Tag Archives: Christianity

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Romans 13 Hypocrites

The ROMANS 13!!!! crowd likes to say that illegal immigrants are breaking the law and it’s a sin to break the law.

Judgment begins in the house of God. Christians are supposed to judge, as long as they hold themselves to at least as high a standard as they hold others. Is the ROMANS 13!!!! crowd holding themselves to the same standard they hold immigrants to? Do they ever break the speed limit or fail to come to a complete stop? Have they ever texted while driving? Do they get a permit when they replace a water heater or do home improvement projects that require a permit? Do they carry a gun in places they shouldn’t and have all the proper permits? Do they report any profit they make when they sell something privately?

That crowd might say illegal immigration is a serious crime while speeding isn’t. I don’t see why that matters. Romans 13 makes no distinction. But even if it did, sneaking across the border is a misdemeanor but overstaying a visa is a civil infraction like a speeding ticket.

Even if someone keeps the laws perfectly themselves, the people committing the greater sin in this area is the government acting contrary to the Constitution, abusing immigrants and taking away our freedoms. The ROMANS 13!!!! crowd needs to be at least as passionate about holding government to the standard of Romans 13:3-4.

So ROMANS 13!!!! people need to seriously consider whether they’re hypocrites who are sinfully judging.

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Brain Dead Reading of Romans 13

I’m always amazed at how people cannot see that Romans 13:3-4 place huge constraints on government. They constantly make the mistake of thinking that good and evil are defined by men. If you believe that, you’re not a Christian. Christians take their definition of good and evil from God alone. I want to post those two verses, though you should always read verses in context, so feel free to do that. And then, I will post a random guy’s comments about those verses where he misrepresents what it’s saying.

Romans 13:3-4: For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 

Here’s what this guy said about these verses:
“Paul reinforces this point by asking, “Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval” (Romans 13:3). This does not mean law enforcement never errs, but it does establish its God-ordained function. Authority is meant to benefit those who obey the law and restrain those who do not” [emphasis mine].

Those verses say if you do good, you have nothing to worry about. It doesn’t say if you obey the law you have nothing to worry about. Verse 4 makes it even clearer. Wrongdoers are people who commit crimes according to God’s definition, and His wrath is on them. Government is His servant to carry out His wrath. Not the wrath of the state.

I thought it was interesting to see someone who seems to have almost subconsciously pervert God’s word. I think he was genuinely trying to interpret it correctly, but people just approach it with their own presuppositions and miss the point.

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What is Anarchy?

Many words have more than one definition. When people decry anarchy, they are usually talking about a loss of control and chaos. Specifically, when there is a lack of justice for criminals–where people can do whatever they want without consequence. Christians will cite Judges 21:25 as an example of this. It says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” A lack of criminal justice would be a big problem in Scripture.

There is a wide array of anarchists ranging from anarcho-communists to anarcho-capitalists. I only care to defend anarcho-capitalism. Before King Saul became Israel’s first king, Israel was ruled by the Lord. Human judges were in place to carry out criminal justice. Neighbors might hold trials and the witnesses in a death penalty trial were to be the first to throw the stones in a stoning. There were no prisons, no paid police, no king, no president. Only everyday people who were supposed to know God’s law. They didn’t even have an army. Formal judges even led Israel into battles, without authority to force people to join the army. If the people believed the war was unjust, they didn’t show up to fight. If they thought it was just, they knew God was fighting on their behalf.



That is anarchy–where there is no human authority to force anyone to do anything. No one to force you to pay taxes or force you to seek their permission to do something that isn’t sinful or get permission to do something that is sinful. The only control anyone has over someone is when they’ve criminally harmed someone else. Your neighbors and townspeople will make sure you are fairly tried and that your just sentence is executed. Israel at the time of the judges had no human rulers. It was an anarchy.

But if those who decry anarchy are worried that criminals aren’t receiving justice, that is exactly what we have in the United States right now. Sixty million babies have been murdered by abortion, and it’s perfectly legal. There is a mass slaughter going on; it’s just that it’s not happening where we can see it but in abortion clinics.

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Is Your Church Really a Battleship?

We attended a prospective members class at a local church. They said the church isn’t a cruise ship but a battle ship. I have used that analogy myself and I like the analogy. When I say it, I mean that we are engaged in a battle to expand God’s kingdom by the spread of the gospel and teaching the nations to obey all that Christ commands (Matt. 28:18-20). How the church used the analogy has been bugging me and it took me a couple weeks to figure out why.

The guy used the analogy to say that we are expected to contribute to the church by volunteering in various roles. We’re not supposed to come here to be served. I appreciate it as far as that goes. A battleship has janitors and cooks that never fire a gun or steer the ship, and I understand that some people serve in ways that may not be directly engaging in battle. But in the church’s analogy, they don’t actually mean anything by being a battle ship. They just mean it’s not a cruise ship where people come to be served. Their battleship never leaves port to fight any battles. Their battleship is always parked at the dock and the sailors show up on Sunday morning and then go home.

They do a fair job of telling people that they are to go out and spread the gospel, but there is no organization to that. It’s all about Sunday morning. I don’t think Sunday morning is about battling at all. Everyone comes and gets coffee and listens to the sermon and maybe they chit chat a little.

If there is any analogy you want to use only for Sunday morning assembly, it that it is supposed to be a hospital for the wounded to come and receive comfort. But that would be because we are out battling all week and these battles lead to wounds. Jesus offers healing through fellowship with other Christians, eating together and the Lord’s supper in the midst of that meal.

In order to use the battleship analogy, you need to get the ship out of port and into battle. There is no shortage of battles to be fought that lend themselves to being fought by a team. The main one is abortion. We also need to get as many kids out of public school as possible. We need to preach the gospel. I’m sure there are plenty of other good ideas. Wouldn’t it have been nice if there were churches in any real battles. They like to talk about discipleship, but the best kind of discipleship would be on-the-job training.

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Scoffers

I’ve been thinking about what the best way to spread the gospel and how to teach the nations to obey all that Christ has commanded. I recently left a comment about what God’s law teaches about immigration, and 39 people left likes or laughs–mostly laughs. I could go somewhere and pass out tracts, and I think that’s a good thing to do. I posted that comment and I consider it to be equivalent of passing out 39 tracts. Probably more, because all the people who read it didn’t necessarily react.

The comments under it have started to fizzle out as the post ages, but this morning there was one more comment.

Imagine someone being given a paraphrase of Scripture about what people going to heaven ought to be doing (with the verse reference) and then laughing at it. If you read this passage, this seems to be exactly what the goats would do. I guess all we can do is pray for her. Our job is to tell people what the Bible says, and leave the results to God.

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Congress is This Guy’s God

The author of the ridiculous graphic above is an idolater. The Bible nowhere indicates that crossing a border or getting a job in a foreign country are sins, much less crimes. If you think men get to make up crimes, then you believe that men define good and evil and that means that you idolize men. The Bible says that only God determines good and evil and God is the only lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22, James 4:12). Law giving is a job reserved for God. If you think there is some other source of law, that is your false god.

Here’s your homework. What does the Bible call people who move to a foreign country in your favorite translation? After you figure that out, it’s easy to search that word for the 20 or so Bible verses that mention them. What does the Bible say about how to treat them? If you’re a Christian you better know the answer to those questions, and you better advocate for what it says and be teaching the nations to obey what He has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).

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Who Is the Enemy?

Millions of American Christians have no idea who the real enemy of the kingdom of God is: the U.S. government.

They send their kids to the government for 8 hours per day for 13 years to be discipled by God-hating liberals in socialist-funded indoctrination centers. The kids learn that government giving people things and taking care of them is just fine. Spending more and more money and even government taking on debt and raising taxes to spend on schools is just fine.

When the local police don’t lift a finger to stop abortion in your city, Christians don’t bother to teach the cops that Scripture says that government’s only job is to carry out God’s wrath on evildoers (Romans 13:4).

When the federal government/the Federal Reserve print money and mail out checks causing rampant inflation, no pastor says anything from the pulpit. Rampant theft of the money in people’s savings via inflation is just fine, because Trump and Biden sent out checks I guess.

When government takes over the job of individuals and churches of charity and taking care of our parents and grandparents via socialist redistribution schemes (theft), we’re content to ignore our family members.

When a Republican is in office, even if it’s a whoremongering scumbag New York liberal who makes Bill Clinton look conservative, Christians call for loyal obedience to the government and even demand their children pledge allegiance to our wicked government thousands of times over the course of their socialist education.

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14).

Christians are woefully unable to distinguish good from evil to the point that they unwaveringly support the biggest enemy of the kingdom of God.

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James Dobson’s Death

James Dobson died a few days ago. My mom looked up to him, read his books, listened to his radio show, etc. I have heard mixed reviews of him from people I respect, but I have no doubt that he was born again and doing his best and accomplished a lot. I kind of hate to give my personal opinion when I don’t have specific examples, but if anything, I’d say he was too milquetoast and not as bold and uncompromising as he should have been.

I’ve seen some posts on Facebook where more than half of the comments have been rejoicing over his death. That makes me think maybe he did more good than I thought. Also, if you’re facing that much hatred in death, I could see how that would wear someone down over decades. I just wanted to post some of the comments for the sake of preserving it and maybe as I think more I’ll have some more thoughts.

Here’s what Colorado’s gay governor had to say:
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It’s challenging to address the complex legacy of James Dobson, who passed this week in Colorado Springs at age 89. His life and work left a major mark on countless individuals, inspiring some to deepen their faith and strive for personal growth, while causing great pain and trauma for others due to his controversial and hurtful teachings.

Dr. Dobson was a staunch advocate for what he described as “traditional” gender roles, emphasizing a homemaker mother and a breadwinner father. In his writings, he suggested that women’s “natural sex appeal” served as their primary leverage in relationships, with men assuming responsibility for their care in exchange for affection. He wrote “The natural sex appeal of girls serves as their primary source of bargaining power in the game of life. In exchange for feminine affection and love, a man accepts a girl as his lifetime responsibility-supplying her needs and caring for her welfare. This sexual aspect of the marital agreement can hardly be denied.”

While these views often echoed a bygone era and perpetuated harmful stereotypes, they also resonated with those who searched for dignity and purpose in traditional roles. Today, we can affirm that there is honor in choosing to be a caregiver, homemaker, or provider—whether by a woman or a man—while emphasizing that such choices should be freely made, not imposed based on gender.

He also espoused incorrect and discredited views on homosexuality that caused pain and trauma for so many people: That being gay was neither a choice nor genetic, but was caused by external factors during early childhood like being too close to your mother. His views on homosexuality caused trauma for generations of LGBT youth, and also caused stress and trauma for parents who incorrectly were led to believe they they were at fault for their child being gay.

A big fan of spanking and physical punishment of children, he wrote as recently as 2015 “when spanking fails to make a child obey, the problem may be that the parent is not hitting hard enough or frequently enough.”

Yet, for all the harm caused, we cannot overlook the inspiration Dr. Dobson provided to some. Through his ministry, Focus on the Family, which he founded in Colorado Springs in 1977 and led until 2010, he reached over 200 million people worldwide at the height of his influence. Hailed by The New York Times as “the nation’s most influential evangelical leader,” his oratorical skill and charisma touched many lives, encouraging countless Coloradans and others to pursue faith, family, and personal improvement such as successfully recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Dr. Dobson was no doubt man of deep conviction, but his vision often excluded and even denigrated others. To have deployed his talents for love, kindness, and respect would have made an immense positive difference in the world. Sadly, any completion of his character ark of developing Christlike love for all humankind will have to occur in the afterlife, of which he was a fervent believer. So let us hope that he is in a better place, and that there is yet hope for redemption in the great beyond. How did Dr. Dobson’s legacy affect you? Did it help you in a time of need? Did it lead to suffering, shame, and repression? Share your stories below to help inform others about the complex legacy of Dr. James Dobson.
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Here are some other typical comments from other individuals. Much more than half are like these.

“I will always celebrate when the glare of hate and discrimination is dimmed. May his memory be short lived and his legacy rejected.”

“We should all be dancing in the streets. His legacy was harm and hate. I’m glad he is dead. Bad people remain bad after they die, let’s not pretend they are good just because they are dead.”

“Some men improve the world only by leaving it”

“The legacy is NOT complex. This man is responsible for trauma and abuse of thousands of children. I wish hell existed for him but I’m smart enough now to know better.”

“It’s not complex at all. He was a bigot, a misogynist and a person who negatively affected the lives of many people. Being a “person of faith” doesn’t get you off the hook for being hateful and cruel.”

“After comming out. I was offered Conversion counceling through FOF, It was an insult and a confirmation of the ignorance and Power of religion”

“There is nothing complex about it. He tried to hide his hate under a cloak of religion and the harm he caused can’t be forgiven. A legacy? Sure, but a shameful one at best.”

“He and his foundation were the reason that I left the church in the 1990s. It took me 20 years to make peace with it and find my way back.”

“He’s burning with his friend Ted Bundy”

“OMG! No parade? No dancing in the streets? Come on CO let’s PARTY”

“He will not be missed, he was a horrible, hateful person. I wish there was really a hell so he would spend all eternity there.”

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You Can’t Change Just One Thing

Every Christian is opposed to abortion. In fact, I’d say every person knows that abortion is murder, it’s just that some people try to justify it, because they love their sin. Of course, it’s hard to know for sure how far away from proper doctrine a Christian can go before they reveal that they aren’t really a Christian. However, if someone defends the murder of unborn babies, it seems like a really good indication that they’re lost.

Here’s a conversation I had with someone who has told me they’re a Christian. I’ve had a few weird conversations with him over the years, but this is a good indication to me that these weird conversations are the result of him being not saved.

The article doesn’t say that Costco is opposed to abortion. I just says that they’re not selling mifepristone. How is them not selling abortion drugs ramming their religious beliefs down anyone’s throats? What about all the other things they don’t sell?

Choosing to murder a baby isn’t a personal decision. No one claims we’re free to choose to murder anyone else. Everyone knows the baby is human and killing a human is murder. He’s opposed to forcing religious beliefs on people, but it’s OK to forcibly remove a baby on the mother’s whim? Is it OK to force people to do things or not?

He’s opposed to forcing religious beliefs on someone, as if choosing not to sell something is actually using violence and coercion on other people. Does he sell mifepristone? Is he forcing his religious beliefs on everyone? If an auto parts store doesn’t sell abortion drugs, are they forcing their beliefs on anyone? Maybe only pharmacies must be forced to sell every type of medication? Pharmacists must check their conscience at the door and supply anything a customer asks regardless of their morality? That’s a novel idea. And who’s going to force them to do this, even though he’s opposed to forcing people to do things?

Every law is based on religion–not necessarily Christianity, but some religion. Whatever reason you might come up with for why murder should be illegal is religious. If you say, you shouldn’t cause damage to other people, you didn’t learn that from science. The saying is, “You can’t get an ‘ought’ from and ‘is’.” That is, you can’t derive moral principles from scientific facts. You first have to choose a goal (plucked out of thin air based solely on blind faith if you reject Christ). Some might choose human flourishing or economic prosperity as ultimate goals. If you choose those goals, there may be scientific ways to test laws to see which laws are more effective in reaching those goals. However, you didn’t get the goal because science said that’s the goal you ought to choose. A Christian’s goal for laws should be to glorify God, promote justice that can only come from God and to build God’s kingdom.

So, when you deviate from Scripture, when you pick and choose what you want to believe from it, you’re going to slip into all kinds of messes and self-contradictions. Wisdom comes from the Lord and from the Bible. Believe it, even if there’s something in it you don’t like, because Jesus Christ is Lord and the Bible is true.