Category Archives: Culture

RESURRECTION VICTORY AND THE WORLD

Culture, History, Optimism, Resurrection December 5, 2017 Comments: 6

PMT 2017-097 by the Chalcedon Foundation

“In the world of sin and death, problems and troubles concern men most. In the world of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is opportunities, duties, service, faith, and obedience which concern Christ’s people above all else, not death and troubles.” (R. J. Rushdoony)

To look at the news headlines, one can see that the nation is being rocked by scandal, abuse, strife, disaster, protest, criminality, and the like. The changes are happening much faster than in times past, and with everyone plugged into social media channels, the national mood can shift within minutes. A weak nation is reeling from the constant blows. Continue reading →

THE TRANSGENDER MATRIX

Culture, Ethics, morality, Non-eschatology Studies December 1, 2017 Leave a comment

PMW 2017-096 by Walt Hyer (The Witherspoon Institute)

Gentry: The postmodern attack on God has reached new depths in the transgender phenomenon. Not only is God irrelevant, but reality is irrelevant. God created two genders, like it or not. This is an excellent and important article on the topic. Postmillennialism expects development toward “Edenic conditions.” One of the first Edenic conditions was God-created genders. Postmillennialism cannot endorse transgenderism, though it does present the gospel that can cure the problem.

In the 1999 sci-fi movie The Matrix, the hero, Neo, is given a choice of two colored pills: red or blue. It’s a monumental decision, because his choice will determine how he understands everything around him.

If Neo chooses the blue pill, he will remain blissfully unaware that what he perceives as reality is an illusion: a simulation called “The Matrix.” People who take the blue pill can believe in whatever reality they want, but they never know that they are being manipulated and used by nefarious entities. Continue reading →

ENGAGING THE TRANSGENDER DEBATE

Culture, Science November 21, 2017 Leave a comment

PMW 2017-093 by Lita Cosner (Creation Ministries, Intl.)

 

Introductory note by Ken Gentry
Postmillennialism is deeply interested in moral and cultural issues. This is because postmillennialism expects Christ’s victory in history, which necessarily involves righteousness and cultural stability. Yet we are witnessing the apparent collapse of Western Civilization. How does this comport with the postmillennial hope?

I will make only two brief comments in answer to this question. In a later article I will flesh this out more fully.

First, we must remember that postmillennialism does not claim either that historical progress will be witnessed relentlessly day-by-day. It is like our own personal sanctification: kingdom progress has ups-and-downs. We have come a long way since Nero’s persecution. Postmillennialism cannot be disproved until the Last Day, if its expectations do not appear by then.

Second, the current radical decline in common sense and morality could well lead to people turning to God in desperation. The absurd direction of contemporary culture cannot continue. Perhaps God is allowing this in order to demonstrate our need of him for personal morality and cultural stability. God often chastened Israel to bring her back to him. On a larger scale, he appears to be chastening the world by allowing the implications of absurdity to dominate the unbelieving worldview and its ridiculous culture.

Continue reading →

GAY UNIONS ADULTERATE MARRIAGE

Culture, Ethics, morality, Worldview November 17, 2017 Leave a comment

PMT 2017-092 by Peter Smith (Quadrant On-line)

On the Road to Fashionable Ruin

Why should society care what people do if they are not affecting other people in ways which are harmful? John Stuart Mill in his essay On Liberty explores the question in detail but this sums up his position:

“…when a person’s conduct affects the interests of no person besides himself, or needs to affect them unless they like… there should be perfect freedom, legal and social, to do the action and stand the consequences.”

Classical liberals and libertarians concur with Mill. As collectivists, socialists demur. Though they might pretend otherwise as an exercise in the Marxist equivalent of taqiyya. Continue reading →

HOMOSEXUALITY AND GOD’S LAW (4)

Culture, Ethics, morality October 27, 2017 Leave a comment

PMW 2017-087 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is the final installment of a four-part series in outline form on this important moral and cultural question. For the full presentation, begin with PMW 2017-084.

F. The question of ceremonial Law

1. God’s Law is two-fold: moral and restorative.

Ceremonial law was never an end in itself: always typified salvation in Christ.

“Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law” (Heb. 7:11, 12). Continue reading →

HOMOSEXUALITY AND GOD’S LAW (3)

Culture, Ethics, morality October 24, 2017 Leave a comment

PMW 2017-086 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is the third installment in outline form on this topic. For the full presentation, please begin at installment one (PMW 2017-084).

D. God’s Law continues today

1. Christ and God’s Law.

Matt 5:16–20: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Continue reading →

HOMOSEXUALITY AND GOD’S LAW (2)

Culture, Ethics, morality October 20, 2017 Leave a comment

PMW 2017-085 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In the last article I introduced a brief outline survey of the Christian position against homosexual conduct. I continue this in this article.

II. BIBLICAL ISSUES

A. The New Testament condemns homosexual conduct

Rom 1:26-27: “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Continue reading →