Category Archives: Doctrine

Doctrine, Sermons

Gog and Magog

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Other than the Antichrist himself (and his mark, of course), perhaps no other apocalyptic reference has been been given so many different possible interpretations by fundamentalists as the threatening specters of Gog and Magog.

Who could these amassed radical anti-Israel forces be? A Revived Communist Russia? A Fascist Nuclear Iran? An Uzbekistan Buzkashi Team? And it’s only fair to assume that the Catholics will be involved somehow or another.

Whatever Gog and Magog are or were they’re absolutely perfect for fundamentalist sermons. Just about any news of military maneuvering somewhere vaguely northish of Israel can be turned into an angel getting ready to blast out the end of the world. And since somebody over there is inevitably flexing their military muscles at any given point in time, it’s pretty easy to keep the eschatological ball rolling.

As for me, my money is on Switzerland. It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch the closest.

Doctrine

Friday Challenge: Be Constructive

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A frequent accusation of the posts and comments on this site is that they tend to be very negative without providing a “better way” to do things. So today the challenge is to give some constructive advice about ways there could be positive change in fundyland. (Hint: “Nuke it from space” or “Burn it to the ground” are not the positive changes we’re looking for here).

My contribution:

1. A return to liberty in matters not explicitly covered by Scripture.
2. True legal, moral, and ethical accountability at every level.
3. An acknowledgment that other orthodox believers are brothers and sisters in Christ with whom real fellowship is possible even if disagreements exist.
4. A realization that differences in culture, method, and style should be judged on their own merits and not dismissed merely because they are not my way of doing things.

What are yours?

Doctrine

Looking Back (An Atypically Serious Post)

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As I chanced to read through Philippians 3 in a moment of devotion, it suddenly seemed to me that those oft-read words had strangely moved and changed as if some Subtle Hand had writ them large upon my own life’s story. And what I read was this:

Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh
also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have as good as anyone:

Dedicated as a baby in a fundamentalist church, son of an Independent Baptist preacher, grandson of an Independent Baptist preacher, a fundamentalist of fundamentalists; as to the rules of conduct, I kept them to the letter (as far as anybody knew); as to zeal, a graduate of a fundamentalist college, a fundamentalist deacon, song leader and Sunday School teacher and uncompromising judge of those I deemed too liberal; as to standards in my music, dress, and language I was blameless.

But whatever gain and prestige I had as a fundamentalist, I now count as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing grace in Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of my worthless fundamentalist accolades and count them as garbage, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

And as I read, I wished with all my heart the words were truly true — a lesson long since learned and mastered instead of one so often and so easily forgot.

Christ, save us.

Ok, enough maudlin introspection. Back to the regularly scheduled insanity…