By now you know the CDC data on the risk of the Delta variant comes from an outbreak in Provincetown, MA. Based on the outbreak among the vaccinated, it is presumed the Delta variant is highly transmissible and caused the CDC to issue guidelines to include masks even for the vaccinated.
An America which is in Romans 1 as you note and also is in what Mark Levin accurately terms its "post-Constitutional" phase is in deep trouble, regardless of what the purely religious authorities say. Never mind the carrying on of various pop culture figures; that we are seriously adding trillions of dollars in liabilities to our national balance sheet, which we are, seems to me that we have quickly and forever abandoned any semblance of the sort of public morality which would otherwise prevent us from ruining the lives of our children, grandchildren, and generations as yet unborn. That also reflects on the fact that our abandoning private morality to the degree we have has caused us to decide that the pursuit of each person's "personal truth" had blinded us to realizing that there is in fact but ONE truth; immutable, absolute, and forever unchanging, based in the moral codes that a sane society abandons at its peril. Future generations will, I believe, curse our personal and public recklessness, with perfect justification in doing so.
Part of the challenge is selarating out respect for differing opinions from simple pushback by those who rightly don't trust the purveyors of single-minded thinking. I trust vaccines in general, and I think of myself as a scientist. However, while I see why some people are reluctant to get the vaccine, I do not assume it is because they don't think vaccines work. It is because to endorse the vaccine means that one's position on vaccines being voluntary is obscured. If I think the vaccine works, it is assumed that I have no right to respect those who believe they are more vulnerable to side effects, and when I criticize mixed messages, I am accused of "misinformation," even though I am not the naked naked Emperor in the story.
When scientists insist on using contradictory information, they have no moral right to demand obeisance. It's not the caccine that is the mark of the beast, it's the whole package of demanding agreement and praise of evil.
Sadly, we're facing a similar challenge on the Christian front regarding virology that we faced with the Scopes Monkey Trial about evolution. We tend to have a belief that no one could possibly be correct from outside the church, or perhaps our immediate contacts within the Body, so we reject any argument out of hand without any actual thought or analysis.
Lesson Learned in Scopes Monkey Trial - don't bring a Bible to a legal forum where (pseudo)science is argued, even when opposition's (pseudo)science is considered inadmissible (as was done by Judge John Raulston). Clarence Darrow did a masterful job of dissecting William Jennings Bryan's literal Biblical arguments, not because he had better information, but because we brought a butter knife to a legal-minded gun fight. Assuming that fundamental beliefs would be blindly accepted in a legal trial against clever challenges brought by Darrow was short-sighted, and indeed, desirous in the long run.
Today, we may be facing a similar challenge in our fight with the (pseudo)science of Fauci. It is less a matter of faith and more a matter of critical thinking regarding the context of today's battle. What we must recall is that even our most faithful shepherds are still human, frail beings with presuppositions and proclivities despite the wisdom they dispense on a daily basis.
Some of us want the end times so badly that any other answer is unacceptable, even heretical. Some are willing to hold to specific interpretations of events described in Scripture and willfully reject any other thinking outright. An example: interpretation of the book of Revelation by Preterist vs. partial-Preterist vs. literal proponents. For those who are unfamiliar with these terms, look them up. As Christians, we should be more familiar with one another and our particular thoughts on theological items [BTW, this Revelation issue is really a "minor" rather than a "major" topic - they are different means of reading a difficult piece of Scripture from historical contexts, not something to divide churches over]. For us to be "One Body in Christ", it's important to know what hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc. all add to the the Body (I Cor. 12:12-26).
IMO, we Christians by-and-large refuse to be Berens lately. We cling to our interpretations rather than examining ALL of Scripture to ensure the historical context is not abandoned in the face of desired outcome. Do I WANT Jesus to come today? Absolutely! Does a vaccine usher in the Beast? We have no idea, though a careful examination of Revelation would reveal that the mark of the Beast is a voluntary and purposeful action indicating acceptance of the Ruler of this World and rejection of the LORD Himself. I purposefully follow Jesus, I also purposefully got the J&J vaccine, not because I am afraid of COVID for myself, but because my 82 year old mother-in-law lives in our house - smack dab in the middle of the target demographic. I do not have "faith" it is a cure (clearly it is, at best, a mitigation for known transmission mechanisms virologists identified, I have faith that God in His Sovereignty has provided current medical science an ability to help. It was wise for me to get the shot, examining the pros and cons, while watching for warnings from Scripture. There were none.
While all Believers look forward to that Day when we're with Him in person as well as spirit, hastening that day is not called for. I do not say the vaccine is the right thing for all to take, I do say examining both medical and Biblical rationale is wise for each of us.
Erick, I agree with all the scientific facts and conclusions about the left and I agree about most of what you said about Christians, but you are missing something. There is all this hype about the vaccine but hardly any communication about medical treatment. The vaccine works, that is great, but why should I be vaccinated when I already had Covid. Nobody wants to talk about treatment for a disease that is over 99% survivable. Now granted, it was not fun at all being sick, and I probably have long covid, but the vaccine is not treatment, at least not the only treatment nor the best treatment. Why don't you talk about the studies that show how people that have had covid are more resistant to covid of all strains. If it was any other disease, diabetes, Asma, cancer, Crohn's, HIV, Ebola, etc., we would be talking about treatment. We even have treatment for influenza as well as a vaccine. If I want to try the spirits and wait on the Lord, and not jump on the let's all get the vaccine wagon, it does not make me a crazy person. There is plenty of definite facts out there to make anyone skeptical of a vaccine that is not without some issues. Natural immunity should not be ignored and medical treatment for Covid-19 must take a greater place. Inevitably not everyone will be vaccinated, that is a fact, but we will still need a treatment. This will not be over, ever, just like influenza.
So what you’re saying is that CRT evangelists who actively preach and try to force Americans into embracing a godless, neo-Marxist belief system should be compared to people who question the long-term safety and effectiveness of a brand new vaccine? A drug still under emergency use authorization that has still not been fully approved by the FDA and which has no long-term studies of any kind because the longest anyone has had this drug in their system is 12 months. Fear, force and shame are the primary marketing techniques that CRT evangelists employ, and funny enough, they seem to be exactly the same ones that the proponents of the vaccine use as well.
I believe Paul was onto something there . . . that ancient thread of truth that runs back to Sinai, over Calvary and Mars Hill, through the city of seven hills, over the blue ocean into a new world to Plymouth to Costa Mesa and over the bigger ocean to fill the whole world with a path of righteousness that leads us out of darkness, beyond iniquity. . . to salvation and deliverance from this world of destructive behaviors.
So few realize that "all people" were once apart from God--even though they are part of the elect. Until one has a relationship with the person of truth, they are unable to measure what truth "is." While Chesterton wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue, he spoke clearly when he said (and I paraphrase here), "Rejecting the truth doesn't mean you can't say truthful things, it just means you believe untruthful ones." COVID was the shaking of our Christian culture, separating wheat from chaff. Only "those who endure"--remain, trust, have faith, hold to truth--will be saved.
The thing is that both the so-called "progressive church", in the form of most Mainline denominations, the cultural Evangelical church, and elements of the RCC spend so much time arguing over Romans 1:27-28 and Romans 1:22-23 in light of it, that they fail to take heed to the more practical application of Romans 1:22-23. Meaning, they have made such an idol of political activism and secularism, including opposition to secularism, that they do not realize that "professing themselves to be wise, they have become fools". While I direct this primarily towards the "progressive church", which I honestly believes is nothing more than old fashioned theological liberalism in the latest garb and as J. Gresham Machen said is an entirely different religion, most certainly cultural evangelicalism and cultural conservative Catholicism are not immune. Even historically orthodox Evangelicalism, including the Reformed Tradition, and historically orthodox Catholicism can, under the correct circumstances, exhibit such behavior, because of sin, something which all but the most orthodox (on core theological issues) of the progressives wish to deny the lingering corrupting power and influence of.
Thanks for the sermon this morning. I attempted to explain that very chapter of Romans to a family member recently. You did a much better job. Continue preaching, brother.
Dale Ahlquist wrote a great essay recently about our times. Since AD33, Christians have thought Christ’s triumphant return would occur any minute now due to the wickedness of the world. How is is that we are confident in our being right in the face of our mothers & fathers being wrong about this for 2,000 years?
Yes, we think things are getting worse; but we fail to acknowledge that many things are getting better! Modern economic models technology, medicine have have ended quite a bit of suffering for “the poor, the oppressed, and the sick.”
The world has its false idols, but Christians have created false devils.
Thins are always getting better and always getting worse. And it has always been that way. Ahlquist notes, “[i]f the world is falling apart at its very foundation, take advantage of the earthquake and convert the guards.”
My response to all the hyperbole in news: pass the mustard, please.
I can see why people that are not of the gospel faith get caught up in conspiracy theories, but when “believers” get caught up in those things and push those things as truth, it gets me upset. How are we to preach the word of truth if we are caught up in “myths and endless genealogies?
There are a whole lot of us in between the two extremes you mentioned. I choose not to get the vaccine. I don't believe it is a vaccine for the sole purpose of some nefarious reason. I simply don't believe that it is proven safe enough for everyone and the lack of transparency is disturbing. The inventor of this type of vaccine finds it disturbing that the government is telling everyone to get it in spite of some serious side effects when the virus is not a threat to people under the age of 18 who do not have other serious health problems. For maybe even most people who are healthy, the virus is treatable and some doctors are treating it successfully. My 92 year old neighbor was treated and never spent a day in the hospital. This same expert says anyone with natural antibodies should not need the vaccine. Why are people being told to take the vaccine even if they have had covid. It is the rabid insistence from the government to vaccinate every human walking that makes people suspicious.
An America which is in Romans 1 as you note and also is in what Mark Levin accurately terms its "post-Constitutional" phase is in deep trouble, regardless of what the purely religious authorities say. Never mind the carrying on of various pop culture figures; that we are seriously adding trillions of dollars in liabilities to our national balance sheet, which we are, seems to me that we have quickly and forever abandoned any semblance of the sort of public morality which would otherwise prevent us from ruining the lives of our children, grandchildren, and generations as yet unborn. That also reflects on the fact that our abandoning private morality to the degree we have has caused us to decide that the pursuit of each person's "personal truth" had blinded us to realizing that there is in fact but ONE truth; immutable, absolute, and forever unchanging, based in the moral codes that a sane society abandons at its peril. Future generations will, I believe, curse our personal and public recklessness, with perfect justification in doing so.
Part of the challenge is selarating out respect for differing opinions from simple pushback by those who rightly don't trust the purveyors of single-minded thinking. I trust vaccines in general, and I think of myself as a scientist. However, while I see why some people are reluctant to get the vaccine, I do not assume it is because they don't think vaccines work. It is because to endorse the vaccine means that one's position on vaccines being voluntary is obscured. If I think the vaccine works, it is assumed that I have no right to respect those who believe they are more vulnerable to side effects, and when I criticize mixed messages, I am accused of "misinformation," even though I am not the naked naked Emperor in the story.
When scientists insist on using contradictory information, they have no moral right to demand obeisance. It's not the caccine that is the mark of the beast, it's the whole package of demanding agreement and praise of evil.
Sadly, we're facing a similar challenge on the Christian front regarding virology that we faced with the Scopes Monkey Trial about evolution. We tend to have a belief that no one could possibly be correct from outside the church, or perhaps our immediate contacts within the Body, so we reject any argument out of hand without any actual thought or analysis.
Lesson Learned in Scopes Monkey Trial - don't bring a Bible to a legal forum where (pseudo)science is argued, even when opposition's (pseudo)science is considered inadmissible (as was done by Judge John Raulston). Clarence Darrow did a masterful job of dissecting William Jennings Bryan's literal Biblical arguments, not because he had better information, but because we brought a butter knife to a legal-minded gun fight. Assuming that fundamental beliefs would be blindly accepted in a legal trial against clever challenges brought by Darrow was short-sighted, and indeed, desirous in the long run.
Today, we may be facing a similar challenge in our fight with the (pseudo)science of Fauci. It is less a matter of faith and more a matter of critical thinking regarding the context of today's battle. What we must recall is that even our most faithful shepherds are still human, frail beings with presuppositions and proclivities despite the wisdom they dispense on a daily basis.
Some of us want the end times so badly that any other answer is unacceptable, even heretical. Some are willing to hold to specific interpretations of events described in Scripture and willfully reject any other thinking outright. An example: interpretation of the book of Revelation by Preterist vs. partial-Preterist vs. literal proponents. For those who are unfamiliar with these terms, look them up. As Christians, we should be more familiar with one another and our particular thoughts on theological items [BTW, this Revelation issue is really a "minor" rather than a "major" topic - they are different means of reading a difficult piece of Scripture from historical contexts, not something to divide churches over]. For us to be "One Body in Christ", it's important to know what hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc. all add to the the Body (I Cor. 12:12-26).
IMO, we Christians by-and-large refuse to be Berens lately. We cling to our interpretations rather than examining ALL of Scripture to ensure the historical context is not abandoned in the face of desired outcome. Do I WANT Jesus to come today? Absolutely! Does a vaccine usher in the Beast? We have no idea, though a careful examination of Revelation would reveal that the mark of the Beast is a voluntary and purposeful action indicating acceptance of the Ruler of this World and rejection of the LORD Himself. I purposefully follow Jesus, I also purposefully got the J&J vaccine, not because I am afraid of COVID for myself, but because my 82 year old mother-in-law lives in our house - smack dab in the middle of the target demographic. I do not have "faith" it is a cure (clearly it is, at best, a mitigation for known transmission mechanisms virologists identified, I have faith that God in His Sovereignty has provided current medical science an ability to help. It was wise for me to get the shot, examining the pros and cons, while watching for warnings from Scripture. There were none.
While all Believers look forward to that Day when we're with Him in person as well as spirit, hastening that day is not called for. I do not say the vaccine is the right thing for all to take, I do say examining both medical and Biblical rationale is wise for each of us.
More than any of this, I am angry that I missed my chance at Butts and Bourbon. Bummer!
Erick, I agree with all the scientific facts and conclusions about the left and I agree about most of what you said about Christians, but you are missing something. There is all this hype about the vaccine but hardly any communication about medical treatment. The vaccine works, that is great, but why should I be vaccinated when I already had Covid. Nobody wants to talk about treatment for a disease that is over 99% survivable. Now granted, it was not fun at all being sick, and I probably have long covid, but the vaccine is not treatment, at least not the only treatment nor the best treatment. Why don't you talk about the studies that show how people that have had covid are more resistant to covid of all strains. If it was any other disease, diabetes, Asma, cancer, Crohn's, HIV, Ebola, etc., we would be talking about treatment. We even have treatment for influenza as well as a vaccine. If I want to try the spirits and wait on the Lord, and not jump on the let's all get the vaccine wagon, it does not make me a crazy person. There is plenty of definite facts out there to make anyone skeptical of a vaccine that is not without some issues. Natural immunity should not be ignored and medical treatment for Covid-19 must take a greater place. Inevitably not everyone will be vaccinated, that is a fact, but we will still need a treatment. This will not be over, ever, just like influenza.
So what you’re saying is that CRT evangelists who actively preach and try to force Americans into embracing a godless, neo-Marxist belief system should be compared to people who question the long-term safety and effectiveness of a brand new vaccine? A drug still under emergency use authorization that has still not been fully approved by the FDA and which has no long-term studies of any kind because the longest anyone has had this drug in their system is 12 months. Fear, force and shame are the primary marketing techniques that CRT evangelists employ, and funny enough, they seem to be exactly the same ones that the proponents of the vaccine use as well.
I believe Paul was onto something there . . . that ancient thread of truth that runs back to Sinai, over Calvary and Mars Hill, through the city of seven hills, over the blue ocean into a new world to Plymouth to Costa Mesa and over the bigger ocean to fill the whole world with a path of righteousness that leads us out of darkness, beyond iniquity. . . to salvation and deliverance from this world of destructive behaviors.
So few realize that "all people" were once apart from God--even though they are part of the elect. Until one has a relationship with the person of truth, they are unable to measure what truth "is." While Chesterton wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue, he spoke clearly when he said (and I paraphrase here), "Rejecting the truth doesn't mean you can't say truthful things, it just means you believe untruthful ones." COVID was the shaking of our Christian culture, separating wheat from chaff. Only "those who endure"--remain, trust, have faith, hold to truth--will be saved.
The thing is that both the so-called "progressive church", in the form of most Mainline denominations, the cultural Evangelical church, and elements of the RCC spend so much time arguing over Romans 1:27-28 and Romans 1:22-23 in light of it, that they fail to take heed to the more practical application of Romans 1:22-23. Meaning, they have made such an idol of political activism and secularism, including opposition to secularism, that they do not realize that "professing themselves to be wise, they have become fools". While I direct this primarily towards the "progressive church", which I honestly believes is nothing more than old fashioned theological liberalism in the latest garb and as J. Gresham Machen said is an entirely different religion, most certainly cultural evangelicalism and cultural conservative Catholicism are not immune. Even historically orthodox Evangelicalism, including the Reformed Tradition, and historically orthodox Catholicism can, under the correct circumstances, exhibit such behavior, because of sin, something which all but the most orthodox (on core theological issues) of the progressives wish to deny the lingering corrupting power and influence of.
Thanks for the sermon this morning. I attempted to explain that very chapter of Romans to a family member recently. You did a much better job. Continue preaching, brother.
The whole of the US has gone insane
So good to read this. You probably have in mind conservative protestant anti vaccers but the trad catholic anti vax people are just as crazy.
Dale Ahlquist wrote a great essay recently about our times. Since AD33, Christians have thought Christ’s triumphant return would occur any minute now due to the wickedness of the world. How is is that we are confident in our being right in the face of our mothers & fathers being wrong about this for 2,000 years?
Yes, we think things are getting worse; but we fail to acknowledge that many things are getting better! Modern economic models technology, medicine have have ended quite a bit of suffering for “the poor, the oppressed, and the sick.”
The world has its false idols, but Christians have created false devils.
Thins are always getting better and always getting worse. And it has always been that way. Ahlquist notes, “[i]f the world is falling apart at its very foundation, take advantage of the earthquake and convert the guards.”
My response to all the hyperbole in news: pass the mustard, please.
Excellent - biblical world view provides great truth for all
I can see why people that are not of the gospel faith get caught up in conspiracy theories, but when “believers” get caught up in those things and push those things as truth, it gets me upset. How are we to preach the word of truth if we are caught up in “myths and endless genealogies?
Come on guys, get vaccinated and chill out.
There are a whole lot of us in between the two extremes you mentioned. I choose not to get the vaccine. I don't believe it is a vaccine for the sole purpose of some nefarious reason. I simply don't believe that it is proven safe enough for everyone and the lack of transparency is disturbing. The inventor of this type of vaccine finds it disturbing that the government is telling everyone to get it in spite of some serious side effects when the virus is not a threat to people under the age of 18 who do not have other serious health problems. For maybe even most people who are healthy, the virus is treatable and some doctors are treating it successfully. My 92 year old neighbor was treated and never spent a day in the hospital. This same expert says anyone with natural antibodies should not need the vaccine. Why are people being told to take the vaccine even if they have had covid. It is the rabid insistence from the government to vaccinate every human walking that makes people suspicious.