Sometimes evil men will fight for righteous causes.
In an ever-increasingly polarizing and tribalistic society, it's more important than ever to understand this. More than that, it's vital that we stand with God first rather than any tribe, movement, cause, church, or so on.
Read MoreYes, let's have a conversation about history and ethics. However, when we begin these historical and ethical conversations, our standard must always be the firm and the objective truth of God's Word. History is not our standard.
Read MoreIn a clear display of this sort of “tough guy” persona employing subjective and self-serving ethics, slavery is fine because Columbus is an Italian hero, or, to apply things to today, slavery isn’t a big deal because we have to react to those “woke” people. Either way, we are dealing with reactionary and autonomous ethics. Further, not only will we minimize and shrug off slavery, we will do so with faux-masculine aggression and caustic smugness.
Read MoreLately, this image has been shared all over social media along with a long historical explanation. The photo, allegedly, shows early 15th Century Irish slaves who were sold to English settlers in the Carrabian.
Read MoreDespite the fact that Juneteenth is formally recognized in 45 states, few people know about it. Most people do not know about it because it is largely a “black” holiday—of the blacks, by the blacks, and for blacks—and known only to the blacks. The only black holiday most people celebrate is Black Friday.
Read MoreOriginally preached June 5, 2016, at Christ Church Branch Cove in Odenville, AL, this sermon covers the sin of partiality from both the Old Testament and Acts 10 and then applies the ideas of scripture to both historical and current examples of societal partiality.
Read MoreIn a recent hot-take, libertarian pundit Larry Elder decries what he sees as liberal bias in Black History Month (BHM). He says, “Despite years of Black History Februarys, many know little to nothing about the vast role played by Arab and Muslim slavers in the African slave trade.” He asks, “Why Don’t They Teach About the Arab-Muslim Slave Trade in Africa?”
Read MoreIf there was a system of permanent slavery in Old Testament Israel -- and clearly there was (Lev. 25:44-46) -- then on what basis can the Christian today maintain that the abolitionists were morally correct in their vision, though not always with their tactics? Are we wiser than God was in the Old Testament? If the Reconstructionists' hermeneutic (principle of interpretation) is correct -- that Old Testament laws are still in force unless abrogated in the New Testament -- then how can we escape the accusation of being defenders of slavery? And if we cannot find such an "escape hatch", then how can anyone take seriously the hermeneutic of the Reconstructionists?
The answer is found in the proper understanding of the jubilee land tenure laws (Lev. 25), in the middle of which the Old Testament's permanent slave laws are found.
Read MoreI apologize for coming along a tad late on this post. Sometimes these days I feel like those people at the back of the parade who scoop up behind the horses. Problem is, when it comes to Douglas Wilson on the Southern slavery issue, we’re all much later than we think, and we need far more than a scoop.
Read MoreHistorical southern slavery indeed has some artificial and shallow similarities with Biblical slavery. No dispute there; after all, they are both often just called “slavery” with no qualification. But, brothers and sisters, do not be confused; they are not in the same category, even broadly speaking. Southern slavery, as it actually was, has as much to do with Biblical slavery as a righteous Leviticus 24:17 death penalty has to do with a thug murdering a woman in a random back alley. They are both a form of “killing,” but one is justice and leads to redemption, while the other is lawless, evil, and pure destruction.
Read MoreDespite continued denials and whitewashings by some today, one of the most upsetting aspects of American slavery was the tremendous support it found in churches and pulpits. Most churches, ministers, and conservative Christians in the South either actively or passively supported the system and rarely did anything to curtail its widespread abuses, even when those abuses sometimes surfaced among members of their own congregations. It is important that we acknowledge these truths as a baseline going forward.
Read MoreLest there be any confusion, no one has written more forcefully than myself opposing the state and statist, socialist programs, including public schools. Even if I were to be persuaded of a program for “reparations” …
Read MoreStubborn, pernicious evils are sometimes disguised by clever rhetorical tricks that conceal or seek to distract from the truth.
This was the case recently with the responses I received to an article I wrote a couple of weeks back critiquing Douglas Wilson who seems determined to improperly tie a commitment to biblical inerrancy to his peculiar views of US chattel slavery.
Read MoreFree Book!
It is among the most enduring myths of the American Civil War. Many pro-southern apologists continue to exonerate the South by saying the War was never about slavery but about tariffs.
Douglas really wants you to believe that if you don’t have a category for the “righteous” US chattel slave owner who should have been welcomed into Christian fellowship, you’re prone to heading away from biblical fidelity and tail spinning into to left-wing, liberal, la-la land.
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