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On April 11, 2024 By In Culture

The New Right in Brazil and the X Files

I have received a few inquiries about the Brazilian political climate. This example helps illustrate my point.

We planted a church in southern Brazil several years ago, pastored by Evandro Rosa. At that time, I had separated myself from the Brazilian political discourse, spending most of my attention on American dialogues.

But going back to minister to that little flock resurrected my interests. This was before Bolsonaro came into the scene. We were enjoying local beer at a men’s gathering when I naively inquired which political parties in Brazil favored a small government. I remembered everyone’s faces. I had asked something that did not compute. I had been used to seeing republican politicians at least propose the idea of limited government. Still, Brazil had been heavily under the control of socialistic leadership for decades, and the contrast wasn’t between big and small but between Big and Bigger governments.

That trajectory has undoubtedly changed in the last 5-7 years. The rise of Bolsonaro (the tropical Trump) brought a new fervor for conservative politics. The American investment in libertarian and conservative work in Brazil was finally paying off, and a more patriotic brand emerged, one that showed concern for the well-being of its own people and who saw that governments work best when they show restraint and promote the good of the people by unshackling itself from leftist ideologies and pursuing freer societies.

One of the most inspiring aspects of this political transformation is the rise of young politicians like Nikolas (see the viral view in the comment section). These dynamic individuals are not just taking over various seats once occupied by career statists but also challenging the status quo with their fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. Their immense support from the Brazilian people is a testament to the growing appetite for change and a brighter future in Brazilian politics.

As we witness this exciting transformation in Brazilian politics, let us stand in solidarity with these young politicians and their tribes. May their numbers increase, and may their efforts continue to shape a future that aligns with our shared conservative values.

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On April 10, 2024 By In Culture

The Anxious Generation and the Problem of Blame-Shifting

We are now encountering what Jonathan Haidt calls the “anxious generation.” Emergency room visits for self-harm rose by 48% among boys. Among adolescent boys, the suicide rate rose by 91%. These astronomical numbers reveal something about our time. This radical shift took place only in the last decade.

We cannot doubt that lockdowns paralyzed much of the manly impulse to have adventures. That isolated existence- which many of us refused to accept- also gave young men the sense that the world needed to function according to their desires and passions. Yes, that season impels young men to create reality according to their image and likeness. So, what happens when the world does not reply affirming you or your existence? What happens when the first negative Instagram comment about your looks depletes you of any wish to live? Is that normal? Does it explain the psychology of anxiety?

Another piece of this anxious generation manifests through various forms of animosity, which has become a common thread in a disenchanted world. When people lose their sense of the holy, they make sociological determinations about places and people. In other words, they disenchant them to feel enchanted. People shift their woes to systems and people groups to validate their existence and purpose. If you can do this successfully, you don’t have to analyze your role in the babelic nature of the anxious environment you have created for yourself.

Of course, I am not saying that evildoers get a pass. They don’t and shouldn’t. But I am saying that this perpetual blame-shifting ritual quickly becomes an addictive cycle. The more one views the world’s woes through this lens, the easier it is to find massive scapegoats to alleviate our people’s political and social sins or our own. There will always be culprits to soothe our anxious hearts.

In this paradigm, we can live reactionarily, passing out guilt cards to everyone else and every people group but ourselves. This absolves us of our mistakes, allowing us to continue without responsibility. Then, our mistakes can be atoned for and absolved by those who regurgitate the same priestly language. “It’s their fault” is not a 21st slogan. It is as old as midday in the Garden of Eden, and it’s time we break this cycle.

This model chooses a seatbelt society specializing in safety but never giving heed to the adventure of responsibility. It’s a self-sabotage that endangers our ways and our capacity to make sense of the world around us. We are an anxious generation, and only placing our sins at the feet of the cross will heal our heavy hearts.

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On April 6, 2024 By In Culture

Machen’s Educational Prophecies

Machen was the kind of prescient prophet who saw and interpreted the times. He was a time reader whose tea leaves consisted of cultural analysis steeped in a tasty and unadulterated biblical vision. It’s one thing to call things as we see them, but it’s another to look ahead and see where they are going. He observed in “Education, Christianity, and the State,”

“I can see little consistency in a type of Christian activity which preaches the Gospel on the street corners and at the ends of the Earth, but neglects the children of the covenant by abandoning them to a cold and unbelieving secularism.”

The 20th-century Princetonian argued that there was an evangelistic zeal that pushed the claims of Jesus to the public sphere but then pushed the pagan sphere to our homes through the means of our children.

But the Christian ideal is to prepare and send out. It is not to allow secular voices to transmit them to their newly minted human voicepieces.

Covenant children require Christian education because our zeal needs to be matched outside and inside our homes. We train within to push our gardens without. We do not bring sterile materialism into our homes through the indoctrination of our offspring.

This form of inconsistency pushes our children to be the very ones to whom we will direct our evangelism later on. They will eventually find themselves antagonizing their fathers’ message. But there is a better way. Listen to Machen.

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On March 31, 2024 By In Culture

Biden, Transgenderism, and Easter Morn

Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! Hallelujah!

Today, the Christian Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The alliances between political and religious powers in the first-century could not maintain the body of the Lord imprisoned in a tomb. He trampled down death, and death’s sting was a victim of its own poison.

Christians affirm that there is no greater turning point in history than Jesus’s bodily resurrection and vindication. He is the alpha and omega of time; in him, we live, move, and have our being. Human beings can only exist in harmony with the created order with the explicit acknowledgment that the risen Lord of Glory embeds himself in history to redeem history and incorporate his historical imager-bearers into a renewed heavens and earth. This eschatological vision is true because the tomb of Jesus required no permanent guardians after the third day.

Since the resurrection, both political and religious figures have sought to undermine this truth by de-historicizing the empty tomb, psychologizing the victory of our Lord, and spiritualizing the bodily vindication of the Messiah. Due to their rejection, they have placed their faith in false resurrections meant to minimize their distortions of reality. These twisted assertions (Rom. 1) come from pagan rulers in all spheres of society, and it has come once more from the sitting president of our nation in a proclamation made on Easter morn. Whereas such blasphemous statements have been made in the past, they take on an even more gruesome status on Easter Sunday. Such symbolic action intends to take away the Christian imperative to feast before the risen Lamb of God and to provoke God’s people on its most jubilant day,

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility,” President Biden wrote in a Friday statement. “I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.”

While there is much to consider, I would like to make two observations on the travesty of this proclamation:

First, much is required of those in authority. The President of the United States has consistently articulated a vision contrary to God’s purposes for the American people. He is, by definition, an apostate who must receive all the ensuing sanctions unless he repents. God gives his authority, and the failure to promote the good will manifest itself in his own judgment on the last day.

Second, Biden’s use of language calls on Americans to “lift up the lives” of transgender people. The language of “lifting up” is a co-opting of Christian vocabulary. It is used for the crucifixion of Jesus (Jn. 8:28) and later for his ascension (Acts 1:9). The President uses distinct language to communicate a substitutionary theory. Instead of Jesus living and dying and rising for us, the transgender community functions as substitute lambs for his political cause. In Biden’s world, we need false victims to redeem us from our sins.

Christians, therefore, rightly reject any political proclamation that defames the Lordship of the Risen King and demand with greater boldness that the nations of the earth submit to his rule and laws.

We affirm that one authority overrides all earthly authorities and that only one was lifted up for our salvation and risen for our justification—the man Christ Jesus.

Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! Hallelujah!

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On March 31, 2024 By In Culture

How God Became King: Resurrection

God created man in his image, giving him dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts, and everything that creeps on the earth. The man was ordained to rule the beasts.

The serpent was wiser than any other beast of the field, but he was one of the beasts of the field. The man was to rule the serpent. Instead, the man submits to the serpent, allowing the serpent to have dominion over him. When Yahweh God comes for his inspection, discovering what the man has done, he clothes the man in the skin of a beast. Clothing the man in beast skin is a grace that covers the man’s sin, but there is another dimension to it. The man has become beastly. He is under the dominion of the beast. The world is upside down. Adam needs a son to set things right, a man who will do what he failed to do and take dominion over the beast.

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On March 23, 2024 By In Culture

Behold, the King Cometh!

Photo courtesy pexels.com

Holy week. “Behold the King comes!” But he rides into Jerusalem not in a chariot or on a charger but on the foal of a donkey. He is lowly and gentle. He is rightly hailed as King, but first he must win the throne. He will win it not by obvious victory but by what seems like defeat. He will enter and plunder the house of Hades from the inside. Giving himself willingly into the jaws of Death, he will subdue the Grim Reaper and make man’s mortal enemy the King’s vanquished slave.

Christ conquers his foes not as the heroes and tyrants of this world do. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God. It is a spiritual conflict, one that cannot be won by swords, bows, and cannon. Faith, humility, prayer, obedience, perseverance, worship: these are the tools of Christ’s conquest. They are the weapons by which Christ prevailed then and his disciples continue to slay their enemies now.

Every Lord’s Day the Church announces yet again that the King has come and is coming again. We proclaim his death in the memorial of the Eucharist. We celebrate his resurrection in our sung prayers and in the assurance of our justification. We receive his word with joy knowing it comes from the Master who rules over all of his and our enemies, who will subdue all of creation someday, the Lord who has become our Savior and who now calls us his friends.

The Jews were not wrong to expect the Messiah to be a King, but they were wrong in how they expected his kingdom to begin and what they expected it to look like. Evangelicals are not wrong to expect that Jesus’ kingdom is otherworldly, but they are wrong in what they often interpret that otherworldliness to mean. There is a political dimension to the kingdom of God, but it is not politics as usual. Christ’s kingdom began with a crown of thorns, not of gold; on a cross, not a throne; and with a procession from the open tomb, not in a splendid palace erected by men. But do not miss the fact that this is a kingdom, the kingdom that will outlast and supersede all the kingdoms of men in this present world. It is ruled by a King who is righteous, powerful, and merciful, a King full of wisdom, truth, and grace. We have never seen another king like Jesus, but one day every true king will bow the knee to their High King, Christ the Lord.

This Lord’s Day is historically celebrated by the Church as Palm Sunday. The crowds that met Jesus as he came into Jerusalem carried palm leaves and laid them, as well as their outer cloaks, on the road, a path made not of red carpet but redemptive-historical symbols and the kind of honor only honest, humble, common men can give. Like the crowd that day, we will shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord!” Save us, Lord, for the King has come, the long-awaited Messiah has arrived, and he brings a kingdom of grace and the glory of salvation in his train for the blessing and joy of his people.

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On March 21, 2024 By In Culture

Postmillennialism: A Biblical Approach; A Response to Jeremy Sexton

Guest Post by Rev. Ralph Smith

Jeremy Sexton, a fellow minister in the CREC and a man whom I count as a friend, has written an article titled “Postmillennialism: A Biblical Critique.”a Sexton’s work on another subject, Biblical chronology, is truly helpful, in my opinion.b However, what he offers as a “Biblical Critique” of postmillennialism, in my opinion, falls far short of his title. With respect to his eschatology, Sexton’s most basic problem, as I see it, is that he misses the forest for the trees. With scholarly attention, he concentrates on details — many of which seem less than relevant — while missing the big picture. I believe that only the postmillennial view does justice to the larger framework of the Drama of History in the Bible, fitting into the Biblical worldview.

In response to Sexton, three issues in particular are important. One, there is a “preterist mood” in the entire New Testament that is typically misunderstood and misinterpreted. Two, the Great Commission defines a program for this age, the age that began with Jesus’ resurrection and ascension and ends with His second coming. Three, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 outlines the Biblical view of history — the metanarrative from Adam to the second coming of Christ that depends upon the vision defined by the Great Commission. 

I. The Preterist Mood of the New Testament

The first book of the New Testament to be written was almost certainly the Gospel of Matthew and it was probably written in 30 AD. Following James Jordan,c I have argued for this in other places —— so I will not here repeat the arguments for that view.d But, in the essay footnoted, I argue that the fact that the Gospel of Matthew is very early, widely distributed, and profoundly influential in the apostolic church is one of the most important issues in understanding the apostolic era.

In Matthew’s Gospel, there are five discourses or sermons — the Sermon on the Mount (5-7), the Mission Discourse (10), Parables of the Kingdom (13), Instruction about the Church (18), the Olivet Discourse (23-25). There is very little parallel in Mark for the Sermon on the Mount and Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, though it has much material similar to the Sermon on the Mount, which was given at a different time and place.e The Mission Discourse and the parables of the kingdom find some parallel in Mark and Luke. The instruction about the church finds little parallel in Mark and Luke. 

The Olivet Discourse, however, is largely repeated in Mark and Luke and all three synoptic Gospels include the important words: “Amen, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:34-35; Mark 13:30-31; Luke 21:32-33). Jesus spoke these words in AD 30. If the wilderness generation of Israelites provides us with a good Biblical model for understanding a “generation” — and I think it does — then Jesus was saying that “all these things” will “take place” by AD 70. In saying that the generation would not pass away, He did not define the year exactly, so there is some ambiguity about the timing, but the limit — this generation — is clear. 

Thus, Jesus’ most well-known sermon set the eschatological “mood” for the first generation of Christians.f  The apostolic church was the church of the Olivet Discourse, waiting for Jesus to come in judgment against Jerusalem and the temple. Ezekiel, the “son of man” prophetg before the coming of Nebuchadnezzar, denounced the evil of his generation and predicted the destruction of the temple in 586 BC. The Son of Man, Jesus, was a prophet like Ezekiel, exposing the sins of His generation and predicting God’s coming judgment on Jerusalem and the temple. Though heaven and earth would pass away, Jesus’ prophetic condemnation of His generation would not pass away. It was burned into the minds and hearts of the apostolic generation.

Therefore, New Testament epistles speak repeatedly of Jesus’ imminent coming. Paul, Peter, John and all the leaders of that day not only had Jesus’ words in mind, but taught their churches to watch and pray for the coming judgment on Jerusalem, warning the churches as Jesus Himself had warned the disciples that Christians would face tribulation and persecution so severe that the love of many would grow cold (Matthew 24:9-12). Though no one knew the day or hour, early Christians counting from 30 AD knew as the years went by that the end was approaching rapidly. 

Peter’s two epistles, for example, were written specifically to strengthen Christians who would soon see the fulfillment of Jesus’ most concrete prophecy, a prophecy that publicly demonstrated His Messianic credentials.h  Note: for us, the language Peter and others use may sound like “end-of-history” language but it is not. Though, yes — the end of the old covenant era was, in one sense, an end of history, the end of a long era of history “in Adam.” That is why Jesus and the apostles use language that sounds to us like they are speaking of the end of earth history. The end of any covenantal era is a major turning point in history and “an end” that typologically points to “the end,” This is most especially true of the judgment in AD 70, because it was the end of the old world in Adam. Thus, the New Testament atmosphere of eschatological anticipation was not anticipation of the final end of earth history. Rather it is anticipation of the fulfillment of Jesus’ words, Jesus’ imminent coming to judge Jerusalem and the temple, bringing a full end to the old covenant era, including its structures, symbols, and ordinances.

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  1.  All quotations from Sexton come from “Postmillennialism: A Biblical Critique” in Themelios 48.3 (2023): 552–72.  (back)
  2.  See: Jeremy Sexton, “Who Was Born When Enosh Was 90?  A Semantic Reevaluation of William Henry Green’s Chronological Gaps” in WTJ vol. 77, (2015): pp. 193-218 and “Evangelicalism’s Search For Chronological Gaps in Genesis 5 and 11: A Historical, Hermeneutical, and Linguistic Critique” in JETS 61.1 (2018): pp. 5-25.  (back)
  3.  James B. Jordan, “Chronology of the Gospels” in Biblical Chronology Vol. 4, No. 12 December, 1992.   (back)
  4.  https://theopolisinstitute.com/dating-matthew-1/ https://theopolisinstitute.com/dating-matthew-2/. https://theopolisinstitute.com/matthew-the-tax-collector/ https://theopolisinstitute.com/conversations/rethinking-the-dates-of-the-new-testament/  (back)
  5.  I agree with J. C. Ryle, who wrote: “The discourse of our Lord, which we have now begun, resembles, in many respects, His well-known Sermon on the Mount. The resemblance, in fact, is so striking, that many have concluded that St. Luke and St. Matthew are reporting one and the same discourse, and that St. Luke is giving us, in an abridged form, what St. Matthew reports at length. There seems no sufficient ground for this conclusion. The occasions on which the two discourses were delivered, were entirely different. Our Lord’s repetition of the same great lesson, in almost the same words, on two different occasions, is nothing extraordinary. It is unreasonable to suppose that none of His mighty teachings were ever delivered more than once.” J. C. Ryle, Luke Volume 1: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels.  (back)
  6.  For an extended commentary on the Olivet Discourse, see James B. Jordan, Matthew 23-25: A Literary, Historical, and Theological Commentary (Powder Springs, GA: The American Vision, Inc., 2022).  (back)
  7.  Ezekiel is called “son of man” over 90 times in his book. When Jesus calls himself “Son of Man,” He is clearly identifying Himself as a prophet like Ezekiel. Perhaps the disciples missed it when He was with them, but after Pentecost, reflecting back on the Olivet Discourse, they must have learned why He used that expression.  (back)
  8.  See Peter J. Leithart, The Promise of His Appearing: An Exposition of Second Peter (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2004).  (back)

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On March 9, 2024 By In Culture

The Centrality of Daily Worship

Photo courtesy pexels.com

There never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done. Most of us have a lot on our to-do list and our wish-to-do list. Those things are not unimportant, even if they may sometimes seem to be. Whether it is a mundane chore or a major project that will revolutionize the world, those daily, weekly, and yearly tasks are a means of Christian fruitfulness that brings glory to our Lord. But the primary work we are made for is the activity we may be most likely to neglect when other duties are pressing upon us. We were made to worship, whatever else we have been gifted and called to do in this world.

Worship is primary. It is the basic human function. Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all (Ecc. 12:13). Human beings are literally made to work and pray. As important as the rest of our ordinary labors are—and they are very important—everything flows from and returns to God’s altar. We pray that we may work, and we return from our work to give thanks for what has been done. Rightly understood, all the activities in our lives are an exercise of worship (Rom. 12:1). Our daily activities are not the same as the explicit and formal worship we offer in the hours of prayer: our private devotions, family worship, and the Church’s corporate assemblies. But God is praised, nonetheless. We are to approach all of our tasks with gratitude to God for his mercy and goodness to us and do whatever we do to the glory of his Name.

Nevertheless, when busyness overtakes us, we are most likely to neglect the worshipful aspect of our lives. There is no time for morning prayer and Scripture reading—we have too much to do! We cannot take time to meditate gratefully on God’s gift of our labor—we are too consumed by trying to get it done so that we can move on to something else! Work spills over into the Lord’s Day, we become cranky and resentful, and rather than glorifying God we dishonor him by neglecting that which is of first importance (Lk. 10:41-42) and by working with a selfish and ungrateful attitude.

The Lord’s Day begins the week on the right note, with the proper frame of mind. We work from grace, not for it. Unlike our Jewish fathers prior to the coming of Christ, our week begins with rest rather than culminating in it. The joy and peace of redemption accomplished and applied forms the foundation of our weekly labor. We labor not in messianic anticipation but with the joy of those who belong to the Regeneration. We know that Christ is on his throne, ruling us, defending us, interceding for us, and overcoming all of his and our enemies. We begin the week by worshiping around the throne of our glorious Lord, and as we are sent forth in the benediction and commission so that worship spills out into the world, driving away the darkness and filling creation with the knowledge of the glory of God.

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On February 13, 2024 By In Culture

A Shrove Tuesday Homily

Shrove Tuesday is a glorious excuse to feast like the Hebrews, swim in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory guilt-free, and do what hobbits were made to: have a second breakfast. Christians should be notoriously bold about eating, and they should be notoriously known for getting together to eat. As a matter of fact, eating together is the virtue that toppled empires. While the Egyptians ate at elaborate banquets, God sent locusts to consume and eat their banquets. Of course, God will not allow competing parties in his world. If they attempt to compete for Banquet Hosts, God will consume them.

So, how do we enter into God’s banquet? Where do I RSVP? The requirement for entrance to this banquet is not acute taste buds or a culinary degree; it is the badge of love. “Better a dinner of herbs with love, than a fatted calf with hatred and disobedience,” says the Lord.

In our evangelical attempts to outdo the ascetic movement, we often talk timidly about the extra slice of pizza we had, or we say even apologetically, “I sure ate a lot last night!” But in the Bible, apologies about eating can seem outright tasteless. We don’t have to dig too far in the Bible to see that the idea of “fatness” carefully considered is a good thing. For example, the word “anointing” means to “make fat.” The Hebrew word Dashen means to be fat, grow fat, and become fat.

In fact, Psalm 23, a favorite to many, uses that precise language. In Hebrew, it reads: “You fatten my head with oil and my cup overflows.” Shrove Tuesday is an additional opportunity to criticize our sensitivities, wash away the grammar of cultural pietism, and embrace the fatty bacon like a gift from God.

God is not stingy about butter, and under ordinary conditions, as Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit, children of the living God should ask for a double portion of pancakes.

And this leads me to my final point in this brief but fat-filled exhortation, and that is that we only abuse the gift of food when we forget that food is a blessing to a forgiven community. Unrepentant communities don’t know how to eat correctly, and as a result, their food is merely consumed and not celebrated.

On the other hand, the Church’s table is good and right and wholesome and beneficial because it is covered by the blood of God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ. Jesus was food for us, and now we eat the food of the table with the hearts of forgiven saints. Solomon says, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” The mercy of confession is what makes food glorious and delicious.

Tomorrow, we are going full-steam into a 40-day culture of repentance. For many, this will mean fasting and meditating and focusing in greater detail on our lack of gratitude for the gifts of God. We have eaten without understanding, communed without confession, watched without discernment, entertained ourselves without the table, and found refuge in feeble fortresses made by human hands. We have rebuked our children for their lack of love while we have been unloving to our spouses and our own children.

We have 40 days to flesh this out, but tonight, eat well, laugh goodly, and love your neighbor like God loved the fat of the lambs in Israel’s sacrifices. Don’t be shy! Jesus gave his life for the abundant table we share tonight!

Let us pray:

O, Lord, how beautiful these last days have been! Prepare us now on this last day of Epiphany for the gifts of your table. When we forget you, we forget life itself; therefore, give us the fat of Israel’s sacrifices, yay more, give us the fulfillment of Israel’s sacrifices, Jesus himself. For the riches of Solomon’s house and the banquets of Pensacola do not come close to the glory of the marriage Supper of the Lamb. As we stand at the end of Epiphany and the entrance gate to the Lenten Season, may our hearts long for the kneeling bench of forgiveness, the peaceful ethos of a clean conscience, and the benediction of a loving God. Cleanse our hearts that we may eat as unto the Lord and may live as unto the Lord, for we pray unto the Lord of forgiveness who declares our hands clean to eat and drink, amen!

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On February 13, 2024 By In Culture

Does Politics Have any Place on the Pulpit? How to Speak to Kings 101

One of the issues that has presented itself to the Christian Church, especially in the last 100 years, is the problem of politics and the pulpit. It was an issue in Bonhoeffer’s day as the Church, especially Christian pastors, went quiet on major cultural-political issues out of fear of being deemed “too political.” This is a problem in the American Church just as it was in the German Church in the pre World War II era. Eric Metaxas points out in his book Letter to an American Church. If it is a problem there, it is so much moreso a problem in the Canadian Church. I heard many such comments whispered from the pews of Reformed Churches in the years heading up to the COVID tyranny of 2020-?. I’ve heard it with increased frequency in the last couple of years. This has lead me to reflect deeply on Scripture and pray about what God demands of the preacher in a time like this. And so I’ll begin by posing a question: does politics have any place in the pulpit?

I submit that this debate is not about whether politics are in the pulpit, but how we preach on politics from the pulpit. Everyone engages in politics of some form or another (whether secular, totalitarian, pagan, or Biblical). It is another question if it is guided by a proper interpretation of the Scriptures.

Be Ye Not Political:

I use the language here that Eric Metaxas uses for the title of the 11th chapter of his Letter to the American Church. This has become an additional commandment in much of the Canadian Church as we silence our pastors and/or as pastors self-censor. Of course, there is something here in this command that we should be warned against. The answer to the problems of our society is not found in the politics and policies of men. The answer is found in the Scriptures. The answer to sin comes from God in His revelation of Jesus Christ. As a Christian Church, we also have to take care not to align ourselves with a political party, although we must “abhor what is evil and love what is good” (Rom. 12:9), wherever it might be found, including in political parties and state leaders. We must also avoid political alliances with evil in order to accomplish a single isolated good. But at the end of the day, there is no Biblical command that says “be ye not political.” It is more a matter as to how to be political.

Is the gospel at the front end? Is the Word of God central? Is worship central? Is the city of God the city that transforms the cities of men? How does it transform the cities of men? These are all important questions.

But in order to understand more what is going in here, we must first acquaint ourselves with secularism.

The Lie of Secularism:

Secularism does not simply refer to the old idea of the separation of church and state which is a good ideal, when understood rightly. Secularism refers to the separation of religion and state, that the state can govern by morally neutral principles, by a social contract, maybe incorporating some of the natural law.

But the problem with secularism is that it is an impossibility. Man is inherently religious. He will either worship the state or he will worship science or he will worship something or someone else. Man needs a higher authority. For that reason, secularism as an ideal has failed at its inception. It failed the minute someone thought it up.

Nevertheless, we continue to promote the lie as a society. That way the Christian faith is kept out of politics, that is, politics being the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area.

The Church has become deeply secularized, separating faith and business, faith and politics, faith and family. But the resounding motto that our people should hear both in the pew and in all of life is this: if Jesus is not Lord over all, then He is not Lord at all. This is the truth that is taught throughout the Scriptures, but especially as we find it in Colossians 1:18–20: “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Here is the problem. When God’s Laws are mocked, especially the preachers and teachers in the Church cannot be silent. It is an impossibility. It is an impossibility because the initial place that His authority is made manifest is in the Church. The pastors have been given the holy and sacred duty to declare the crown rights of King Jesus.

Christians and Kings:

We see themes of believers standing before and speaking to kings throughout the Scriptures. We hear the true God of the Bible described this way in Deuteronomy 10:17: “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” Solomon speaks to his son in Proverbs 22:29: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” And again in Ecclesiastes 8:3 “Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases.” King David writes in Psalm 119:46–47 “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.” Daniel stands before Nebuchadnezzar and Beltashazar to speak the Word of God. John the Baptist rebukes Herod for taking his brothers wife (as a side note: I remember reading of one commentator who claimed that John the Baptist was a young minister who had a promising career that was cut short by political preaching). Paul stands before various kings until he finally brings the gospel to Caesar after Christ commissioned him in Acts 9:15–16: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’” We hear Jesus described by John as “the ruler of kings on earth” in Revelation 1:5 and by Paul to Timothy as “the King of kings and Lord of Lords” in I Timothy 6:15. Jesus Himself says in Matthew 28:18 that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” and that we are to teach the nations all things that He has commanded after going out and baptizing and discipling them. We find this promise in Revelation 21:24: “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it…” (Remember the principle of “now and not yet” for that passage from Revelation.)

Does the Call to Repentance include Kings?

Jesus writes in Luke 24:46–48 “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

I’ll cut right to the point. Yes, repentance for the forgiveness of sins must also be declared to our civil authorities, regardless of how “political” that might be deemed. This is our basic duty and task as a Church, as a Christian people. Just as Paul was a witness of Christ to Jews, to Gentiles and the children of Israel, so we are witnesses to the reality of Christ’s suffering, His resurrection, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations – that includes Canada.

We see it in the annals of Christian history, as Ambrose called King Theodosius to repentance, Patrick brought the gospel to the kings and princes of Ireland, John Knox called out the sins of the queen of Scotland, Abraham Kuyper tried to bring Biblical principles to bear as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands for a time.

The prophet has a duty to cavil against the evils and pride of all men and call them to bow the knee to Jesus Christ and to find their life in Him. And he has a duty to do it in a particular way. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1–3: “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”

Throughout Christian history, Christian kings have sought to bring the laws of Christ to bear, such as Constantine, Charlamagne, King Alfred, William the Silent, and other Christian kings and leaders of the post-Reformation era.

In order to call for repentance, men need to repent of something, they need to turn away from something and turn to something. The primary thing is a recognition among the kings and leaders of the earth that Jesus is Lord over all, and that in order to rule rightly, they must bow the knee to Him. If Jesus is Lord of all, then His principles for justice and law that are found throughout the Scriptures, are the best principles to rule by. Anything that stands in opposition to those principles is fundamentally rebellion against Him, and in His goodness, He died for rebels, to deliver them from their rebellion. We find the promise inPsalm 68:18: “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.” We find the fulfillment in Ephesians 4:8 where Paul applies this to Christ: “Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’”

Conclusion:

The clear conclusion of what we find in the Scriptures is that the implication of the gospel message that Jesus is our final prophet, priest and king is that there are massive political ramifications to the call to repentance and faith in Him. And yet, the kingdom of Christ advances differently than the kingdoms of this world. The kingdom of Christ advances through the bold preaching of the gospel message, the call to bow the knee and yield allegiance to Jesus as King, the king who came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). It advances as bold martyrs give up their lives rather than betray or deny their Lord and Master Jesus Christ. As the blood of the martyrs has watered the dry and stony grounds of godless and unbelieving nations, the church has sprung up out of it. This is because we have a God who knows the way out of the grave. It advances as kings and presidents and prime ministers get down on their knees and say to Jesus Christ: “My heart I offer to you Lord, promptly and sincerely.”

So yes, politics do have a place on the pulpit. Jesus speaks to the governance of a specific region, especially when that government begins to mock His laws and Word and despise or even persecute His holy Church. Secular politics are a lie. And no pastor should either assume a lie or preach a lie. The Bible and the truths therein should set the agenda. The Lordship of Christ over all things is central. All men, all parties, must bow before His throne.

This means that those bearing the Word must first and foremost be in submission to it, in their warnings, encouragements, exhortations and praise.

Note: The header photo is an illustration by the Dutch painter Peter Paul Rubens of St. Ambrose barring King Theodosius from the sanctuary after the Massacre of Thessalonika. He would not allow the king to enter until he repented of this massacre.

Note: This is part of a series of items relating to ecclesiology that I am posting on Kuyperian Commentary. You can find other work on my Substack account. My latest essay on Kuyperian is important background to this one.

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