Predator Hostile

Some things we stumble across just seem to defy reality. Such is the case with an article contained in the January/February issue of Hobby Farms, a periodical dedicated to helping small farm and livestock producers. In an article concerning various options for certification of small farm products, there was one that caught our eye. A classification we had never encountered before was listed in the sidebar on page 82. It is known as “Predator Friendly”. The text goes on to explain this as those who have “…made a commitment not to allow any lethal control (shooting, trapping, poisoning) to protect their sheep and cattle from native predators…”

Now we know that we are, and have been, living in a strange time among even stranger people. Excuse our simplicity, but it is just hard to imagine a faithful shepherd allowing the wolves or coyotes to ravage his lambs. It appears that such folks have not only taken leave of their natural compassion, but also lack the capability to understand basic business skills such as adding and subtracting whole numbers. And, they apparently expect their customers to subsidize their novel silliness on this.

We are giving serious thought to initiating a counter classification. Maybe we should call it something like “Predator Hostile” or, better yet, “Faithful Shepherds”.

We’ll keep you informed.

Hard Knox

“…If God shall move your hearts in his true fear, to begin to practice these things, and to demand and crave the same of your superiors (which most lawfully you may do), then I doubt not but, of his great mercy and free grace, he shall illuminate the eyes of your minds, that his undoubted verity shall be a lantern to your feet, to guide and lead you in all the ways which godly wisdom does approve. He shall make your enemies tremble before your faces; he shall establish his blessed evangel amongst you, to the salvation and perpetual comfort of yourselves, and of your posterity after you. But if (as God forbid) the love of friends, and fear of your princes, and the wisdom of the world, draw you back from God, and from his Son Christ Jesus: be you certainly persuaded, that you shall drink the cup of his vengeance – so many, I mean, as shall contemn and despise this loving calling of your heavenly Father.

“It will not excuse you, dear brethren, in the presence of God, neither yet will it avail you in the day of his visitation, to say, ‘ We were but simple subjects; we could not redress the faults and crimes of our rulers, bishops, and clergy; we called for reformation, and wished for the same; but lords’ brethren were bishops, their sons were abbots, and the friends of great men had the possession of the church; and so we were compelled to give obedience to all that they demanded.’

“And, if you think that you are innocent, because you are not the chief actors of such iniquity, you are utterly deceived. For God does not only punish the chief offenders, but with them does he damn the consenters to iniquity; and all are judged to consent, who, knowing [the] impiety committed, give no testimony that the same displeases them. To speak this matter more plainly; as your princes and rulers are criminal (with your bishops) of all idolatry committed, and of all the innocent blood that is shed for the testimony of Christ’s truth, and that because they maintain them in their tyranny; so are you (I mean so many of you as give no plain confession to the contrary) criminal and guilty of the same crimes with your princes and rulers, because you assist and maintain your princes in their blind rage, and give no declaration that their tyranny displeases you…”

“…For in the original world none was found that either did resist [the] tyranny and oppression that universally were used, either yet that earnestly reprehended the same. In Sodom none was found who did stand against that furious and beastly multitude that did compass about and besiege the house of Lot; none would believe Lot, that the city should be destroyed. And, finally, in Jerusalem none was found that studied to repress the tyranny of the priests, who were conjured against Christ and his evangel; but all fainted (I except such as gave witness with their blood, or their fleeing, that such impiety displeased them), all kept silence; by the which all approved iniquity, and joined hands with the tyrants, and so were all arrayed and set, as it had been in one battle, against the Omnipotent, and against his Son Jesus Christ. For whosoever gathers not with Christ in the day of his harvest, is judged to scatter. And therefore they were all partakers of one temporal vengeance. Which thing, as before I have touched, ought to move you to the deep consideration of your duties in these last and most perilous times.

“The iniquity of your bishops is more than manifest; their filthy lives infect the air; the innocent blood which they shed cries [for] vengeance in the ears of our God; the idolatry and abomination, which they commit openly, and without punishment maintain, does corrupt and defile the whole land; and none amongst you does unfeignedly study for any redress of such enormities. Will God, in this behalf, hold you as innocents? Be not deceived, dear brethren, God has punished not only the proud tyrants, filthy persons, and cruel murderers, but also such as with them did draw the yoke of iniquity, [whether] it was by flattering their offences, obeying their unjust commandments, or in winking at their manifest iniquity. All such, I say, has God once punished with the chief offenders. Be you assured, brethren, that as he is immutable of nature, so he will not pardon in you that which he has punished so severely in others: and now the less, because he has plainly admonished you of the dangers to come, and has offered you his mercy, before he pours forth his wrath and displeasure upon the disobedient…”

Excerpt from Letter Addressed to the Commonalty of Scotland 1558 by John Knox.

July 4, 2008

The following is the commentary from our rifle competition held today:

We want to welcome you to our 9th Annual Independence Day Rifle Competition (affectionately also known as the Christ Church Shootout). We would like to encourage you to enjoy the day with us as we celebrate the historic signing of the Declaration of Independence 232 year ago.

We have now established a tradition of holding these competitions every year at this time, and it would likely behoove us to recount and reexamine just exactly what we are trying to do here. Any tradition, good or bad, can become stale or lifeless if we forget why we are maintaining it, and what we wish to accomplish by continuing it. For this particular day, it is a multi-faceted affair that we should be consciously aware of.

First, we would like to see ourselves as following in the path set out by the Founders themselves. To do this we must remember that the majority of the Founding Fathers, and the signers of the Declaration itself, were orthodox, reformed Christians of basically similar persuasions. Their faith in Christ, and their commitment of obedience to Him, informed all of their attempts at reconciliation with England prior to the decision to separate. Shortly after the signing of the Declaration, John Adams wrote the following:

“It (July 4th) ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is worth more than all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph in that Days Transaction, even although We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”

So, John Adams saw this as a day that should be solemnized by acts of devotion to God, and enthusiastic celebrations. And he proposed this all the while having a realistic appraisal of what this course of action was likely to cost them. Indeed it did. If you have ever read the historic record of what happened to most of those who signed the Declaration of Independence you will have discovered that a very heavy price consisting of hardship, injury, and loss of property and life attended them. We should be grateful to God for their willingness to sacrifice so much.

Second, we would like to be celebrating together with you all, and not in isolation. Recall that Adams and the others did what they did with an eye toward the benefits to all of their posterity. They had something far greater than their own liberty in view, though that itself was important. They envisioned future generations that would reap the benefits of their sacrifice. Contrary to contemporary selfishness and narcissism, they sought (by the grace and providence of God) to accomplish something that would endure to all future generations. Put in the context of world history, this became extremely unique and relevant. Rarely, since the creation, has there been a place on this earth where the Gospel of Jesus Christ has prospered in this dimension and been accompanied by such an abundant blessing from God. We have much to give thanks for.

Third, we want to assess where we are in the light of history. As every group of covenant people before us, we have had our ups and downs, our victories and defeats. We need to honestly review where we stand before our God in relation to our contemporary situation. Interestingly, I recently heard the results of a survey taken by the Pugh Foundation concerning the religious persuasions of the American people. The conclusion was that in excess of 95% of all Americans claim to be theistic. They believe in some deity, or some concept that represents deity (however amorphic). Somewhere around 50% of the population makes the claim of being what the survey defined as conservative, evangelical Christians. However, a resounding majority of all respondents, and the majority of these conservative, evangelical Christians, conceded that there is more than one way to salvation and eternal life. So we see that the overwhelming majority of Americans embrace a sort of universalistic polytheism. Is it any wonder that our institutions reflect the same?

In conjunction with this, we should consider the historic record in the Bible itself. How has God dealt in the past with covenant breaking nations? Perhaps the record in Judges, Chapter 10, might have some bearing on this topic.

“And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served not him. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.” (vs. 6-7)

So, in similarity to our nation, the Israelites had embraced a similar idolatrous polytheism. And the Lord’s response was heated anger, delivering them into the hands of their merciless enemies. It appears to have taken Israel 18 years of oppression before they figured out the root cause of their problems.

“And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen: let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.” (vs. 11-14)

This is, to our ears, a hard, hard saying. And yet this is one of the more tame rebukes contained in the Bible. God taunts them with their unfaithfulness, effectively telling them to go have a chat with Baalim. Do we have an image of a God Who can be repeatedly offended, and yet we expect Him, because of His declared graciousness, to continue to be merciful to us and not bring judgement upon us for our sins and rebellion? If that is our image, it certainly does not comport well with this passage in Judges, does it? So what is wrong here, our image or the text?

The record in Judges continues:

“And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. “(vs. 15-16)

We see in the Israelite’s confession of their sins a willingness to suffer the chastisement of the Lord, with one implied exception. They would have this judgement not to come at the hands of their enemies, therefore their plea for deliverance from them. They do not claim a special exemption from God’s holy wrath; they merely trust that the Lord is indeed more just and merciful than the Ammonites.

Perhaps we would do well to imitate the faith, frail as it was, and the repentance of the children of Israel in this example. We need to put away our idolatries and return to the Lord of the Covenant and serve him only.

Fourth, all along we have been attempting to encourage the development of rifle marksmanship in our midst. Our goal is to meet the rifleman’s standard of being able to shoot to 4 minutes of angle. This translates into 4” at 100 yards, or 2” at 50 yards. Whatever your personal motivation in competing, this is an objective standard that can be met. Past competitions have proved that most, if not all, of us are still aspiring to the goal. Whether your particular concern is hunting, self defense, recreation, or a combination of these, we believe that this is something all Christian men should aspire toward. And we are pleased that a number of the ladies have similar aspirations. But it is far, far, more important for the men. We are not men because we know, or think we know, how to shoot. Rather, we would assert that because we are men, Christian men, we therefore should know how to shoot. And we aspire to do so well, to the glory of God. We do not link ourselves to the Scottish rednecks by mistake. There was a reason they were feared by those who sought to persecute them.

Fifth, and lastly, we want this to be an enthusiastic celebration similar to what John Adams envisioned. Noise and guns, pomp and piety, solemnity and joy, and bright illuminations should all be employed. So enjoy yourself, whether you compete or spectate, and give thanks to God, our Deliverer.

Liberal Fascism

We would like to take a moment to mention a very good book to anyone who stumbles onto this blog. The tome in view is Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism, published by Doubleday, and presently at the top of the “most read” lists. We would really classify it as a “must read”.

We have especially enjoyed Mr. Goldberg’s historical research as he methodically assembles the case that our present government, and political dialectic, is idolatrous in nature and practice. This is a position we have long held on theological and philosophical grounds, and Mr. Goldberg’s presentation unveils the history of this development. It is not apparent from the book if he embraces Biblical Christianity, but he is quite adept with ‘church speak’ and seems to have more than a passing understanding of Christian theology.

This is a book we had hoped that someone would have written, say, ten or fifteen years ago. But, it is here now. This is something that every professing Christian needs to read, consider, and then ask the question, “What do we need to do now?”

Well worth the price and time investment.

Political Liturgy

Well, here we are in the full swing of another year of national politics. Another opportunity presents itself to the populace to decide which aspiring priest of Baal they prefer to lead the national government into further moral turpitude. The liturgy is well established, with the prophets of the media predicting who the front runners are, or will be, and proclaiming who is electable and who is not. All of this is served up cafeteria style to the populace for their selective consumption. Never mind that there is not a dime’s worth of difference between the majority of aspiring priests. It is more of an issue of deciding if you want your pie ala mode or plain.

There is only one person that stands out above this crowd, and that is Ron Paul. Here is a man who wishes to break the backbone of the leviathan. I do not know if Dr. Paul is a man of true faith or not, but I have noted with interest his fortitude and perseverance over many years as he has battled over the significant issues of our time in the U. S. Congress. He has fought and fought, winning only occasionally. Like the old Timex watch, he has “taken a lickin’ and kept on tickin”. This is considerably more than we could say about his opponents.

So, why is it the Ron Paul will not be elected to the Presidency? The answer is very close to home. It is simply because his greatest opponents are conservative Christians who will fail to support him and his efforts out of a studied pragmatism. “He is not electable”, we proclaim, and then fulfill our own prophesies by voting for someone that emits a putrefying immoral stench. Then we complain about what the priests serve us at the cafeteria.

This, of course, is nothing new. Many of us discovered the truth of this matter twenty, thirty, or forty years ago. At the same time, as a result of our sometimes Quixotic attempts to speak against and remedy this problem, we discovered how deep the denial runs in the Christian churches of America. We seem to be unable to even conceive of how things might look if true reforms actually were to take place in the civil realm, and if elected representatives were really constrained to Biblical and Constitutional boundaries. Worst of all, many of us are terrified at the prospect of assuming the responsibilities of citizenship, being woefully unprepared to faithfully execute these responsibilities.

All of this mess should provoke us to a thoroughgoing repentance. This does not appear to be likely unless God, in His mercy, moves powerfully on and amongst His people. Perhaps He has relinquished us to the deaf, dumb, and blind condition we seem to adore. I hope and pray not. This is not to say that supporting Dr. Paul’s candidacy is the only sign of repentance. But if we are unwilling and unable to support a man who has shown the moral capacity to support the same standards that we say we endorse, simply on the basis of principle, then we need to shut up, sit down and enjoy our pie, ala mode or plain, and retire to our personal and/or ecclesiastical ghettos.

Knox Cited Again!

As Satan by craft has corrupted the most holy ordinances of God’s precepts (I mean of the first table, in the place of the spiritual honouring of God), introducing men’s dreams, inventions, and fantasies; so has he, abusing the weakness of man, corrupted this precept of the second table, touching the honour which is due to parents, under whom are comprehended princes and teachers. For now the devil has so blinded the senses of many that they cannot, or at the least will not, learn what appertains to God and what to Caesar. But because the Spirit of God has said, “Honour the king,” therefore whatsoever they command, be it right or wrong, [they think it] must be obeyed. But heavy shall be the judgment which shall apprehend such blasphemers of God’s majesty, who dare be so bold as to affirm that God has commanded any creature to be obeyed against himself. Against God it is that, for the commandment of any prince (be he never so potent), men shall commit idolatry, embrace a religion which God has not approved by his word, or confirm by their silence wicked and blasphemous laws made against the honour of his Majesty. Men, I say, that so do, give no true obedience; but as they are apostates from God, so are they traitors to their princes, whom by flattery they confirm in rebelling against God.

Only they which to the death resist such wicked laws and decrees are acceptable to God, and faithful to their princes…

This is excerpted from Knox’s Letter to the Queen Dowager, Regent of Scotland (Augmented Version) 1558.