The Fourth Way

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_tourInstagram: 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=8-3My Summary of "The Politics of Jesus": https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/politics-of-jesusJesus 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=8-1The 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewayfourth/?modal=admin_todo_tourInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theway4th/ The Historic Faith Courses: https://thehistoricfaith.com/ Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Pearl To those who know not life, our death is vainMoonshine muscled into our very soulsBut they can't see truth of what they disdainThese pearls in mud in which the pig wallows Ungulates can't know supernaturalNor can minds fathom the depths of the seaUnless God overcomes the rationalChanging dumb asses to talking donkeys To all those who have wisdom let them hearBefore us there stands a pearl of great priceTwo choices lay ahead, the first is fearSecond, sell all you have for Paradise Kingdoms of Earth and Gates of hell will failWhile 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 . Bu

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Jade In life the only certainty we getIs that death for each of us is assuredWe, like the gods, insure through jade rabbitOur destiny’s sufficiently ensured But pestle and mortar cannot concoctA cure for pestilence which mortifiesImpending doom, our sacred lives, defrocksAnd minds, in time, to lunacy it drives What can we prize in life's vap'rous glory?Truth - a lowly and humble parapetOur choice, to bay as beasts in furoreOr put truth into our pipes and smoke it Worry not for tomorrow is its ownAnd 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 pro

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Garnet Can eyes foresee what tattered lives bespeak?Can flesh give some of itself unto life?Or is our mind illumined by what's bleakAnd beings marred and with corruption rife? We see Noah light his path with GarnetA decent man with his family savedYet what came out of the maritime pitWas same broken humanity depraved As in Adam we all enter death’s barqueSo like him through one man we'll all be savedOne who embarked on Messianic ArcDefeated death with life inside the grave The one came from heaven and treasured EarthThat 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. Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Sapphire Blue collared workers work to pay the billsWhite collared workers work so they're not blueThe first, harbor of all our social illsSecond, enforcers of what is taboo Day will arrive when our Lord comes againRedeeming blues through SaturnaliaNo more wanting, no more a social planAll clothed with same Sapphired regalia Time is as fleeting as the passions areWhile future’s as sure as where our hope liesIn present, then, we each must work so hardEnsuring passions don’t our hope belie Until day our bridegroom comes to redeemWe 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 fickl

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Topaz The greed of gold borne in the soul aboundsA voice inside our heads which drives us madOur one goal, to control, always resoundsPride completing endogenous dyad Wealth makes it all too easy to be smugAnd become a bad friend like EliphazOr even worse, wealth fabricates humbugMaking God a servant to our topaz So heed the words of him with golden mouthNever allow complacency to setFor our God is the Lord of SabaothBefore whom one day all knees will be bent Give your gifts now with generosityAnd 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 unpa

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/474580298630430751War 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.htmlHumorous Recap of Document Release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEgbIUWWAJQ&t=9sCivilian 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=Lo1u1HJqF4AMore 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=8-4On 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=8-1The 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=8-1Killing 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=1-1War 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=1-1War 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=1-1Steel 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-catcorrA 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1RubyRuby reds begin to cloud my visionHot emotions flood the depths of my soulHateful thoughts transform mind into prisonFrom reign of vengeance ne'er a caracole Only blood can satiate my fierce thirstAnother's oblation to the divineOnly when gods have exacted their worstWill peaceful ones like me no more repine But bloodletting's always unrelentingNever enough blood to cure or preventAs one whose life is the ultimate thingCan never from their self-int'rest repent Only security that we can know'sWillingness 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

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Diamond On ancient day upon which Adam fellTears of fallen gods rained down like diamondsTheir laughter deigned to men unto flood's swellA flash of wrath against sounding sirens Harsh judgment once befell those rebelliousSave for those who had faith in ark of woodSame salvation holds true for those todayWho hark in faith him who in their place stood But warnings stand for those refusing beckThose who do not confess all they've done wrongFor they who seek to judge another's speckWill fail to rise and meet perfection's slog Let words spoken be as soft as they're trueOr 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

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Emerald Erin, fair maiden whom all do admireWielding a power few will ever knowPower to allure all harbored desirePower to smite with a look, all her foes But Erin's fair beauty was taken whenMen in God's image inverted His planObjectifying others, which thereinMoulded their God in the image of man Now rest your eyes not upon Erin's breastNor upon that which you think she could giveJust rest your eyes upon that which attestsYour equal stands before you and God lives Rest weary eyes upon this emeraldAnd 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.

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_tourYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTd3KlRte86eG9U40ncZ4XA?view_as=subscriberInstagram: 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-abortionSBC Resolution on Moral Character of Public Officials: https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/resolution-on-moral-character-of-public-officials/?fbclid=IwAR2P4IvzERIZi2SXycSnQavYY5neip_FO91QsgGfvWpkDf_Ok7oBj9KszlURay Comfort's "180" Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwIPhil Vischer's abortion video: https://youtu.be/RvWD7ykNjCcOther 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-vulnerableOther 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Amethyst The rage of red will rails against the wrongWhile banality to blue will's bequeathedThe first seeks to cut short another's songLatter never incisiveness unsheathes But when bled together, these reds and bluesA royal color's beckoned to come forthMajestic depth construed in purple huesDominion comes through sobriety's force A sober-minded one will never hateNor allow good opportunity missedFor sobriety sees as clear as dayCutting through the fog as does amethyst The one given to strong drink or passionsNever 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. Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Turquoise In past fire rained down from the heavensGod's judgment administered to the damnedCoals of fire only way to God's presenceTo law, judgment, and pain God didst remand But no asceticism like Tolstoy'sCould ever protect or deliver usAnd even totem of heavn'ly turquoiseBecomes debased as sin effloresces Where then can we look for our pirouzeh?We look to him whose eyes are flaming fireAnd patiently await ParousiaWhen Son of Man exacts all that's required With confident boldness we now then praySeeking 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

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Amber Desert browns, palette formed where there's no rainA sign of lifelessness and compromiseSame for those amidst amber waves - the grainWhere life and living are dichotomized But God made us, when we're rubbed up againstTo polarize ourselves in shocking waysNot to build and electrify a fenceBut attract opposites with our displays So build your city high upon a hillA Kingdom outpost, not a nation-stateFor true citizenship can't be distilledAs salt's no longer salt without its taste Flavor and brightness should draw others inBut 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 o

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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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=8-1Onyx Words our minds hear are often left unsaidEnlightened thoughts only see light of nightDivorced from ideal, to cynic wedOur grounded beings never taking flight In painful world most seek only pleasureJuxtaposed lives, like black and white onyxLiving subjectively in great measureThose who seek to find life in cryonics But facing life means not avoiding painAs we defend the clean from the besmirchedWith courage we retreat from the inaneTo battle fallen demons who are perched Christ's illocution is not vacuousThe 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 ha

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 rationalityStanding partially on reason’s leg, to support desire’s partialityBut of desire, why condemn it so? This, nature’s guide to truth.For survival, reason validates these means and ends that we intuitYet at moments my intuitions falter, as I see my fallible humanityUntil I’m brought back to reason’s side, guided by infallible HumityI’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 freeI 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 humanityIf 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 utilizeWe 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 inconvenienceWe also need not apply personhood to this group, these dejected who are so like usTo subjectively choose some objective ground to define humanity so it includes usSo 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-ter

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-catcorrA 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=8-6My 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=8-2Richard Rohr's "Sermon on the Mount": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A0IASQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_uOXEFbGCN7ASQDallas 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/ Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=1-1Thanksgiving 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=8-1Legacy of Ashes: https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-of-Ashes-The-History-of-the-CIA/dp/0307389006/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8America 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0802816150/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=anatomy+of+a+hybrid&qid=1578024564&sr=8-1Dan 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_logoChomsky "Why They Hate the West:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7HqfqtlueI&t=156sChomsky "How to Create a Terrorist:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708pvp0E9dI Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0802816150/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=anatomy+of+a+hybrid&qid=1578024564&sr=8-1Dan 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.htmlBelgic Confession Article 36: https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/belgic-confessionLynching of Jesse Washington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Jesse_WashingtonJustice Department Lawyer defends inhumane treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZwca4rEWc&feature=youtu.be Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/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=8-3Victories 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/ Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/PCA Position paper on nuclear weapons: https://web.archive.org/web/20190303185338/http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/1-439.pdfWhy Civil Resistance Works: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820Gene Sharp: https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Sharp/s?k=Gene+SharpGun 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/ Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/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=8-2Hauerwas 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/10098368War and the American Difference: https://www.amazon.com/War-American-Difference-Theological-Reflections/dp/0801039290 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 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=8-2War 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 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-----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-0wA 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=1Behind the Bastards Podcast on Soleimani (explicit language): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?i=1000461883289War 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-invadedAmerica's assassination in the Congo: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jan/17/patrice-lumumba-50th-anniversary-assassinationTuskegee Experiment: https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-studyForced Eugenics of Minorities: https://today.duke.edu/2020/07/new-paper-examines-disproportionate-effect-eugenics-nc%E2%80%99s-black-populationJesse Washington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiyQFG6uHggTorture 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=1sPhilippine Genocide: https://britsinthephilippines.top/philippines-genocide-3-million-filipinos-killed/Children in the Civil Right's Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCxE6i_SzoQOta Benga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKgDugiQh4Zinned Project on obscured history: https://www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our-history/Chomsky on Haiti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVVRoWxFB1s&t=2698sChomsky on U.S. Imperialism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PdJ9TAdTdA&t=1028sTrail of Tears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SosZ2ZRJymUBuck vs. Bell Forced Sterilization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZQkCSuXZ0UAmerica 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-EbD56NCZMForced Sterilization Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3_c9pZ4SKcForced Sterilization of Immigrants in 2020: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/14/ice-detainees-hysterectomies-medical-neglect-irwin-georgiaThe 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=8-3Cornel West's "Democracy Matters:" https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Matters-Winning-Against-Imperialism/dp/B0009JON0U/ref=sr_1_1?d...

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/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=8-2Killing 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=8-1The 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 --------(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-goodRomans 13 Part 2: The Practical: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13-part-2Episode 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-familyEpisode 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-practicalBonhoeffer Episode 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/se3-bonhoefferBonhoeffer Episode 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/47-se5-bonhoeffer-pacifist-or-assassin Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

**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.htmAmong 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).------------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 article on the double standard and slectivity of conservative, moral legislation: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/economic-pornography-and-pet-sinsJerry 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=ampSex Partners and Activity: https://ifstudies.org/blog/nine-decades-of-promiscuityTrend of Poverty and Adoption: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/us/abortion-access-inequality.htmlAbortion Rate by Country: https://bedbible.com/abortion-statistics/ 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-statesCDC Abortion Stats: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/index.htmAbortion and Race Trends: http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/usa_abortion_by_race.htmlPhil Vischer on abortion causes and cures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWD7ykNjCc&feature=youtu.be Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 ***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-107133The 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=8-1The 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 compromisedOne 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=8-1Revolution 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=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUVZOQlVWQUhGSklOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzM5MzgxTTU5SDBXSURKRlVOJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMzY3NDRTQzhRWTU0Njk5NFEmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVlA 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_JdoYoUqFlPH78UZokykrlr4reUpQt3VYpWDtlj0N29jhWoGUq3oSH55qWnPELjR8dRMsBxOO1j6-5MZSqJJNxsFsm7VVjo0iwKcM5MLr8hhHWSacvgWAClJodGRScene 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.htmlFormer 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.

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-churchThe Dropbox Film: https://dropbox.focusonthefamily.ca/ Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-1Compilation of peer-reviewed and other literature on ectopic pregnancies: http://www.personhoodinitiative.com/ectopic-personhood.htmlSuccessful transplant of an ectopic pregnancy example: https://www.ajog.org/article/0002-9378%2890%2990794-8/pdfMisdiagnosed ectopic pregnancies: https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2013/10/11/ectopic-pregnancy-misdiagnosed-methotrexateBrief 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-1Links 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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/10098368Chomsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRbnPA3fd5U&t=376sKilling 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=8-1War 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=8-1On 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=8-1While 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. Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-1Tomlinson's Abortion Conundrum: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/man-pro-choice-question-anti-abortion-argument-human-embryos-five-year-old-a8016671.htmlConsequentialism Series on Altruism: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-heart-of-compromiseA 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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.htmlA great discussion on the violinist argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGPudL_GQ3Y&feature=youtu.be Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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_logoA great discussion on the violinist argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGPudL_GQ3Y&feature=youtu.beGreg Kokul's "Unstringing the Violinist:" https://www.str.org/articles/unstringing-the-violinist Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

[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. ---2. 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). ---3. 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. ---4. 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 ch

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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-1Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismJust Mercy: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Mercy-story-justice-redemption/dp/1912854791/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=bryan+stevenson&qid=1585871230&sr=8-14The 13th Documentary: https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=U523DF&PC=U523&q=the+13th+documentaryThe Racist History of the Religious Right and Conservative Evangelicalism: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133Abortion 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-issueCornel 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=8-1Black 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=8-2God 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

*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=8-1Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismA 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-kj1dN37sxBUPjffKwZCk1vi0dREDemocrat 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=socialLiberty University and Falwell: https://www.washingtonpost.com/Falwell continue classes: https://www.businessinsider.com/jerry-falwell-jr-suggests-coronavirus-is-plot-to-hurt-trump-2020-3Governer 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--w7wW6gwu2o9UFOX Hype and Changing Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DmW_H4U-MI&t=145sFox 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-lotsGeorgia 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-e9335ae7d8a1Florida Church Ignores Guidelines: https://www.fox13news.com/news/tampa-megachurch-crowded-with-worshipers-despite-social-distancing-ordersAnother 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-PATHChristians and Conspiracy Theories: https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/april/christians-and-corona-conspiracies.html?fbclid=IwAR0BFQWYb4Y-UUiWzugAlCC7hbwr7EF2bYIySoVwCn6zv82rh5EW5QM7KR0Sacrificing God - my blog discussing the moral inconsistency of our response to COVID and our response to moral compromise in politics:

*around 59:30 I intend to say prostitution is a secular endeavor, not a sacred oneA 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=8-1Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismBonhoeffer 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=8-1Summary of Bonhoeffer's Case: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/was-bonhoeffer-willing-to-killInterview 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%5EtfwPablo Yoder Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo&t=1sVictories Without Violence: https://www.amazon.com/Victories-Without-Violence-Ruth-Fry/dp/0943734061/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1578896183&sr=8-2The 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 interpretatio

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=8-1Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismBonhoeffer 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=8-1Great 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/10094798Summary of Bonhoeffer's Case: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/was-bonhoeffer-willing-to-killInterview with Bonhoeffer Scholar: https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/no-dietrich-bonhoeffer-didnt-try-to-kill-adolph-hitler/ Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-1Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismBonhoeffer 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=8-1Great 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/10094798Summary of Bonhoeffer's Case: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/was-bonhoeffer-willing-to-killInterview 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 Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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=8-1Various reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismPeter's Betrayal Wasn't Cowardice: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/peters-denial-wasnt-cowardice Thanks to our monthly supporters J Phillip Mast Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★