If you care to find out what the Bible says about the Ahmed Arbery case, the case of Michael Brown from several years ago is a good comparison. Bojidar Marinov gave an excellent, and thorough application of biblical case laws to that situation. Here’s the article in pdf format. You can download it and read it in whatever format you prefer.
All posts by Samuel Adams
Christian Unity
As I’ve gotten involved in various Christian organizations or causes, there inevitably comes disagreement and eventually a split of some kind. You have to choose which fork in the road to take, and the number of people you find yourself among are about half of what they were. Eventually, there’s another fork and another and another. Maybe not among the same group, but in different ways, you’re growing more and more specific in your beliefs, and you may eventually find yourself among a very small group.
This has always troubled me. But my friend has this to say:
“There’s rarely if ever such a thing as perfect unity between creatures who learn discursively, so we should not be under any unrealistic illusions of unity. What we can expect are alliances and sharply defined unity and division with everyone we enjoy fellowship with. This requires effort and charity, but it is worth the investment and necessary.
Division is necessary, but it does not necessarily mean we are ultimately divided. Paul said that without division, we’d never know what is right or wrong. I love and am united with sincere Christians who believe fascist propaganda. Ultimately, we are united, in Christ, but on their idolatrous, fearful error, we are divided. The ultimate unity, in spite of division is what the world will look on and admire. As iron sharpens iron through debate and friction, it produces deeper and more meaningful unity.
False unity: ignoring of division, and neglecting iron sharpening iron is not admirable. It requires no effort. It’s lazy, and there is no love in it. I despise the “agree to disagree” attitude. It’s not Christian.”
The good news is you are learning from different people and organizations, and eventually, you don’t need them anymore. You still need fellowship, but you don’t have to be taught about a certain topic any longer. Hopefully, as we get older and more mature and you find that the group you identify with is smaller and smaller, you have unity on important topics with local Christians. Even though they may not know as much as you, and they occasionally say things you disagree with, you can teach them what you’ve learned. Maybe they’ll come to agree and maybe they won’t, but you have unity on the important doctrines of the faith.
Will Our Knowledge of Scripture Grow?
I read a conversation with a covenanter. They have some peculiar beliefs, that you may have never heard about anyone believing. They are small in number, but they are smart guys. The doctrine I’m referring to is probably one that most evangelicals hold to in general, but these guys are passionate defenders of it. I hope I’m not misrepresenting it, but they believe that any new doctrines not held by the early church, or at least not held by the time of the writing of the confessions in the 1600s that it is false. To rephrase, they would say that any new doctrine would be false.
I know that I’ve believed something similar to that, and the pessimistic eschatological view of most evangelicals (premillennialism) would dictate something similar: that Christianity would have less and less influence, and fewer Christians over time.
However, covenanters aren’t premill, they are postmill, which is optimistic about the future. They seem to believe that the Westminster Confession (1646) is the apex of Christian knowledge, and they believe it wholeheartedly.
But, if postmillennialism is true, we may very well be in early church history, and Christianity will grow in influence. The curse is being reversed. The Holy Spirit is going to have more and more intamacy with believers. If that is true, it seems that our knowledge and application of Scripture may very well improve over time, and grow more detailed. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants who battled heretics and strived to accurately define important doctrines like the Trinity. The Westminster Confession may have been nearly perfect, but I think the authors would have been open to correction and would not expect anyone to just submit to what they say, or change their minds on something, just because they say it’s true.
Have you ever run across a portion of Scripture that is hard to understand? What immediately comes to mind for me is head coverings for women (1 Corinthians 11:2-16). I don’t think anyone really knows for sure what that means, though I think Bojidar Marinov has the best explanation. As the effects of the curse is pushed back by the spread of the gospel, is it possible that we will come to a better understanding of what that passage means? Is it possible that we will discover an ancient document that sheds light on the topic? How many other such difficult passages are there?
It seems to me important topics, such as most Christians’ understanding of Romans 13 is woefully lacking. It’s possible that covenanters are on the right track–that we just need to study historical Christian teaching on the topic. It’s also possible that as our evil form of government affects our interpretation of that passage, and once a majority of Christians have a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about government, they will demand a more biblical government.
I’m optimistic that God’s kingdom will grow as the gospel spreads. Our understanding of Scripture will improve and we will make new discoveries about the Bible and how to apply it to our lives. The apex of Christian understanding wasn’t 1646, but some date far in the future.
Lying Cop
I can’t tell if this cop is a man or woman, so that’s the first problem. The second problem is he or she lies twice until this guy calls his or her bluff. At least I think this individual knows they’re bluffing. Most other cops insist that you have to obey their every whim.
All Politicians are Sick
My homeschooled children were listening to an audio book about history of the world from about 1500 to 1800 while we were driving. Pretty much all the stories were pretty disgusting. The Japanese were attacking China and Korea. The Manchurian Chinese took advantage of the effect of the plague on the Han Chinese to take over power. The Indian rulers called themselves kings of the world and the last one before the British really started to take over spent 20 years attacking Indians in the south to try to make them submit to his rule. Louis XIV in France was a true ego maniac. Even Oliver Cromwell in England, who did some good things, when he got power, he ended up forcing legalistic Puritan beliefs on everyone. It was pathetic. Not much good was going on as far as civil governments go.
This Thomas Sowell quote is really dead on. I look forward to the day when government is gone. We will all be so much better off when a bunch of psychos aren’t forcing their citizens to pay them, and even attacking foreigners to bilk them as well.
Keep Sending Your Kids to the Government
I’d love to have someone watch this and imagine this sort of thing going on all across the country and explain how sending your kids to a government camp is a good idea.
Miraculous Evolution of the Giraffe
It’s that time of year again—time to make preparations for the big day. It’s a day when foolishness is celebrated, and pranksters run amok. It’s National Atheist’s Day, better known as April Fools’ Day. Today we’ll look at one of Charles Darwin’s most far-fetched theories—a theory even a child can laugh at. This is one that’s only suited for a holiday as foolish as National Atheists Day: the evolution of the giraffe.
Darwin speculated on the evolution of the giraffe:
“So under nature with the nascent giraffe, the individuals which were the highest browsers, and were able during dearths [drought] to reach even an inch or two above the others, will often have been preserved…for they will have roamed over the whole country in search of food….Those individuals which had some one part or several parts of their bodies rather more elongated than usual, would generally have survived. These will have intercrossed [bred] and left offspring, either inheriting the same bodily peculiarities, or with a tendency to vary again in the same manner; whilst the individuals, less favoured in the same respects will have been the most liable to perish…By this process long continued…it seems to me almost certain that any ordinary hoofed quadruped might be converted into a giraffe.”
According to Darwin, during a period of drought, the tallest gazelles (for example) would have had food to eat, while the shorter gazelles would have starved. The taller gazelles would have had taller offspring, and eventually, after millions of generations, gazelles became the giraffes we have today. Let’s play along with Darwin and see where his idea takes us.
While all of Africa’s other grazing animals seem to have done quite well, the shorter gazelles that weren’t quite as tall as their cousins starved. What caused them, specifically, to starve to death? Maybe, in seeing their fellow creatures eat leaves from tall trees, they were too proud to lower their heads to eat grass. This may seem plausible until we recognize that all grazing animals (including modern giraffes) bend down to drink water. Darwin, however, maintains they died of starvation—not thirst.
Since only the tallest giraffes survived, all the females also must have died, as females are on average two feet shorter than the males. How exactly, then, do giraffe’s reproduce today?
Another Huge Problem
The giraffe’s heart generates enormous pressure in order to pump blood all the way up its long neck to its brain. Were it not for its complex blood pressure regulating system, when a giraffe bent over, it would suffer serious brain damage. If it managed to bend over without dying, it wouldn’t be able raise its head again. Its brain would suffer from a sudden lack of oxygen, and it would pass out. Here’s a four minute video with more info on that:https://www.youtube.com/embed/BMz9o9LP9WI?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent
Furthermore, after a century of intense fossil exploration, no intermediate forms are on display in any museum in the world. The billions of giraffazelles have kept their remains well hidden. There is no intermediate form linking the giraffe to any other creature.
If you still believe that giraffes evolved, you may want to check yourself into a mental institution, or the biology Ph.D. program at a university. There are few other places where such fairy tales are believed. But keep your chin up. National Atheist’s Day is right around the corner.
1 Minute Video Emberrassing Cop
Covetousness Is Idolatry
This guy is a greedy, covetous idolater who wants to take your money to build a very expensive swimming pool to be operated by the government, who are not exactly renowned for their efficient, cost-effective decision making. I told him that, and I told him government can’t give government permission to steal other people’s things. That’s circular logic. So, how exactly does theft mutate into taxation in his mind? Here’s his answer:
He says it’s not exactly government giving government permission to steal. It’s the founding fathers who gave the government permission to steal. So you see, it’s way different. It was all put in writing in 1788, so there’s a document that gives government permission to steal. It all makes perfect sense. Wait just a second. How does the Constitution, written by men, give a government made of men the right to take other people’s property? I have no idea. It’s his religious belief that he obviously takes on blind faith. There is no good reason to believe it. Ultimately the religious belief he has is that might makes right.
Scripture calls covetous people idolaters (Ephesians 5:5) and he’s putting his idolatry on full display. People always scoff at me on Facebook when I point out the religious nature of these discussions. If you want to engage in a discussion of morality and laws and how you can know things, that’s a religious discussion. There is no way to know anything or know right and wrong apart from Scripture.
The thing that is really reprehensible is this line, “Those who don’t wish to abide by it are heartily encouraged to find another country with a government more to their liking.”
Here’s what that means. We’re going to go on stealing from people and oppressing whoever we want. If you don’t want to be stolen from, you have to get far away from us. We’re not interested in just leaving you alone. We will get in your comfort zone with a 9 mm if necessary.
Fake Kindness
I’m a mean guy. I point out when people are hypocritical and covetous and advocating theft. My comments are just mean. The people who want to rip me off, now, they’re the nice ones. They just want to get along and wonder why everyone they’re threatening to financially attack is being so stingy. Why don’t we care about the children?
I’m particularly sickened by “conservatives” who are advocating socialist programs like public school. They should know better. Here’s an example of someone who pretends to be a rock-ribbed conservative who could explain why socialism is bound to fail and how Bernie Sanders is a moron.
Her post started out asking for people in the tea party group to sign some petition so that her kids’ school district will be slightly less evil. This would be like asking for the strip club her husband frequents every day to reduce the price of their Buffalo wings. It only legitimizes the strip club and her husband’s adultery. All she’s doing when she begs the government for some favor is legitimizing the theft that funds public school and secular humanist education.
Here’s the conversation:
She posted a couple more responses making similar arguments, and then she either blocked me or deleted the post. I was a little bit on the confrontational side, but some people need a wake up call. Good people who yearn for the truth won’t be offended by a little confrontation. They may dislike you in the moment, but they will love you for telling the truth.