The Fourth Way

Episode Links: Discord Discussion Boardbr 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 Book (Free): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1524xtT4iKmqr7pATaKnXTMZlwk_aONXGMy Book (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.+g.+elliot&qid=1564647522&s=gateway&sr=8-1Pacifism Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xQaDDKY7kFollowers of the Way: https://www.facebook.com/FollowersoftheWayBoston/?ref=br_rsIntegrity Quote: https://learninginlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/13102829_1201726893232348_849045333103669078_n-770x770.jpgThe Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1564647725&s=gateway&sr=8-2My Summary of the Politics of Jesus: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesusMASH conundrum clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=rvBS0VqJPXsEvangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace by Harvie Conn: https://www.amazon.com/Evangelism-Doing-Justice-Preaching-Grace/dp/0875522068/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=harvie+conn&qid=1564647790&s=gateway&sr=8-3My website on Pacifism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifismAmerican National Idolatry: https://www.facebook.com/ILovePortage/photos/a.396450011127660/511348556304471/ Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

8/3/19 • 47:45

The best resource I can currently recommend on this topic is "Jesus the Pacifist" by Matthew Fleischer. The book will be released early next year. It is a fantastic look that digs into Jesus, his actions, his specific teachings, and the implications of all that he did. The book is particularly helpful for the brand of Christians who love to have verse wars and proof-text everything. Since the Bible doesn't specifically lay out all versions of pacifism (though it leans more that way than the way of allowing violence), proof-texting Christians think they can ignore a call to non-violence. Fleischer does a fantastic job of showing us how nonviolence pervades the teaching and revelation of Christ and digs under the surface of the numerous, explicit teachings and actions. Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751Revelation word study on blood: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JCGWqOo71MYmTuvJ354_JRx6FZVpOndj My site listing all the Church Father quotes I could find, focusing mostly on quotes prior to the Edict of Milan: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16bft8PtcyLns1JCrO-QUbBR8QEHOO413The Early Church on Killing (book with pertinent quotations on all violence from before 300 AD, including abortion, capital punishment, warfare, self-defense, etc): https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+early+church+on+killing&qid=1564648394&s=gateway&sr=8-1Tim Mackie's discussion of God's wrath (transcript): https://thebibleproject.com/podcast/day-lord-question-response/transcript/Tim Mackie's six part series on God's wrath: https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/903c95d5-903c95d5Interview with Mackie on God's wrath and nonviolence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWDGYaIjWsMDaniel 7:13-14 and the Son of Man ascending on the clouds and being ascribed divine attributes and position: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+7%3A13-14&version=NIV Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

8/10/19 • 35:31

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefourthwayMy site with quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-4-teaching-of-the-early-church “The Early Church on Killing:" https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+early+church+on+killing&qid=1564738154&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

8/17/19 • 42:03

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 “Men Against Fire”: https://www.amazon.com/Men-Against-Fire-Problem-Command-ebook/dp/B00A8I385I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=s.l.a.+marshall&qid=1564776265&s=gateway&sr=8-1“On Killing”: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/B0056NVXXO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=on+killing&qid=1564776301&s=gateway&sr=8-3Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out&qid=1568229887&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Is Just War Theory sustainable or idealistic (Hauerwas): https://www.abc.net.au/religion/just-how-realistic-is-just-war-theory-the-case-for-christian-rea/10099656 The Sacrifices of War and the Sacrifice of Christ (Hauerwas): https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-sacrifices-of-war-and-the-sacrifice-of-christ/10098368You Say You Want a Revolution: https://web.archive.org/web/20170320235417/http://udquickly.udayton.edu/2012/01/you-say-you-want-a-revolution/“Why Civil Resistance Works” research: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820 TED Talk discussing the conclusions of "Why Civil Resistance Works”: https://www.scienceofnonviolence.org/The many works of Gene Sharp: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gene+sharp&ref=nb_sb_noss_2Anatomy of a Hybrid (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802816150/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1Anatomy of a Hybrid (html and can print as PDF)  if you can’t find on Amazon: https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htmDan Carlin’s Hardcore History on torture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oRv4NZzBKwHistorical reflections on Human intuition not to kill: https://youtu.be/zViyZGmBhvsDrugs in the Military: https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2011/01/militarys-drug-policy-threatens-troops-health-doctors-say/48321/Broken Warrior Series on Military Health Issues: https://web.archive.org/web/20110818222307/https://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110121_4378.php/Is Nonviolence Naive (Answering Questions Against Nonviolence): https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2018/nonviolence-naive*I have learned a lot about David Grossman since recording this episode. While I don't know that his character necessarily compromises any of the information presented here, I would avoid using him as a resource in the future as that could prove difficult for some to accept. The information in this episode doesn't particularly concern me as I've seen much of the evidence presented from other sources. That being said, you may want to do more research on Grossman and more looking into the information. A fun podcast to listen to about him can be found below, though you should be warned that the language is pretty explicit. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?i=1000476406446 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

8/24/19 • 64:16

*Excuse the mispronunciation of "Goethe." I have since been educated more.A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/Amish shooting and forgiveness: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/02/amish-shooting-10-year-anniversary-pennsylvania-the-happeningGood Article on Amish Myths and Lifestyle: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fake-amish-and-the-real-o_b_3617736?guccounter=1Dan Carlin with Ronald Skirth Quote: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-blueprint-for-armageddon-i/Hannah Arendt on Denmark: https://fee.org/articles/how-denmark-fought-the-nazi-terror/Bulgaria Saved Jews: http://liherald.com/fivetowns/stories/how-tiny-bulgaria-saved-50000-jews-in-world-war-ii,101679Sophie Scholl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_SchollHacksaw Ridge and Desmond Doss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2-1hz1juBIEnd of the Spear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEF_3J0ZY0Pablo Yoder Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo&t=1sCity of Refuge Podcast (WWII Stories): https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/Victories Without Violence: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0943734061/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1The Plough: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolenceThe Irresistible Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+irresistible+revolution&qid=1564925194&s=gateway&sr=8-1More Pacifist Quotes: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/arguments-for-christian-pacifism-8-quotes-to-ponder Book which looks at the evidence that Bonhoeffer did not compromise his nonviolent belief: https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Assassin-Challenging-Recovering-Peacemaking/dp/0801039614/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=dan+umbel+bonhoeffer&qid=1575140932&sr=8-1-fkmr1Shell Shock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTRJZGWqF8&feature=youtu.beWWII Psychosis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiD6bnqpJDE&feature=youtu.be Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

8/30/19 • 47:49

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751  Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

9/6/19 • 14:11

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751  Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

9/6/19 • 28:44

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+Jesus&qid=1566062176&s=gateway&sr=8-2Derek’s summary of the “Politics of Jesus”: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesusThe Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Kingdom-Updated-Donald-Kraybill/dp/0836195132/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=The+Upside+Down+Kingdom&qid=1566062209&s=gateway&sr=8-3 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

9/13/19 • 21:15

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 For a GREAT, but deep read on how a non-violent God is not necessary for a nonviolent position, check out  DARRIN W. SNYDER BELOUSEK's work entitled " God and Nonviolence: Creedal Theology and Christian Ethics:" https://www.academia.edu/5671308/God_and_Nonviolence_Creedal_Theology_and_Christian_EthicsRepresentative Matt Shea following Chritistianity and war to its logical conclusion, arguing for non-Christian male combatants to be executed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Shea#Political_careerShea's "The Biblical Basis for War:" https://media.spokesman.com/documents/2018/10/Biblical_Basis_for_War.pdf   Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

9/20/19 • 18:27

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Greg Boyd’s “The Crucifixion of the Warrior God:” https://www.amazon.com/Crucifixion-Warrior-God-Volumes-ebook/dp/B06XRL77G1/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Crucifixion+of+the+warrior+god&qid=1566062395&s=gateway&sr=8-2Boyd’s shorter version called “Cross Vision:” https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Vision-Crucifixion-Testament-Violence-ebook/dp/B074GJSPNZ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Crucifixion+of+the+warrior+god&qid=1566062407&s=gateway&sr=8-3Tim Mackie interview on violence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWDGYaIjWsMMackie’s six part series on violence, wrath, and the Day of the Lord: https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/903c95d5-903c95d5Transcript of Mackie’s Day of the Lord Q&R, bottom ⅓ is the relevant portion: https://thebibleproject.com/podcast/day-lord-question-response/transcript/A small taste of Matthew Flannigan’s work on violence of the conquest, but he also has other writings which are great that delve into Ancient Near East language similarities with phrases from the Old Testament: https://web.archive.org/web/20130425115801/http://www.mandm.org.nz/2010/01/sunday-study-joshua-and-the-genocide-of-the-canaanites-part-i.html Matthew Fleischer's "The Old Testament Case for Nonviolence:" https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Case-Nonviolence-ebook/dp/B078RWXDS9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+old+testament+case+for+nonviolence&qid=1575549606&sr=8-1Boyd's "Inspired Imperfection" on how to interpret the Bible: https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Imperfection-Problems-Enhance-Authority/dp/150645562X/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=inspired+imperfection&qid=1578663381&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQU5IT1RMT0NST1c2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTEzMTA2MTVUUlYzM1NaMjgxUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzEzNTA3MzFTQjc3R0E1MDFLSyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns: https://www.amazon.com/How-Bible-Actually-Works-Answers-ebook/dp/B079L6HVVR/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+the+bible+actually+works&qid=1589155262&sr=8-1Eric Seibert's "The Violence of Scripture:" https://www.amazon.com/Violence-Scripture-Overcoming-Testaments-Troubling-ebook/dp/B00APJRLRG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+violence+of+scripture&qid=1575549459&sr=8-1George Macdonald "The Higher Faith" Ch. 3: https://archive.org/details/unspokensermons_1205_librivox Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

9/20/19 • 29:06

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Revelation Word Study (blood, lion, and sword): https://drive.google.com/open?id=16bft8PtcyLns1JCrO-QUbBR8QEHOO413 The Bible Project Revelation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nvVVcYD-0wJohn Nelson Darby and the Rapture: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/john-nelson-darby.html Mark of the Beast and Revelation's Relevance to the Immediate Hearers: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgxwJXLdhxrpQdBlnPwvrkQxgRBKl“Fight” by Preston Sprinkle: https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Christian-Non-Violence-Preston-Sprinkle-ebook/dp/B00DHHDUY6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=83DIP45SS3UI&keywords=fight+by+preston+sprinkle&qid=1566499312&s=gateway&sprefix=fight+by+preston+%2Caps%2C310&sr=8-1 Tim Mackie on Revelation (search his podcasts and Youtube for much more on this topic): https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/8d9e7863-8d9e7863 Greg Boyd’s “Rescuing Revelation” Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9BWOSxWtw&list=PL4eShdMjziOvCFCrCCOWSheH7kqQNsUAZ  Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

9/27/19 • 29:40

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 A fantastic, concise summary by Preston Sprinkle, covering much of what was said in this podcast: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theologyintheraw/2015/12/romans-13-doesnt-tell-christians-to-kill-their-enemy/Tim Mackie's outline of politics in the Bible, including a great section on the context surrounding Romans 13: http://realitysf.com/assets/YOBL-Lectures-Slides/YOBL-The-Early-Church-and-Politics-Tim-Mackie-Handout.pdfMy write-up on Romans 13Greg Boyd's take on Romans 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmUkvFffy4YSome further reflections by Boyd: https://reknew.org/2017/03/podcast-militaries-world-established-god/My Book (Free and not updated): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1524xtT4iKmqr7pATaKnXTMZlwk_aONXGMy Book (Kindle, updated): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.+g.+elliot&qid=1564647522&s=gateway&sr=8-1Essay on Civil Disobedience (Thoreau): https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/201/Thoreau,%20CivilDisobedience.pdfThe Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2Kierkegaard on Politics: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/politics/politics-and-the-stateExcerpt from Bonhoeffer: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/nonviolence-an-impossible-idealThe Reformers . . . distinguished between personal sufferings and those incurred by Christians in the performance of duty as bearers of an office ordained by God, maintaining that the precept of nonviolence applies to the first but not to the second. In the second case we are not only freed from obligation to eschew violence, but if we want to act in a genuine spirit of love we must do the very opposite, and meet force with force in order to check the assault of evil. It was along these lines that the Reformers justified war and other legal sanctions against evil. But this distinction between person and office is totally alien to the teaching of Jesus. He says nothing about that. He addresses his disciples as men who have left all to follow him, and the precept of nonviolence applies equally to private life and official duty. He is the Lord of all life, and demands undivided allegiance. Furthermore, when it comes to practice, this distinction raises insoluble difficulties. Am I ever acting only as a private person or only in an official capacity? If I am attacked am I not at once the father of my children, the pastor of my flock, and e.g. a government official? Am I not bound for that very reason to defend myself against every attack, for reason of responsibility to my office? And am I not also always an individual, face to face with Jesus, even in the performance of my official duties? Am I not therefore obliged to resist every attack just because of my responsibility for my office? Is it right to forget that the follower of Jesus is always utterly alone, always the individual, who in the last resort can only decide and act for himself? Don’t we act most responsibly on behalf of those entrusted to our care if we act in this aloneness?Psalm 2: https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/2.html1 Why do the nations conspireand the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

10/4/19 • 58:10

*I didn't do a good job of explaining this in the episode, but there are a very broad range of views pacifists take as to what participation in government looks like. I am still not sure where I stand. The view I present in this episode is more of a pendulum swing all the way to one side - showing what the extreme may look like. From there you can figure out where you lie on the spectrum, between the far end of pacifism, and the other end of fully embracing just war theory.A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Hauerwas Video on Voting as Coercion (Hauerwas): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkOvSNtGfSw Voting: An Abdication of Responsibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiiyZsCzP9k Jesus Established a Politic of Christianity (Hauerwas): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBAs9jmanzsThe Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+Jesus&qid=1566062176&s=gateway&sr=8-2The Myth of a Christian Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Christian-Nation-Political-Destroying/dp/0310267315/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+myth+of+a+christian+nation&qid=1583004622&sr=8-2Article Discussing the Trump Presidency and Christian Political (in)action: https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/will-somebody-please-hate-my-enemies?fbclid=IwAR1OC3OJgGO_yYPSs5neySFQZOg6lzGRRFWx3ZoeeBdPltFKY3glSbA_b1w  (takeaway pulled from the article below).Phil Vischer on abortion causes and cures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWD7ykNjCc&feature=youtu.be"Here’s the end result—millions of Christians have not just decided to hire a hater to defend them from haters and to hire a liar to defend them from liars, they actively ignore, rationalize, minimize, or deny Trump’s sins. They do this in part because they can’t bring themselves to face the truth about Trump and in part because they know it is difficult to build and sustain a political movement if you’re constantly (or even frequently) criticizing the misconduct of its leader. To criticize Trump even a quarter of the time he does something wrong would be to unleash a constant drumbeat of criticism against the man they hope to re-elect. ""...I’ve been pro-life from the moment I understood what abortion was. I formed a pro-life club at Harvard Law School that existed for two decades. I’ve worked for the most powerful pro-life legal organizations in America, and I’ve represented pro-life students (pro bono) in cases from coast-to-coast. I’ve helped raise millions of dollars for pro-life causes. I’ve never voted for a pro-choice politician, and I don’t ever intend to. But in more than three decades of pro-life work, I’ve understood two things quite clearly—the defense of the unborn does not justify sin, and the battle for the unborn is far more spiritual and cultural than it is legal and political. "Derek’s summary of the “Politics of Jesus”: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesusElecting Not to Vote: https://www.amazon.com/Electing-Not-Vote-Christian-Reflections/dp/1556352271/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=electing+not+to+vote&qid=1567712015&s=gateway&sr=8-1  Essay on Civil Disobedience (Thoreau): https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/201/Thoreau,%20CivilDisobedience.pdfEvangelical Self-Righteousness Without Action: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-comfortable-white-evangelicalMy Book (Free): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1524xtT4iKmqr7pATaKnXTMZlwk_aONXGMy Book (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/80-Conservative-Evangelicals-Prove-Relativists-ebook/dp/B07RDPW2NZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=j.+g.+elliot&qid=1564647522&s=gateway&sr=8-1Kierkegaard on Politics: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/politics/politics-and-the-stateExcerpt from Bonhoeffer: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/nonviolence-an-impossible-idealIf we took the precept of nonresistance as an ethical blueprint for general application, we should indeed be indulging in idealistic dreams: we should be dreaming of a utopia with laws which the world would never obey. To make nonresistance a principle for secular life is to deny God by undermining his gracious ordinance for the preservation of the world. But Jesus is no draftsman of political blueprints; he is the one who vanquished evil through suffering. It looked as though evil had triumphed on the cross, but the real victory belonged to Jesus. And the cross is the only justification for the precept of nonviolence, for it alone can kindle a faith in the victory over evil which will enable people to obey that precept. Only such obedience is blessed with the promise that we shall be partakers of Christ’s victory as well as of his sufferings. . . .The cross is the only power in the world which proves that suffering love can avenge and vanquish evil.Psalm 2: https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/2.html1 Why do the nations conspireand the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will...

10/11/19 • 96:23

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 The Naked Bible Podcast with Guest David Burnett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Q1HBZbyM8 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

10/18/19 • 25:27

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751  Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

10/25/19 • 15:15

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Patton Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCA6uxQE-bwKilling from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out&qid=1568229887&s=gateway&sr=8-1 War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1498296785?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=M9Q6N1QBRG5EMHXWPVSKOn Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society-ebook/dp/B00J90F8W2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=on+killing&qid=1568230186&s=gateway&sr=8-1I Killed People in Afghanistan. Was I Right or Wrong?: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-killed-people-in-afghanistan-was-i-right-or-wrong/2013/01/25/c0b0d5a6-60ff-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html?noredirect=onThe Sacrifices of War and the Sacrifice of Christ: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-sacrifices-of-war-and-the-sacrifice-of-christ/10098368Sacrificing the Sacrifices of War: https://www.libraryofsocialscience.com/assets/pdf/Hauerwas-Sacrificing_the_Sacrifices_of_War.pdfThe Kill Team Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mi9PKsiJ3QSoldiers Talk About What They Saw and Did in Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN5Lu94l_E0&feature=youtu.beDrugs in the Military: https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2011/01/militarys-drug-policy-threatens-troops-health-doctors-say/48321/Broken Warrior Series on Military Health Issues: https://web.archive.org/web/20110818222307/https://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110121_4378.php/Shell Shock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTRJZGWqF8&feature=youtu.beWWII Psychosis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiD6bnqpJDE&feature=youtu.be Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/1/19 • 32:26

*Please excuse the sound quality on this episode. There was some interference on this recording which influenced the sound quality. A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.ericachenoweth.com/research/wcrwGene Sharp Books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gene+sharp&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 Hannah Arendt on the Banality of Evil: https://www.amazon.com/Eichmann-Jerusalem-Banality-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039881/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=eichman+in+jerusalem&qid=1569004482&sr=8-1 Milgram Experiment: https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil?language=enClay Jones Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCvgl94RvR8Clay Jones Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsVecozRORE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2MAYAg0bbO7cQvoEwoeP5YLjQWs-KC42yK9-EjEhx3Fq7NIJrvK1KPFPUOrdinary Men: https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution/dp/0062303023/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ordinary+men&qid=1569003813&sr=8-1 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/8/19 • 36:01

*Please excuse the sound quality on this episode. There was some interference on this recording which influenced the sound quality. A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 The Kingdom Depicting Cyclical Violence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-uj0vQ-c6kDoes ISIS Prove Nonviolence Wrong?: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/does-isis-prove-nonviolence-wrongIs Nonviolence Naive (Answering Questions Against Nonviolence): https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2018/nonviolence-naiveKing Quote: THE ULTIMATE WEAKNESS OF VIOLENCE IS THAT IT IS A DESCENDING SPIRAL, BEGETTING THE VERY THING IT SEEKS TO DESTROY. INSTEAD OF DIMINISHING EVIL, IT MULTIPLIES IT. THROUGH VIOLENCE YOU MAY MURDER THE LIAR, BUT YOU CANNOT MURDER THE LIE, NOR ESTABLISH THE TRUTH. THROUGH VIOLENCE YOU MAY MURDER THE HATER, BUT YOU DO NOT MURDER HATE. IN FACT, VIOLENCE MERELY INCREASES HATE. SO IT GOES. RETURNING VIOLENCE FOR VIOLENCE MULTIPLIES VIOLENCE, ADDING DEEPER DARKNESS TO A NIGHT ALREADY DEVOID OF STARS. DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS: ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT. HATE CANNOT DRIVE OUT HATE: ONLY LOVE CAN DO THAT. Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/8/19 • 15:54

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=irresistible+revolution&qid=1569093639&s=digital-text&sr=1-1What Would You Do?: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-John-Howard-Yoder-ebook/dp/B00AAX11H8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+howard+yoder&qid=1569093701&s=digital-text&sr=1-4Pablo Yoder's Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/15/19 • 31:36

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne: https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Updated-Expanded-Ordinary-ebook/dp/B00UF72BAK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=irresistible+revolution&qid=1569093639&s=digital-text&sr=1-1What Would You Do?: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-John-Howard-Yoder-ebook/dp/B00AAX11H8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+howard+yoder&qid=1569093701&s=digital-text&sr=1-4Pablo Yoder's Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1fo Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/15/19 • 67:11

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/Discord Discussion Board: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 Why I Am Not a Pacifist (1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2xY2k26HFoWhy I Am Not a Pacifist (2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jreq3mVvDgcLewis's Arguments and Further Resources#1a - Pacifism is Ineffective: Episode 4 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-logic-and-intuition#1b - Pacifism Fails to Seek the Greatest Good: Episode 7 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-evil-in-refusing-to-do-good#2 - Pacifism is Passive: Episode 5 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-the-real-world#3 - Pacifism Universally Rejected Throughout History: Episode 3 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-historical-evidence#4 - Pacifism Refuses Submission to Government Service: Episode 12 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-romans-13#5 - Pacifism Rests on Inconsistently Applied Biblical Claims of Jesus: Episode 2 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-biblical-evidence#6 - Pacifism Avoids Sacrifice: Episode 16 https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-the-nonviolent-position-devalues-the-sacrifice-of-soldiersSee Season 2 for discussion of consequentialism:  https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/consequentialism-the-heart-of-compromise Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/22/19 • 30:35

I strongly recommend checking out the "City of Refuge" podcast. I think the story encompasses all I've talked about so far. You can see how Christians justify killing Christians, how the teachings of Christ compel over force, how God's hand orchestrates miraculous salvation through seemingly pointless suffering and death of those who implement faithful obedience, how evil so often stems from consequentialist ethics, etc. It really all comes out in this story. If you want to just have a list of all the episode titles at hand, then sit down and listen to the podcast and check off how you see each of the items explored in the series. It's fantastic. https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/ FOR A LIST OF RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND A BEGINNER/ADVANCED READING SCHEDULE, CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1M23vhScNcr7ncXWLTg24Ik6byKO67InK A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/STARTERS: The Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+politics+of+Jesus&qid=1566062176&s=gateway&sr=8-2Derek’s summary of the “Politics of Jesus”: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/the-politics-of-jesusThe Upside Down Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Kingdom-Updated-Donald-Kraybill/dp/0836195132/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=The+Upside+Down+Kingdom&qid=1566062209&s=gateway&sr=8-3Fight: https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Author-Sprinkle-Preston-August/dp/B00L71VT9W/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2K8UTOIHVLPR7&keywords=fight+preston+sprinkle&qid=1569095270&s=digital-text&sprefix=fight+preston%2Cdigital-text%2C244&sr=1-2-catcorrCross Vision: https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Vision-Crucifixion-Testament-Violence-ebook/dp/B074GJSPNZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Z0B2FA7OLWQC&keywords=cross+vision+greg+boyd&qid=1569095342&s=digital-text&sprefix=cross+vision+greg%2Cdigital-text%2C245&sr=1-1The Early Church on Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Church-Killing-Comprehensive-Sourcebook-ebook/dp/B008846P1I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Early+Church+on+Killing&qid=1569095383&s=digital-text&sr=1-1Is Nonviolence Naive (Answering Questions Against Nonviolence): https://sojo.net/magazine/july-2018/nonviolence-naiveThe Old Testament Case for Nonviolence: https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Case-Nonviolence-ebook/dp/B078RWXDS9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=matthew+fleischer&qid=1576092540&s=digital-text&sr=1-1The Day of the Lord (podcast episode): https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/903c95d5-903c95d5Unbelievable (podcast): https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Just-War-vs-Pacifism-Nigel-Biggar-Stanley-HauerwasChristian Humanist (podcast): http://www.christianhumanist.org/2018/01/christian-humanist-podcast-episode-229-non-violence-and-pacifism/ADVANCED: Crucifixion of the Warrior God: https://www.amazon.com/Crucifixion-Warrior-God-Volumes-ebook/dp/B06XRL77G1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=crucifixion+of+the+warrior+god&qid=1569095706&s=digital-text&sr=1-1Stanley Hauerwas: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=stanley+hauerwas&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_2The Anatomy of a Hybrid: https://www.gospeltruth.net/verduin/hybrid.htmWhy Civil Resistance Works: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820Gene Sharp: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Gene+Sharp&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_2VIDEOS: Pablo Yoder's testimony of personal nonviolence in Central America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdGENdH1foJust War Debate at Harvard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xQaDDKY7kDean Taylor Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrfSqfH65dMPreston Sprinkle on the Kingdom and Nonviolence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sITAH1d1Yk0Hauerwas on War and the American Tradition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaFfGfQprjERelated to the Military: War is a Racket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O24Y6PU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o04?ie=UTF8&psc=1War and Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CFW2S3G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o01?ie=UTF8&psc=1On Killing: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society-ebook/dp/B00J90F8W2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=on+killing&qid=1576092799&sr=8-1Killing from the Inside Out: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Inside-Out-Moral-Injury-ebook/dp/B00NVN93EM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=killing+from+the+inside+out&qid=1568229887&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Moral Injury: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=moral+injury&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 EXTRAS: Discord Discussion Group: https://disboard.org/server/474580298630430751 The Plough Site and Magazine: https://www.plough.com/enWaging Nonviolence News: https://w...

11/27/19 • 17:41

I strongly recommend checking out the "City of Refuge" podcast. I think the story encompasses all I've talked about so far. You can see how Christians justify killing Christians, how the teachings of Christ compel over force, how God's hand orchestrates miraculous salvation through seemingly pointless suffering and death of those who implement faithful obedience, how evil so often stems from consequentialist ethics, etc. It really all comes out in this story. If you want to just have a list of all the episode titles at hand, then sit down and listen to the podcast and check off how you see each of the items explored in the series. It's fantastic. https://wagingnonviolence.org/podcast/ 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=8-1 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

11/29/19 • 32:32

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-consequentialismEpisode 1 of Case for Nonviolence: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/the-case-for-christian-nonviolence-uncovering-biasesM.A.S.H. Conundrum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBS0VqJPXsJerry Falwell Quote: Conservatives & Christians need to stop electing “nice guys”. They might make great Christian leaders but the US needs street fighters like @realDonaldTrump at every level of government b/c the liberal fascists Dems are playing for keeps & many Repub leaders are a bunch of wimps!Integrity Quote: https://learninginlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/13102829_1201726893232348_849045333103669078_n-770x770.jpgAbortion as the deciding political issue: https://makeameme.org/meme/you-cannot-vote-5c8888180 Movie on Abortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

12/6/19 • 44:42

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-consequentialismTim Keller a Pastor because door left open 6 inches: http://andynaselli.com/watergate Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

12/13/19 • 18:21

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-consequentialismPolitical Centrists (the And Campaign): This is a good podcast which talks about the polarization of political parties and how we can't compromise truth or love. While I may have some issues with the idea that you can promote a tool which embraces evil, I like that Christians are recognizing the need to push back against their parties. https://www.prestonsprinkle.com/theology-in-the-raw/2019/10/14/761-politics-white-evangelicalism-and-race-relations-in-the-church-justin-giboneyProtecting Family Against Intruder 1: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/rebuttal-would-you-really-allow-an-intruder-to-harm-your-familyProtecting Family Against Intruder 2: https://thefourthway.transistor.fm/episodes/episode-19-rebuttal-would-you-really-allow-an-intruder-to-harm-your-family-part-2-the-practicalWhy Christians Should Consider Abstention from Voting: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/why-christians-should-consider-abstention-from-votingAbstention and Countering Political Idolatry: Will be released 2/15/2020 - https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musingsJohn Howard Yoder Quote: One way to characterize thinking about social ethics in our time is to say that Christians in our age are obsessed with the meaning and direction of history. Social ethical concern is moved by a deep desire to make things move in the right direction. Whether a given action is right or not seems to be inseparable from the question of what effects it will cause. Thus part if not all of social concern has to do with looking for the right handle by which one can “get a hold of” the course of history and move it in the right direction.   Whichever the favored “handle” may be, the structure of this approach is logically the same. One seeks to lift up one focal point in the midst of the course of human relations, one thread of meaning and causality which is more important than the individual persons, their lives and well-being, because it in itself determines wherein their well-being consists. Therefore it is justified to sacrifice to this one “cause” other subordinate values, including the life and welfare of one’s self, one’s neighbor, and (of course!) the enemy. We pull this one strategic thread in order to save the whole fabric. We can see this kind of reasoning with Constantine saving the Roman Empire, with Luther saving the Reformation by making an alliance with the princes, or with Krushchev and his successors saving Marxism by making it somewhat more capitalistic, or with the United States saving democracy by alliances with military dictatorships and by the threatened use of the bomb. Whether Jesus be the Christ or not, whether Jesus the Christ be Lord or not, whether this kind of religious language be meaningful or not, most types of ethical approach will keep on functioning just the same…The cross is not a recipe for resurrection. Suffering is not a tool to make people come around, nor a good in itself. But the kind of faithfulness that is willing to accept evident defeat rather than complicity with evil is, by virtue of its conformity with what happens to God when he works among us, aligned with the ultimate triumph of the Lamb. The vision of ultimate good being determined by faithfulness and not by results is the point where we moderns get off. We confuse the kind of 'triumph of the good,' whose sole guarantee is the resurrection and the promise of the eternal glory of the Lamb, with an immediately accessible triumph which can be manipulated, just past the next social action campaign, by getting hold of society as a whole at the top. What in the Middle Ages was done by Roman Christianity or Islam is now being attempted by Marxism and by democratic nationalism. In spite of all the difference in language, and in the detailed vision of just what a good society would look like (and as a matter of fact even the visions are not that different), the real uniqueness of each of these positions is only that it identifies differently the particular moral elite which it holds to be worthy of guiding its society from the top. We may well prefer a democratically controlled oligarchy to some other kind. We may well have a choice between Marxist and Islamic and other statements of the vision of the good society. But what our contemporaries find themselves practically incapable of challenging is that the social problem can be solved by determining which aristocrats are morally justified, by virtue of their better ideology, to use the power of society from the top so as to lead the whole system in their direction.  Once a desirable course of history has been labeled, once we know what the right cause is, then it is further assumed that we should be willing to sacrifice for it; sacrifice not only to our own values but also those of the neighbor and especially the enemy. In other words, the achievement of the good cause, the implementation in history of the changes we have determined to be desirable, creates a new autonomous ethical value, 'relevance' itself a good in the name of which evil may be done...  Christ renounced the claim to govern history...what Jesus renounced was thus not simply the metaphysical status of sonship but rather the untrammeled sovereign exercise of power in the affairs of that humanity amid which he came to dwell. His emptying of himself, his accepting the form of servanthood and obedience unto death, is precisely his renunciation of lordship, his apparent abandonment of any obligation to be effective in making history move down the right track... the universal testimony of scripture is that Christians are those who follow Christ at just this point.  ..."The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power!" John is here saying, not as an inscrutable paradox but as a meaningful affirmation, that the cross is not the sword, suffering and not brute power determines the meaning of history. The key to the obedience of God's people is not their effectiveness but...

12/13/19 • 26:41

A huge thanks to Joseph McDade for his generous permission to use his music: https://josephmcdade.com/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-consequentialismWho Was Pontius Pilate?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8s8fMMEuiA Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

12/20/19 • 32:47

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/Christianity Today Article: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/trump-should-be-removed-from-office.htmlDr. Dobson's Response to CT: http://christiannewswire.com/news/4551683350.htmlJentezen Franklin's Response to CT: https://www.christianpost.com/voice/why-i-still-stand-by-45-president-trump.html?fbclid=IwAR3LAlAM6V3bHF6UP0wSyuT4_Y9CMINPzc7eEj9I5AJpFvcc94nuuyLZvhMVarious reflections related to consequentialism: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/pragmatism-and-consequentialismThe Politics of Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-John-Howard-Yoder/dp/0802807348/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+politics+of+jesus&qid=1577159813&sr=8-3Can the Religious Right Be Saved: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/01/can-the-religious-right-be-savedPeter was not a coward: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/peters-denial-wasnt-cowardicePilate the consequentialist: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/21-pilatesThe 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=8-1 Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

12/27/19 • 33:27

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-consequentialismLes Miserables Priest/Bishop Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhpwV4cwB4oStories from my early stories of struggling with grace towards those requesting need: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-ministry-in-romania/category/perspectivesSome of my reflections on grace: https://www.dckreider.com/blog-theological-musings/category/grace-and-mercyRevolution of Values: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Values-Reclaiming-Public-Common-ebook/dp/B07V7YY2MV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=revolution+of+values&qid=1589546203&sr=8-1From "Revolution of Values:" I strongly recommend chapter two which hits very hard at the heart of our discussion on grace and generosity. " The Bible in the hands of rich men became divorced from it's social and political context. Key to avoiding its prophetic challenge of economic inequality and the exploitation of poor people in ancient economies, was a focus on the Bible's spiritual message. On this reading, all of Hebrew scripture with its prophets with long beards and hair shirts confronting greedy kings, its message becomes a morality play meant to demonstrate each individual's need of redemption from sin. If wealth is the visible sign you are blessed, then poor people are spiritually needy.When rich men gather to read a spiritualized Bible, their thoughts turn not towards repentance, but charity. Thus the Bible's concern for justice towards all people and a concern for the poor became a reminder to rich men that it was important to sit on non-profits and charity boards. Helping poor people wasn't only about making sure they had food to eat or a place to sleep. It was ultimately about imparting spiritual blessing on them, holding out the hope that they too may pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be saved. 'When you did it to the least of these, you did it unto me,' wasn't Jesus's summary statement about how the nations of the earth would be judged on the last day. It was instead a reminder that industrialists must also be philanthropists. Great men who prove their spiritual greatness by offering to bestow it on anyone who aspires to be just like them.   Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

1/3/20 • 43:20

*I realized that my statement on hospitality may not be taken graciously or with a full attempt to understand, so I felt the need to have an extended explanation here. It's important to note that I am not saying the only sin of Sodom was lacking hospitality, but simply that it was one aspect of the problem. Ezekiel 16:49 perhaps encompasses this idea the best, as it declares the sin of Sodom to be, at least in part, their lack of concern and assistance for the poor and needy. Unfortunately, many conservative Christians feel they can't allow both/and answers here, as they feel it undercuts their ability to use this verse as a proof text against homosexuality. Hospitality was a huge issue in the ANE, and even more specifically in the Bible. You can see this in a passage which has several similarities to the Sodom passage, found in Judges 19. There we see that a man enters another city within Israel, and it is emphasized that no one takes him in for the night. Finally, an old man takes him in, but then the men of the city come along and seek to rape the male traveler. The owner of the house shows disgust, emphasizing that it is vile to consider doing this to him because he is a guest. Rape doesn't seem to be as much the issue for the owner, as he's willing to throw out the guest's concubine and even his own daughter to be raped, and when the concubine is thrown out, the men are contented to rape her instead of the male guest. While the rape may be a part of the emphasis of perversion, the aspect which seems to put the icing on the cake is that such a thing would be done to a guest. Again, I am not saying that a lack of hospitality is the biggest aspect of either story, but that a lack of hospitality is a part of the problem. Lacking hospitality may not in and of itself seem abhorrent, but just as lust is a prerequisite for adultery and hate a prerequisite for murder, it seems that being inhospitable is a prerequisite (or accompanying attitude) for at least certain forms of injustice and abhorrent sin. We see many other references to God's desire for ancient Israel to be hospitable, especially to the most vulnerable (strangers, foreigners, orphans, widows, those in need, etc). Hospitality in this sense is a justice issue - a justice issue for which Israel goes into exile (concomitant with idolatry). We also see in the New Testament that hospitality is a requirement for both elders and deacons (even preceding teaching as a characteristic), and is also an important emphasis in Romans 12, where Paul is describing what the Christian life should look like at its core. For a good overview of ideas, check out the following source. https://www.christianity.com/newsletters/features/a-meal-says-more-than-you-think-the-importance-of-hospitality-11631555.html 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-consequentialism Thanks to our monthly supporters Phillip Mast patrick H Laverne Miller Jesse Killion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

1/10/20 • 35:27