetto then?" Baldwin asks. With this episode, as with "His Stripes and Our Stripes," I don't at all intend to minimize suffering or support the continuing subordination of oppressed groups. Rather, my hope is that this podcast will help you to see that 1) nonviolence is not passive, but active, 2) living one's true self, like the perfect human Jesus Christ, is actually freeing, and 3) our call to Christian living is grounded in the hope of Jesus, not in circumstances, and therefore it is objective and permanent, not fickle and shifting: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Not-Lies-Christian-Dissidents/dp/0593087399/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1612546493&sr=8-1
  • Baucham sermon (I couldn't find the sermon link, but will have his quote at the bottom):
  • My Post "Is the Gospel Enough?": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/is-the-gospel-enough
  • Bearing Our Crosses: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/bearing-our-crosses
  • The Heavenly Multitude: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-heavenly-multitude
  • Economic Pornography and Pet Sins: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/economic-pornography-and-pet-sins
  • Western Wealth Through the Bible's Eyes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/western-wealth-through-the-bibles-eyes
  • The Comfortable, White Evangelical: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-comfortable-white-evangelical
  • CT Article: https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/june/reflections-from-christian-scholar-on-social-justice-critic.html
  • NT Wright The Day The Revolution Began: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Revolution-Began-Reconsidering-Crucifixion/dp/0062334395/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Day+the+Revolution+Began&qid=1606930592&sr=8-1
  • One Orthodox thought on politics at 30 minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDuXFLJkDt0&feature=youtu.be
  • Reading While Black: https://www.amazon.com/Reading-While-Black-American-Interpretation/dp/083085486X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=reading+while+black&qid=1606930574&sr=8-1
  • Icons of Christ: https://www.amazon.com/Icons-Christ-Biblical-Systematic-Ordination/dp/1481313185/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=icons+of+christ&qid=1606930619&sr=8-1CRT Legislation Episode

Voddie Baucham Quote:

It is so disheartening to see so many pastors and Christians lose
their religion and exchange it for Social Justice. Pastors marching
with protestors who are members of BLM and marching with Christians
for Social Justice. But then again, it is not that surprising when we
understand that the Bible warns us that many will be seduced by false
teaching and godless ideologies. The Bible is no longer the standard
for many Christians. Social Justice is now the new standard.
Christians and pastors are marching and protesting the murder of
George Floyd hand in hand with god-haters? Christians and Pastors,
who have Bibles are doing this. Why? Do they really care about
justice? Or have they bought into the false narrative that is being
pushed by Social Justice Warriors who place people into groups of the
oppressors and the oppressed?

The Social Justice Movement's answer for sin is redistribution of
power and wealth. That is why you hear Christian's like Lecrae who
suggest that the solution to sin is the redistribution of power. If we
get more black people into positions of power then we can stop racism.
Lacrae has just abandoned Biblical Christianity and adopted Social
Justice as the answer for sin. But Lecrae is not the only one doing
this. Countless Christians and Pastors are teaching that the answer
to racism is redistribution of power. By the way there is not such
thing as racism. The Bible calls it for what it is, hatred. Justice
is never accomplished by the redistribution of power. Black people
have extremely wicked hearts. So to replace a white person with
extremely wicked hearts with black person who has the same extremely
wicked heart will not fix the sin problem. The same goes for Asians
and Hispanics and all human beings. Humans have extremely wicked
hearts,

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who
can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

The answer to injustice, murder, crime, etc., is not rioting,
protesting, redistribution of power and wealth, or anything else that
sinful man can come up with. God provided the answer in the Person
and work of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the cure for sin. Did the
Apostle Paul call for protests when Nero persecuted and oppressed the
minority culture of the Roman Empire which happened to be Christians?
Did the Christians protest the unjust murder of Peter and Paul? Or
the thousands of other Christians who were murdered by Rome? But what
happened when persecution came to them? They went out preaching the
Gospel. Paul even preached to prison guards who were converted.

But we live in a different society than that of the Roman Empire. So
we can and should fight for more just laws and practices. And as of
this very day, I am personally unaware of any unjust laws on the books
that are targeting minorities. Why? Because Christians in the past
challenged those unjust laws and put an end to them. President Trump
recently signed a prison reform act to correct some of the problems
with our penal system. And there is nothing wrong with fighting for
Law Enforcement reform acts that might address some issues as well.
But, if you think that is going to stop racism, police brutality,
violence, and injustice you are greatly mistaken. More cops will kill
unarmed black and white men, more blacks will murder other blacks,
more whites will murder other whites, more children will be sold into
sex trafficking, more women will be raped, more husbands will beat
their wives, and yes, even more wives will physically abuse their
husbands, more men and women will commit sexual sin, and a higher
percentage of black babies will continue to be murdered in the womb.

Many pastors and Christians have lost their way. They are jumping on
the Social Justice bandwagon without and regard as to what the goal of
Social Justice really is. It is seeking to address sins and
grievances through a godless, anti-God, anti-Biblical worldview. And
Christian Denominations and Organizations like T4G, TGC, ERLC, SBC,
9Marks, and SBTS are jumping on this bandwagon and leading many
pastors and churches astray.

The Gospel is of First Importance. But sadly, those who use this as
their slogan, have traded it in for Social Justice.

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Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination
The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • Tasting Anarchy: https://tastinganarchy.com/
  • Californian in Exile: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GSz0yxdh5wdQ6kvAuDQJB
  • Quaker Consensus Process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF8PABPq8AA
  • War Tax Resistance: https://nwtrcc.org/
  • Margaret Fell's "Womens Speaking Justified": https://users.wfu.edu/zulick/340/Felltext.html
  • The Fearless Benjamin Lay: https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Benjamin-Lay-Revolutionary-Abolitionist/dp/B074HJKTNT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=benjamin+lay&qid=1623977960&sr=8-1
  • My episode on Benjamin Lay: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/draft-juneteenth-nonviolence-and-abolition
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • City of Refuge: https://wagingnonviolence.org/series/city-of-refuge/page/2/
  • All Slave-keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates: https://www.amazon.com/Slave-keepers-That-Innocent-Bondage-Apostates/dp/B08R68BT6C/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=benjamin+lay&qid=1623981654&sr=8-

Intro - 0:00
Why do Quakers seem to have a clearer prophetic vision than other Christians? 2:15
Importance of individual action. 12:30
Hearing from God and consensus making 19:00
Importance of silence and discerning God's voice. 31:00
Do Quakers align with the early church? 41:00
How does consensus making work if you must make immediate decisions? 48:30
The importance and prominence of sacrifice among Quakers. 58:30
Jake's plugs. 77:30

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The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist
All Slave-Keepers That keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • Quaker Consensus Process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF8PABPq8AA
  • War Tax Resistance: https://nwtrcc.org/
  • Margaret Fell's "Womens Speaking Justified": https://users.wfu.edu/zulick/340/Felltext.html
  • The Fearless Benjamin Lay: https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Benjamin-Lay-Revolutionary-Abolitionist/dp/B074HJKTNT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=benjamin+lay&qid=1623977960&sr=8-1
  • My episode on Benjamin Lay: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/draft-juneteenth-nonviolence-and-abolition
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • City of Refuge: https://wagingnonviolence.org/series/city-of-refuge/page/2/
  • All Slave-keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates: https://www.amazon.com/Slave-keepers-That-Innocent-Bondage-Apostates/dp/B08R68BT6C/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=benjamin+lay&qid=1623981654&sr=8-2

Intro. 0:00
Quakers always on the right side of justice? 7:00
Quaker history. 10:00
Do Quakers fracture less than Protestants? 16:00
What makes a Quaker a Quaker? 22:30
Quaker consensus making. 26:45
Persecution of Quakers. 32:45
2 Questions. 39:45
What hermeneutic allowed Quakers to allow women leaders and oppose slavery before almost all other groups of Christians? 41:30
How do Quakers view government in light of its intrinsic use of force? 42:40

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The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist
All Slave-Keepers That keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • I found this by Chad Bird when I was creating this episode, and found it compliments it well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXhYgQ_l_g

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/
  • SBC "Preserve the Base" in regard to sexual assault: https://julieroys.com/leaked-audio-sbc-abuse-base/?fbclid=IwAR0MvMxsDY7m3uDFR_wgh0HmX6TsOPaOIvO3tiKj7PcOA15FTFOm2M3HQBw
  • Huckabee's equivalent "preserve the base" quote in regard to President Trump: https://www.npr.org/2016/12/20/506248119/anti-trump-evangelical-faces-backlash
  • Denhollander's "What is a Girl Worth?": https://www.amazon.com/What-Is-Girl-Worth-audiobook/dp/B07XDCXPZ1/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=what+is+a+little+girl+worth&qid=1623969629&sr=8-4
  • John Piper and a network of sins: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/policies-persons-and-paths-to-ruin
  • Can the Religious Right Be Saved?: https://www.russellmoore.com/2016/10/25/can-religious-right-saved/
  • Benjamin Lay Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/draft-juneteenth-nonviolence-and-abolition
  • Consequentialism: Consequentialism's Consequences in the Real World: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/40-consequentialism-consequentialisms-consequences-in-the-real-world

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What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Video on Benjamin Lay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3v9m6PY6c
  • Fearless Benjamin Lay: https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Benjamin-Lay-Revolutionary-Abolitionist/dp/0807060984/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+fearless+benjamin+lay&qid=1605836939&sr=8-1
  • All Slavekeepers Apostates: https://www.amazon.com/Slave-Keepers-That-Innocent-Bondage-Apostates-ebook/dp/B088Q5GH7P/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=all+slavekeepers+apostates&qid=1605836920&sr=8-1
  • Wilberforce Prolonged Slavery: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/aug/03/wilberforce-slavery-sierra-leone
  • Noll on the Civil War: https://www.amazon.com/Theological-Crisis-Steven-Janice-Lectures/dp/1469621819/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mark+noll+civil+war&qid=1605836883&sr=8-1
  • John Woolman: https://metrovoicenews.com/john-woolman-the-conscientious-quaker-who-paved-the-way-for-abolition/
  • Britain paid on debt to slave owners through 2015: https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Britains-Loan-toPay-Off-Slave-Owners-Not-Repaid-Until-2015-20180223-0016.html#:~:text=Her%20Majesty%27s%20Treasury%20recently%20revealed%20that%20British%20taxpayers,that%20were%20formerly%20part%20of%20the%20British%20empire.
  • A little more background on Lay and the Colonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FALMgWNCXjI
  • Conceived in Liberty Volumes 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933550988/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_1XW48KH6KFJ1TFTDRVNP
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
Conceived in Liberty Volumes 1-4
The Civil War As a Theological Crisis: 1st (First) Edition
All Slave-Keepers That keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=irresistible+revolution&qid=1569093639&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • What Would You Do?: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-John-Howard-Yoder-ebook/dp/B00AAX11H8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+howard+yoder&qid=1569093701&s=digital-text&sr=1-4
  • Pablo Yoder's Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
What Would You Do? (John Howard Yoder Series)
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • UCP Video: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=unarmed+civilian+protection
  • Cleveland Peacemakers: http://www.clevekids.org/cleveland-peacemakers-alliance/
  • UCP Article: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2018/07/unarmed-civilian-protection-sustainable-peace/
  • UCP Overview: https://worldbeyondwar.org/unarmed-civilian-protection-ucp-a-concise-overview/
  • Peace Stories: https://paxchristi.net/resources/the-peace-stories-blog/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Civil Rights Martyrs: https://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs
  • Iranian Martyrs: https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/ncri-statements/statement-iran-protest/the-names-of-17-additional-martyrs-of-the-november-2019-uprising-identified-currently-identities-of-828-martyrs-are-known/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

-Intro 0:00
-Hannah Intro 3:00
-Recap 9:00
-Who is Wang Yi? 14:00
-Why was Wang Yi arrested? 27:00
-Wang Yi's law background and influence 36:00
-Eschatology as a guide to action 41:00
-Nonviolence and the Chinese church 48:00
-Protest for power and control vs. the prophetic role of the church 54:00
-Participation in government 60:00
-Cross and the landfill analogy of Christian action in the world 67:00
-Suffering 72:00
-How would China view the U.S. church's reaction to government mandates due to COVID? Persecution or peace? 78:00
-Fruit of Spirit and persecution as a call to our own repentance 84:00
-Eschatology take 2 91:00
-Biggest take away Americans can get from China and Wang Yi 94:30

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • When the Police Come Knocking: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/chinese-church-voices/when-the-police-come-knocking/
  • The Cross and the Landfill: https://www.chinapartnership.org/blog/2019/12/the-cross-and-the-landfill-a-pastoral-letter-from-wang-yi
  • Grace to the City: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-City-Studies-Gospel-China/dp/1954874006/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=grace+to+the+city&qid=1622051838&sr=8-1
  • Church in the Wilderness: https://www.housechurchtheology.com/
  • China Partnership Blog: https://www.chinapartnership.org/blog
  • Episode on Wang Yi's "My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience": https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/114-s7e11-pastor-wang-yis-my-declaration-of-faithful-disobedience
  • Interview with Kingdom Women on submission: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/113-s7e10-interview-submission-oppression-and-freedom
  • His Stripes and Our Stripes - Questioning submission and suffering: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/112-se16-his-stripes-and-our-stripes
  • The Moral Conundrum of Lying to Save Lives: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-moral-conundrum-of-lying-to-save-lives
  • Augustine and Lying: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d89b9cea?preview=true

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Grace to the City: Studies in the Gospel from China

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Baltic Way: https://www.euronews.com/2019/08/23/baltic-way-30-years-since-the-600-km-human-chain-that-helped-trigger-the-collapse-of-commu
  • Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNEPk007C0E
  • Images: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK_xEB7ygS8
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

    • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
    • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
    • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
    • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
    • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

U.S. and Philippines: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1986-04-28-0220030122-story,amp.html
Imelda's Shoes: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2207353/Imelda-Marcos-legendary-3-000-plus-shoe-collection-destroyed-termites-floods-neglect.html
Philippines: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2013/02/the-people-power-revolution-continues/
Summary: https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/nonviolent-intervention-philippines-during-military-clash-1986
Stole Billions: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies
Second People Power Revolution: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/look-back-edsa-ii-joseph-estrada-gloria-arroyo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo
  • The Green Revolution: https://www.eurozine.com/the-green-movement-and-nonviolent-struggle-in-iran/
  • Iranian Revolution: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/iranian-revolution-1977-1979/
  • Britain and Iran: https://www.e-ir.info/2010/12/02/iran-and-britain-the-politics-of-oil-and-coup-d%E2%80%99etat-after-the-fall-of-reza-shah/
  • Britain and U.S. in Iran: https://apnews.com/article/bcaa9bd7879c7aa8fc8d4fffb6b76915
  • Coup 53: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/01/angry-tv-film-makers-stop-release-of-lauded-iranian-documentary
  • My Independence Day Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/63-se7-imperialism-independence-and-iran

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • China Partnership's translation: https://www.chinapartnership.org/blog/2018/12/my-declaration-of-faithful-disobedience

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Abusive Behavior Chart: https://lifering.co/abusive-behavior?fbclid=IwAR3V79rbQXGVH0V24rInI5TiiHYDDfSgvDG0ZjBfpzCWTzyI_I7TMoIL4RUJesus, Meekness, and Nonviolence in Gender Theology: An Introduction: https://kingdomoutpost.org/jesus-meekness-and-nonresistance-in-gender-theology-an-introduction/?fbclid=IwAR3X940gsOkPENDt-gTazR-m0etZOgtybmfqWi-8ZUxMlgd7YJb_N0czd3I
  • Chris Moles and the Peace Works Podcast: http://www.chrismoles.org/podcast?fbclid=IwAR3Qzg0Fumotqh3pMRxKVRpZax3JDzJZCSyIJMjHa-m6WkAgsgNMtwkeTaY
  • Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs: https://www.theduluthmodel.org/wheels/?fbclid=IwAR1N_985pIlwP42LNUfeo0Jh6OBmU8iz8lAu3ouunxthW2eskQT6dkuqfCA
  • Domestic Abuse Resources: http://www.chrismoles.org/?fbclid=IwAR3iu9tXjjnN1-ZK7j4p0HxUFdbSHXLv1qKL90dtR4K77_YSa8ZkeLSRWU4
  • The Sexually Healthy Man: https://andrewjbauman.com/?fbclid=IwAR17b9CQ1KsNQcPKYXv1PH_tG48ye40nMnAf-rx3x6eeaj-HRZQItsM7Y1M
  • Divorce in the Old Testament: https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/podcast/naked-bible-316-divorce-and-remarriage-in-the-old-testament/
  • The Cross and the Lynching Tree (how the black has modeled the true church, and shows us Jesus through their suffering): https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Lynching-Tree-James-Cone-ebook/dp/B005M1ZIGI/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=cross+and+the+lynching+tree&qid=1619574688&sr=8-1
  • Prophetic Lament: https://www.amazon.com/Prophetic-Lament-Justice-Troubled-Times/dp/0830836942/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=prophetic+lament&qid=1619620205&sr=8-1
  • Learning to Lament with the Psalms: https://sojo.net/articles/troubling-texts-domestic-violence-bible/learning-lament-psalms?fbclid=IwAR02NqCsEfixuSS6c1O7Va5DcRyR4gzr3pYCCpwdoqR_IAZY4n0okkOIDa8
  • Icons of Christ (the best book I think you'll find pushing back against complementarianism): https://www.amazon.com/Icons-Christ-Biblical-Systematic-Ordination/dp/1481313193/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=icons+of+christ&qid=1619617959&sr=8-1

Foundational Questions & Defining Terms:

  • What does biblical submission mean? Ought we to distinguish submission from obedience?
  • Is there a distinction between the types of submissions referenced in Peter? Do citizens have a deeper call to submission than slaves to masters or wives to husbands (spouse to spouse)? If citizens should biblically submit to a tyrannical and abusive government, and slaves to abusive masters, why shouldn’t one spouse submit to another abusive one?

Cultural/Hermeneutical Questions:

  • Do you think there are cultural considerations here? For example, slavery is illegal in the United States, so if someone took you as a slave, my guess is you wouldn’t say we have a biblical obligation to submit to our slave masters. Do you think the call to submission in marriage is cultural, like slavery may be, or do you think the call is free of cultural considerations?
  • From what I’ve read of the early church on divorce, a big part of why they don’t like divorce at all is because they view it as a cutting off of the opportunity for restoration and forgiveness. It’s one of the main reasons we advocate nonviolence, as killing cuts off opportunity for restoration. Is it possible to think that we shouldn’t ever kill even to protect our family, yet divorce to protect our family is fine - or are those two positions logically connected?

Practical Questions:

  • Submission in bad situations is hard. What do you think the church could/should do to make biblical submission easier to walk through, especially submission of a spouse in a bad marriage?
  • How would you counsel a woman in an abusive situation in regard to staying with her husband? Would that change if she has children?
  • [Origen quote about husbands not divorcing wife even if she tries to poison him or kills their child]. Do you agree with Origen here? Do you think if there was more stuff like this holding men’s feet to the fire for accountability, that this conversation would be a lot easier and not feel like this is just a tool for women’s oppression?

.

“Our Savior does not at all permit the dissolution of marriages for any other sin than fornication alone, when detected in the wife….But someone might ask if He allows a man to put away a wife for any other reasons besides her being caught in fornication. For example, what about poisoning [her husband]?Or what if, during the absence of her husband from the home, she destroys an infant born to them? Or what about any form of murder whatever?...Sins of such heinousness seem to be worse than adultery or fornication. To endure them would appear to be irrational. However, on the other hand, to act contrary to the design of the teaching of the Savior, everyone would acknowledge to be impious.”

Questions About Sensitivities and Considerations:

  • This isn’t directly related to the topic, but I was speaking with Rebekah about using John Howard Yoder as a resource , despite his sexual assaults. How do you feel about using Yoder’s work, or the works of those who have committed sexual assault?
  • Would you say the same thing about someone who committed other heinous crimes?
  • If all truth is God’s truth, and if Yoder taught some things that are right, and taught them insightfully and maybe taught stuff that others didn’t grasp, do you think it’s possible to glean truth out of the chaff of evil action?
  • If you’d use Yoder, what caveats or guidelines would you give?

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times
Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination
The Cross and the Lynching Tree

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Divorce: http://shamelesspopery.com/does-the-bible-permit-divorce-in-the-case-of-adultery/
  • Antenicene Quotes: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Early-Christian-Beliefs-Reference/dp/1565633571/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=bercot+early+church&qid=1605121143&sr=8-2
  • Bible, Slavery, and Ultimate Purpose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsIaSL1ChI8&feature=youtu.be

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo
  • Blinding of Isaac Woodard and start of Civil Rights: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/blinding-isaac-woodard/
  • Civil rights History:
    https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/civil-rights-movement-timeline#:~:text=The%20civil%20rights%20movement%20was%20an%20organized%20effort,late%201940s%20and%20ended%20in%20the%20late%201960s
  • George Wallace:
    https://townhall.com/columnists/larryprovost/2014/07/11/the-redemption-of-george-wallace-n1860547
  • Daryl Davis: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/18/daryl-davis-black-musician-who-converts-ku-klux-klan-members
  • Walter Wink's Third Way: https://cpt.org/files/BN%20-%20Jesus%27%20Third%20Way.pdf
  • The Warmth of Other Suns: https://www.amazon.com/Warmth-Other-Suns-Americas-Migration/dp/0679763880/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+warmth+of+other+suns&qid=1605068742&sr=8-1
  • Cross and the Lynching Tree: https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Lynching-Tree-James-Cone/dp/1626980055/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=cross+and+the+lynching+tree&qid=1605067697&sr=8-1
  • The Souls of Black Folk: https://www.amazon.com/Souls-Black-Folk-B-Bois/dp/1505223377/ref=sr_1_3?crid=30W9GVCV4X29Y&dchild=1&keywords=souls+of+black+folk+by+w.e.b.+dubois&qid=1605067740&sprefix=souls+of+black+%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-3
  • The Civil War as a Theological Crisis: https://www.amazon.com/Theological-Crisis-Steven-Janice-Lectures/dp/1469621819/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+civil+war+as+a+theological+crisis&qid=1605067827&sr=8-1
  • Negroes with Guns: https://www.amazon.com/Negroes-Guns-Robert-F-Williams/dp/1614274118/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=negroes+with+guns&qid=1605068366&sr=8-1
  • The Color of Compromise: https://www.amazon.com/Color-Compromise-American-Churchs-Complicity/dp/0310113601/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+color+of+compromise&qid=1605068393&sr=8-2
  • Let Justice Roll Down: https://www.amazon.com/Justice-Roll-Down-John-Perkins/dp/0801018153/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=let+justice+roll+down&qid=1605068420&sr=8-1
  • Jesus and the Disinherited: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Disinherited-Howard-Thurman/dp/0807010294/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38U5EOWF9UQVS&dchild=1&keywords=jesus+and+the+disinherited+by+howard+thurman&qid=1605068462&sprefix=jesus+and+the+disinherit%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1
  • The Color of Law: https://www.amazon.com/Color-Law-Forgotten-Government-Segregated/dp/1631494538/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+color+of+law&qid=1605068487&sr=8-1
  • Stamped from the Beginning: https://www.amazon.com/Stamped-Beginning-Definitive-History-National/dp/1568585985/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=stamped+from+the+beginning&qid=1605068499&sr=8-2
  • The End of Policing: https://www.amazon.com/End-Policing-Alex-S-Vitale/dp/1784782920/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+end+of+policing&qid=1605068554&sr=8-1
  • White Like Me: https://www.amazon.com/White-Like-Me-Reflections-Privileged/dp/1593764251/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=white+like+me&qid=1605068629&sr=8-2
  • White Flight: https://www.amazon.com/White-Flight-Atlanta-Conservatism-Politics/dp/0691133867/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=white+flight&qid=1605068641&sr=8-1
  • I Got a Monster: https://www.amazon.com/Got-Monster-Americas-Corrupt-Police/dp/1250221803/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=I+Got+a+monster&qid=1605068669&sr=8-1
  • Heal Us Emmanuel: https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Us-Emmanuel-Reconciliation-Representation/dp/099739840X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=heal+us+emmanuel&qid=1605068701&sr=8-1
  • The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: https://www.amazon.com/Narrative-Life-Frederick-Douglass/dp/1686819986/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=the+narrative+of+the+life+of+frederick+douglas&qid=1605068714&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVEFPTTFaQTMyNEJWJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODU4ODA1MjRWTDRMT0JXUVRDQiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjI5MjgwMjVGM1VYVldZVEswQyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner)
Heal Us, Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church
The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
The End of Policing
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
The Souls of Black Folk
White Like Me: Reflections On Race From A Privileged Son
I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad
The Cross and the Lynching Tree
The Civil War As a Theological Crisis: 1st (First) Edition
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Negroes with Guns
Jesus and the Disinherited
Let Justice Roll Down
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism (Politics and Society in Modern America, 89)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/

*Please excuse the mispronunciation of "Goethe" and the swearing

  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo
  • Bonhoeffer the Assassain: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking/dp/0801039614/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bonhoeffer+the+assassin&qid=1605067066&sr=8-1
  • Trocme's "Jesus and the Nonviolent Revolution": https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Nonviolent-Revolution-Andr%C3%A9-Trocm%C3%A9/dp/0874869277/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=andre+trocme&qid=1605067086&sr=8-3
  • Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: https://www.amazon.com/Lest-Innocent-Blood-Be-Shed/dp/0060925175/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=la+chambon&qid=1605067130&sr=8-6
  • City of Refuge Podcast on La Chambon: https://wagingnonviolence.org/series/city-of-refuge/page/2/
  • U.S. turning away Jewish refugees: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-39857056
  • Live not by lies: http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles/SolhenitsynLies.php
  • Power of the Powerless: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/1979/01/the-power-of-the-powerless.pdf
  • Sophie Scholl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Scholl#Activities_of_the_White_Rose
  • Rosenstrasse: https://labrujulaverde.com/en/2020/09/the-rosenstrasse-protest-when-german-women-saved-their-jewish-husbands-by-confronting-the-nazi-regime/
  • The Optimists Movie: https://comforty.com/theoptimists/watch-movie/
  • Nonviolence against nazis:
    https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/resisting-nazis-numerous-ways-nonviolence-occupied-europe
  • Bulgaria: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-bulgaria-saved-its-jews-from-nazi-concentration-camps/2013/05/08/e866bdda-8cb1-11e2-9838-d62f083ba93f_story.html
  • More Bulgaria: https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/09/20/the-unheard-story-bulgarias-rescue-of-50000-jews-during-the-holocaust/#:~:text=What%E2%80%99s%20lesser%20known%20is%20the%20story%20of%20the,about%20%5Bthis%5D%20rescue%20for%20a%20very%20simple%20reason.
  • Apotheosis of Washington:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington
  • Denmark: https://www.history.com/news/wwii-danish-jews-survival-holocaust
  • More Denmark: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24427637
  • Norway: https://crosssection.gns.wisc.edu/2019/11/11/norwegian-civil-resistance-of-the-nazi-occupation-1940-1945/
  • Netherlands: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/3/2/1923412/-The-February-Strike-When-the-Dutch-Struck-Against-the-Nazi-Holocaust
  • La Chambon: https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-town-admits-to-saving-jews-1.524653
  • Bonhoeffer Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se3-bonhoeffer
  • Bonhoeffer Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/47-se5-bonhoeffer-pacifist-or-assassin

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: The Story of the Village of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There
Jesus and the Nonviolent Revolution

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • 3 Arrows Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfHXJRqq-qo
  • Bonhoeffer Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se3-bonhoeffer
  • Bonhoeffer Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/47-se5-bonhoeffer-pacifist-or-assassin
  • Behind the Bastards: https://tunein.com/embed/player/t157971485/
  • Milgram Experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
  • *They Thought They Were Free: Amazing book which highlights how the German citizenry was largely the force behind subduing the Jews initially. This is such a good book and shows the perspective of a number of Germans who are interviewed. - https://www.amazon.com/They-Thought-Were-Free-1966-05-19/dp/B01FKSNOSG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=they+thought+they+were+free&qid=1617937620&sr=8-3
  • Ordinary Men: Another great book which looks at how many who were doing the killing of Jews were ordinary men. - https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution-ebook/dp/B01G1F0F84/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ordinary+men&qid=1617937816&sr=8-1
  • Radiolab, Race, and the NRA: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wnyc/radiolab-presents-more-perfect/e/51801511
  • Loaded: A Disarming History of the 2nd Amendment: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=loaded+a+disarming+history&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
  • Beating Guns: https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Guns-People-Weary-Violence/dp/158743413X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=beating+guns&qid=1603157397&sr=8-1

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Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • Satyagraha: https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2020/10/satyagraha-gandhi-civil-disobedience-nonviolent-resistance-jonathan-english.html
  • Gandhi's Strategies: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2017/03/gandhi-strategy-success/
  • How Gandhi Won: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2014/10/gandhi-win/
  • Learning from Gandhi's Errors: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2019/10/can-we-celebrate-gandhis-achievements-while-also-learning-from-his-errors/
  • Solzhenitsyn's "Live Not By Lies": http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles/SolhenitsynLies.php
  • Havel's "Power of the Powerless": http://mrdivis.yolasite.com/resources/Vaclav%20Havel's%20Power%20of%20the%20Powerless.pdf
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • John Adam's Quote: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/adams-the-works-of-john-adams-vol-10-letters-1811-1825-indexes#lf1431-10_head_083
  • Nonviolent History of U.S: http://jameslawsoninstitute.org/2017/07/30/920/
  • "Recovering Nonviolent History": https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Recovering-Nonviolent-History-Full-Text.pdf
  • Tax rates in the colonies vs. Britain: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/what-we-get-wrong-about-taxes-american-revolution
  • Myth of Christian America course (free trial available): https://thehistoricfaith.com/courses/myth-of-christian-america/
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.63305
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Video on history of Pilate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8s8fMMEuiA
  • Jewish Rebellions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Jewish%E2%80%93Roman_War
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w&feature=emb_logo
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • NonviolenceL 25 Lessons: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolence+25&qid=1607126298&sr=8-1
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • New Tactics: https://www.newtactics.org/
  • Nonviolent Action: https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1603136228&sr=8-1
  • Is There No Other Way: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Other-Way-Nonviolent/dp/1893163164/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Is+There+No+Other+Way&qid=1603136269&sr=8-1
  • Walter Wink: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Walter+Wink&ref=nb_sb_noss

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus
  • Hauerwas Responds to Yoder's Sexual Assault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzvVZ2duVGk

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The Politics of Jesus

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
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  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Kingdom Outpost: https://kingdomoutpost.org/?fbclid=IwAR1KL57kqq5u7krqY37PKZ3weazk1yELVXGYwLC9asL01QjrjFvyFrjXoZU
  • Bradley Mason's CRT Series [Part 3]: https://thefrontporch.org/2020/07/the-christian-and-critical-race-theory-part-3-a-bridge-dr-derrick-bell/
  • Preston Sprinkle talks about dismissing CRT's methodology while recognizing the problems it legitimately points out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAalg-yhR_M
  • "Unbelievable" podcast episode on CRT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbzPDoEgO_s
  • "Cynical Theories" explores the problems with critical theory taken to its full, logical end: https://www.amazon.com/Cynical-Theories-Scholarship-Everything-Identity_and/dp/1634312023/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=cynical+theories&qid=1602772561&sr=8-2
  • Political Changes to the American Westminster Confession 1788: https://opc.org/documents/WCF_orig.html
  • Response to SBC statement on CRT: https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/other-opinions/commentary-where-i-stand-on-the-statement-by-sbc-seminary-presidents/
  • Romans 13 Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13
  • Romans 13 Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2
  • Abstention Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se2-abstention-from-political-idolatry

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Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
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  • Camden New Jersey's Story: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-jersey-city-disbanded-its-police-force-here-s-what-n1231677
  • Costa Rican Military: https://www.costarica.org/facts/military/
  • The End of Policing: https://www.amazon.com/End-Policing-Alex-S-Vitale/dp/1784782920/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+end+of+policing&qid=1602709756&sr=8-2
  • Behind the Bastards Police Series (Multiple Episodes): https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/behind-the-bastards/e/71156966

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The End of Policing

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Shepherding a Child's Heart [Pro-Spanking]: https://www.amazon.com/Shepherding-Childs-Heart-Tedd-Tripp/dp/0966378601/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=shepherding+a+child%27s+heart&qid=1597687196&sr=8-1
  • Corporal Punishment in the Bible [Anti-Spanking]: https://www.amazon.com/Corporal-Punishment-Bible-Redemptive-Movement-Hermeneutic-ebook/dp/B005HHTGMO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=corporal+punishment+in+the+Bible&qid=1597687185&sr=8-1
  • The Spanking Debate is Over: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/201802/the-spanking-debate-is-over
  • Teaching Children Peacemaking: http://www.roadofpeace.com/why-do-we-use-violence.html

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Shepherding a Child's Heart
Corporal Punishment in the Bible: A Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic for Troubling Texts

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Shepherding a Child's Heart [Pro-Spanking]: https://www.amazon.com/Shepherding-Childs-Heart-Tedd-Tripp/dp/0966378601/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=shepherding+a+child%27s+heart&qid=1597687196&sr=8-1
  • Corporal Punishment in the Bible [Anti-Spanking]: https://www.amazon.com/Corporal-Punishment-Bible-Redemptive-Movement-Hermeneutic-ebook/dp/B005HHTGMO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=corporal+punishment+in+the+Bible&qid=1597687185&sr=8-1

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Shepherding a Child's Heart
Corporal Punishment in the Bible: A Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic for Troubling Texts

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Texas Church Shooting: https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-church-shooting-man-take-out-gunman-west-freeway-church
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Politics of Jesus

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus
  • Strength to Love by MLK: https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Love-Martin-Luther-King-ebook/dp/B07MYL8MDS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1JM3AS2JCBQT9&dchild=1&keywords=martin+luther+king+jr+books&qid=1589657344&sprefix=martin+luther+king+jr%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-4
  • Black man converts over 200 KKK members: https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes
  • Bonhoeffer the Assassin: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking-ebook/dp/B00FOWLXVY/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bonhoeffer+the+assassin&qid=1589657127&sr=8-1
  • God and Nonviolence: Creedal Theology and Christian Ethics: https://www.academia.edu/5671308/God_and_Nonviolence_Creedal_Theology_and_Christian_Ethics
  • Irenaeus Quote: https://carm.org/irenaeus-heresies5-1-18
  • Oliphant's "Covenental Apologetics:" https://www.amazon.com/Covenantal-Apologetics-Principles-Practice-Defense-ebook/dp/B00DOG44SQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=oliphant+covenantal+apologetics&qid=1589657099&sr=8-1
  • Adolfo Esquivel: https://mettacenter.org/definitions/gloss-concepts/principled-nonviolence/

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The Politics of Jesus
Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking
Strength to Love
Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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Purposer --(purpose)--> Instrument --(action)--> Goal

God's Equation: Purposer (God) ----> Instrument (Humanity) ---> Goal (Glorifying God in Loving Community)
​
Self-Purposing Equation: Purposer (Humanity) ---> Instrument (Whatever We Choose) ---> Goal (Self-fulfillment and Pleasure)

  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus
  • My Written Article: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-impossibility-of-creating-self-purpose
  • Other Thoughts on Purpose: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/meaningpurpose

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
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  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus
  • Jesus for President: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-President-Politics-Ordinary-Radicals/dp/0310278422/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jesus+for+president&qid=1608117426&sr=8-1
  • The Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Distinguished-Professor-Emeritus-Kraybill/dp/1513802496/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+upside+down+kingdom&qid=1608117461&sr=8-1

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The Politics of Jesus
The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus
  • Jesus for President: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-President-Politics-Ordinary-Radicals/dp/0310278422/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jesus+for+president&qid=1608117426&sr=8-1
  • The Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Distinguished-Professor-Emeritus-Kraybill/dp/1513802496/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+upside+down+kingdom&qid=1608117461&sr=8-1

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
The Politics of Jesus
The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1589237437&sr=8-3
  • My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesus
  • Jesus for President: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-President-Politics-Ordinary-Radicals/dp/0310278422/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jesus+for+president&qid=1608117426&sr=8-1
  • The Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Distinguished-Professor-Emeritus-Kraybill/dp/1513802496/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+upside+down+kingdom&qid=1608117461&sr=8-1

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Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
The Politics of Jesus
The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition

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  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
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  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Pearl

To those who know not life, our death is vain

Moonshine muscled into our very souls

But they can't see truth of what they disdain

These pearls in mud in which the pig wallows

Ungulates can't know supernatural

Nor can minds fathom the depths of the sea

Unless God overcomes the rational

Changing dumb asses to talking donkeys

To all those who have wisdom let them hear

Before us there stands a pearl of great price

Two choices lay ahead, the first is fear

Second, sell all you have for Paradise

Kingdoms of Earth and Gates of hell will fail

While pearly Gates of conquered will prevail

[Mt. 7:6] This refers to the foolishness of the Christian life. To the world, the Christian’s sacrifice and way is foolish. In the first line I say “our death is” rather than “our deaths are” to emphasize the unity and oneness of the Christian life and aim. However, in the next line I will separate this to emphasize that we are still individuals (souls).

Moonshine here can mean three things. 1) They think we’re drunk and intoxicated on religion, like those on the day of Pentacost believed about the Christians. 2) They think our religion is “moonshine,” or craziness. We are ignorant fools. 3) What we are selling is crazy. We’re liars. We’re snake oil salesmen. This is somewhat like setting up Lewis’s “Lord, Liar, Lunatic” example, though without the Lord part. The world believes that this stupidity we believe has muscled its way into our lives – either by force or by massage, by necessity or by brainwashing over time. This idea of “muscle” is also a word play on “mussel,” which are the freshwater variant of the bivalve which forms pearls. In this sense I am alluding to the idea that the pearls created in us are pearls from streams of living water (fresh, running water) – a significant image in the New Testament and early church for the life of Christ in us.

This is an obvious allusion to where Matthew talks about throwing our pearls before swine. The pearls of a Christian’s life and wisdom mean nothing to a lost world. Our pearls are muddied by the world, and the beasts cannot recognize their splendor and worth. This use of swine may also have a deeper meaning in Matthew, and it certainly does as I use it. Pigs are one of the few (maybe only, I’m not sure) animals which appear clean on the outside (cloven hooved) but are not clean on the inside (don’t chew their cud). Without a close inspection of swine, nobody would ever know they were unclean by their appearance. Often times it is the same way with the wise/fool, believer/unbeliever, etc.

I carry on with the theme of beasts and pigs in two ways. First, I refer to “ungulates,” which are just hoofed animals. Second, I use the word “supernatural.” In the middle of this word we find the Latin “perna,” which is the word from which “pearl” gets its name. “Perna” means “leg” in Latin, and pearls come from this word because the creatures which form pearls were seen as being in the shape of a leg (a pig or sheep leg). This line, then, emphasizes the beast and pig reference.

The beasts can’t understand the depths of the sea where pearls come from, so how could they understand the supernatural pearls? Here I use “fathom” as a double reference, both to mean “comprehend” as well as to emphasize the depths of the sea, as “fathom” is a unit of large measurement in the ocean depths.

But if God couldn’t give beasts understanding, who then could be saved? We know that God can work in beasts, for we’ve seen it done. He made Balaam’s donkey speak, and he made Nebuchadnezzar dumb like an animal, and then normal again. God can give understanding and blindness. If he can give animals understanding, certainly he can bring about humility and understanding in dumb asses. I of course mean “dumb asses” here in the technical sense of non-verbal donkeys and by no means am stooping to vulgarity in a double entendreic way😉

“Pearl of great price” is a name Jesus gives to the Kingdom of God in Matthew 13.

When we come across a pearl of great price, we have two options. The first is to ignore or pass up the opportunity due to a fear of the gravity of the choice before you. It is indeed a risk to sell everything . But the reward is great. So the second choice is to pursue the pearl, at which point we receive paradise.

Jesus says that the gates of hell will not prevail against his church. Gates are not offensive, and Jesus means for this to imply that from his resurrection on, the church will be the assailing the gates of hell as Christ’s enemies are made his footstool. Nothing can withstand the onslaught of the church. This onslaught is meant not to be against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of darkness – the gates of hell.

This is a pearly gates reference, a common depiction of heaven which comes from Revelation. I am also depicting the notion of the upside down kingdom here. I say that the conquered will prevail, which seems counterintuitive. But it is those conquered by Christ who will prevail against the world. Second, I say that the gates will prevail, which is counterintuitive. If you read the book of Revelation, you’ll get all of this counterintuitive sort of thing. Conquering and prevailing in Revelation does not look like spilling another’s blood and violently defeating them. In fact, of the 18 times the word “blood” appears in the book of Revelation, 10 (and possibly 11) of those times the blood is that of the martyrs or of Christ. The other 7-8 times it is referenced metaphorically in relation to judgment (e.g. the moon turns to blood). Revelation is all about heaven conquering not by warring, but by standing firm in love and conquering by the laying down of our lives. We can stand behind the pearly gates of heaven because Christ has already conquered. As it has been said, we don’t fight for victory, we fight from victory. This is the wisdom of God, exemplified by The Wisdom of God. Take these pearls of wisdom to heart.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Jade

In life the only certainty we get

Is that death for each of us is assured

We, like the gods, insure through jade rabbit

Our destiny’s sufficiently ensured

But pestle and mortar cannot concoct

A cure for pestilence which mortifies

Impending doom, our sacred lives, defrocks

And minds, in time, to lunacy it drives

What can we prize in life's vap'rous glory?

Truth - a lowly and humble parapet

Our choice, to bay as beasts in furore

Or put truth into our pipes and smoke it

Worry not for tomorrow is its own

And emperor is seated on his throne

[Mt. 6:25-34, 7:7-11]. While jade can have a number of colors, green is the most well known (along with white). Especially in Asia (particularly China), jade was thought of as scholarly and imperial. It could supposedly increase the longevity of your life and heal.

The “Jade Rabbit” (or hare) is a shape ancients in the East saw in the moon. If you look it up, you can find the shape of a rabbit who appears to be grinding up substances with a mortar and pestle. This rabbit supposedly mixed the elixir of life for the gods. I reference it here because of the reference to “jade,” but also because jade has an association with nobility and status – which the gods certainly had. We set ourselves up as gods as we seek to immortality the same. The last line with “Destiny” also makes this stanza a nerd reference, as the “jade rabbit” is an exotic weapon in the Destiny franchise of video games.

There is a wordplay going on here, as the “pestle” and “mortar” the jade rabbit uses has as its roots “pest” and “mort.” We see these roots come back in “pestilence” and “mortifies.” This isn’t a mere repetition of root words, but rather a juxtaposition of ideas. Whereas the rabbit uses his “pest” and “mort’ to perpetuate life, we see that “pest” and “mort” are the ultimate takers of life. This doesn’t mean that it is the rabbit in the moon that kills us, but rather that placing our hope in such things is the opposite of true life. There are also a lot of things going on just with the word “mortifies” here, as there are a number of definitions coming into play here. In short, it means that it brings about fear (I’m mortified), it brings about decay, and it is death (mortem in Latin is death) to us mortals.

The knowledge of our demise, in time, disrobes our vain and lofty beliefs about ourselves. No matter how great someone is in life, they are made equal in death. We stand naked in front of the world with this truth, and it hurts. To dwell on this truth and acknowledge it, in time, can drive us mad. “Lunacy” here is yet another tie-in to the moon which was introduced as our jade rabbit’s home.

This is nearly a direct quote from an ancient Chinese poem called “The Old Dust” by Li Bai (or Li Po, or Li Bo). The line referenced is the final line of the poem: “What is there to prize in the life’s vaporous glory?” I only changed it to fit the iambic pentameter of the sonnet format. Bai’s poem is largely about how short our lives are and how the finitude of our lives seems to make them purposeless.

So what can we prize in life if everything about our lives is fleeting? Well, it seems the one thing that is not fleeting is truth. What is true now is always true. If it is 10:12 right now, while it won’t always be 10:12, it will always be true that it was 10:12 at the point at which I said it was 10:12. Truth is immutable, though truths about mutable things change as those things grow, age, learn, etc. I could truthfully say that I will be 33 tomorrow, and I could say that each day for about another month. But one day, I must stop saying that because it will no longer be true. The truthfulness of my statements haven’t changed, but my position changes the need for me to recognize a new truth which corresponds to my situation. But as I discussed in line 8, the acceptance of truth, particularly the truth that death is inevitable (and according to Bai, the vanity which comes from this truth), drives us to lunacy. That’s why here I refer to truth as being a low “parapet.” In my mind I’m imagining our lives as like traversing a high, narrow bridge. If truth is our guiding purpose, it’s an awfully low parapet to protect us from either falling over or choosing to jump over the edge. Hedonists and suicidal nihilists aren’t anywhere different on the spectrum of their understanding of truth, they simply differ as to how they live in light of that truth. Truth in and of itself isn’t helpful. Alvin Planginga’s evolutionary argument against naturalism raises this same problem as he shows how truth is irrelevant for (and it can also be logically followed that it is sometimes even harmful to) survival.

There are three meanings in here. First, to “bay” should once again bring ideas of the moon back into play, as wolves bay at the moon. Second, English readers commonly read “Bai” (as in Li Bai) as BAY, though I believe it’s actually pronounced BY E. So this is a reference back to Li Bai. Finally, I unpack the first option we have living in meaninglessness. First, we can become like beasts and throw off rationality. We can choose to believe that love, free will, and purpose exist in a physical world though we know they can’t. We can absolutely ignore the implications of the truth and suppress it. See Appendix 13 for discussions on truth and love on a naturalistic system.

There is a ton going on in this line. 1) This line references two other options we have at our disposable to deal with purposelessness of a finite life. One is that we can turn to drugs (represented in the pipe), which is simply a reference for turning to pleasure and substances to numb or ignore the truth. Rather than act like irrational beasts who don’t seem to know the truth, these individuals know the truth but defy it. They seize the day and try to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. The second option is that you can simply deal with it, whether you like it or not, making sense of the idiomatic line: “you can put it in your pipe and smoke it.”

2) Jade was particularly thought to add longevity to life if smoked through jade pipes. This reference to putting it (truth implied) in your pipe and smoking it is that the acceptance of truth will actually add longevity to your life. Since I believe the truth is the Christian truth, I don’t think it is a low parapet. I think it is our sustaining hope. I answer how this is the case in the final couplet.

The ultimate truth above all truths is that God is on his throne and reigns in power. This life is a vapor, as James and Bai say, but Christians also know that there is resurrection. The truth that God is in control, that God is love, and that God provides in that he will ultimately preserve us, then we don’t have to look to the past or the future, like Bai, and be depressed. The truth gives us hope, and hope allows us to live today in security. In this sense, we are the most free. Whereas the hedonist is controlled by her fate, being forced to cram as much pleasure into their lives, we Christians are not controlled by our future. We are freed by it to live today as today, and not shackled to tomorrow.

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The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Garnet

Can eyes foresee what tattered lives bespeak?

Can flesh give some of itself unto life?

Or is our mind illumined by what's bleak

And beings marred and with corruption rife?

We see Noah light his path with Garnet

A decent man with his family saved

Yet what came out of the maritime pit

Was same broken humanity depraved

As in Adam we all enter death’s barque

So like him through one man we'll all be saved

One who embarked on Messianic Arc

Defeated death with life inside the grave

The one came from heaven and treasured Earth

That those of Earth could seek the kingdom first

[Mt. 6:19-23] Can people see what the lives of the poor and downtrodden evidence? Also, can our eyes foresee what the lives of the poor prophecy about us and our culture if they remain unnoticed and not helped?

Can we, through our flesh save another? If we’re all starving and I give of my flesh to be eaten, am I really sustaining a life? Jesus asked a similar question and repulsed quite a lot of people. To eat our flesh and to drink our blood is not life, but death.

Unfortunately, we are blind to the poor and downtrodden and our flesh is mortal. We do not have life on the inside. We are the walking dead.

One of the only things I was able to find about garnet is that tradition holds it is a stone Noah used to illuminate the ark while on the water.

Noah and his family went into a boat for salvation, but came out a still depraved group of people. It didn’t take long for them to exhibit that depravity and create a terrible world. This is why I use the word “pit,” as it not only indicates a literal pit, but it is a word often used as a name for hell. Evil was in Noah and continued after the flood. What came out of the ark was evil.

This is a clear reference to Romans. Through Adam and through Christ we inherit curses and blessings. We all enter the same “ship” (or barque) of death. The ship imagery here is reminiscent of the ancient mythology of the passage to the netherworld where you have to pay the toll.

“Arc” here has two meanings, one talking about the arc or path of Christ’s life, and the other is a reference back to Noah’s ark. Here we see that Jesus, unlike Noah, exited the pit not depraved, but perfect. He defeated death with his life and exited glorified. It is through this salvation that we have true salvation and hope. Here garnet is also significant because garnet did have some early connections to Christ’s blood because of its deep red color. So like Noah illuminated the ark with garnet, Christ illuminated the tomb with his blood as it provided life and resurrection, and now provides the same for us.

With this great salvation we have we have through Christ we should seek the Kingdom first.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
My First Sonnets
Sermon on the Mount

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Sapphire

Blue collared workers work to pay the bills

White collared workers work so they're not blue

The first, harbor of all our social ills

Second, enforcers of what is taboo

Day will arrive when our Lord comes again

Redeeming blues through Saturnalia

No more wanting, no more a social plan

All clothed with same Sapphired regalia

Time is as fleeting as the passions are

While future’s as sure as where our hope lies

In present, then, we each must work so hard

Ensuring passions don’t our hope belie

Until day our bridegroom comes to redeem

We mortify our sin, fasting unseen

[Mt. 6:16-18] Much myth lies around blue sapphires. I honed in on its representation of royalty and social harmony.

I know it’s a generality that blue collared workers make less than white collared workers, and that they work to scrape by. I know because I was a “professional teacher,” and I made less than a number of other lucrative professions like welders, mechanics, etc. I am not at all making a value difference, but a general observation. Blue collared workers tend to be looked down upon because they are generally working to pay rent, food, electricity, etc. Often times the less well-off live more day to day. On the flip side, the white collared workers work to survive as well, but in a different way. The white collared workers who are able to look beyond today recognize that life is vain. As such, they work and work in order to obtain more money, and through money, more things. They work to keep the blues away. This both means that they work to maintain their status and not become blue collared, but even more so, it means they work in order not to become depressed and suicidal. But this materialism is just a vain pursuit meant to numb the pain.

Again, my slight on the blue collared isn’t my own position, but from the perspective of the elite. The elite believe that the poor and lower class are where social ills are born and raised. We see this by aversions to immigrants, aversions to the poor, aversions to those in particularly lower-class occupations (e.g. fast food), etc. But ironically, it is the white collared, or upper class who gets to define what taboo means. Obviously their definition is self-serving and perpetuates subjugation of others while perpetuating their own status. We can see this in how white collared crimes and individuals are prosecuted, the length of punishment, etc. We can also readily see that the white collared are no more socially graced, as they are frequently involved in great evils. The white collards are constantly trying to assert power, grab money, and subjugate others, defining what is good and evil, taboo and acceptable.

Saturnalia was a festival celebrating the god Saturn. It was a time of great feasting and celebration. In this sense, the merrymaking rids us of the blues, as in sadness. However, Saturnalia was also a time when social classes and distinctions disappeared. As one common example, the masters would serve the slaves dinner first, and slaves could speak freely and critically to their masters. They could also dress like freed people. I use Saturnalia both because I think it is a beautiful depiction of what Christ actually does permanently for those in the Kingdom now, and what he will make permanently for all when he returns, both in terms of our equality and in terms of our partying, banqueting, and feasting. I also use Saturnalia because Saturn is one of the main gods associated with blue sapphire. Also, Christians later used the Christmas celebration to mask Saturnalia and replace a pagan holiday with a sacred one. So interestingly, Christmas is when Christ condescends to the lowest possible form by becoming a poor human born in a stable. He condescends to the blue-collards and lower, thus beginning his plan for redemption of them.

There will be no more wanting both in the sense of needs, but also in the sense of envious wanting, like that found in materialism. We will have all provisions and will share freely, having no need of evil desires or creating social plans to provide for those who are not being provided for.

Passions, like time, disappear. They either disappear because they are fickle and changing, because we temporarily satiate them until they return, or because we die and have them no more. Hope – at least the hope of the Christian, however - is a permanent hope grounded in the immutable. If our hope is in the Almighty, immutable One, then our future is unwavering, as is the hope we can have today.

As Christians, we have competing desires. We desire to live in accordance with our hope, but we also continue to have our fleshly desires and lack of faith. Our job is to live in accordance with our hope and not give into vain and fleshly desires. This doesn’t mean we abhor pleasure, but we hold it in perspective of the eternal and the meaningful.

If we are to have hope and subdue fleshly desires, we must then mortify sin in our flesh. This mortification is an allusion to John Owen’s book, “The Mortification of Sin,” a wonderful read about how and why believers (or followers, as I’ve begun to call them) should be putting sin to death in their flesh. In Matthew, one of the ways we see Jesus telling us to be perfect like God is by fasting. This fasting is not intended to be seen by others, or that would be self-serving. It’s not meant as something which appeases God in and of itself. This fasting is an action which teaches us that 1) we are dependent on God (e.g. Jesus in the desert and “man cannot live by bread alone), and 2) that our desires can be lessened and controlled. By weakening the power desire has over us – even good desires like eating – we help discipline ourselves to choose against fleshly desires. We also learn to depend on God and we are able to use the time we save on preparing and eating meals to pray and focus on God. Every twinge we feel in our stomachs reminds us of our provider and our hope. While Jesus doesn’t say or imply the following, I also think that in light of all those in the world who are suffering without food, that we join them in solidarity as we choose not to indulge – or more likely in our Western lives, overindulge. Choosing to forego food helps us to live lives focused on others. As many early saints who fasted remind us, it doesn’t merely allow us to live in solidarity intangibly, but also tangibly. As we forego a few meals, the money or food not used on ourselves can be used for others. Fasting, then, should not be some empty ritual. It should focus us on God, mortify sin in our flesh, remind us of our dependence and hope, help us live in solidarity with our fellow humans, and allow us to tangibly help those in need. Fasting is a practice which gives us a foretaste of its opposite – the feast where all are united and equal. It helps us to reflect on this truth of equality and worship now, and hope for its future assurance for the world. See Appendix 12 for a deeper discussion on desires.

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  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Topaz

The greed of gold borne in the soul abounds

A voice inside our heads which drives us mad

Our one goal, to control, always resounds

Pride completing endogenous dyad

Wealth makes it all too easy to be smug

And become a bad friend like Eliphaz

Or even worse, wealth fabricates humbug

Making God a servant to our topaz

So heed the words of him with golden mouth

Never allow complacency to set

For our God is the Lord of Sabaoth

Before whom one day all knees will be bent

Give your gifts now with generosity

And learn wherein lies true security

[Mt. 6:1-4]. Topaz is a yellow gem which signified wealth and gold and was believed to attract gold to the wearer.

There is a double meaning here. First, borne in the soul means what it says, which is that greed is carried by the soul. There is a weight and a marring done to our soul as it carries greed. But greed is also born or formed in our souls. It isn’t what’s on the outside that defiles us, but that which comes from the inside. Greed is not born when we come in contact with gold, but is born on the inside of us. This greed isn’t all that particular to individuals, but it abounds both in terms of who it affects (all people), and in terms of how greatly it affects each of us.

The dyad – the two part composition of every human (if you’re a dualist, like most Christians are), begins as pride seeking control. In our arrogance we set ourselves up as gods and believe we are the center of the universe. We ourselves are worth preserving and elevating. In order to accomplish our ascension to divinity, we must have control. We must control not only the environment around us (for both pleasure and security), but also individuals. This dyad is endogenous, or created internally (just as was referenced a few lines earlier where evil comes out of us, it doesn’t go into us) and is common to all humanity. There is also a double meaning intended here, as “dyad” should trigger the thought of the very close word “dryad.” Dryads were the living beings who inhabited trees in Greek mythology. While often considered beautiful and wonderful, encounters with them could also be very dangerous, leaving one mad, dumb, etc. Here, endogenous dyad (or dryad) signifies that this pride and control are the true spirit residing within our corporeal trunks (bodies) – a spirit which when encountered and fed can perpetuate and exacerbate our maddened state.

Eliphaz was one of Job’s friends. He came from a land known for its wisdom. Many interpretations of the name “Eliphaz” show it as meaning “El (or god, as in ‘elohim’) is fine gold.” This name adds to the gold theme, but so does Eliphaz’s actions. Eliphaz promoted what we would call a prosperity gospel today. He, a wealthy and wise man, sat smugly in his perceived wealth. He though his wealth and security were tied to his morality. He was untouchable by God because he was a good man. Conversely, the judgment which befell Job must have been because Job was morally compromised. In this way, Eliphaz was blind to his own sinfulness before God, but also blind to the great insecurity in his life despite his current wellbeing. His trust was not in God but in his own perceived morality and wealth.

Wealth constructs a deceitful story (humbug). I use “fabricate” here in a triple sense, as fabricate can mean to “construct” or can also mean “lie/deceive.” It’s a double emphasis on wealth’s ability to deceive us and misguide us. It is also a literary reference to the infamous Scrooge whose most famous word was “humbug.” In this sense, wealth has a tendency to harden our hearts like scrooge. That’s because the greatest deception of wealth is that God is not the giver of wealth, but that God is subservient to it. By bowing our knees to wealth as our security, we are telling God that these things are better and safer than he is. We elevate pleasure and security while denigrating God.

“Lord of Sabaoth” occurs twice in the New Testament of which I’m aware (Rom. 9:29 and James 5:4), at least in the King James Version it goes untranslated. The word means “armies.”

The man with a golden mouth refers to John Chrysostom, whose name meant “golden mouthed.” He was supposedly an unparalleled orator. I use him here because his name is yet one more reference to gold in this poem. I also use Chrysostom because in his book “On Wealth and Poverty,” he addresses wealth and greed. Of it, he says, “In this way luxury often leads to forgetfulness. As for you, my beloved, if you sit at table, remember that from the table you must go to prayer. Fill your belly so moderately that you may not become too heavy to bend your knees and call upon your God.” So in this stanza, I allude to Chrysostom’s quote here, reminding individuals that we must never be complacent, we must remember our God, and that our God is the ultimate judge before whom all knees will bow. If we are too caught up in our wealth now and running after it rather than bowing the knee before our God now, we will one day end up bowing the knee before him anyway, though it will be under different circumstances – judgment vs. service.

Matthew 5 tells us to be perfect like God is perfect, then goes on to describe generosity as a part of how such a feat is to be accomplished. By giving our money away without consideration of another’s praise or without consideration of the practicality of the act, we learn to trust God both for our means and for the outcome of our gifts. As we learn to be generous, our faith in God grows and our dependence on wealth diminishes. Ironically, it is in this giving away of our wealth and placing of our trust in God that our security grows.

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The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • War Document Summary of Fiasco: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/asia/afghanistan-war-documents-takeaways.html
  • Document Release: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/world/asia/afghanistan-war-documents.html
  • Humorous Recap of Document Release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEgbIUWWAJQ&t=9s
  • Civilian Deaths: https://www.foxnews.com/world/more-than-180000-iraqi-civilians-killed-since-2003-report
  • Cost of War in Afghanistan: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/09/world/middleeast/afghanistan-war-cost.html?mtrref=www.bing.com&gwh=0D692861C8FEB4D1CC9CC93EFFC1D9F2&gwt=pay&assetType=REGIWALL
  • Wasted Money and Corruption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo1u1HJqF4A
  • More Wasted Resources: https://publicintegrity.org/national-security/afghans-dont-like-soybeans-despite-a-big-u-s-push/
  • Threat of Homegrown Terror vs. Islamic Terror: https://www.typeinvestigations.org/investigation/2017/06/22/home-hate/
  • The Kill Team Documentary: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Team-Adam-Winfield/dp/B0823MHF4F/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=the+kill+team&qid=1588387213&sr=8-4
  • On Killing Book: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society-ebook/dp/B00J90F8W2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=on+killing&qid=1588443074&sr=8-1
  • The Body Keeps the Score Book: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/B00OBT7KAO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Body+Keeps+the+Score&qid=1588443114&sr=8-1
  • Killing from the Inside Out Book: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588443145&sr=1-1
  • War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Injury-Robert-Emmet-Meagher-ebook/dp/B07CFW2S3G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=war+and+moral+injury&qid=1588443180&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Antiwar-Americas-Decorated-ebook/dp/B00E25IYES/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=war+is+a+racket&qid=1588443209&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • Steel My Soldiers' Hearts: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Soldiers-Hearts-Transformation-Battalion/dp/B000J0UR2W/ref=sr_1_3?crid=18LULA34R6P6F&dchild=1&keywords=steel+my+soldiers+hearts&qid=1588443222&s=digital-text&sprefix=steel+my+soldier%2Cdigital-text%2C201&sr=1-3-catcorr
  • A Change of Allegiance Book: https://www.amazon.com/Change-Allegiance-Dean-Taylor-ebook/dp/B008N06U44/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=dean+taylor&qid=1588387538&s=books&sr=1-7

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None
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Steel My Soldiers' Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of the U.S. Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam
A Change of Allegiance
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War
War and Moral Injury: A Reader
War Is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Ruby

Ruby reds begin to cloud my vision

Hot emotions flood the depths of my soul

Hateful thoughts transform mind into prison

From reign of vengeance ne'er a caracole

Only blood can satiate my fierce thirst

Another's oblation to the divine

Only when gods have exacted their worst

Will peaceful ones like me no more repine

But bloodletting's always unrelenting

Never enough blood to cure or prevent

As one whose life is the ultimate thing

Can never from their self-int'rest repent

Only security that we can know's

Willingness to give life for friends and foes

[Mt. 5:38-48]. Rubies were used as gems of protection and security.

The first stanza is meant to convey ideas often associated with the color red (hot, hateful, vengeance, reds), as the gem in view here is a Ruby. I also discuss how these emotions and thoughts are not good with the language I use (cloud, prison, and flood).

This last line summarizes the position this vengeful person is in. Vengeance reigns in their life so much that they will not take a step to the left or to the right from the path they are on. I have a number of things in mind here. 1) Simply, I’m saying that those controlled by this passion of vengeance are on an immovable path. They are controlled and won’t divert their course. 2) I use the word caracole which is a word intended to be used specifically for horse maneuvering. In this sense, I am claiming that one who is filled with violence is no longer fully human, but beastly (as the Bible often symbolizes of inhuman humans). 3) Reign should also cause the reader to think of the alternative spelling and meaning of this word, “rein.” This should especially be so since I used the word “caracole” to bring horse imagery to mind. When violence is in one’s view, it tends to lead an individual by the reins. It controls them and reigns over them in their beastly state.

This oblation can be meant in two ways. In one sense, for me to require the blood or pain of another is to set myself up as divine. To say that a slight against me is worthy of another’s painful infliction is to think rather highly of myself. It is setting myself up as a god. But this can also be viewed from a more Christian perspective. Many times conservatives tend to claim a view of God’s law and holiness which is extremely high, then damn all those who break the law (except themselves and their group/party, of course). To sit as judges who condemn others is to not only overlook our own sin, but it overlooks God’s mercy and grace towards sinners. We set ourselves up as gods when we assume a position which brings violence upon another human being on God’s behalf, forgetting both our own sinful state and God’s gracious mercy towards us.

These two lines reflect the notion that most people have, which is that the problem is “out there” rather than “in here” – in our own hearts. If God would just judge the world and if I could just exact justice on those people, then the world would be made right and we’d all live happily. See, I’m really a peaceful, loving person, but not while those problem people are happy. Such a view fails to recognize one’s own complicity in creating a world saturated with evil.

If life is the thing held most dearly, one will cling to it at all costs. This is one thing which sets Christianity apart from other worldviews. We are to consider our lives lost for the sake of our God and our neighbor (which includes enemies). MLK noted that this change in ideology was actually what catapulted him in his movement, as he was only freed to love and do justice when he laid down his defenses and submitted to the possibility of suffering for love.

The problem with holding our lives so dear is that doing so often means acting at the expense of others. Sometimes we draw blood indirectly, through our materialistic greed and our willingness to subjugate people in far away lands for our comfort and security, or to demonize migrants who seek to come into our country of plenty. Often times we are willing to draw blood more directly, through the use of force (self-defense, military, slander, etc). But we often find that no matter how much violence we do, it is never enough to provide us with enough security or vengeance. We can see this played out in the real world all the time. Hitler was created from the Allies taking vengeance on Germany. The Middle East as we know it was created out of the West’s greed and violence, particularly in WWI. ISIS was created out of our violence towards Bin Laden and his followers as well as our war in Iraq. Violence rarely, if ever resolves anything. Instead, it perpetuates a cycle of violence. For a great look at this very idea, check out the movie “The Kingdom.” The end is phenomenal and shows this cyclical nature of violence – even violence we perceive as justified. This violence ends up being the very sort of thing that lust is, and is why Jesus not only condemns murder, but hatred. Violence and hatred objectify another human being. Whereas lust objectifies another man or woman, hatred objectifies our enemies.

Christians don’t attempt to find their security in the temporal. Sure, comfort is nice and we want to live. But our ultimate hope is eternal. When we understand our hope – that it is both assured and eternal – nothing can shake us. This assurance comes in the precious, ruby red blood of our savior, shed of his own volition at the hands of the violent world we help create and perpetuate. It is through sacrifice, not violence, that we have our hope. For more on this powerful kind of love, see Appendix 11.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
My First Sonnets
Sermon on the Mount

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Diamond

On ancient day upon which Adam fell

Tears of fallen gods rained down like diamonds

Their laughter deigned to men unto flood's swell

A flash of wrath against sounding sirens

Harsh judgment once befell those rebellious

Save for those who had faith in ark of wood

Same salvation holds true for those today

Who hark in faith him who in their place stood

But warnings stand for those refusing beck

Those who do not confess all they've done wrong

For they who seek to judge another's speck

Will fail to rise and meet perfection's slog

Let words spoken be as soft as they're true

Or mosey to judgment, your fate to hew

[Mt. 5:33-37 and Mt. 7:1-5]. There are many diamond associations I’ll get to later, but the important starting point is that diamonds are said to have been used by Jewish high priests to help in judging. They were specifically used to help judge truthfulness and falsity, as diamonds were said to shine more if someone was telling the truth. For this reason I use it to refer to Matthew on judgment and truthfulness (specifically in contexts of judgment or legal issues).

There are two double meanings in this line. First, Adam fell on an ancient day in the sense that he fell a long time ago. However, it also means that he dashed his foot or came up against the Ancient of Days, another name for God. His offense occurred long ago and it was against the Ancient of Days. The other double meaning lies in Adam. Adam literally means Adam, but it also is a reference to diamond, which gets its name from the Greek “adamas,” meaning invincible. This second meaning gives the first line an ironic twist in that our Adam was far from invincible. Even that which appears invincible cannot stand against our God.

The Greeks believed diamonds were tears of the gods and Romans believed they came from falling stars. I hit on both of those concepts in this line. Using a Divine Council motif which understands the multiple uses of plural “elohim” in the Old Testament to be referencing a divine council of beings (though none divine or uncreated as God is), I here refer to the “gods.” When Adam fell, the gods wept. Some, those who followed God, wept for sadness. But here I talk about the fallen gods. These are the ones who followed Satan in rebellion and were rooting for humanity’s demise. In the ancient world, stars were thought to be divine beings. Some argue that in certain places in scripture where we see the stars falling, it is a reference to fallen angels. Whether that’s true or not, it is a commonly held belief and one I’m running with here, though not necessarily supporting. So in this sense, the tears of the gods cover Greek thought on diamonds, and the fallen gods (or fallen stars, metaphorically) cover the Roman conception of diamonds as well as certain Jewish and Christian streams of thought.

One may ask in line three why the fallen gods would cry over Adam’s fall. Here we see that they are tears of laughter, not sadness. This evil laughter continues until the time of Noah, as the demonic corrupted humanity even more (see Genesis 6 and the book of Enoch for specifics). Eventually, God withdrew his protection because the world was so out of control, and the waters of the deep once again encroached on the earth.

The “flash” here is meant to trigger back to the word “flood,” as the flood suddenly came upon people. We also get a glimpse of this in the gospels where Jesus talks about the judgment being like the days of Noah, where one is suddenly taken while another is left. Sirens here means that the wrath is coming against the siren call of the demonic who enticed humanity from Adam onward. It is also a word indicating the warning of God’s judgment through rebellion, as in a warning siren.

This is a reference back to the flood from the stanza before. Only those who put their faith in the ark (representing God’s promise) were saved.

I Peter 3 references Noah and the salvation we have through baptism (representing Jesus as Peter goes on to explain, and as he set up in Chapter 1 as well). Noah is usually thought of as a type of Christ for a number of reasons you can look up. Christians today, like Noah, place their faith in Jesus, often represented by the wood of the cross.

This is an allusion to a book called “In My Place Condemned He Stood” by J.I. Packer and Mark Denver. The book is about penal substitutionary atonement. While I have come to believe that penal substitution is an incomplete picture of the atonement – just one of many facets (like a diamond) – substitution is certainly a part of the atonement. I am able to place my hope in the cross of Christ because Christ stands in for me in some way. He is my representative to whom my sins are imputed, and from whom is imputed righteousness to me. See N.T. Wright for some great discussions on the atonement.

“Beck” here, as in “beck and call.” It signifies a gesture or invitation. Christ has gestured to us with the cross to come and dine with him and accept his offer of the Kingdom.

Those who fail to unburden their guilt in Christ and join his Kingdom are bound to the law. The law requires perfection – something no one can attain. To refuse Christ is to bind oneself to the slog (or tedious, continual work) of being perfect in following the law. It’s an impossible and tedious path. “Slog” here is also intended to allude to the word “logs,” as Matthew talks about not looking at the speck in another’s eye, but taking out the log in one’s own eye first. Since “speck” was referred to in the previous line and “slog” is simply “logs” if you change the position of the “s,” the reader should get that allusion.

Our words, then, should be tempered with softness. Jesus talks often about forgiveness as stemming from the realization of how much we’ve been forgiven. Those who loved Jesus the most are those who had been forgiven the most. The prostitutes and tax collectors tended to be the most transformed. With such a realization, our judgment upon others – especially those outside the church (see I Cor. for this discussion) – should be loving and soft. It shouldn’t compromise truth, but it should compromise judgmentalism. What we say must always be true, as Christ discusses in his piece about oaths in Matthew 5. But true does not mean harsh. For more on forgiveness, see Appendix 10.

There’s a ton going on here. 1) “Mosey” is an allusion to the Mohs scale of hardness when classifying rocks. Diamonds are the hardest on this scale at 10. Having just talked about being soft with our words and since the poem is about diamonds who are known for being the (or one of the) hardest substance, I threw this in. I also use this to set up another concept I’ll get to in a second.

2) Jesus says if we are unforgiving and harp on the sins of others, God won’t forgive us. We will be judged. In this line I allude to a common judgment we think of in movies and from history, which is to work in a quarry or mine hewing out stone. It alludes to a labor camp.

3) Beyond depicting a labor camp signifying judgment, “hew” is also used to mean something along the lines of conformity (“hew the line”). So a failure to conform to Christ (or hew the line), which is a Christian’s goal (Rom. 8 et. al.), will bring about judgment. So here we’re referring to the idea of conformity.

4) Notions of conformity come into play, especially with diamonds, as there is a huge list of standards diamonds must conform to (without impurities) in order to be more costly. Judgment when coupled with conformity should bring in ideas of the fiery judgment we will all go through as our works are tried to separate the bad from the good works and remove the dross, hay, and stubble – leaving us more pure because we’re more conformed to God.

5) There is an irony at play here in the couplet. To better hew, we must be soft. By being soft we will be a more precious stone as far as Christ and his Kingdom are concerned. That is the opposite of what one would think, as things higher on the Mohs scale would be better tools to hew things out. But this is one of the paradoxes of Christianity (as Chesterton refers to them). By being soft, conforming to Christ, and submitting to his ways – by confessing our sins and laying them upon Christ – we are avoid the judgment. As Lewis puts it, there are those who say to God “thy will be done,” and those to whom God says “thy will be done.” Our ultimate judgment rests not on God’s vindictiveness or our merit, but upon a submission to being conformed to the image of Christ and placing our trust in him.

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The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Emerald

Erin, fair maiden whom all do admire

Wielding a power few will ever know

Power to allure all harbored desire

Power to smite with a look, all her foes

But Erin's fair beauty was taken when

Men in God's image inverted His plan

Objectifying others, which therein

Moulded their God in the image of man

Now rest your eyes not upon Erin's breast

Nor upon that which you think she could give

Just rest your eyes upon that which attests

Your equal stands before you and God lives

Rest weary eyes upon this emerald

And heed divine image others herald

[Mt. 5:27-32]. I found two interesting attributes ascribed to emeralds throughout history. One is that they are able to help the wearer cut through infatuation (usually to see or hear the truth when speaking to a lover), and they were thought to be peaceful to gaze upon and helped the eyes to rest.

Erin represents two things. First, it represents a beautiful young woman. The inherent beauty of this woman is power, in that it draws out the deepest passions and desires of many who gaze upon her. Figuratively she can smite them with her looks, but this can also be literal. Others may be willing to kill for her out of their passions. The second thing meant by “Erin” is “Ireland.” I’ll expound on this more a little later, but Erin is actually a name the Irish have used for Ireland, particularly in their poetry (sometimes spelled slightly differently). Ireland is also known as the “Emerald Isle.” In this sense, “Erin” also stands for the “Emerald Isle,” which not only incorporates the picture of emeralds into the poem, but brings us to a different level of passions and infatuation. While people may kill and lust over a beautiful woman, many will also kill and lust over the power a country holds. This should be readily apparent in today’s environment which is rife with nationalism…I mean patriotism.

There is a lot going on in this stanza.

1) The second and fourth lines of this stanza are almost a direct quote from William Drennan’s poem, “When Erin First Rose.” It was in this poem in which Ireland was first referred to in print as “The Emerald Isle.” The poem is wonderful and I highly recommend you read it. The lines I used can be found in the last two lines of the second stanza. You can find it here: https://www.libraryireland.com/CIL/DrennanErin.php.

2) This stanza argues that this beauty and power possessed by Erin (the power of women or the power of authority and dominion particularly of a nation, depending on which way you’re reading it) has been corrupted. Beauty and dominion are not bad things. In fact, we see both prior to Genesis 3 and the fall of humanity. However, rather than allowing God to define what is good and respect his parameters, we have defiled his creation. Rather than admire the beauty of woman or the dominion we are supposed to assert through servanthood, we invert the image of God in others and corrupt the way we image God to creation. Instead of bowing to God and acknowledging his image, we fashion idols of God made in our own image. Instead of living in an upside down kingdom, we build a kingdom around ourselves. As we set ourselves up as gods, we objectify all else for our benefit.

3) I Corinthians 11 tells us that woman is the glory of man. While many patriarchists have taken this to mean some sort of subordinationism in that it places women under men, I hold to the view that this elevates women. While women, like men, are humans who bear God’s image, women also have the added attribute of blessing man (since Eve was taken out of Adam). In this sense, women are doubly beautiful, reflecting the one by whom they were created (God) and the one from whom they came out of (man). From “Paul and Gender,” “’Woman is the glory of man’ is actually a positive evaluation of women and indicates a high status, because she is both the image and glory of God, and she has such additional beauty that she is the glory of humanity. She is the glory of man by virtue of the fact that she was created from him, and that is why her glory, her beauty, reflects on him.” Women were created as the glory of man and it was only after the fall, in the curse, where it was described (not prescribed) that men would subject women as inferiors. This subjugation and treatment as unequal is an inversion of God’s image reflected equally in all of humanity, regardless of race, status, or gender.

4) While this subjugation of others is a direct reference to male/female relations in Genesis, we see the same thing play out on a higher authoritative level in government. Rather than faithfully and uncompromisingly serve, we domineer and use force to make others follow our will, which is generally self-interested. Selfishness abounds in all systems, but in a democratic, capitalistic, and materialistic system it is encouraged and perpetuated not only in the aristocracy who seek their own interest, but in every individual who is told to vote, purchase, and live by the guiding light of self-interest.

This stanza is pretty straightforward. We are not to objectify others and utilize power for self-interest. We are to recognize the image of God borne by others.

Referencing one of the supposed powers of an emerald – to give one’s eyes rest and clarity through passions – I am saying that we need to simply gaze upon the emerald. We need to just allow it to be and not objectify it. The opposite of objectifying would be to subjectify. What I mean by that is instead of turning something into an object of my subjective desires and goals, I allow the subject upon which I gaze to declare it’s own image. So as we look at women, men, children, government, or any other group or form of power, we must always do so with a clarity that cuts through our passions, self-interest, and objectification. We must recognize and heed God as declared through his image bearers rather than attempting to fashion and form God into our image. We do not import our desires upon others. That is objectification. We allow others to shine their light and reflect their image to us. We are observers of other image bearers, not creators. There is so much more I’d love to write here, particularly as it relates to how I see Drennan’s poem represented here – both where my poem complements his ideas as well as where we differ. He talks about a lot of things I could pull out, like mercy, vengeance, bigotry, etc. But I’ll leave it at this for now. For more on objectification, see Appendix 9.

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General Notes:

  • A huge thanks to Seth White for the awesome music!
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tour
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriber
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/

Referenced Sources:

  • Wretched Radio Interview with Scott Klusendorf: https://wretched.org/10-19-2020/
  • Jeffress Quote: https://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/megachurch-pastor-robert-jeffress-would-vote-for-trump-over-jesus-the-bible-calls-for-a-strongman/

“You know, I was debating an evangelical professor on NPR, and this professor said, ‘Pastor, don’t you want a candidate who embodies the teaching of Jesus and would govern this country according to the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount?’” Jeffress said. “I said, ‘Heck no.’ I would run from that candidate as far as possible, because the Sermon on the Mount was not given as a governing principle for this nation.”

  • SBC decision on abortion (using an archived link, as they have recently taken down the original): https://web.archive.org/web/20200427232149/http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/13/resolution-on-abortion
  • SBC Resolution on Moral Character of Public Officials: https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/resolution-on-moral-character-of-public-officials/?fbclid=IwAR2P4IvzERIZi2SXycSnQavYY5neip_FO91QsgGfvWpkDf_Ok7oBj9KszlU
  • Ray Comfort's "180" Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI
  • Phil Vischer's abortion video: https://youtu.be/RvWD7ykNjCc

Other Pertinent Episodes:

  • (7) Rebuttal: Nonviolence is Evil in its Refusal to do Good: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-evil-in-refusing-to-do-good
  • (12) Romans 13 [Part 1]: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13
  • (13) Romans 13 (Part 2): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2
  • (24) Consequentialism Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-heart-of-compromise
  • (26) Against the Lesser of Two Evils: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-problems-with-the-lesser-of-two-evils-ethic
  • (33) The Moral Conundrum of Ectopic Pregnancies: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-moral-conundrum-of-ectopic-pregnancies
  • (36) Abstention from Political Idolatry: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se2-abstention-from-political-idolatry
  • (37) Consequentialism: The Moral Conundrum of Voting for an Evil: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-moral-conundrum-of-voting-for-an-evil
  • (50) Abortion Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/43-the-case-against-abortion-the-foundational-question
  • (59) A Closer Look at Ectopic Pregnancies: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/51-rebuttal-ectopic-pregnancies
  • (61) The Influence of Race on Evangelicalism's Anti-Abortion Position: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/61-se9-the-racist-origin-of-evangelicalisms-anti-abortion-position
  • (62) More Racism: Racial Disparity and the Demographics of Abortion: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/more-racism-racial-disparity-and-the-demographics-of-abortion
  • (63) Killing Nazis vs. Killing Abortionists: The Illogic of Violence: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/63-killing-nazis-vs-killing-abortionists-the-illogic-of-violence
  • (77) SE11: Day of Peace - Abortion and the Modern Compromise: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/77-se10-day-of-peace-even-for-the-most-vulnerable

Other Pertinent Sources:

  • Scott Klusendorf's Site: https://prolifetraining.com/
  • Textbook on abortion which discusses the double effect: https://www.academia.edu/44337492/Level_3_NCEA_Textbook_on_Abortion?source=swp_share

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Amethyst

The rage of red will rails against the wrong

While banality to blue will's bequeathed

The first seeks to cut short another's song

Latter never incisiveness unsheathes

But when bled together, these reds and blues

A royal color's beckoned to come forth

Majestic depth construed in purple hues

Dominion comes through sobriety's force

A sober-minded one will never hate

Nor allow good opportunity missed

For sobriety sees as clear as day

Cutting through the fog as does amethyst

The one given to strong drink or passions

Never creates - only themselves fashioned

[Mt. 5:21-26]. Amethyst is a purple gem once thought to provide sobriety while drinking, clarity while looking into the future, and was a beautiful purple – the color of royalty.

Here I juxtapose the colors red and blue. Red is often associated with anger and is a hot, vibrant, open color. Blue, on the other hand, is often associated with the “blues,” and is a colder color. Whereas red here is symbolized as attacking, blue is symbolized as representing passivity.

I expound here on the first two lines, more in regard to anger and passivity than to the colors. Anger, hatred, and aggressiveness seek to “end another’s song,” representative of killing another – whether that’s directly through murder or indirectly through hatred. Others are an object in our way which must be stopped. Jesus told us that to hate is to kill, as both seek the undoing of a human impediment through objectification. For the passivity, I use a word play with “incisiveness.” To “incise” means to cut. Incisiveness here means perceptive or smart. One who refuses to engage the world never whips out their intellect in order to address the world’s problems. They simply sit back. So when I say they never “unsheathe” their incisiveness, it is meant to play off the root of the word which can imply cutting, as one would normally unsheathe a sharp object, like a sword. In this sense, the blue and red are the antitheses of each other, with one signifying aggression and the other inaction. This notion also plays on the idea of anger. When we think of anger we usually think of weapons and physical aggression. However, while the angry one here is chided for wanting to harm another, the passive one here is chided for not unsheathing their intellect and will. The middle ground, then, will be that we must be aggressive in this world, but not with weapons seeking physical harm. Our battle is not with flesh and blood.

I continue with the violent imagery here as I reference “bled together.” Blue and red together make purple, which is historically the color of royalty. So when we mix our aggression or assertiveness with our willingness to hold back, we get the perfect combination. This is what subjects of the Kingdom, or rulers who will judge angels (as Paul calls us), will do. We are royal ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.

One who is angry and aggressive does not have dominion over the world as God intended. They do not rule the world, but are rather ruled by their emotions. They don’t tend and keep, as God described the way their dominion should be. Instead, they seek, subjugate, and destroy out of selfish ambition and vain conceit. Likewise, one who is not assertive does not have dominion as God intended, for they assert their reign over nothing. Dominion comes through sobriety – clear thinking uncompromised by any substance (e.g. alcohol) or action (e.g. lack of sleep) which would cloud our ability to move forward in wisdom.

Amethyst was thought by some ancients to help cut the effects of alcohol and produce sobriety. It was also thought at times to help have clarity in seeing the future.

Living in anger and aggression or indulgent passivity means one does not have dominion. Rather than being creators or individuals who better the world, they are controlled by the world in which they live. These individuals are

fashioned by their environment and circumstances. But our call as Christians is to have dominion over the world using the means God intended.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
My First Sonnets
Sermon on the Mount

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Turquoise

In past fire rained down from the heavens

God's judgment administered to the damned

Coals of fire only way to God's presence

To law, judgment, and pain God didst remand

But no asceticism like Tolstoy's

Could ever protect or deliver us

And even totem of heavn'ly turquoise

Becomes debased as sin effloresces

Where then can we look for our pirouzeh?

We look to him whose eyes are flaming fire

And patiently await Parousia

When Son of Man exacts all that's required

With confident boldness we now then pray

Seeking God's Kingdom come until The Day

[Mt. 5:17-20 and Mt. 6:5-15]. In the Old Testament we read about God’s extreme holiness. We see a number of instances of fire raining down from heaven in judgment. Even for God’s people, his holiness was extreme. We see in Isaiah that God placed a burning coal on his lips to purify him. The old vision of God was one of a consuming fire. Apart from the cases of God’s judgment, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, or those directly entering God’s presence, like Isaiah, we also see images of the coals (or the fire) of animal sacrifice the Israelites went through in order to purify themselves before a holy God.

In Galatians 3 Paul says, “23 Before the coming of this faith,[j] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” This old system is what guided us, though imperfectly, until a new system was established.

Leo Tolstoy was an advocate of extreme asceticism. The law tended to drive people to a similar sort of path as seen in the asceticism of the Pharisees in Jesus’s day. But such a system doesn’t work.

Turquoise supposedly protected its wearer. A sign of impending danger was that the color of the turquoise would change. Turquoise was often a religious totem viewed as imparting protection.

There’s a lot going on here. 1) The straightforward meaning is that whatever heavenly protection one thought they gained through their totem, sin is a corrupting force present in all of us. Sin is contrary to that which is from heaven. 2) “Effloresce” is a chemical term which means for crystals to form on a substance. This often happens through evaporation, and typically produces the formation of salts. In this sense, I am tapping into the idea of a color, hue, or tone change in our turquoise. When sin is present, it signifies impending harm or doom. 3) I use a lot of terms which one should associate with chemistry. Beyond “effloresce,” the word “asceticism” should trigger the close word “acetic,” as in acetic acid, as many often mistakenly call asceticism “aceticism.” Debased should trigger the thought of bases. When you mix an acid (acetic) with a base you get water and a salt. In this sense, I am saying that asceticism (an acid) mixed with sin debasing (a base) creates a perfect combination for our destruction. It was this combination which created the hardest of hearts not in prostitutes and sinners, but in the religious elite who didn’t realize their debased sin natures, and attempted to approach God through their asceticism. Though this distillation process is the exact opposite of the one found in the “Amber” poem, where individuals become distilled through a compromising with culture, this opposite process also distills one’s saltiness. In the “Amber” poem, the problem was that our saltiness became diluted through our submersion in and compromise with culture. In this poem, the saltiness is distilled from the water but is useless as it fails to be useful.

Turquoise was known as or associated with “pirouzeh” by the Persians (who lived in a land where turquoise was abundant), which means “victory.” They would use it on their armor and weapons.

This is a reference to the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man – Jesus Christ – as seen in Daniel and Revelation. Our victory is not in our asceticism, but in the victory of Christ.

The “Parousia” is a theological term for Christ’s return in judgment, which is also when he comes in final victory (as in pirouzeh). When he returns he will separate the sheep from the goats, all hay and stubble will be burned while precious metals are refined, and evil will be no more. This is our hope.

Because of Christ’s assured victory, we should pray in bold confidence. We don’t pray because it merits us anything, but because God’s Kingdom is assured and we want it to be on earth just as it is in heaven. We patiently await the Day of the Lord when all will be made right.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
My First Sonnets
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View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Amber

Desert browns, palette formed where there's no rain

A sign of lifelessness and compromise

Same for those amidst amber waves - the grain

Where life and living are dichotomized

But God made us, when we're rubbed up against

To polarize ourselves in shocking ways

Not to build and electrify a fence

But attract opposites with our displays

So build your city high upon a hill

A Kingdom outpost, not a nation-state

For true citizenship can't be distilled

As salt's no longer salt without its taste

Flavor and brightness should draw others in

But only works if we're God's citizens

[Mt. 5:13-16 and Mt. 6:24]. Amber is a brownish stone which has long been recognized for its ability to become charged and exhibit the properties of static electricity. I use both of these properties throughout the poem.

The endless brown of the desert depicts a wasteland of life. Without vegetation there is no visible life, but only that which cowers away hiding from the elements for the majority of the day, awaiting the cool darkness of night. That which does live in the desert must compromise with its environment. Whereas a deer living in a temperate climate, like in Florida, can gather food all year long and come out and enjoy its surroundings, night or day – those in the desert are wholly shaped by their environment. While the various adaptations may look different, each animal is specifically adapted for their extreme environment. They are formed by the desert.

I change environments here from the desert to the United States. The first line here is supposed to allude to the “amber waves of grain” line in the song “God Bless America.” I’m talking about those who live in the land of these amber waves of grain (the USA). Whereas the song references this as a beautiful thing, the idea of amber in this poem should connect back to the brown referenced earlier, which depicts lifelessness, barren desert, and compromise. I also change the words from “of grain” to “the grain” because I also want to ensure that the ones I’m speaking of here are those who not only live in the USA, but rather those who live there and live with or go with the grain. I am not therefore necessarily speaking badly of the USA or everyone who lives in it, but rather those who, like the desert animals, are shaped by the vacuous culture around them. I simply use the States because that’s my frame of reference. While conformers to culture may technically be alive, and while their adaptations and compromises may help to sustain their lives, in some senses we could argue that they aren’t truly living. They don’t live a fulfilled life. Like animals in the desert who are bound to their environment and aren’t truly free, so are those who live in a culturally compromised position and go along with Babylon. This could be said of any culture.

When amber is rubbed on the right material, the atoms polarize in their alignment which creates static electricity. Children of God, when confronted with or rubbed up against by culture are to do the same. We are not to conform to our culture and be shaped by it, but are rather to be polarized and distinguished from it.

When I argue that we should be polarized, I don’t mean that in a pejorative or escapist sense. We aren’t to cause conflict and remove ourselves from the world. Rather, our polarization – how uniquely and beautifully we are set apart – should be something those living in the desert of Babylon are attracted to. Our polarization is not something meant to distance ourselves, but something that is meant to draw others in. We don’t use our religious standards to build electric fences around God and community, keeping others out. In this sense, “a fence” is meant to also mean “offense.” Rather, we use our electrical powers to stimulate and pull others towards us. In Amber, this polarization produces static electricity which is infamous for its ability to attract certain objects and cause them to cling to it.

This is a specific reference to Matthew 5 and the idea of a city on a hill. We are not primarily members of Babylon – our individual country or nation-state. We are citizens of the Kingdom. The city we build is not a city in or for our humanly created nation, but for our heavenly nation. Our citizenship is in heaven and as Christ makes the nations his footstool, we are to be the outposts of that Kingdom that are beginning to convert human citizenship into heavenly citizenship.

This citizenship of heaven isn’t dual citizenship. We aren’t equally citizens of two places. We are primarily citizens of heaven. There can be no compromise (see I Peter for a great look at this). While we submit to rulers in our nation-states, we only obey and follow the Kingdom. To distill our allegiance at all to the Kingdom is to cause our saltiness to lose it’s flavor (another Matthew 5 allusion). If we attempt to distill our citizenship – to separate the salt of the Kingdom from the water of this world, you end up with two separate products, only one of which has saltiness. The Kingdom is all or nothing. We cannot serve two masters. If we are salt and water, we are diluted, and if we are salt separated from water, we are useless. Mixtures are physically, not chemically combined substances, which is what Christians are to be. We are always salt in the water, never salt and water. If we are members of the Kingdom, we are to be salt in this world, but our identity is not dichotomous. We are not of this world – we are not water. We are only salt. As Peter says, we are aliens in this world.

To be a bright city or tasty salt is only possible if we recognize our true and only citizenship. We can’t draw others to God by being a “Christian nation.” We draw others in by living the Kingdom and drawing them into that and refusing to be a church who is anything other than Christ’s spiritual nation. The nations in which we live are accidental properties (philosophically meaning properties which are “not necessary”) which matter very little and have no ultimate meaning for who we are or who we are to be.

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The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
My First Sonnets
Sermon on the Mount

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

Onyx

Words our minds hear are often left unsaid

Enlightened thoughts only see light of night

Divorced from ideal, to cynic wed

Our grounded beings never taking flight

In painful world most seek only pleasure

Juxtaposed lives, like black and white onyx

Living subjectively in great measure

Those who seek to find life in cryonics

But facing life means not avoiding pain

As we defend the clean from the besmirched

With courage we retreat from the inane

To battle fallen demons who are perched

Christ's illocution is not vacuous

The cross is and is not precipitous

[Mt. 5:1-12 and Mt. 7:12-29] Onyx has a number of variations, but the one which I refer to here is the black and white style onyx. It was difficult to get a common theme for its use in mythology, but it seemed that a quelling of fear and pain were common. It was thought to give courage in Rome (or take away fear of death and injury), give eloquence in Europe (or take away fear of being humiliated), and taking away or dampening pain in childbirth as well as quell sexual lust. It was also thought to be able to constrain evil spirits. In all of these senses, onyx seems to be a depressive sort of material towards particular emotions and entities.

Here I thought back to my poem “The Unspoken” (see Appendix 8). Most of the things we hear in our head throughout the day are left unsaid. While this may sometimes be good, there are many lovely thoughts we have which never see the light of day – only the dark of night - because we are too timid to share them with others.

In our embracing of the fallen world as it is, rather than the ideal that it should be (and will be as God restores it), we refuse to live as God intends for us to live. A Christian realist may understand that an ideal will never be realized until Christ’s return, at least in terms of the effects. However, they should also understand that God calls us to live as idealists, with faith and reliance on him for the means. We are a foretaste of the Kingdom as we live it out in a world that is not yet fully in submission to the King.

We are most averse to the sensation of pain and are highly tuned into the presence of pain in our world. We seek to distance ourselves from this as much as possible. Our aversion to pain and attraction to pleasure means that even if something is good, but painful, we will avoid it (e.g. exercise, the way of God, healthy food), and if something feels good, but is harmful, we will indulge (e.g. alcohol, nicotine, drugs, junk food, etc).

People seek the perpetuation of pleasure so much that they attempt to become immortal. One way modern humans try to do this is through cryonics (not to be confused with cryogenics, which is the science of studying cold temperatures). Cryonics seeks to freeze human bodies and then resurrect them when their lives can be healed so they live longer. In fact, as molecules approach colder and colder temperatures, nearing Absolute 0, they move less and less until they completely stop. In this great irony, individuals prematurely embrace death, “living” as a frozen corpse for who knows how long. While this may subjectively be what some individuals call “living,” it doesn’t seem like living to me. It’s empty. Seek and find are also intended to allude to the real way we’re supposed to seek and find in Matthew 5-7.

But true life isn’t the avoidance of pain. Rather, it’s the promotion and upholding of that which is clean and good, defending what is true, real, and ideal from that which defiles and corrupts. Even if it means pain for me, upholding what is good is what gives meaning to life. That to which we adhere and obey shows where our hope and love lie. If we lose the fabric of objective good, we lose everything, because we lose the source of objective good with it.

This references two of the myths of onyx (courage and trapping demons). As we fight for the holy and good, we move away from all that is inane, and we fight our battle not against flesh and blood, but against the demonic. These devils prey on us as they perpetuate their false dichotomy of pleasure and pain (similar to Lewis’s demonic dichotomy in the “Great Divorce), and we must fight them.

Jesus had three illocutions to which I’m referring (a promise, a command, and a warning). First, he commands believers. He commands us to follow him, to take up our crosses, etc. Second, he warns us of how serious it is to deny him. If we deny him, he will deny us. Finally, he promises that those who follow him and seek his Kingdom will be provided for and receive eternal rewards.

Taking up our cross and following Jesus can be precipitous in two ways. First, it is a very steep and dangerous path, filled with hardship and pain. While the world’s view is that such a path should be avoided, we must climb it to victory. Second, the way of the cross is often precipitous in that there are many dangers. There are many goats on the path, heading for judgment. The path to destruction is wide and many choose that path. In this sense, many who choose to say they follow Christ are nominal. They make a precipitous – not well thought out and damning – commitment and end up falling off the precipitous heights.

To mimic the juxtaposition seen visually in onyx, I created a verbal juxtaposition in each line. Every line has at least two words which have opposing meanings, images, or ideas associated with them. 1) hears/unsaid, 2) enlightened/light/night, 3) divorced/wed, 4) grounded/flight, 5) painful/pleasure, 6) black/white, 7) subjectively/measure, 8) seek/find, 9) facing/avoiding, 10) clean/besmirched, 11) courage/retreat, 12) fallen/perched, 13) illocution/vacuous, 14) is/is not

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The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
My First Sonnets
Sermon on the Mount

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Case Against Abortion: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/43-the-case-against-abortion-the-foundational-question

Dear Scott,

What is this quelled inside me? I cannot really say.

It’s certainly not dread, Scott. That came on another day.

It feels more like fuzzy warmth. A rashly rationed rationality

Standing partially on reason’s leg, to support desire’s partiality

But of desire, why condemn it so? This, nature’s guide to truth.

For survival, reason validates these means and ends that we intuit

Yet at moments my intuitions falter, as I see my fallible humanity

Until I’m brought back to reason’s side, guided by infallible Humity

I’m reminded that man has no plan except that which does play out.

Each’s goal, oneself. Nothing else. Even altruism, a selfish route

So what is this quelled inside me? I still can’t really say.

But damn it, I don’t care to know. I’ll say what I want anyway.

And if you care not to agree, I’ll take care not to care.

For the winner won’t win on empathy’s plea, but by exerting more force than other can bear.

So what do I want for society? Or should I say, what do I want for me?

I want no restraints that impede my class. I want the power to be beyond free

I want to restrict those who are far removed from me. I want to remove their ability to impede.

And as the Humian that I truly am, I’ll strip away their humanity

If those in my way are no longer like me, then there’s no person to consider –

Like all obstacles that come before me, I discard them as rubbish, refuse, litter.

But to throw things away seems so absurd. Nothing but cavalier waste.

For it’s not only meat that gives utility, but also bone, sinew, hair, carapace.

So what of this class that’s so unlike me? Those without presence, no cries?

While too burdensome it is to provide their support, surely them we can still utilize

We need not mandate that others preserve these lives, if the voiceless become hindrance,

In order to punish some for taking same life, though really punishing for inconvenience

We also need not apply personhood to this group, these dejected who are so like us

To subjectively choose some objective ground to define humanity so it includes us

So if I have right to take this life, then this life is mine to own.

But since this my life can’t speak on its own, why not give its owners their vote?

I propose that we count all voiceless at hand as three fifths woman and man,

To keep them inhuman, yet still useful to me, as I further my narcicized plan.

So what is this quelled inside me? I finally think that I can say.

It’s certainly not dread, Scott. But it’s just as inhumane.

Sincerely,

NatashaYuri

The title is a reference to the Missouri Compromise. Basically, it was a compromise whereby the United States allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, despite relatively strong objections, and a notion in some that it just wasn’t right. Throughout this poem I will be making many slavery references, in hopes that I can parallel it to the abortion issue. Speaking to the abortion issue, the first line of the poem alludes to the major question that must be asked in the abortion debate: “what is inside the mother?”

This is the second reference to slavery, in the case of Dred Scott. Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom on the grounds that he should be considered a citizen, or at least a free man. This was not only due to his “inalienable” rights as a human being, but the government’s own laws. At one time, Scott’s owner traveled with Scott through free territory, where by law, Scott was a human being with rights. So even on the government’s own grounds, they were hypocrites. In regard to abortion, we end up asking a similar question of humanity. What is inside the mother? Here, she admits that she does not know.

I liked the play on words at the end here, but I also think it describes well the stupidity and gutlessness of the lack of a stand for morality against slavery. People thought through things very rashly. Instead of thinking about the big picture for the nation, they did what was going to get them through the moment. And while compromises were made, people rationalized their reasoning in an attempt to justify themselves.

Playing off number four, it seems as though people leaned on the voice of reason as their pillar of foundation, as their desires were shortsighted. They want their generation to be at peace in the land, even if it means war within morally. Slavery was not affecting the majority group – the group in power. There wasn’t much of an incentive to take slavery away, as it was very lucrative and not hurting those who mattered (WASPs who owned land). Desire won out over moral reason and long-term thinking. Desire, however, is often partial, leaving out those whose desires don't align, or those who impede the success of the majority's desires. Moral reasoning is intended to uphold inalienable rights, but when used only in part, it is often crafted to prop up desires.

While most would agree that slavery was a bad thing, as it was shortsighted, how can we say it was wrong? Desire is what nature has given us, and what has evolved to guide us towards survival. If it weren’t for the desire to eat, I’d starve. If it weren’t for the desire to have sex, our species would die out. Desires are the life force of humanity’s survival. It is impossible for desires to be remain faulty, as if they were faulty, they wouldn’t survive and get passed on to future generations. The only way a desire can be faulty is if it is no longer useful. However, its existence for any significant period of time implies that it at one point was indeed useful, and therefore not wrong by naturalistic standards based around survival. So how can we condemn slavery other than from our limited frame of reference? Slavery bolstered an economy, created rich traditions, etc. Likewise, how could we condemn abortion if we are upholding someone's choice, preventing a poor quality of life, or lowering the crime rate? [ http://freakonomics.com/2005/05/15/abortion-and-crime-who-should-you-believe/ ] Who can judge?

When one thinks about desires, they can seem so wrong. How can one really endorse the atrocities that occur as a result of slavery? It causes one to question morality, knowing how imperfect human minds and actions are. But then we turn to David Hume and the reason he brings to the table. He shows that a naturalistic worldview truly does uphold desires, whatever they may be.

These two lines are loaded. First, as alluded to in footnote 5, whatever happens, happens. If it survives any length of time, and especially if it abounds, it was “good,” or at least truly good for survival at some point in time. Nature cannot produce anything unnatural from a naturalistic standpoint. So whatever happens is natural, and what is natural cannot be described as “good” or “bad.” Those are prescriptive terms, and we can only be descriptive about nature. Any prescription is our own imposition.

I go on to mention, however, that man does play a plan in a Humian world. Man is a being that perpetuates himself out of selfish motives. That is what is natural and what drives man. We do what we do only if it benefits us. This is true even in altruism. I help my fellow man because I want them to help me if I ever need help. I vote for laws against robbery and murder not because I wouldn’t do it if it benefitted me and I could get away with it, but because I don’t want someone to be able to do it to me. EVERYTHING we do is done only if we perceive it as being beneficial to us. Those that don’t seek their own good most likely don’t reproduce, and their DNA dies out. There is a great clip of Christopher Hitchens saying this in a debate with his brother. It is extremely calloused, but a very honest admission of the outworking of his worldview [1:13:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjQs_QjSwc&feature=youtu.be ].

In the end, it is survival of the fittest. Whatever ideas correspond the most with reality’s notion of survival, will survive and flourish. If bad ideas survive, the species dies out. So in this naturalistic world, it’s not really a grounded morality that exists and says slavery is wrong or right. The only reason slavery is wrong at the moment is because the majority disagrees with it, at least in most of the Western world. Why? Because we don’t have a monochromatic ruling class anymore. Romans made slaves of their enemies, as did many other groups. But who is an American or a German? The racial and ethnic barriers are so convoluted now, we can’t distinguish enough to discriminate. This familiarity and lack of precise identity prevents us from subjugating others, as we ourselves can identify more with them and don’t want to be subjugated ourselves by a deteriorated notion of human rights. Race can no longer be rationalized as a different class due to globalization and familiarity, as well as science, DNA, etc.

So whatever the majority believes at the time and at least prop up with some semblance of logic - this is what is right or wrong. This means we can’t judge those in the past or be judged by those in the future. Numbers and perspectives win. We’re all selfish.

Here we go back to the selfishness. I want what is best for me. So in fighting for freedoms, I am going to fight for freedom so far as it upholds my class – or those who are like me and to whom I can relate. If those in my class are hurt, that means I could be next. I will fight for anyone who is similar to me, as that is upholding my rights. And anyone who attempts to get in my class’s way, I will fight tooth and claw to prevent that impediment. I want to be more than free to do as I please on my own, I want to be free to do as I please, period. This is true, even if it means I impede what others want – and often especially if I impede what others want. My goal is not to uphold humanity, but to uphold any group that is similar to me, so I don’t risk threatening my own goals. The more similar to me, the more threatening it is directly to me when they are impeded. However, if a group is not similar to me, I want to be able to subjugate them and use them to my advantage.

Throughout history, people have enacted the above idea in a very common way. We see the same thing in slavery that we saw in the Holocaust. If we can diminish the status of a human to being lesser of a human, or non-human, we can treat them as objects to use for whatever means we please. Stripping away humanity – or that which would make a group similar to us – is the first step to great atrocities.

As stated previously, if a being is no longer a person, or less of one, I can use them as I please.

But if I’m truly a Humian, naturalist, narcissist, surely I’ve learned my lesson from history. While it’s great to subjugate people for my causes, just destroying them is a waste. I need to milk every ounce of worth out of this chattel, just as the Native Americans used every part of an animal carcass.

The subjugated group has no voice. That’s what the majority power is. But even though we don’t want to provide a soapbox for the oppressed to speak from, we can still utilize them.

Since these slaves are property, I can do with them as I please – provided they are my property. The death of a slave is of no consequence, even if I murdered him/her/it. However, that’s what I do with my own property – the good Humian I am. It’s mine to decide, and I don’t want anyone else deciding for me. For this reason, it is not hypocrisy when another pays with their life or wallet for killing one of my slaves. How can someone be punished with death for killing my slaves, if I can kill a slave with no consequence? While many would say it seems a “life for a life,” the slave murderer is really being punished for inconveniencing another of his own class. He is impinging on the slave owner’s inalienable rights. He is taking away their freedom to use their property as they see fit. In this naturalistic world, we cannot allow those who feel they can impose their decisions on others within their class. This action is essentially an assertion by them that they are above our class, which is a significant threat that must be obliterated immediately.

While it does seem like slaves are so human, they’re not. They look similar, understand language, etc. But what is it to be human other than a term that the majority group defines to benefit them? So while the majority can make up objective grounds for defining humanity (i.e. two eyes, white, male, etc), they make up these terms subjectively. They do it without grounds to do so, other than the fact that they can.

To utilize this property even more, why not make me the mouthpiece of the slaves? Certainly since I own them, whatever I choose to do with them is the best, so I best know what they should say. By standing up for my rights and my voice, I’m ensuring that they live in a system where I can be free to provide for them in the best way I see fit.

This is the final reference to slave law. It is a reference to the 3/5 Compromise, where Congress allowed slaves to be counted as 3/5 of a person for voting purposes (this was actually better for slaves than counting them as 5/5 a person, as it gave slave states less of a vote). However, we’re basically putting a fraction of personhood on slaves to keep them in a class that is dissimilar to ours, yet counting them as person enough to warrant “their” voice being heard. This keeps them subjugated, while at the same time, giving me more power.

I don’t know if I should keep the ending as is, or end it with [just as inhumane] or [it is inhumane]. These final two lines highlight the whole analogy I’m trying to make here. While I’m blatantly talking about slavery, if you read through the poem again in the mindset of abortion parallels, I think you’ll see similar rationales there in many ways. I’ll list a few of them here.

1) The aborted are unarguably human beings, yet the majority places a subjectively objective rationale onto when personhood begins. They usually do this with a utilitarian argument, which is subjectively employed. It’s very simple to show that this statement is true, using any biology book. Life begets life and like begets like. We see zygotes are alive, and that life came from sexual reproduction of two human beings. Therefore, we have a human life in the zygote. To deny this is either to deny that the zygote is alive, which is preposterous, since it fulfills all the requirements for life (energy, reproduction of cells, response to environment, etc). The only other way to deny the life’s importance is to say it’s not human, but that’s just as preposterous. What is the life then – bear, pelican, or some other animal?

2) The freeing of slaves hurt their masters financially, just as a child may cause difficulty for its mother if brought to term. However, inalienable rights don’t depend on the feeling of any human being, but are rather intrinsically tied to all human beings. Just as the feelings of a slave owner have nothing to do with the question of a slave’s inalienable rights, so the feelings of a mother have nothing to do with her child’s inalienable rights. If rights are tied to humanity – a static thing – then rights follow humanity regardless of anyone’s feelings or difficulty. So if a fetus is a living human being with inherent human rights, the feelings of the mother should have nothing to do with the conferring of those rights.

3) Hypocrisy exists in the legal system, where the aborted aren’t human beings, yet causing a mother to lose a child is considered a murder.

4) A child born prematurely is considered a living human being, and could not be dispatched legally. Yet some abortions occur up into the second trimester, and partial birth abortions were at one point legal as well. This seems to be a huge double standard.

5) The aborted are voiceless, which makes their demise very easy to overlook for most. They are a class redefined like slaves and like Jews during the Holocaust.

There are a ton of other parallels you can find, but those are some of the basics that are easy to explain here. Perhaps when I have more time I’ll go through and expound on more.

Finally, if you look through the beginning of each stanza of the poem, you'll notice that each begins by asking about what is inside Miss Yuri, or questions what the class is. The four responses the speaker gives are essentially 1) I don't know, 2) I don't care, 3) Let's take advantage of them, 4) I have thrown off my humanity, and any stable grounding for it.

In the end, Miss Yuri’s compromise was that to get what she wants most – good for herself – she had to throw off that which gave her a grounded identity. She threw off her God-given humanity, and denied the image she was intended to bear. And when she did, she lost all grounds for meaningful morality, love, altruism, empathy, anything else objective, and anything other than narcissistic, descriptive actions. Ironically, selfishness destroys the image humanity is intended to bear, and prevents humanity from being what it was truly intended to be. It’s counterproductive, yet so seductive. So Miss Yuri’s attempt to take away the humanity of the class she wanted subjugated did nothing but chip away at her own humanity and her society. Preying on man's innate selfishness and calling upon one's fellow man to indulge himself at the cost of other humans in the class is the absolute opposite of fighting for anyone's rights - women's or otherwise. It's the denial and suppression of human rights, and the deterioration of one's own image-bearing soul and humanity.

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A wonderful resource and a classic you must read in regard to the SOTM is Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy." Willard excoriates modern Christianity and our easy believism and refusal to emphasize works, but he also does a great job doing what I failed to do in my consequentialism series until the Bonhoeffer episodes, which is to make clear that following Jesus leads us to right actions, it is not right actions of themselves which we are seeking.

I would take exception with Willard on two parts, however. The first is that Willard seems to view some of the SOTM (especially the beatitudes) with a more eschatological lens. While he definitely emphasizes that the Kingdom is now, there are moments where I feel like he overspiritualizes it into two distinct kingdoms (the spiritual and the human/physical) rather than integrating the two kingdoms, though he certainly does this much less than most other Evangelicals.

The second area I'd push back on is Willard's dismissal of the Beatitudes as prescriptive. While I do agree with him that at least some are not prescriptive in the sense that we should go out and seek them (e.g. seeking persecution and trying to get killed for your faith is not good), I think they are semi-prescriptive in an indicative sense. What I mean by that is I don't think we seek persecution, but I think that when we truly seek and follow Jesus, our lives are the type which will almost certainly bring some level of persecution. Most, if not all of the other beatitudes fall in that same vein. If we are humble we will likely be meek and poor in spirit. If we hold our resources with an open hand because we recognize they are God's and don't worry about tomorrow, we'll likely have a difficult life. And Jesus told us that the gospel will bring division in families. So we will be a people who have much opportunity to mourn. In that sense, I think the life which is prescriptive, if followed, tends to lead towards the Beatitudes, while some of those things are not meant to be sought in and of themselves.

https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-first-Text-Only/dp/B004TJWC7M/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2TKRZIONHZRVE&dchild=1&keywords=the+divine+conspiracy+by+dallas+willard&qid=1587258908&s=audible&sprefix=the+divine+conspiracy%2Caudible%2C178&sr=1-2-catcorr

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Tolstoy's "What I Believe:" https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Works-Leo-Tolstoy-Correspondences-ebook/dp/B01DY83DC6/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=tolstoy+what+i+believe&qid=1585870266&sr=8-6
  • My Sonnet Compilation: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Sonnets-J-G-Elliot-ebook/dp/B01LXXIIQN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=my+first+sonnets&qid=1585870352&sr=8-2
  • Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQ
  • Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy": https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0007596545/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dallas+willard+divine+conspiracy&qid=1601907374&sr=8-1

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
The Divine Conspiracy 1st (first) edition Text Only
My First Sonnets
Sermon on the Mount
The Spiritual Works of Leo Tolstoy: A Confession, The Kingdom of God is Within You, What I Believe, Christianity and Patriotism, Reason and Religion, The ... Kind Youth and Correspondences with Gandhi)

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • John Wesley's Arguments Against the Revolution: https://www.consource.org/document/a-calm-address-to-our-american-colonies-by-john-wesley-1775/
  • The Historic Faith Courses (particularly "The Myth of Christian America"): https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1596814955&s=books&sr=1-1
  • Thanksgiving and Genocide: https://www.rivalnations.org/thanksgiving-genocide/
  • Farewell to Mars: https://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Mars-Evangelical-Pastors-Biblical-ebook/dp/B00I65455C/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=farewell+to+mars&qid=1596814981&sr=8-1
  • Legacy of Ashes: https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-of-Ashes-The-History-of-the-CIA/dp/0307389006/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8
  • America Invades: The Controversial Story of How We've Invaded or Been Militarily Involved with Almost Every Country on Earth: https://www.amazon.com/America-Invades-Controversial-Militarily-Involved-ebook/dp/B00R1ZXKMW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=America+invades&qid=1596814737&sr=8-1

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A Farewell to Mars: An Evangelical Pastor's Journey Toward the Biblical Gospel of Peace
America Invades: How We've Invaded or been Militarily Involved with almost Every Country on Earth
The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA

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  • Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0802816150/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=anatomy+of+a+hybrid&qid=1578024564&sr=8-1
  • Dan Carlin on torture and violence: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-61-blitz-painfotainment/
  • Chomsky on Religion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=SNDG7ErY-k4&feature=emb_logo
  • Chomsky "Why They Hate the West:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7HqfqtlueI&t=156s
  • Chomsky "How to Create a Terrorist:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708pvp0E9dI

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The anatomy of a hybrid: A study in church-state relationships

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  • Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0802816150/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=anatomy+of+a+hybrid&qid=1578024564&sr=8-1
  • Dan Carlin on torture and violence: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-61-blitz-painfotainment/
  • 13th Amendment Film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_(film)
  • Westminster Confession change to article 23: https://www.opc.org/documents/WCF_orig.html
  • Belgic Confession Article 36: https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/belgic-confession
  • Lynching of Jesse Washington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Jesse_Washington
  • Justice Department Lawyer defends inhumane treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZwca4rEWc&feature=youtu.be

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The anatomy of a hybrid: A study in church-state relationships

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  • What Would You Do?: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0836136039/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=what+would+you+do+yoder&qid=1578024472&sr=8-3
  • Victories Without Violence: https://www.amazon.com/Victories-Without-Violence-Ruth-Fry/dp/0943734061/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=victories+without+violence&qid=1578024466&sr=8-1

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Victories Without Violence
What Would You Do? (John Howard Yoder Series)

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • PCA Position paper on nuclear weapons: https://web.archive.org/web/20190303185338/http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/1-439.pdf
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820
  • Gene Sharp: https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Sharp/s?k=Gene+Sharp
  • Gun behind every blade of grass: Apparently not verifiable. That being said, I think the point of the statement stands. With as armed as the citizenry of the U.S. is, certainly that would be a factor an invading force would consider. https://www.factcheck.org/2009/05/misquoting-yamamoto/
  • City of Refuge Podcast: https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Attitudes-War-Peace-Revolution/dp/1587432315/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=war+peace+and+revolution+yoder&qid=1584391613&sr=8-2
  • Hauerwas on the "Sacrifices of War and the Sacrifice of Christ:" https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-sacrifices-of-war-and-the-sacrifice-of-christ/10098368
  • War and the American Difference: https://www.amazon.com/War-American-Difference-Theological-Reflections/dp/0801039290

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Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity

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  • War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Original-Smedley-Butler/dp/1939438586/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=war+is+a+racket&qid=1576982864&sr=8-1

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Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
War Is A Racket: Original Edition

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Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution

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George Cannon, predecessor of the Truman Doctrine, in a memo (1948): https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Memo_PPS23_by_George_Kennan
"Furthermore, we have about 50% of the world's wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security. To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming; and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world-benefaction."

  • Scene On Radio's episode on the American Empire: http://www.sceneonradio.org/s4-e9-american-empire/
  • Bible Project Revelation 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nvVVcYD-0w
  • A book looking at all of the major American wars: https://amishcountrygoods.com/product/christianity-war-and-americas-salvation-story/
  • America Invades: The Controversial Story of How We've Invaded or Been Militarily Involved with Almost Every Country on Earth: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1ZXKMW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o06?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Behind the Bastards Podcast on Soleimani (explicit language): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?i=1000461883289
  • War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Antiwar-Americas-Decorated-ebook/dp/B00E25IYES/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=war+is+a+racket&qid=1592924412&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • Only 3 Countries in which the U.S. hasn't had boots on the ground, and only 2 with which we've had no military dealings whatsoever: https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/these-are-the-only-3-countries-america-hasnt-invaded
  • America's assassination in the Congo: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jan/17/patrice-lumumba-50th-anniversary-assassination
  • Tuskegee Experiment: https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study
  • Forced Eugenics of Minorities: https://today.duke.edu/2020/07/new-paper-examines-disproportionate-effect-eugenics-nc%E2%80%99s-black-population
  • Jesse Washington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiyQFG6uHgg
  • Torture and Burning of Henry Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Smith_(lynching_victim)
  • Dan Carlin on torture: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-61-blitz-painfotainment/
  • Mcnamara's Folly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J2VwFDV4-g&t=1s
  • Philippine Genocide: https://britsinthephilippines.top/philippines-genocide-3-million-filipinos-killed/
  • Children in the Civil Right's Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCxE6i_SzoQ
  • Ota Benga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKgDugiQh4
  • Zinned Project on obscured history: https://www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our-history/
  • Chomsky on Haiti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVRoWxFB1s&t=2698s
  • Chomsky on U.S. Imperialism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PdJ9TAdTdA&t=1028s
  • Trail of Tears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SosZ2ZRJymU
  • Buck vs. Bell Forced Sterilization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZQkCSuXZ0U
  • America Invades: How We've Invaded or been Militarily Involved with almost Every Country on Earth https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940598427/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Vi9-EbD56NCZM
  • Forced Sterilization Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3_c9pZ4SKc
  • Forced Sterilization of Immigrants in 2020: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/14/ice-detainees-hysterectomies-medical-neglect-irwin-georgia
  • The Civil War as a Theological Crisis [An interesting read by Evangelical Protestant Mark Noll. He writes many history accounts you can read, but this one in particular helped me to understand how we developed to the point we are now and how some of our idols have been fashioned and maintained.]: https://www.amazon.com/Theological-Crisis-Steven-Janice-Lectures-ebook/dp/B00W1W601S/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=mark+noll&qid=1586187452&sr=8-3
  • Cornel West's "Democracy Matters:" https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Matters-Winning-Against-Imperialism/dp/B0009JON0U/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Cornell+west+democracy+matters&qid=1587258766&sr=8-1
  • Nonviolent Action (Sider): https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Action-Christian-Demands-Christians/dp/1587433664/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=nonviolent+action&qid=1579740600&sr=8-1

From Cornel West:
"The ugly events of 9/11 should have been an opportunity for national
self-scrutiny. In the wake of the shock and horror of those attacks, many
asked the question, why do they hate us? But the country failed to engage
in a serious, sustained, deeply probing examination of the possible
answers to that question. Instead, the leaders of the Bush administration
encouraged us to adopt the simplistic and aggressive “with us or against
us” stance and we ran roughshod over our allies, turning a deaf ear to any
criticisms of the course of action the Bush leadership had determined to
take. We have been unwilling—both at this critical juncture and
throughout our history—to turn a sufficiently critical eye on our own
behavior in the world. We have often behaved in an overbearing, imperial,
hypocritical manner as we have attained more and more power as a
hegemon.

Our hypocritical, bullying behavior in regard to so many of the regions
of the world is surely not the only reason for the 9/11 attacks—and it
certainly doesn’t justify those horribly callous, violent terrorist acts—but
we have failed to even consider deeply as a culture the role our imperialist
behavior has played in the contempt we have inspired in so much of the
world."

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Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
America Invades: How We've Invaded or been Militarily Involved with almost Every Country on Earth
The Civil War As a Theological Crisis: 1st (First) Edition
Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism
War Is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

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  • The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/
  • Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Attitudes-War-Peace-Revolution/dp/1587432315/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=war+peace+and+revolution+yoder&qid=1584391613&sr=8-2
  • Killing from the Inside Out: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9DXPV3KT88QB&keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out+moral+injury+and+just+war&qid=1576704840&sprefix=killing+from+the+in%2Caps%2C283&sr=8-1
  • The War Prayer by Mark Twain: https://warprayer.org/
  • It was brought to my attention after this episode was created that there are only 3-5 countries (depending on how you count them) which were not controlled in at least some part by European Christendom (Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Liberia). But even the states which weren't controlled were heavily influenced, and largely uncontested due to their value as either a place to dump baggage (Liberia - slaves you didn't want to become citizens) or use as a buffer against other countries (Thailand).
    https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2014/6/24/5835320/map-in-the-whole-world-only-these-five-countries-escaped-european

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Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War

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(Article discussed in this episode) An Open Letter to Christians Condoning Violence: https://freethinkingministries.com/an-open-letter-to-christians-condoning-violence/
Episode 7: Is Nonviolence Evil by Refusing to Do Good? https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-evil-in-refusing-to-do-good
Romans 13 Part 2: The Practical: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2
Episode 19: What Would You Do to Protect Your Family (Part 1)? https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-would-you-really-allow-an-intruder-to-harm-your-family
Episode 20: What Would You Do to Protect Your Family (Part 2)? https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/episode-19-rebuttal-would-you-really-allow-an-intruder-to-harm-your-family-part-2-the-practical
Bonhoeffer Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se3-bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/47-se5-bonhoeffer-pacifist-or-assassin

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**Part of what makes this topic difficult is its changing statistics. For instance, there are many years in which "whites" count hispanics, thought that changes throughout the years. Another thing I want to point out is that due to proportions, it needs to be made clear that minorities do face a disproportionate number of abortions. The text below is from 1997 as just one example. I am not at all arguing that whites have had less of a problem with abortion proportionally, but that the general trend for whites is downward, while the trend for minorities is relatively static as far as it can be told from the data the CDC provides. A great look at this can be seen in the following site ( http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/usa_abortion_by_race.html ), where the 2nd graph is of the most importance (abortions by race/ethnicity). What you will see is that the white abortions drop significantly, while the minority abortions do increase for a time, but then are largely level. Considering that the white population did not fall that much, while the minority population did increase, it seems fair to conclude that the white drop is disproportionate to the population drop.

Obviously you can look at various facets of the data, and it's a complex task. Hopefully I've been fair and accurate in this one focused assessment, but please do your own legwork and follow that up.

FROM: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/ss/ss6713a1.htm
Among women whose race was reported (from 39 reporting areas), approximately 56% of women who obtained legal induced abortions were white (Table 9). The abortion ratio for black women was 543 per 1,000 live births, 2.8 times the ratio for white women (194 per 1,000 live births). However, numbers of abortions for white women include data for Hispanics and thus might affect comparisons from state to state. The abortion ratio for women of other races (341 per 1,000 live births) was 1.8 times the ratio for white women. In addition, the abortion rate for black women (32 per 1,000 women) was 2.9 times the rate for white women (11 per 1,000 women).

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My article on the double standard and slectivity of conservative, moral legislation: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/economic-pornography-and-pet-sins
Jerry Falwell's Mask: https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/05/27/libertys-jerry-falwell-designs-his-own-mask-using-ralph-northam-yearbook-blackface-photo/?outputType=amp

Sex Partners and Activity: https://ifstudies.org/blog/nine-decades-of-promiscuity

Trend of Poverty and Adoption: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/us/abortion-access-inequality.html

Abortion Rate by Country: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/abortion-rates-by-country/

Adoption Stats in the U.S.: https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-changing-face-of-adoption-in-the-united-states
CDC Abortion Stats: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/index.htm
Abortion and Race Trends: http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/usa_abortion_by_race.html
Phil Vischer on abortion causes and cures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWD7ykNjCc&feature=youtu.be

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*For an alternative perspective on the rise of the abortion issue among conservative Evangelicals, check out the following article. While I think the author makes some good points and helps to balance a true, growing concern for abortion, I think the race issue is clearly the catalyst. So while I disagree with the morality of abortion now, the reason the issue was shot to prominence so quickly seems to be as a result of racism. It's hard to explain the seismic shift in worldviews about the personhood of fetuses without a motivator, as I argue in the episode. Nevertheless, decide for yourself: https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/fact-and-fiction-about-racism-and . You can also find a version from the Gospel Coalition here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/christian-right-discovered-abortion-rights-transformed-culture-wars/

Lee Atwater's famous quote about Republican and Religious Right implications and understanding in politics: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/

You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”

  • The 1971 SBC Resolution on Abortion: http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/13/resolution-on-abortion
  • Brief explanation of the origins of the anti-abortion movement in Evangelicalism: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/20/734303135/throughline-traces-evangelicals-history-on-the-abortion-issue
  • Detailed article about the origins of the anti-abortion movement in Evangelicalism: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133
  • The Color of Compromise: https://www.amazon.com/Color-Compromise-American-Churchs-Complicity/dp/0310113601/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+color+of+compromise&qid=1591475569&sr=8-1
  • The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America: This resource is a very deep overview of the history of Evangelicalism and the Religious Right. It helps paint a picture of how we got to where we are and the compromised
  • One Nation Under God: https://www.amazon.com/One-Nation-Under-God-Corporate/dp/0465097413/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=one+nation+under+god&qid=1591475623&sr=8-1
  • Revolution of Values: is a great look at the history of modern Evangelicalism and the racist roots of the Religious Right from the perspective of a long-time Southern Baptist, and one who served the Republican party under Strom Thurmond: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Values-Reclaiming-Public-Common/dp/0830845933/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=jonathan+hartgrove&qid=1591475669&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUVZOQlVWQUhGSklOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzM5MzgxTTU5SDBXSURKRlVOJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMzY3NDRTQzhRWTU0Njk5NFEmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
  • A good summary of the rise in anti-abortion sentiment: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-evangelicals-decided-that-life-begins-at-conception_b_2072716?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20vc2VhcmNoP3E9RXZhbmdlbGljYWwrYWJvcnRpb24rbW92ZW1lbnQmZm9ybT1BUElQSDEmUEM9QVBQTA&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFK1r-ntO2NVaghH4hLP_lW3elDj6xvvJiThE7fIQ8JGqyHT_JdoYoUqFlPH78UZokykrlr4reUpQt3VYpWDtlj0N29jhWoGUq3oSH55qWnPELjR8dRMsBxOO1j6-5MZSqJJNxsFsm7VVjo0iwKcM5MLr8hhHWSacvgWAClJodGR
  • Scene on Radio Podcast: http://www.sceneonradio.org/s4-e8-the-second-redemption/
  • Behind the Bastards on Jerry Falwell (explicit language): This is a three part series which is good at helping not only to paint a picture of ulterior motives in the abortion issue, but in seeing the political and business problems inherent in the religious right. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?i=1000458529023
  • Bob Jones Finally Drops Interracial Dating Policy in the Year 2000: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/marchweb-only/53.0.html

Former SBC President W.A. Criswell (1973): "I have always felt that it was only after a child was born and had a life separate from its mother that it became an individual person, and it has always, therefore, seemed to me that what is best for the mother and for the future should be allowed."

W. Barry Garrett (1973): "Religious liberty, human equality and justice are advanced by the [Roe v. Wade] Supreme Court Decision."

Christianity Today symposium with the medical community (1968): “individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility” were deemed justifications for abortion.

  • Falwell and Other Conservatives' Pragmatic Support of Apartheid: https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/21/world/falwell-denounces-tutu-as-a-phony.html
  • Shea's "The Biblical Basis for War:" https://media.spokesman.com/documents/2018/10/Biblical_Basis_for_War.pdf
  • Episode 49 on one of my experiences of racial tension in the church: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/49-se7-eradicating-another-virus
  • ACE Homeschool Curriculum is a great example of racism embedded in our conservative Christian tradition. Homeschooling and Christian schooling were in large part (at least in certain places, and likely more so the further back you go) begun by groups wanting to avoid desegregation. Falwell's Liberty Academy is a great example of this, which then created the university as another entity. You can see the racism come out in ACE's pragmatic approval of Apartheid: https://www.critic.co.nz/features/article/5806/escaping-the-cult--of-accelerated-christian-educatQUOTE: ACE is also very problematic with its insensitivity towards Blacks, Jews, and Asians – in fact, anyone who isn’t white. I remember sitting at my desk until five or six in the evening, toiling over a white-washed colonialist account of American History with only the odd brightly coloured comic strip incorporated within the PACES to alleviate my boredom. These cartoon strips promote segregation – students of each race attend different schools. White children attend Highland, Black students attend Harmony and Asian students go to Heartsville. The PACES go on to explicitly support racial segregation, arguing that although apartheid appeared to allow the unfair treatment of blacks, it was nonetheless a remarkably successful system, enabling the development of South Africa into a modern industrialized nation; “White businessmen and developers … turned South Africa into a modern industrialized nation, which the poor, uneducated blacks couldn’t have accomplished in several more decades. If more blacks were suddenly given control of the nation, its economy and business, as Mandela wished, they could have destroyed what they have waited and worked so hard for.” Forget the misery, poverty and racism occasioned by such a scheme – as long as white Christian businessmen were in power, all was well in the world.
  • More firsthand testimony about ACE and the origins of private schooling (25:30): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-colonialism-in-missions-feat-rebecca/id1487348559?i=1000469105255
  • Brief discussion of dog-whistle politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7P3yFJ-DGM
  • In-depth discussion on dog-whistle politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6A3NQiJpH0 (shorter version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOGFdGY_vw)
  • More dog-whistle examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbkNM6u44pQ
  • Our double standards on moral/political legislation and involvement: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/economic-pornography-and-pet-sins

From Cornel West's "Democracy Matters," chapter 5: https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Matters-Winning-Against-Imperialism/dp/0143035835/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1587954394&sr=8-1

"Never before in the history of the American Republic has a group of
organized Christians risen to such prominence in the American empire.
And this worldly success—a bit odd for a fundamentalist group with such
otherworldly aspirations—has sent huge ripples across American
Christendom. Power, might, size, status, and material possessions—all
paraphernalia of the nihilism of the American empire—became major
themes of American Christianity. It now sometimes seems that all
Christians speak in one voice when in fact it is only that the loudness of
the Constantinian element of American Christianity has so totally drowned
out the prophetic voices. Imperial Christianity, market spirituality, money obsessed
churches, gospels of prosperity, prayers of let’s-make-a-deal with
God or help me turn my wheel of fortune have become the prevailing
voice of American Christianity. In this version of Christianity the precious
blood at the foot of the cross becomes mere Kool-Aid to refresh eager
upwardly mobile aspirants in the nihilistic American game of power and
might. And there is hardly a mumbling word heard about social justice,
resistance to institutional evil, or courage to confront the powers that be—
with the glaring exception of abortion."

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One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America
Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good
The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism
Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • 1-1-1 Project: http://www.111project.org/careportal/
  • Early Church Quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church
  • The Dropbox Film: https://dropbox.focusonthefamily.ca/

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Compilation of peer-reviewed and other literature on ectopic pregnancies: http://www.personhoodinitiative.com/ectopic-personhood.html
  • Successful transplant of an ectopic pregnancy example: https://www.ajog.org/article/0002-9378%2890%2990794-8/pdf
  • Misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancies: https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2013/10/11/ectopic-pregnancy-misdiagnosed-methotrexate
  • Brief summary of anti-abortion in ectopic pregnancy position: https://www.clmagazine.org/topic/medicine-science/does-an-ectopic-pregnancy-justify-intentionally-killing-the-baby/
  • Many disorders are misdiagnosed: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/01/upshot/pregnancy-birth-genetic-testing.html?fbclid=IwAR18I7kdcavsxDF6RBqs8Y2sAjkQdBZAwKT3YId1PPgCHWxFyGBUYISvy8w

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Links to various studies and data mentioned in the episode can be found in my written version of this issue here: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/abortion-counterrebuttal-patriarchal-bias

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Sacrifices of War and the Sacrifice of Christ: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-sacrifices-of-war-and-the-sacrifice-of-christ/10098368
  • Chomsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRbnPA3fd5U&t=376s
  • Killing From the Inside Out: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=R9KWYOKIFBHB&keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out+moral+injury+and+just+war&qid=1579144348&sprefix=killing+from%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-1
  • War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Injury-Robert-Emmet-Meagher-ebook/dp/B07CFW2S3G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ML8UZ5LHM913&keywords=war+and+moral+injury&qid=1579144321&sprefix=war+and+moral+inju%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1
  • On Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society-ebook/dp/B00J90F8W2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RHR2TOPIB06N&keywords=on+killing+by+dave+grossman&qid=1579144334&sprefix=on+killin%2Caps%2C370&sr=8-1

While the following quote was pieced together from soldier testimony to make the famous speech from the movie "Patton," it is widely attributed to General Patton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCA6uxQE-bw&t=200s

No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

John Howard Yoder from "Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution:"

A crusade does not have to be winnable. Those who died in a crusade go straight to heaven. In the Middle Ages, dying in a crusade was the only way to get straight to heaven. In a crusade, death is not considered a necessary sacrifice so as to win war. Death is righteous in itself, because it is in a righteous cause. This view carries on in the West despite theories to the contrary. An element of martyrdom is present in our culture’s recognition of the moral dignity of the war dead. There is a close juxtaposition, theologically in need of debate between such “martyrdom” and the sacrifice of Christ. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13): Jesus said that about himself. Many Western war monuments to the dead have that verse on them, as though what a dead soldier went out to do was to lay down his life for his friends. That is not what he went out to do. He went out to kill, and he hoped to come home. He went out to lay down somebody else’s life. The use of Jesus’s cross language is a dramatic pointer to the persistence of the crusade mentality in our culture.

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On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War
War and Moral Injury: A Reader

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Tomlinson's Abortion Conundrum: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/man-pro-choice-question-anti-abortion-argument-human-embryos-five-year-old-a8016671.html
  • Consequentialism Series on Altruism: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-heart-of-compromise
  • A great article discussing what we have worked through in this episode: https://www.mccl.org/post/2017/11/02/the-embryo-rescue-argument-doesnt-show-that-some-human-beings-are-expendable

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Thoughts on the Phillips vs. Irons Case: https://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-commentary/when-oral-sex-results-in-a-pregnancy-can-men-ever-escape-paternity-obligations.html
  • A great discussion on the violinist argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGPudL_GQ3Y&feature=youtu.be

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Best Conversationalist on Abortion and Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK-sX7E90QI&feature=emb_logo
  • A great discussion on the violinist argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGPudL_GQ3Y&feature=youtu.be
  • Greg Kokul's "Unstringing the Violinist:" https://www.str.org/articles/unstringing-the-violinist

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[Edit 5/8/22] I just came across Psalm 51:5 today and thought it helped to make another great point about how we interpret scripture. For those arguing that our being known by God in the womb ought to be taken at face value and point towards the sanctity of life from in the womb, then surely Psalm 51, if taken in a consistent fashion, declares the concept of original sin and original guilt. It says, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." If one wants to proof-text the idea of the sanctity of life in the womb, then those same fetuses that die, and infants who die are sinners who stand guilty before God. While a portion of the Christian community would have no problem with this concept, many would detest such a notion.

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751

**After listening again I recognize I said something which needs to be restated. I understand that having sex doesn't mean you'll get pregnant (I have 4 kids, so trust me, I understand). I misspoke. I intended to imply that for every 100 times there would have been impregnation, statistically, one of those would be aborted via secondary measures of hormonal birth control. Over the course of a married life and assuming healthy sexual activity, that means that there would likely be multiple abortions statistically speaking.

Episode Summary:

  1. Images and Pain Presence: Use of post-abortion photos and describing the pain sensations a fetus can feel at different stages of development can be valuable tools to spark emotion, dig at intuitive knowledge, or bolster a larger argument. However, they are terrible stand-alone or primary arguments against abortion, yet they tend to be where many Christians start and stop their understanding of the issue. The main problem with them is that they actually undermine the core case Christians want to make for the value of the fetus. How much something resembles a human or what level of pain one can feel changes based on time and situations, and are what we call degreed properties. If something is held in degrees, not only can you be more or less of something on the spectrum (in this case, human), but you can also lose that thing. likeness and pain sensation are degreed properties and are not present in all fetuses at all times, and especially not at the same level.
  1. Biblical Cherry-picking: Many anti-abortion Christians love to say that everyone, including fetuses, are important, because "God knits us all together in the womb." We turn this into a scientific statement. The problem is that in this very passage - only two verses later - the author declares that he was woven together in the depths of the earth. You will find plenty of cases where (especially in the Psalms), the author works within an ANE framework, and not a scientific one (e.g. the pillars holding up the sky). We also see other strange conceptions (to our modern ears) of life, as in when the Bible tells us that Levi paid a tithe to Melchizedek through Abraham, as Levi was in Abraham's loins (Augustine called this "seminal headship" in regard to all humans being in the loins of Adam). Today, we know that this isn't how sperm, genetics, and individual identity work. We can't pick and choose what aspects of ancient beliefs sound good for our case to use as zinger proof-texts. It's a whole package. Since this may be a particularly contentious point, here are some perspectives from an inerrantist I trust who expounds on these topics.
    Adam's Loins and Seminal Headship: https://drmsh.com/more-on-romans-5/
    Levi's Loins and Hebrew Belief: https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/NB-185-Transcript.pdf (top of pg. 14 ff).
    Ancient Hebrew Cosmology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbPtym0NboU (39:30 ff).
  1. Ignoring Counter-examples in the Bible: Some Christians know the common rebuttal that life was viewed as less valuable to ancient Hebrews because there was a law which seems to declare the consequences for causing a woman to miscarry were less severe than for killing a human who was older. But there are some words you can argue about there. To me, the glaring problem passage is when by law, a husband was able to take his wife to the priest if he suspected infidelity and force her to drink a concoction which would kill the child if it was not the husbands. However, I don't know any anti-abortion Christians who would argue that we should be able to do paternity tests and then justly abort any children born out of a marital relationship.
  1. Christian Inconsistency: We say we believe life begins at conception, yet most of us use birth controls which have abortive measures (preventing implantation, not conception) as secondary effects. Many of us also speak in a derogatory fashion about children and how they are an inconvenience, etc. Most of us who are anti-abortion also tend to align ourselves with politicians and parties which are not very "pro-life" after birth, as the accusation goes (e.g. war hawks, pro-death penalty, America first group).
  1. Inconsistent Hard-liners: Most anti-abortion Christians I know would acknowledge that there are cases in which it is difficult to discern the way of Christ. We know that there are some mothers in far away lands who have six malnourished children already, and couldn't feed a seventh if one came along. Should she abort, or should she have the child and risk the child suffering and dying, or the mother dying, and most likely some of the younger kids then as well? Yet for as hard as that situation is, we know that the right thing is not to abort. But when it comes to life saving procedures in the States, like those of ectopic pregnancies, most Christians claim that abortion is the only or most moral choice, since it accomplishes the greatest good (saving one life rather than having two die). I fail to see a moral distinction between the Foreign and American cases, except that one case we know will never happen to us or anyone we know, and in the other case we recognize that we or someone we know will have that happen, or has had that happen. We're good at maintaining a seemingly sympathetic, yet hard-line moral stance on distant hypotheticals, yet we hedge our bets and insulate ourselves through moral inconsistency from what could be potential hardship for us. Our moral judgments at times (as also with birth control's secondary mechanism preventing implantation), seem to be skewed towards favoring our ease and lack of sacrifice while being immovable on the sacrifices others ought to make. That inconsistency indicates to me that we either need to be more lax on our moral positions towards those in different situations, or we need to be more stringent in our personal applications. I don't think you can have it both ways and maintain moral honesty and integrity.

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Various Abortion Resources: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/abortion-8-resources

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Just Mercy: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Mercy-story-justice-redemption/dp/1912854791/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=bryan+stevenson&qid=1585871230&sr=8-14
  • The 13th Documentary: https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=U523DF&PC=U523&q=the+13th+documentary
  • The Racist History of the Religious Right and Conservative Evangelicalism: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133
  • Abortion was approved by many conservative Evangelicals until it became a backdoor to race issues: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/20/734303135/throughline-traces-evangelicals-history-on-the-abortion-issue
  • Cornel West's "Democracy Matters:" https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Matters-Winning-Against-Imperialism/dp/B0009JON0U/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Cornell+west+democracy+matters&qid=1587258766&sr=8-1
  • Black Lives Matter Beliefs: https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

Mark Noll is an Evangelical Historian who I have found to be very insightful during this time in my life. He is a heartbroken Evangelical (as can be seen in his [in]famous book "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind"), meaning he considers himself an Evangelical, but is introspective and honest enough to recognize our glaring problems. That is exactly how I feel at the moment, and I appreciate those who, like Noll, can honestly point out our past and our present and call us to address our problems. Noll has many books which you may find helpful on this topic, but I found the two books below to be helpful in understanding why the Evangelical church has so many problems with race, why the government took over the church's role (and why we let it), why we are political idolaters, and so much more.

  • The Civil War as a Theological Crisis: https://www.amazon.com/Theological-Crisis-Steven-Janice-Lectures-ebook/dp/B00W1W601S/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=mark+noll&qid=1586637948&sr=8-2
  • God and Race in American Politics: https://www.amazon.com/God-Race-American-Politics-History-ebook/dp/B003E7FIDU/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=mark+noll&qid=1586637986&sr=8-15

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
None
The Civil War As a Theological Crisis: 1st (First) Edition
God and Race in American Politics: A Short History
Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism

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*Please note that I am not particularly critiquing the actions taken by government or individuals, provided their actions are based on honest and educated assessments of data. Isolating everyone vs. isolating only a certain population (e.g. those over 60, those with preexisting conditions, etc) is a judgment call. We don't have all the data necessary to make perfect decisions, so we're experimenting and learning as we go. At what point does shutting down the economy do more harm than good, particularly in countries where they live day to day, hand to mouth? I don't know, and I don't want to judge anyone for difficult decisions.

However, what I do intend to point out in this episode is that my group has erred (as a broad generalization, of course) in our discernment. Many in my group have politicized the virus to the point that we were unable to assess the gravity of the situation, we were unable to effectively love in our actions, and we were unable to wisely discern common sense judgment and action in the situation. While I am not judging for making the wrong decisions given limited information, I am judging our political idolatry and our dismissal of truths which don't fit our desired narrative.

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • A fantastic moral overview of the pandemic from a Christian perspective: https://mereorthodoxy.com/moral-reasoning-coronavirus-pandemic/
  • Mars Hill Audio, which featured the above article in audio format: https://www.marshillaudio.org
  • Conservative Responses to COVID-19 Image Gallery: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CMNQ-kj1dN37sxBUPjffKwZCk1vi0dRE
  • Democrat vs. Republican:
    https://www.npr.org/2020/03/17/816501871/poll-as-coronavirus-spreads-fewer-americans-see-pandemic-as-a-real-threat?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social
  • Liberty University and Falwell: https://www.washingtonpost.com/
  • Falwell continue classes: https://www.businessinsider.com/jerry-falwell-jr-suggests-coronavirus-is-plot-to-hurt-trump-2020-3
  • Governer difference between KY and TN: https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/kentucky-vs-tennessee-on-coronavirus-may-be-the-best-example-of-elections-matter-in-decades/?fbclid=IwAR0QBc9J9X37IwUjxyhfRovCTTliRV7SyBgCNtWPKYvTC--w7wW6gwu2o9U
  • FOX Hype and Changing Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DmW_H4U-MI&t=145s
  • Fox Questioning the Virus as a Hoax/Conspiracy: https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/fox-news-contributor-i-am-seeing-videos-twitter-empty-hospital-parking-lots
  • Georgia Conservative questions legitimacy of the pandemic: https://decaturish.com/2020/03/gov-kemp-staffer-accuses-officials-of-overreacting-to-covid-19-spokesperson-cites-federalist/
  • Environment correction article: https://medium.com/cruciformity/coronavirus-a-symptom-of-creations-brokenness-e9335ae7d8a1
  • Florida Church Ignores Guidelines: https://www.fox13news.com/news/tampa-megachurch-crowded-with-worshipers-despite-social-distancing-orders
  • Another Church Ignores Guidelines: https://www.wesh.com/article/second-pastor-charged-with-violating-public-orders-says-church-doors-will-still-be-open-on-sunday/32003221?fbclid=IwAR3I9lL5E5WHuGR5mtMMDjbqPVAMLobnr8XJg8DCSP4SPmnRXdVAWYcl0o4#
  • Parishoner Interview "covered by the blood": https://www.facebook.com/tboypunk/videos/3913215418696211/
  • Reopen America and Conservatism: https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2020/04/24/security-researchers-say-the-reopen-america-campaign-is-being-astroturfed/
  • A good piece on Evangelicalism and some of its problems with taking responsibility: https://religiondispatches.org/itsnotus-being-evangelical-means-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/
  • Hypocrisy of the Religious Right: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/shanephipps/2020/04/20/the-christian-right-is-under-siege-by-a-pandemic-of-hypocrisy/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=FBCP-PATH
  • Christians and Conspiracy Theories: https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/april/christians-and-corona-conspiracies.html?fbclid=IwAR0BFQWYb4Y-UUiWzugAlCC7hbwr7EF2bYIySoVwCn6zv82rh5EW5QM7KR0
  • Sacrificing God - my blog discussing the moral inconsistency of our response to COVID and our response to moral compromise in politics: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/sacrificing-god
  • A Great Article discussing how, as I said in the episode, we need to take a humble approach of agnosticism before jumping to our non-expert opinions: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/when-everything-is-not-obvious/

I read a great article which summarizes one of the main issues I have with my conservative Evangelical group. I'll put what I believe to be a very pertinent quote from the article below: The Religious Right’s Hostility to Science Is Crippling Our Coronavirus Response: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/coronavirus-trump-evangelicals.html

Religious nationalism has brought to American politics the conviction that our political differences are a battle between absolute evil and absolute good. When you’re engaged in a struggle between the “party of life” and the “party of death,” as some religious nationalists now frame our political divisions, you don’t need to worry about crafting careful policy based on expert opinion and analysis. Only a heroic leader, free from the scruples of political correctness, can save the righteous from the damned. Fealty to the cause is everything; fidelity to the facts means nothing. Perhaps this is why many Christian nationalist leaders greeted the news of the coronavirus as an insult to their chosen leader.

A good summary of what Evangelical dispensationalism has helped produce, especially in the U.S. (by a respected professor via Facebook):

I was raised and trained in a dispensational reading of the Bible, which is a highly-complex and chart-laden method for relegating the Bible’s relevance to every other era of human history except this one.

Mark Noll once quipped that it has produced a culture that focuses on the earth’s first six days and the earth’s future days, but doesn’t want to care for the earth these days.

It has also produced a culture intensely focused on children inside wombs, but will support a person who cancels programs to feed hungry children outside of them.

It has produced a culture that takes pilgrimages to a theme park in Kentucky that claims to be a museum of God’s creation but only has man-made things in it. It is somehow a building that contains an idea.

It has produced a culture of well-intentioned people who genuinely want to study the Bible, but only to think its thoughts, not to do what it says.

I know this culture well, and I love the people in it, so I talk about the culture and its assumptions and its ways and how it holds them in its grip, and the counter-intuitive way they can be free.

That culture has taught its people defense mechanisms to hide its tentacles and its binding shackles.

I hear these all the time when I talk about the sorts of things Jesus said to do. When I do it speaks back to me, “you’re just a socialist.” “That’s the social gospel.” “You’re a liberal.” “You sound like a Democrat.”

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life

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around 59:30 I intend to say prostitution is a secular* endeavor, not a sacred one

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Bonhoeffer the Assassin: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking-ebook/dp/B00FOWLXVY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bonhoeffer+the+assassin&qid=1578771855&sr=8-1
  • Summary of Bonhoeffer's Case: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/was-bonhoeffer-willing-to-kill
  • Interview with Bonhoeffer Scholar: https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/no-dietrich-bonhoeffer-didnt-try-to-kill-adolph-hitler/
  • Jerry Falwell Jr. Quote: https://twitter.com/JerryFalwellJr/status/1045853333007798272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  • Pablo Yoder Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo&t=1s
  • Victories Without Violence: https://www.amazon.com/Victories-Without-Violence-Ruth-Fry/dp/0943734061/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1578896183&sr=8-2
  • The Doors of the Sea: https://www.amazon.com/Doors-Sea-Where-Was-Tsunami/dp/0802866867/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+doors+of+the+sea&qid=1578897160&sr=8-1

"Nationalism and internationalism have to do with political necessities and possibilities. The ecumenical Church, however, does not concern itself with these things, but with the commandments of God, and regardless of consequences it transmits these commandments to the world. Our task as theologians, accordingly, consists only in accepting this commandment as a binding one, not as a question open to discussion. Peace on earth is not a problem, but a commandment given at Christ’s coming. There are two ways of reacting to this command from God: the unconditional, blind obedience of action, or the hypocritical question of the Serpent: “Yea, hath God said . . . ?” This question is the mortal enemy of obedience, and therefore the mortal enemy of all real peace. . . . “Must God not have meant that we should talk about peace, to be sure, but that it is not to be literally translated into action? Must God not really have said that we should work for peace, of course, but also make ready tanks and poison gas for security?” And then perhaps the most serious question: “Did God say you should not protect your own people? Did God say you should leave your own a prey to the enemy?” No, God did not say all that. What He has said is that there shall be peace among men—that we shall obey Him without further question, that is what He means. He who questions the commandment of God before obeying has already denied Him. . . . For the members of the ecumenical Church, in so far as they hold to Christ, His word, His commandment of peace is more holy, more inviolable than the most revered words and works of the natural world. For they know that whoso is not able to hate father and mother for His sake is not worthy of Him, and lies if he calls himself after Christ’s name. These brothers in Christ obey His word; they do not doubt or question, but keep His commandment of peace. They are not ashamed, in defiance of the world, even to speak of eternal peace. They cannot take up arms against Christ himself—yet this is what they do if they take up arms against one another! Even in anguish and distress of conscience there is for them no escape from the commandment of Christ that there shall be peace. How does peace come about? Through a system of political treaties? Through the investment of international capital in different countries? Through the big banks, through money? Or through universal peaceful rearmament in order to guarantee peace? Through none of these, for the single reason that in all of them peace is confused with safety. There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared. It is the great venture. It can never be made safe. Peace is the opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to mistrust, and this mistrust in turn brings forth war. To look for guarantees is to want to protect oneself. Peace means to give oneself altogether to the law of God, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct it for selfish purposes. Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God. They are won where the way leads to the cross. Which of us can say he knows what it might mean for the world if one nation should meet the aggressor, not with weapons in hand, but praying defenseless, and for that very reason protected by “a bulwark never failing”?

"In Bonhoeffer’s interpretation of the love commandment, it becomes clear precisely why this model of moral engagement between Jesus and his disciples is so necessary: by nature the would-be follower of Jesus is unable to love his or her enemy. Only after being encountered with God’s free commanding power in Christ can one be enabled to so love. As Bonhoeffer says, Loving one’s enemies is not only an unbearable offense to the natural person. It demands more than the strength a natural person can muster, and it offends the natural concepts of good and evil. But even more important, loving one’s enemies appears to people living according to the law [i.e., Old Testament Torah] to be a sin against God’s law itself.

What is commonly said from the pulpits about [peace], if it is mentioned at all, would . . . “be just as possible, if Christ had never become incarnate, died, ascended to heaven, and sent His Spirit.” We are ineffective precisely because we are disobedient. In a theological and ecclesiastical climate . . . where any literal application of the Gospel is suspect of “Schwärmertum” and where only the ex-pacifist is respectable, it will take some time and not a little humility to admit, especially for those trained in the school of the great Reformers, that at this point in question the Mennonite minority has been, and still is right: “not because it (nonresistance) works, but because it anticipates the triumph of the Lamb that was slain.” 566"

"387 The penultimate must be preserved for the ultimate, even as the ultimate upholds the value of the penultimate. This, in part, is where Bonhoeffer’s thinking in “Christ, Reality, and Good” is headed. As we further track the structure of his logic in the formative manuscript, we see that since God is the ultimate reality, the purpose of Christian ethics is not moral growth or “making the world a better place,” as some ethical systems would have it, but witness to God’s ultimate goodness, even if such a witness comes at the expense of improvement. 388 This does not mean, of course, that the pursuit of theocentric goals will inevitably lead to demoralization, guilt, or neglect of the world’s needs, but it does at least radically transform the rationale for pursuing these penultimate ends even as it may call them into question more broadly."

"When reality as a whole is divided into a churchly realm and a worldly realm, the tendency is to envision each realm as mutually exclusive and self-contained. This is problematic because it contributes to the autonomy of both realms. Thus there develops a notion that the world behaves according to laws of its own, while the church is supposed to live according to another, wholly different set of laws. The more definite and absolute the lines are drawn between church and world, the greater the alienation of the church from the world and the world from the church. Bonhoeffer suggests as much when he says, “Realm thinking as static thinking is, theologically speaking, legalistic thinking. . . . Where the worldly establishes itself as an autonomous sector, this denies the fact of the world’s being accepted in Christ, the grounding of the reality of the world in revelational reality, and thereby the validity of the gospel for the whole world.” Similarly, when the Christian realm is understood as autonomous, the world is cut off from the community of God formed in Christ. Bonhoeffer concludes, “A Christianity that withdraws from the world falls prey to unnaturalness, irrationality, triumphalism, and arbitrariness.” 393 Bonhoeffer’s language is quite insistent on this particular point because the more absolutely one distinguishes between “church” and “world,” the more damage one does to the church, the world, and ultimately to the perceived efficacy of Christ. The church becomes alienated from the world, preoccupied with its own internal order, or, alternatively, it becomes increasingly hostile to the world of unbelief. The world, on the other hand, is left entirely to its own devices and to its own self-understanding. In this way the universal scope of the incarnation is undermined, and reality is no longer reality from, in, and toward Christ. Rather, a totalizing definition of the world is articulated in which Christ is simply one parochial element among others. In dogmatic terms, justification is aborted."

“Instead of being a program that we can run, “formation occurs only by being drawn into the form of Jesus Christ, by being conformed to the unique form of the one who became human, was crucified, and is risen. This does not happen as we strive ‘to become like Jesus,’ as we customarily say, but as the form of Jesus Christ himself so works on us that it molds us, conforming our form to Christ’s own (Gal. 4: 9). Christ remains the only one who forms.” 415 Bonhoeffer’s point is that Christians do not remake the world with ideas distilled from Scripture or even Christ’s teachings. After all, Jesus did not come to teach a revised form of piety, but to form human creatures anew. The reason Bonhoeffer rejects a view of Christ as “essentially” a teacher is rooted in this central concern: if Christ is primarily a teacher, then it is what he teaches rather than who he is that is of central importance. Bonhoeffer suggests that when this occurs, inevitably a moral ideal or a system of moral principles stands as substitute for Jesus Christ.”

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
Victories Without Violence
Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking
The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami?

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Bonhoeffer the Assassin: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking-ebook/dp/B00FOWLXVY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bonhoeffer+the+assassin&qid=1578771855&sr=8-1
  • Great extended summary of the book's findings from Dr. Nation and Hauerwas: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/a-pacifist-and-enemy-of-the-state-bonhoeffers-journey-to-nonviol/10094798
  • Summary of Bonhoeffer's Case: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/was-bonhoeffer-willing-to-kill
  • Interview with Bonhoeffer Scholar: https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/no-dietrich-bonhoeffer-didnt-try-to-kill-adolph-hitler/

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Bonhoeffer the Assassin: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking-ebook/dp/B00FOWLXVY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bonhoeffer+the+assassin&qid=1578771855&sr=8-1
  • Great extended summary of the book's findings from Dr. Nation and Hauerwas: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/a-pacifist-and-enemy-of-the-state-bonhoeffers-journey-to-nonviol/10094798
  • Summary of Bonhoeffer's Case: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/was-bonhoeffer-willing-to-kill
  • Interview with Bonhoeffer Scholar: https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/no-dietrich-bonhoeffer-didnt-try-to-kill-adolph-hitler/
  • The original version of this episode uncorrected: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/46-se4-uncorrected-bonhoeffer-pacifist-or-assassin-part-1

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Peter's Betrayal Wasn't Cowardice: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/peters-denial-wasnt-cowardice

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Early Church Quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Tim Keller on God's Control: http://andynaselli.com/watergate

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Early Church Quotes Compilation: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church
  • The Early Church on Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook/dp/0801036305/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3P67XKXI6LXU9&keywords=the+early+church+on+killing&qid=1577046248&sprefix=killing+in+the+early+church%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-2
  • Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger: https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Christians-Age-Hunger-Generosity-ebook/dp/B00PWOH5TS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IFXL81PXMRTI&keywords=rich+christians+in+the+age+of+hunger&qid=1577046278&sprefix=Rich+christians%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1
  • War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Original-Smedley-Butler/dp/1939438586/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=War+is+a+racket&qid=1577046512&sr=8-1

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Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity
The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment
War Is A Racket: Original Edition

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Season 1:13 discussing how a refusal to engage evil can be advancing good in a more meaningful way: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2
  • Romans 13 Application Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2
  • Avoiding evil isn't a failure to do good episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-evil-in-refusing-to-do-good

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Lesser of Two Evils Episode: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-problems-with-the-lesser-of-two-evils-ethic

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • The Immoral Majority: https://www.amazon.com/Immoral-Majority-Good-Christians-Leaders/dp/0062797115/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+immoral+majority&qid=1592527499&sr=8-1
  • "Anatomy of a Hybrid" and Christendom/Christian Sacralism: https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htm
  • The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2
  • Quote from Robert Jeffress, President Trump's spiritual advisor and Evangelical bigshot:

"But as far as his worldview, Trump's world view, I was debating an evangelical professor on NPR and this professor said, "Pastor, don’t you want a candidate who embodies the teaching of Jesus and would govern this country according to the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount?" I said, "Heck no." I would run from that candidate as far as possible because the Sermon on the Mount was not given as a governing principle for this nation. Nowhere is government told to forgive those who wrong it, nowhere is government commanded to turn the other cheek. Government is to be a strongman to protect its citizens against evildoers. When I’m looking for somebody who’s going to deal with ISIS and exterminate ISIS, I don’t care about that candidate’s tone or vocabulary, I want the meanest, toughest, son of a you-know-what I can find, and I believe that’s Biblical."

Psalm 2: https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/2.html

1 Why do the nations conspireand the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Immoral Majority: Why Evangelicals Chose Political Power over Christian Values
The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • A great conversation on a philosophy behind abstention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqEc3NNGol8&feature=youtu.be
  • Phil Vischer on abortion and politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWD7ykNjCc&feature=youtu.be
  • Voting as coercive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiiyZsCzP9k&t=1s
  • Voting as an abdication of responsibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBAs9jmanzs&t=9s
  • Christian Sacralism in "Anatomy of a Hybrid:" https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htm
  • Electing Not to Vote: https://www.amazon.com/Electing-Not-Vote-Christian-Reflections-ebook/dp/B00YD5D0Z0/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=electing+not+to+vote&qid=1577199172&sr=8-1
  • Essay on Civil Disobedience (Thoreau): https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/201/Thoreau,%20CivilDisobedience.pdf
  • Kierkegaard Quotes on Politics: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/politics/politics-and-the-state
  • The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2
  • Consequentialism Series (beginning ep. 24): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes?utf8=%E2%9C%93&year=2019&month=
  • Romans 13 Part 1 (Biblical Case): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13
  • Romans 13 Part 2 (Practical Case): https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2

As Christians in the U.S. start thinking about voting for a commander in chief this fall, I thought I'd throw out an unpopular option for everyone to chew on. I've done a significant amount of reflection on politics, voting, and Kingdom living over the past few years, and I have concluded that the option of abstention is something that needs to be on the table for Christians. It may not be something you do in this election, or any future election, but it needs to be a tool you have available to you and one you can respect others using. In this podcast episode I lay out that case for this option, but if you want the summary and don't want to listen to a ninety minute episode, I'll summarize below.

https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se2-abstention-from-political-idolatry

  1. Many Christians view what James calls true religion as optional (helping orphans, widows, etc), as few Christians judge others for not doing these things. Only people who are "called" to those things are required to do them. Few people in our churches adopt, volunteer at the food pantry, etc. We view those things as optional, and understand if congregants don't have the time to participate. However, many view voting as morally necessary and the responsible thing to do. This mismatch of moral obligations seems to me to be political idolatry. How is it that orphans and widows are optional, while voting is obligatory? The state has replaced the church as the Christian ethic in American Evangelical society, which is why a vote every four years is lauded more vocally than doing the hard work of consistent community interaction and love.

  2. When all candidates and/or platforms require our own moral compromises or implicit support of evil, the testimony of Christ should be prioritized and our salt/light to the world maintained over any action which promises perceived effectiveness. When all options are evil (a threshold we may disagree on), a holy example is only maintained through our abstention from evil and subsequent faith in God to accomplish his means through the church. As Daniel resigned himself to prayer, Moses's mother resigned her son to a basket, and Jesus resigned himself to a cross - God may bring us to a moment where following him means throwing off seeming effectiveness and simply resting in God's promise to sovereignly control history not through our subversion of his means, but through our clinging to him and his holy will over human wisdom, methodology, and power..

God's express and implied will for our lives is holiness and a growing conformity to Christ. If all political parties and/or candidates require moral compromise, abstention is important to maintain moral holiness in our avoidance of evil. It is only through holy distinction (being salt and light) that incarnation is possible and meaningful. Had Jesus met us where we were, but not maintained his holy distinction from us, his incarnation would have been meaningless because he would have condescended without providing us a hope for our ascension. Christ may have met the prostitutes and tax collectors where they were (literally at their place of work or in their homes), but his maintained holiness and distinctiveness was what gave them hope that they were and could be more. Likewise, the church is to be distinct in our incarnation - being in the world, but not being of it and compromising for it. Without that holy distinction, we are not depicting Christ and have no hope of which to tell the world. Without a two-fold incarnation (condescension and holy distinctiveness), the message of the gospel is unintelligible, disingenuous, and worthless.

  1. Even if all candidates and parties are morally acceptable, abstention can be important to avoid personal political idolatry. There are many actions which can be good which are made morally wrong or unwise for someone with certain struggles/proclivities. Those who struggle with pride in regard to their musical ability may refuse to join the praise team at church.While praising God and serving the church are good, good things can be corrupting influences or temptations for some individuals. Even if any particular election has a viable candidate for Christians, it may be personally necessary for an individual to abstain from voting in order to abstain from personal idolatry.

  2. Abstention may not only be the best approach for personal and communal moral distinction and holiness, but it may be the best option for long term positive results, as group adherence to such an action could best ensure future candidates and policies will be brought up to standards rather than the voting base be brought down into moral compromise, and a slippery slope of morality ensue both in parties/candidates and the voting base. For example, had the conservative Christian community abstained in the last presidential election, while a Democrat would likely have won, it may be that the Republican party would have seen the need to put forward a morally fit candidate and platform this term who represents Christian values (in policy and example) far better than the current or even previous presidents. Likewise, we may not have such a backlash in response to our current president, and may not have made more far left candidates (like Sanders) viable options for the Left. Rather than a lowering of the bar all-around, abstention could have potentially halted and reversed the degradation of political polarization, immorality, and childishness.

  3. We recognize abstention in other realms (e.g. the financial) as being not only meaningful (symbolically and actually), but morally necessary in some cases. Most conservative Christian women likely avoid supporting Planned Parenthood even for general procedures not related to abortions. We also see abstention advocated by the most big vocal conservative Christians in the recent outrage against the Superbowl half-time show. They are arguing that Christians boycott (a.k.a. abstain from watching) the Superbowl or the half-time show next year unless changes are made to the program. Christians understand abstention to be a valuable tool in other areas - areas where we can conveniently find alternatives (boycott a clothing manufacturer and you still have plenty of brands to choose from, boycott Planned Parenthood and you can still go to another healthcare provider, or boycott the Superbowl and you can still find other forms of entertainment or watch highlights the next day). However, political power is an idol for us and we think we need it to control the world, so we can't loose our grip on that. Therefore, abstention is condemned in the political sphere while deemed valuable in just about every other area of life.

ADDENDUM of ANECDOTE: Having contact with a lot of international people and missionaries, I always love polling that community on political ideas. I find that among missionaries, many break the mold in political thinking from what is stereotypical of their denomination. Here are just a few insights related to voting from the conversations I've had with some expats.

  1. Many missionaries I've talked to don't view voting as that big of a deal, and a number don't bother doing absentee voting. They just don't view politics as where lives and hearts are changed. Kingdom work seems to have very little to do with political power. As you experience ministry (especially cross-culturally), the church seems to be the true power of Christ, not politics.

  2. Some missionaries and individuals who have ministries and friendships overseas, or who live in diverse communities - in locations like Mexico, Central/South America, and the Middle East, find that voting along American Evangelical lines hinders their testimony. How do you chant "build that wall!" and then preach to your Mexican congregation that we are aliens in this world and there is neither Jew nor Greek... Mexican nor American? Many missionaries find it all too convenient for those living Stateside to have neat parameters for voting "Christianly," but that neat package tends to ostracize and ignore the other 95% of the world who compose the Kingdom from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Abstention not only seems like a possible option for individuals in some cultures, but sometimes the most Christian option which allows expats to love non-Americans and maintain their testimony to those they serve.

  3. In many countries, Christians have no option to control the government and they don't really care to change that. They recognize that government isn't how Christianity asserts its power in the world. If Christianity asserted its power through politics, then most of the world, for most of history and through today (and including Jesus) were ineffective Christians. Was Christ's goal really for Christians to grasp at political power to wield their wills over the opposition? I was speaking with a missionary from one country where Christianity isn't persecuted, but neither is it even close to being in power. This person said that the church doesn't care about politics at all. They view it as, "why would I want to be or have part with Caesar?" The grasp at political power is viewed as almost antithetical to Christianity or Christian interests in some cultures.

  4. Conservative Evangelical Christians in some cultures are flabbergasted by the political frenzy of American conservatives. While this particular point comes from listening to an international podcast rather than direct conversation (Justin Brierly from "Unbelievable"), I think the point still stands. Conservative Christians overseas just don't understand the compromises American conservatives are willing to make. Brierly said that U.K. conservatives thought the only difference they had with American Christians prior to 2016 was a little bit of language difference, but after 2016 they recognized that our Christianity looked significantly different in regard to its view on politics. It's important to recognize that conservatives from other cultures can provide us with some insights and balances we ought to consider, as it's easy to be blind to your own idols.

  5. Finally, the nationalism of the U.S. stands out to so many missionaries returning from overseas. Going to a church and seeing the U.S. flag flown with the Christian flag (with the U.S. flag always in prominence, above and/or to the right), having patriotic services in church where always stoic congregants turn into passionate ones, having missions conferences where the world flags are flown - but with a special entrance for the U.S. flag that is raised above all the others and sung to - it just feels weird. It's weird to be so Kingdom minded only to return and have one kingdom raised above the others, including above THE Kingdom. We call it patriotism here, but a lot of missionaries I've talked to feel it's strange and goes beyond that for Christians.It seems a lot more like nationalism (worship of country) when you step away and return. While this last point isn't directly tied to voting, it does say a lot about how we elevate our nation and government, and therefore how we likely view an act like voting, which is integral to our government's elevation and the narrative of what we're lead to believe about our nation and our responsibility to it.

In conclusion, American Evangelicals need to consider moral consistency, faithful action, and holy integrity as more important than becoming drunk on perceived power, security, and control. Holy sacrifice and conformity to Christ is what allowed impoverished peasants to transform pagan, pluralistic Rome, not compromise with the powers that be. Abstaining from evil and trusting in God, while simultaneously putting our money where our mouths are and exemplifying true religion (helping the least at cost to ourselves) is how we change the world, because that's what Christ taught us and showed us. Therefore, abstention in voting is an important tool to consider.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church
Electing Not to Vote: Christian Reflections on Reasons for Not Voting

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Great real-life example of integrity in doing right while refusing to lie: https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/city-of-refuge-part-1/

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • M.A.S.H. Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBS0VqJPXs&t=6s

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Greg Kokul's Case for Abortion in Ectopic Pregnancies: https://www.str.org/blog/are-pro-lifers-being-inconsistent-if-they-save-mothers-life-rather-babys#.XFGgZFwzZEY
  • The Bridge Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_tDVNLrnA&t=1418s
  • Follow-Up Resource on Ectopic Pregnancies (with peer-reviewed literature): http://www.personhoodinitiative.com/ectopic-personhood.html

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • The House Wins song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Uvq9SMNHQ

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • When Helping Hurts book: https://www.amazon.com/When-Helping-Hurts-Alleviate-Yourself/dp/0802409989/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1574185196&sr=8-2
  • Greek Orthodox Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-spyridon/id980578028
  • Revolution of Values: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Values-Reclaiming-Public-Common-ebook/dp/B07V7YY2MV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=revolution+of+values&qid=1589546203&sr=8-1

From "Revolution of Values:" I strongly recommend chapter two which hits very hard at the heart of our discussion on grace and generosity.

" The Bible in the hands of rich men became divorced from it's social and political context. Key to avoiding its prophetic challenge of economic inequality and the exploitation of poor people in ancient economies, was a focus on the Bible's spiritual message. On this reading, all of Hebrew scripture with its prophets with long beards and hair shirts confronting greedy kings, its message becomes a morality play meant to demonstrate each individual's need of redemption from sin. If wealth is the visible sign you are blessed, then poor people are spiritually needy.When rich men gather to read a spiritualized Bible, their thoughts turn not towards repentance, but charity. Thus the Bible's concern for justice towards all people and a concern for the poor became a reminder to rich men that it was important to sit on non-profits and charity boards. Helping poor people wasn't only about making sure they had food to eat or a place to sleep. It was ultimately about imparting spiritual blessing on them, holding out the hope that they too may pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be saved. 'When you did it to the least of these, you did it unto me,' wasn't Jesus's summary statement about how the nations of the earth would be judged on the last day. It was instead a reminder that industrialists must also be philanthropists. Great men who prove their spiritual greatness by offering to bestow it on anyone who aspires to be just like them.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself
Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good
The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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*I realized that my statement on hospitality may not be taken graciously or with a full attempt to understand, so I felt the need to have an extended explanation here.

It's important to note that I am not saying the only sin of Sodom was lacking hospitality, but simply that it was one aspect of the problem. Ezekiel 16:49 perhaps encompasses this idea the best, as it declares the sin of Sodom to be, at least in part, their lack of concern and assistance for the poor and needy. Unfortunately, many conservative Christians feel they can't allow both/and answers here, as they feel it undercuts their ability to use this verse as a proof text against homosexuality. Hospitality was a huge issue in the ANE, and even more specifically in the Bible. You can see this in a passage which has several similarities to the Sodom passage, found in Judges 19. There we see that a man enters another city within Israel, and it is emphasized that no one takes him in for the night. Finally, an old man takes him in, but then the men of the city come along and seek to rape the male traveler. The owner of the house shows disgust, emphasizing that it is vile to consider doing this to him because he is a guest. Rape doesn't seem to be as much the issue for the owner, as he's willing to throw out the guest's concubine and even his own daughter to be raped, and when the concubine is thrown out, the men are contented to rape her instead of the male guest. While the rape may be a part of the emphasis of perversion, the aspect which seems to put the icing on the cake is that such a thing would be done to a guest. Again, I am not saying that a lack of hospitality is the biggest aspect of either story, but that a lack of hospitality is a part of the problem. Lacking hospitality may not in and of itself seem abhorrent, but just as lust is a prerequisite for adultery and hate a prerequisite for murder, it seems that being inhospitable is a prerequisite (or accompanying attitude) for at least certain forms of injustice and abhorrent sin.

We see many other references to God's desire for ancient Israel to be hospitable, especially to the most vulnerable (strangers, foreigners, orphans, widows, those in need, etc). Hospitality in this sense is a justice issue - a justice issue for which Israel goes into exile (concomitant with idolatry). We also see in the New Testament that hospitality is a requirement for both elders and deacons (even preceding teaching as a characteristic), and is also an important emphasis in Romans 12, where Paul is describing what the Christian life should look like at its core. For a good overview of ideas, check out the following source. https://www.christianity.com/newsletters/features/a-meal-says-more-than-you-think-the-importance-of-hospitality-11631555.html

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Les Miserables Priest/Bishop Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhpwV4cwB4o
  • Stories from my early stories of struggling with grace towards those requesting need: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-ministry-in-romania/category/perspectives
  • Some of my reflections on grace: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/grace-and-mercy
  • Revolution of Values: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Values-Reclaiming-Public-Common-ebook/dp/B07V7YY2MV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=revolution+of+values&qid=1589546203&sr=8-1

From "Revolution of Values:" I strongly recommend chapter two which hits very hard at the heart of our discussion on grace and generosity.

" The Bible in the hands of rich men became divorced from it's social and political context. Key to avoiding its prophetic challenge of economic inequality and the exploitation of poor people in ancient economies, was a focus on the Bible's spiritual message. On this reading, all of Hebrew scripture with its prophets with long beards and hair shirts confronting greedy kings, its message becomes a morality play meant to demonstrate each individual's need of redemption from sin. If wealth is the visible sign you are blessed, then poor people are spiritually needy.When rich men gather to read a spiritualized Bible, their thoughts turn not towards repentance, but charity. Thus the Bible's concern for justice towards all people and a concern for the poor became a reminder to rich men that it was important to sit on non-profits and charity boards. Helping poor people wasn't only about making sure they had food to eat or a place to sleep. It was ultimately about imparting spiritual blessing on them, holding out the hope that they too may pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be saved. 'When you did it to the least of these, you did it unto me,' wasn't Jesus's summary statement about how the nations of the earth would be judged on the last day. It was instead a reminder that industrialists must also be philanthropists. Great men who prove their spiritual greatness by offering to bestow it on anyone who aspires to be just like them.

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Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good
The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Christianity Today Article: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/trump-should-be-removed-from-office.html
  • Dr. Dobson's Response to CT: http://christiannewswire.com/news/4551683350.html
  • Jentezen Franklin's Response to CT: https://www.christianpost.com/voice/why-i-still-stand-by-45-president-trump.html?fbclid=IwAR3LAlAM6V3bHF6UP0wSyuT4_Y9CMINPzc7eEj9I5AJpFvcc94nuuyLZvhM
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1577159813&sr=8-3
  • Can the Religious Right Be Saved: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/01/can-the-religious-right-be-saved
  • Peter was not a coward: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/peters-denial-wasnt-cowardice
  • Pilate the consequentialist: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/21-pilates
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Politics of Jesus

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Who Was Pontius Pilate?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8s8fMMEuiA

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Political Centrists (the And Campaign): This is a good podcast which talks about the polarization of political parties and how we can't compromise truth or love. While I may have some issues with the idea that you can promote a tool which embraces evil, I like that Christians are recognizing the need to push back against their parties. https://www.prestonsprinkle.com/theology-in-the-raw/2019/10/14/761-politics-white-evangelicalism-and-race-relations-in-the-church-justin-giboney
  • Protecting Family Against Intruder 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-would-you-really-allow-an-intruder-to-harm-your-family
  • Protecting Family Against Intruder 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/episode-19-rebuttal-would-you-really-allow-an-intruder-to-harm-your-family-part-2-the-practical
  • Why Christians Should Consider Abstention from Voting: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/why-christians-should-consider-abstention-from-voting
  • Abstention and Countering Political Idolatry: Will be released 2/15/2020 - https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings

  • John Howard Yoder Quote:

    • One way to characterize thinking about social ethics in our time is to say that Christians in our age are obsessed with the meaning and direction of history. Social ethical concern is moved by a deep desire to make things move in the right direction. Whether a given action is right or not seems to be inseparable from the question of what effects it will cause. Thus part if not all of social concern has to do with looking for the right handle by which one can “get a hold of” the course of history and move it in the right direction.

    Whichever the favored “handle” may be, the structure of this approach is logically the same. One seeks to lift up one focal point in the midst of the course of human relations, one thread of meaning and causality which is more important than the individual persons, their lives and well-being, because it in itself determines wherein their well-being consists. Therefore it is justified to sacrifice to this one “cause” other subordinate values, including the life and welfare of one’s self, one’s neighbor, and (of course!) the enemy. We pull this one strategic thread in order to save the whole fabric. We can see this kind of reasoning with Constantine saving the Roman Empire, with Luther saving the Reformation by making an alliance with the princes, or with Krushchev and his successors saving Marxism by making it somewhat more capitalistic, or with the United States saving democracy by alliances with military dictatorships and by the threatened use of the bomb.

    Whether Jesus be the Christ or not, whether Jesus the Christ be Lord or not, whether this kind of religious language be meaningful or not, most types of ethical approach will keep on functioning just the same…The cross is not a recipe for resurrection. Suffering is not a tool to make people come around, nor a good in itself. But the kind of faithfulness that is willing to accept evident defeat rather than complicity with evil is, by virtue of its conformity with what happens to God when he works among us, aligned with the ultimate triumph of the Lamb.

    *The vision of ultimate good being determined by faithfulness and not by results is the point where we moderns get off. We confuse the kind of 'triumph of the good,' whose sole guarantee is the resurrection and the promise of the eternal glory of the Lamb, with an immediately accessible triumph which can be manipulated, just past the next social action campaign, by getting hold of society as a whole at the top. What in the Middle Ages was done by Roman Christianity or Islam is now being attempted by Marxism and by democratic nationalism. In spite of all the difference in language, and in the detailed vision of just what a good society would look like (and as a matter of fact even the visions are not that different), the real uniqueness of each of these positions is only that it identifies differently the particular moral elite which it holds to be worthy of guiding its society from the top. We may well prefer a democratically controlled oligarchy to some other kind. We may well have a choice between Marxist and Islamic and other statements of the vision of the good society. But what our contemporaries find themselves practically incapable of challenging is that the social problem can be solved by determining which aristocrats are morally justified, by virtue of their better ideology, to use the power of society from the top so as to lead the whole system in their direction.

    Once a desirable course of history has been labeled, once we know what the right cause is, then it is further assumed that we should be willing to sacrifice for it; sacrifice not only to our own values but also those of the neighbor and especially the enemy. In other words, the achievement of the good cause, the implementation in history of the changes we have determined to be desirable, creates a new autonomous ethical value, 'relevance' itself a good in the name of which evil may be done...

    Christ renounced the claim to govern history...what Jesus renounced was thus not simply the metaphysical status of sonship but rather the untrammeled sovereign exercise of power in the affairs of that humanity amid which he came to dwell. His emptying of himself, his accepting the form of servanthood and obedience unto death, is precisely his renunciation of lordship, his apparent abandonment of any obligation to be effective in making history move down the right track... the universal testimony of scripture is that Christians are those who follow Christ at just this point.

    ..."The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power!" John is here saying, not as an inscrutable paradox but as a meaningful affirmation, that the cross is not the sword, suffering and not brute power determines the meaning of history. The key to the obedience of God's people is not their effectiveness but their patience (Rev. 13:10). The triumph of the right is assured not by the might that comes to the aid of the right, which is of course the justification of the use of violence and other kinds of power in every human conflict. The triumph of the right, although it is assured, is sure because of the power of the resurrection and not because of any calculation of causes and effects, nor because of the inherently greater strength of the good guys. The relationship between the obedience of god's people and the triumph of God's cause is not a relationship of cause and effect but one of cross and resurrection... we find the most desperate encounter of the church's weakness (John was probably in exile, Paul in prison) with the power of the evil rulers of the present age. But this position is nothing more than a logical unfolding of the meaning of the work of Jesus Christ himself, whose choice of suffering servanthood rather than violent lordship, of love to the point of death rather than righteousness backed by power, was itself the fundamental direction of his life. Jesus was so faithful to the enemy love of god that it cost him all his effectiveness; he gave up every handle on history.*

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Tim Keller a Pastor because door left open 6 inches: http://andynaselli.com/watergate

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1
  • Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialism
  • Episode 1 of Case for Nonviolence: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-uncovering-biases
  • M.A.S.H. Conundrum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBS0VqJPXs
  • Jerry Falwell Quote: Conservatives & Christians need to stop electing “nice guys”. They might make great Christian leaders but the US needs street fighters like @realDonaldTrump at every level of government b/c the liberal fascists Dems are playing for keeps & many Repub leaders are a bunch of wimps!
  • Integrity Quote: https://learninginlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/13102829_1201726893232348_849045333103669078_n-770x770.jpg
  • Abortion as the deciding political issue: https://makeameme.org/meme/you-cannot-vote-5c8888
  • 180 Movie on Abortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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I strongly recommend checking out the "City of Refuge" podcast. I think the story encompasses all I've talked about so far. You can see how Christians justify killing Christians, how the teachings of Christ compel over force, how God's hand orchestrates miraculous salvation through seemingly pointless suffering and death of those who implement faithful obedience, how evil so often stems from consequentialist ethics, etc. It really all comes out in this story. If you want to just have a list of all the episode titles at hand, then sit down and listen to the podcast and check off how you see each of the items explored in the series. It's fantastic.
https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The 80% (My Book): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.g.+elliot&qid=1573560697&sr=8-1

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists

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I strongly recommend checking out the "City of Refuge" podcast. I think the story encompasses all I've talked about so far. You can see how Christians justify killing Christians, how the teachings of Christ compel over force, how God's hand orchestrates miraculous salvation through seemingly pointless suffering and death of those who implement faithful obedience, how evil so often stems from consequentialist ethics, etc. It really all comes out in this story. If you want to just have a list of all the episode titles at hand, then sit down and listen to the podcast and check off how you see each of the items explored in the series. It's fantastic.
https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/

FOR A LIST OF RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND A BEGINNER/ADVANCED READING SCHEDULE, CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1M23vhScNcr7ncXWLTg24Ik6byKO67InK

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/

STARTERS:

  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+Jesus&qid=1566062176&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  • Derek’s summary of the “Politics of Jesus”: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesus
  • The Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Kingdom-Updated-Donald-Kraybill/dp/0836195132/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=The+Upside+Down+Kingdom&qid=1566062209&s=gateway&sr=8-3
  • Fight: https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Author-Sprinkle-Preston-August/dp/B00L71VT9W/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2K8UTOIHVLPR7&keywords=fight+preston+sprinkle&qid=1569095270&s=digital-text&sprefix=fight+preston%2Cdigital-text%2C244&sr=1-2-catcorr
  • Cross Vision: https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Vision-Crucifixion-Testament-Violence-ebook/dp/B074GJSPNZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Z0B2FA7OLWQC&keywords=cross+vision+greg+boyd&qid=1569095342&s=digital-text&sprefix=cross+vision+greg%2Cdigital-text%2C245&sr=1-1
  • The Early Church on Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Early+Church+on+Killing&qid=1569095383&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • Is Nonviolence Naive (Answering Questions Against Nonviolence): https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2018/nonviolence-naive
  • The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence: https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Case-Nonviolence-ebook/dp/B078RWXDS9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=matthew+fleischer&qid=1576092540&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • The Day of the Lord (podcast episode): https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/903c95d5-903c95d5
  • Unbelievable (podcast): https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Just-War-vs-Pacifism-Nigel-Biggar-Stanley-Hauerwas
  • Christian Humanist (podcast): http://www.christianhumanist.org/2018/01/christian-humanist-podcast-episode-229-non-violence-and-pacifism/

ADVANCED:

  • Crucifixion of the Warrior God: https://www.amazon.com/Crucifixion-Warrior-God-Volumes-ebook/dp/B06XRL77G1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=crucifixion+of+the+warrior+god&qid=1569095706&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • Stanley Hauerwas: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=stanley+hauerwas&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
  • The Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htm
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820
  • Gene Sharp: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Gene+Sharp&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

VIDEOS:

  • Pablo Yoder's testimony of personal nonviolence in Central America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo
  • Just War Debate at Harvard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xQaDDKY7k
  • Dean Taylor Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrfSqfH65dM
  • Preston Sprinkle on the Kingdom and Nonviolence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sITAH1d1Yk0
  • Hauerwas on War and the American Tradition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaFfGfQprjE

Related to the Military:

  • War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O24Y6PU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o04?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CFW2S3G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • On Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society-ebook/dp/B00J90F8W2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=on+killing&qid=1576092799&sr=8-1
  • Killing from the Inside Out: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out&qid=1568229887&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=moral+injury&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

EXTRAS:

  • Discord Discussion Group: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Plough Site and Magazine: https://www.plough.com/en
  • Waging Nonviolence News: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • City of Refuge Podcast: https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/
  • Followers of the Way: https://www.facebook.com/FollowersoftheWayBoston/
  • Early Church Writings
  • Biographies of the Nonviolent

Issues Related to Kingdom Living and Justice (but not nonviolence specifically):

  • The Irresistible Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+irresistible+revolution&qid=1576092742&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PWOH5TS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What I'm reading now but can't yet recommend:

  • Original Revolution (Yoder): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/083611812X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution (Yoder): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587432315/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking (Yoder): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587432609/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried (Ronald Sider): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587433664/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Victories Without Violence (Ruth Fry): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0943734061/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Is There No Other Way? (Michael Nagler): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1893163164/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • The Nonviolent Handbook: A Guide for Practical Action (Michael Nagler): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1626561451/?coliid=IP97AYMGHIA3W&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament's Troubling Legacy (Eric Seibert): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APJRLRG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Disarming the Church (Eric Seibert): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C8BRJ25/?coliid=I2E59UZNCR8171&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • War is a Racket II (Robert Boland): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TJK4QP4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Stable Peace (Kenneth Boulding): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R1PWRY4/?coliid=I3KEA57WVJRRJ&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • Three Faces of Power (Kenneth Boulding): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FJ1DFI8/?coliid=I3IZU5AHEOOOIU&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • Bonhoeffer the Assassin? Challenging the Myth, Recovering His Call to Peacemaking (Mark Nation et. al.): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FOWLXVY/?coliid=I2A74WD1TTWY7L&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service (George Kalantzis): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YW6Q4O/?coliid=I3UWGZRXADSD2K&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Walter Wink): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00APJRWTI/?coliid=I2TPUHQJUSXJTU&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • The Powers That Be (Walter Wink): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036S4BUI/?coliid=I3RMGZ7VT3COM7&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • What Have We Done: The Moral Injury of Our Longest Wars (David Wood): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316264156/?coliid=I3MGOVMFT42YHS&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Totem Rituals and the American Flag (Carolyn Marvin et. al.): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521626099/?coliid=I27A24THO78SZH&colid=1GE870E3JWHKW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

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The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament's Troubling Legacy
The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament’s Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross, Volume 1 & 2
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity
The Politics of Jesus
Victories Without Violence
Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking
Upside-Down Kingdom, The: Updated Edition
Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
Original Revolution, The: Essays on Christian Pacifism (John Howard Yoder)
None
What Have We Done: The Moral Injury of Our Longest Wars
Three Faces of Power by Kenneth E. Boulding (1989-08-01)
None
The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking
Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands but Most Christians Have Never Really Tried
The Nonviolence Handbook: A Guide for Practical Action
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
[Fight] [Author: Sprinkle, Preston] [August, 2013]
The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment
Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium
Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War
The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence
War and Moral Injury: A Reader
Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Totem Rituals and the American Flag (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies)
Stable Peace
Disarming the Church: Why Christians Must Forsake Violence to Follow Jesus and Change the World
Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets)
Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Why I Am Not a Pacifist (1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2xY2k26HFo
  • Why I Am Not a Pacifist (2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jreq3mVvDgc

Lewis's Arguments and Further Resources

  • #1a - Pacifism is Ineffective: Episode 4 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-logic-and-intuition
  • #1b - Pacifism Fails to Seek the Greatest Good: Episode 7 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-evil-in-refusing-to-do-good
  • #2 - Pacifism is Passive: Episode 5 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-the-real-world
  • #3 - Pacifism Universally Rejected Throughout History: Episode 3 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-historical-evidence
  • #4 - Pacifism Refuses Submission to Government Service: Episode 12 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13
  • #5 - Pacifism Rests on Inconsistently Applied Biblical Claims of Jesus: Episode 2 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-biblical-evidence
  • #6 - Pacifism Avoids Sacrifice: Episode 16 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-the-nonviolent-position-devalues-the-sacrifice-of-soldiers
  • See Season 2 for discussion of consequentialism: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-heart-of-compromise

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=irresistible+revolution&qid=1569093639&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • What Would You Do?: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-John-Howard-Yoder-ebook/dp/B00AAX11H8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+howard+yoder&qid=1569093701&s=digital-text&sr=1-4
  • Pablo Yoder's Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo

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The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
What Would You Do? (John Howard Yoder Series)

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=irresistible+revolution&qid=1569093639&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
  • What Would You Do?: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-John-Howard-Yoder-ebook/dp/B00AAX11H8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+howard+yoder&qid=1569093701&s=digital-text&sr=1-4
  • Pablo Yoder's Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo

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The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
What Would You Do? (John Howard Yoder Series)

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*Please excuse the sound quality on this episode. There was some interference on this recording which influenced the sound quality.

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Kingdom Depicting Cyclical Violence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-uj0vQ-c6k
  • Does ISIS Prove Nonviolence Wrong?: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/does-isis-prove-nonviolence-wrong
  • Is Nonviolence Naive (Answering Questions Against Nonviolence): https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2018/nonviolence-naive
  • King Quote: THE ULTIMATE WEAKNESS OF VIOLENCE IS THAT IT IS A DESCENDING SPIRAL, BEGETTING THE VERY THING IT SEEKS TO DESTROY. INSTEAD OF DIMINISHING EVIL, IT MULTIPLIES IT. THROUGH VIOLENCE YOU MAY MURDER THE LIAR, BUT YOU CANNOT MURDER THE LIE, NOR ESTABLISH THE TRUTH. THROUGH VIOLENCE YOU MAY MURDER THE HATER, BUT YOU DO NOT MURDER HATE. IN FACT, VIOLENCE MERELY INCREASES HATE. SO IT GOES. RETURNING VIOLENCE FOR VIOLENCE MULTIPLIES VIOLENCE, ADDING DEEPER DARKNESS TO A NIGHT ALREADY DEVOID OF STARS. DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS: ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT. HATE CANNOT DRIVE OUT HATE: ONLY LOVE CAN DO THAT.

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*Please excuse the sound quality on this episode. There was some interference on this recording which influenced the sound quality.

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.ericachenoweth.com/research/wcrw
  • Gene Sharp Books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gene+sharp&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
  • Hannah Arendt on the Banality of Evil: https://www.amazon.com/Eichmann-Jerusalem-Banality-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039881/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=eichman+in+jerusalem&qid=1569004482&sr=8-1
  • Milgram Experiment: https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil?language=en
  • Clay Jones Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCvgl94RvR8
  • Clay Jones Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsVecozRORE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2MAYAg0bbO7cQvoEwoeP5YLjQWs-KC42yK9-EjEhx3Fq7NIJrvK1KPFPU
  • Ordinary Men: https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution/dp/0062303023/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ordinary+men&qid=1569003813&sr=8-1

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Eichmann in Jerusalem
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Patton Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCA6uxQE-bw
  • Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out&qid=1568229887&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1498296785?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=M9Q6N1QBRG5EMHXWPVSK
  • On Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society-ebook/dp/B00J90F8W2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=on+killing&qid=1568230186&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • I Killed People in Afghanistan. Was I Right or Wrong?: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-killed-people-in-afghanistan-was-i-right-or-wrong/2013/01/25/c0b0d5a6-60ff-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html?noredirect=on
  • The Sacrifices of War and the Sacrifice of Christ: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-sacrifices-of-war-and-the-sacrifice-of-christ/10098368
  • Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War: https://www.libraryofsocialscience.com/assets/pdf/Hauerwas-Sacrificing_the_Sacrifices_of_War.pdf
  • The Kill Team Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mi9PKsiJ3Q
  • Soldiers Talk About What They Saw and Did in Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN5Lu94l_E0&feature=youtu.be
  • Drugs in the Military: https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2011/01/militarys-drug-policy-threatens-troops-health-doctors-say/48321/
  • Broken Warrior Series on Military Health Issues: https://web.archive.org/web/20110818222307/https://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110121_4378.php/
  • Shell Shock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTRJZGWqF8&feature=youtu.be
  • WWII Psychosis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiD6bnqpJDE&feature=youtu.be

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On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War
War and Moral Injury: A Reader

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Naked Bible Podcast with Guest David Burnett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Q1HBZbyM8

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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*I didn't do a good job of explaining this in the episode, but there are a very broad range of views pacifists take as to what participation in government looks like. I am still not sure where I stand. The view I present in this episode is more of a pendulum swing all the way to one side - showing what the extreme may look like. From there you can figure out where you lie on the spectrum, between the far end of pacifism, and the other end of fully embracing just war theory.

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Hauerwas Video on Voting as Coercion (Hauerwas): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkOvSNtGfSw
  • Voting: An Abdication of Responsibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiiyZsCzP9k
  • Jesus Established a Politic of Christianity (Hauerwas): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBAs9jmanzs
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+Jesus&qid=1566062176&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  • The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2
  • Article Discussing the Trump Presidency and Christian Political (in)action: https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/will-somebody-please-hate-my-enemies?fbclid=IwAR1OC3OJgGO_yYPSs5neySFQZOg6lzGRRFWx3ZoeeBdPltFKY3glSbA_b1w (takeaway pulled from the article below).
  • Phil Vischer on abortion causes and cures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWD7ykNjCc&feature=youtu.be"Here’s the end result—millions of Christians have not just decided to hire a hater to defend them from haters and to hire a liar to defend them from liars, they actively ignore, rationalize, minimize, or deny Trump’s sins. They do this in part because they can’t bring themselves to face the truth about Trump and in part because they know it is difficult to build and sustain a political movement if you’re constantly (or even frequently) criticizing the misconduct of its leader. To criticize Trump even a quarter of the time he does something wrong would be to unleash a constant drumbeat of criticism against the man they hope to re-elect. "

"...I’ve been pro-life from the moment I understood what abortion was. I formed a pro-life club at Harvard Law School that existed for two decades. I’ve worked for the most powerful pro-life legal organizations in America, and I’ve represented pro-life students (pro bono) in cases from coast-to-coast. I’ve helped raise millions of dollars for pro-life causes. I’ve never voted for a pro-choice politician, and I don’t ever intend to. But in more than three decades of pro-life work, I’ve understood two things quite clearly—the defense of the unborn does not justify sin, and the battle for the unborn is far more spiritual and cultural than it is legal and political. " * Derek’s summary of the “Politics of Jesus”: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesus * Electing Not to Vote: https://www.amazon.com/Electing-Not-Vote-Christian-Reflections/dp/1556352271/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=electing+not+to+vote&qid=1567712015&s=gateway&sr=8-1 * Essay on Civil Disobedience (Thoreau): https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/201/Thoreau,%20CivilDisobedience.pdf * Evangelical Self-Righteousness Without Action: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-comfortable-white-evangelical * My Book (Free): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1524xtT4iKmqr7pATaKnXTMZlwk_aONXG * My Book (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.+g.+elliot&qid=1564647522&s=gateway&sr=8-1 * Kierkegaard on Politics: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/politics/politics-and-the-state * Excerpt from Bonhoeffer: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/nonviolence-an-impossible-ideal

If we took the precept of nonresistance as an ethical blueprint for general application, we should indeed be indulging in idealistic dreams: we should be dreaming of a utopia with laws which the world would never obey. To make nonresistance a principle for secular life is to deny God by undermining his gracious ordinance for the preservation of the world. But Jesus is no draftsman of political blueprints; he is the one who vanquished evil through suffering. It looked as though evil had triumphed on the cross, but the real victory belonged to Jesus. And the cross is the only justification for the precept of nonviolence, for it alone can kindle a faith in the victory over evil which will enable people to obey that precept. Only such obedience is blessed with the promise that we shall be partakers of Christ’s victory as well as of his sufferings. . . .

The cross is the only power in the world which proves that suffering love can avenge and vanquish evil.

Psalm 2: https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/2.html

1 Why do the nations conspireand the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Politics of Jesus
The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church
Electing Not to Vote: Christian Reflections on Reasons for Not Voting

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • A fantastic, concise summary by Preston Sprinkle, covering much of what was said in this podcast: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theologyintheraw/2015/12/romans-13-doesnt-tell-christians-to-kill-their-enemy/
  • Tim Mackie's outline of politics in the Bible, including a great section on the context surrounding Romans 13: http://realitysf.com/assets/YOBL-Lectures-Slides/YOBL-The-Early-Church-and-Politics-Tim-Mackie-Handout.pdf
  • My write-up on Romans 13
  • Greg Boyd's take on Romans 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmUkvFffy4Y
  • Some further reflections by Boyd: https://reknew.org/2017/03/podcast-militaries-world-established-god/
  • My Book (Free and not updated): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1524xtT4iKmqr7pATaKnXTMZlwk_aONXG
  • My Book (Kindle, updated): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.+g.+elliot&qid=1564647522&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • Essay on Civil Disobedience (Thoreau): https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/201/Thoreau,%20CivilDisobedience.pdf
  • The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2
  • Kierkegaard on Politics: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/politics/politics-and-the-state
  • Excerpt from Bonhoeffer: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/nonviolence-an-impossible-ideal

The Reformers . . . distinguished between personal sufferings and those incurred by Christians in the performance of duty as bearers of an office ordained by God, maintaining that the precept of nonviolence applies to the first but not to the second. In the second case we are not only freed from obligation to eschew violence, but if we want to act in a genuine spirit of love we must do the very opposite, and meet force with force in order to check the assault of evil. It was along these lines that the Reformers justified war and other legal sanctions against evil. But this distinction between person and office is totally alien to the teaching of Jesus. He says nothing about that. He addresses his disciples as men who have left all to follow him, and the precept of nonviolence applies equally to private life and official duty. He is the Lord of all life, and demands undivided allegiance. Furthermore, when it comes to practice, this distinction raises insoluble difficulties. Am I ever acting only as a private person or only in an official capacity? If I am attacked am I not at once the father of my children, the pastor of my flock, and e.g. a government official? Am I not bound for that very reason to defend myself against every attack, for reason of responsibility to my office? And am I not also always an individual, face to face with Jesus, even in the performance of my official duties? Am I not therefore obliged to resist every attack just because of my responsibility for my office? Is it right to forget that the follower of Jesus is always utterly alone, always the individual, who in the last resort can only decide and act for himself? Don’t we act most responsibly on behalf of those entrusted to our care if we act in this aloneness?

Psalm 2: https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/2.html

1 Why do the nations conspireand the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church

View Details

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Revelation Word Study (blood, lion, and sword): https://drive.google.com/open?id=16bft8PtcyLns1JCrO-QUbBR8QEHOO413
  • The Bible Project Revelation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nvVVcYD-0w
  • John Nelson Darby and the Rapture: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/john-nelson-darby.html
  • Mark of the Beast and Revelation's Relevance to the Immediate Hearers: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgxwJXLdhxrpQdBlnPwvrkQxgRBKl
  • “Fight” by Preston Sprinkle: https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Christian-Non-Violence-Preston-Sprinkle-ebook/dp/B00DHHDUY6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=83DIP45SS3UI&keywords=fight+by+preston+sprinkle&qid=1566499312&s=gateway&sprefix=fight+by+preston+%2Caps%2C310&sr=8-1
  • Tim Mackie on Revelation (search his podcasts and Youtube for much more on this topic): https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/8d9e7863-8d9e7863
  • Greg Boyd’s “Rescuing Revelation” Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9BWOSxWtw&list=PL4eShdMjziOvCFCrCCOWSheH7kqQNsUAZ

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

None

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Greg Boyd’s “The Crucifixion of the Warrior God:” https://www.amazon.com/Crucifixion-Warrior-God-Volumes-ebook/dp/B06XRL77G1/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Crucifixion+of+the+warrior+god&qid=1566062395&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  • Boyd’s shorter version called “Cross Vision:” https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Vision-Crucifixion-Testament-Violence-ebook/dp/B074GJSPNZ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Crucifixion+of+the+warrior+god&qid=1566062407&s=gateway&sr=8-3
  • Tim Mackie interview on violence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWDGYaIjWsM
  • Mackie’s six part series on violence, wrath, and the Day of the Lord: https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/903c95d5-903c95d5
  • Transcript of Mackie’s Day of the Lord Q&R, bottom ⅓ is the relevant portion: https://thebibleproject.com/podcast/day-lord-question-response/transcript/
  • A small taste of Matthew Flannigan’s work on violence of the conquest, but he also has other writings which are great that delve into Ancient Near East language similarities with phrases from the Old Testament: https://web.archive.org/web/20130425115801/http://www.mandm.org.nz/2010/01/sunday-study-joshua-and-the-genocide-of-the-canaanites-part-i.html
  • Matthew Fleischer's "The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence:" https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Case-Nonviolence-ebook/dp/B078RWXDS9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+old+testament+case+for+nonviolence&qid=1575549606&sr=8-1
  • Boyd's "Inspired Imperfection" on how to interpret the Bible: https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Imperfection-Problems-Enhance-Authority/dp/150645562X/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=inspired+imperfection&qid=1578663381&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQU5IT1RMT0NST1c2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTEzMTA2MTVUUlYzM1NaMjgxUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzEzNTA3MzFTQjc3R0E1MDFLSyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
  • How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns: https://www.amazon.com/How-Bible-Actually-Works-Answers-ebook/dp/B079L6HVVR/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+the+bible+actually+works&qid=1589155262&sr=8-1
  • Eric Seibert's "The Violence of Scripture:" https://www.amazon.com/Violence-Scripture-Overcoming-Testaments-Troubling-ebook/dp/B00APJRLRG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+violence+of+scripture&qid=1575549459&sr=8-1
  • George Macdonald "The Higher Faith" Ch. 3: https://archive.org/details/unspokensermons_1205_librivox

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How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How An Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers―and Why That's Great News
The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament's Troubling Legacy
The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament’s Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross, Volume 1 & 2
Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible's Problems Enhance Its Divine Authority
Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence
The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • For a GREAT, but deep read on how a non-violent God is not necessary for a nonviolent position, check out DARRIN W. SNYDER BELOUSEK's work entitled " God and Nonviolence: Creedal Theology and Christian Ethics:" https://www.academia.edu/5671308/God_and_Nonviolence_Creedal_Theology_and_Christian_Ethics
  • Representative Matt Shea following Chritistianity and war to its logical conclusion, arguing for non-Christian male combatants to be executed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Shea#Political_career
  • Shea's "The Biblical Basis for War:" https://media.spokesman.com/documents/2018/10/Biblical_Basis_for_War.pdf

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+Jesus&qid=1566062176&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  • Derek’s summary of the “Politics of Jesus”: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesus
  • The Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Kingdom-Updated-Donald-Kraybill/dp/0836195132/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=The+Upside+Down+Kingdom&qid=1566062209&s=gateway&sr=8-3

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The Politics of Jesus
Upside-Down Kingdom, The: Updated Edition

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751

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*Excuse the mispronunciation of "Goethe." I have since been educated more.

  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/
  • Amish shooting and forgiveness: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/02/amish-shooting-10-year-anniversary-pennsylvania-the-happening
  • Good Article on Amish Myths and Lifestyle: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fake-amish-and-the-real-o_b_3617736?guccounter=1
  • Dan Carlin with Ronald Skirth Quote: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-blueprint-for-armageddon-i/
  • Hannah Arendt on Denmark: https://fee.org/articles/how-denmark-fought-the-nazi-terror/
  • Bulgaria Saved Jews: http://liherald.com/fivetowns/stories/how-tiny-bulgaria-saved-50000-jews-in-world-war-ii,101679
  • Sophie Scholl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Scholl
  • Hacksaw Ridge and Desmond Doss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2-1hz1juBI
  • End of the Spear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEF_3J0ZY0
  • Pablo Yoder Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo&t=1s
  • City of Refuge Podcast (WWII Stories): https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/
  • Victories Without Violence: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0943734061/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • The Plough: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence
  • The Irresistible Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+irresistible+revolution&qid=1564925194&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • More Pacifist Quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-8-quotes-to-ponder
  • Book which looks at the evidence that Bonhoeffer did not compromise his nonviolent belief: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking/dp/0801039614/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=dan+umbel+bonhoeffer&qid=1575140932&sr=8-1-fkmr1
  • Shell Shock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTRJZGWqF8&feature=youtu.be
  • WWII Psychosis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiD6bnqpJDE&feature=youtu.be

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The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Victories Without Violence
Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging The Myth, Recovering His Call To Peacemaking

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • “Men Against Fire”: https://www.amazon.com/Men-Against-Fire-Problem-Command-ebook/dp/B00A8I385I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=s.l.a.+marshall&qid=1564776265&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • “On Killing”: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/B0056NVXXO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=on+killing&qid=1564776301&s=gateway&sr=8-3
  • Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out&qid=1568229887&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • Is Just War Theory sustainable or idealistic (Hauerwas): https://www.abc.net.au/religion/just-how-realistic-is-just-war-theory-the-case-for-christian-rea/10099656
  • The Sacrifices of War and the Sacrifice of Christ (Hauerwas): https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-sacrifices-of-war-and-the-sacrifice-of-christ/10098368
  • You Say You Want a Revolution: https://web.archive.org/web/20170320235417/http://udquickly.udayton.edu/2012/01/you-say-you-want-a-revolution/
  • “Why Civil Resistance Works” research: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820
  • TED Talk discussing the conclusions of "Why Civil Resistance Works”: https://www.scienceofnonviolence.org/
  • The many works of Gene Sharp: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gene+sharp&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
  • Anatomy of a Hybrid (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802816150/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Anatomy of a Hybrid (html and can print as PDF) if you can’t find on Amazon: https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htm
  • Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History on torture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oRv4NZzBKw
  • Historical reflections on Human intuition not to kill: https://youtu.be/zViyZGmBhvs
  • Drugs in the Military: https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2011/01/militarys-drug-policy-threatens-troops-health-doctors-say/48321/
  • Broken Warrior Series on Military Health Issues: https://web.archive.org/web/20110818222307/https://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110121_4378.php/
  • Is Nonviolence Naive (Answering Questions Against Nonviolence): https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2018/nonviolence-naive

*I have learned a lot about David Grossman since recording this episode. While I don't know that his character necessarily compromises any of the information presented here, I would avoid using him as a resource in the future as that could prove difficult for some to accept. The information in this episode doesn't particularly concern me as I've seen much of the evidence presented from other sources. That being said, you may want to do more research on Grossman and more looking into the information. A fun podcast to listen to about him can be found below, though you should be warned that the language is pretty explicit. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?i=1000476406446

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The anatomy of a hybrid: A study in church-state relationships
Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War

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  • A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/
  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefourthway
  • My site with quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church
  • “The Early Church on Killing:" https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+early+church+on+killing&qid=1564738154&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment

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The best resource I can currently recommend on this topic is "Jesus the Pacifist" by Matthew Fleischer. The book will be released early next year. It is a fantastic look that digs into Jesus, his actions, his specific teachings, and the implications of all that he did. The book is particularly helpful for the brand of Christians who love to have verse wars and proof-text everything. Since the Bible doesn't specifically lay out all versions of pacifism (though it leans more that way than the way of allowing violence), proof-texting Christians think they can ignore a call to non-violence. Fleischer does a fantastic job of showing us how nonviolence pervades the teaching and revelation of Christ and digs under the surface of the numerous, explicit teachings and actions.

  • Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751
  • Revelation word study on blood: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JCGWqOo71MYmTuvJ354_JRx6FZVpOndj
  • My site listing all the Church Father quotes I could find, focusing mostly on quotes prior to the Edict of Milan: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16bft8PtcyLns1JCrO-QUbBR8QEHOO413
  • The Early Church on Killing (book with pertinent quotations on all violence from before 300 AD, including abortion, capital punishment, warfare, self-defense, etc): https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+early+church+on+killing&qid=1564648394&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  • Tim Mackie's discussion of God's wrath (transcript): https://thebibleproject.com/podcast/day-lord-question-response/transcript/
  • Tim Mackie's six part series on God's wrath: https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/903c95d5-903c95d5
  • Interview with Mackie on God's wrath and nonviolence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWDGYaIjWsM
  • Daniel 7:13-14 and the Son of Man ascending on the clouds and being ascribed divine attributes and position: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+7%3A13-14&version=NIV

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The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment

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Episode Links:

Discord Discussion Board

br * A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/ * Thanks to Palmtoptiger17 for the beautiful logo: https://www.instagram.com/palmtoptiger17/ * Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 * My Book (Free): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1524xtT4iKmqr7pATaKnXTMZlwk_aONXG * My Book (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.+g.+elliot&qid=1564647522&s=gateway&sr=8-1 * Pacifism Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xQaDDKY7k * Followers of the Way: https://www.facebook.com/FollowersoftheWayBoston/?ref=br_rs * Integrity Quote: https://learninginlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/13102829_1201726893232348_849045333103669078_n-770x770.jpg * The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1564647725&s=gateway&sr=8-2 * My Summary of the Politics of Jesus: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesus * MASH conundrum clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=rvBS0VqJPXs * Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace by Harvie Conn: https://www.amazon.com/Evangelism-Doing-Justice-Preaching-Grace/dp/0875522068/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=harvie+conn&qid=1564647790&s=gateway&sr=8-3 * My website on Pacifism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism * American National Idolatry: https://www.facebook.com/ILovePortage/photos/a.396450011127660/511348556304471/

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The 80%: How Conservative Evangelicals Prove We're Moral Relativists
Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace
The Politics of Jesus