Does (D) Stand for Demonic?

I was encouraged to read my friend Uri Brito's post on Kuyperian Commentary this morning---"Political Pluralism is a Sham!"---and in the spirit of piling on, I wanted to share my own "Yes, and Amen!"

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, the House of Representatives passed a bill, barely, requiring doctors to provide medical care to babies who survive an attempted abortion. Just to be clear, this law, which the Senate will not pass and the President will veto if it comes to his desk, obligates medical providers to try to save the life of infants who have been poisoned, mutilated, and otherwise harmed in an attempt to kill them and remove them from their mother’s womb but who, somehow, survive the attack. Every Republican in the House who was present voted for the bill. Every Democrat, except one, refused to support it. Of the 212 Democrats in the House of Representatives, 210 voted against saving the child’s life, one voted present (cf. cowardice in a dictionary), and one voted in favor of it. (It’s got to be awkward to be the only orc that doesn’t think we should kill and eat the prisoners.)

Now I realize I am breaking a cardinal rule here. American society has been rapidly reconditioned (i.e. brainwashed) not to notice that the dude in a dress is a guy, and prominent Reformed denominations have been encouraged not to notice the (D) next to certain politicians’ names. But it is hard not to notice that for all the negative things that can be said about those Republicans—and there are a lot of negative things one might say—the Democrat Party, qua Party, stands explicitly, uniformly, and vehemently opposed to the most basic creational, biblical, and ethical norms. Whether it is promoting envy and unbiblical economic policies, gaslighting the American public regarding “systemic racism” while promoting programs that establish that very thing, queering our children and grooming them on behalf of sexual perverts, flaunting the same perversion on embassy soil in foreign nations, or promoting, protecting, and celebrating the mass slaughter of unborn children as a moral good—in every case the Democrats have taken the side of Sauron and proven their intransigence, contumacy, and steadfast opposition to all that is true, good, and beautiful.

We have heard a lot since 2016 about political pluralism in the Church. Ambivalence on political questions and opposition to “culture warriors” has been well-represented and promoted by prominent thinkers in the OPC. I did not vote for Trump in 2016. I did not trust him. But the notion that disgust with Republican compromise somehow validates a vote for the other major party should not be tolerable. That members of “conservative” Reformed denominations openly supported a violent, Marxist, anti-Christian organization like BLM and the politicians who stand with them says a great deal about the lack of clarity that has been found in our preaching and leadership in churches for far too long. Where are the prophets who will call out Israel’s worldliness in moral and political matters today? –JME

2022 Reading Q4 Review & 2023 Reading Plan

2022 is now complete, and it is time for a review of my reading in the fourth quarter and to turn the page to the reading plan for 2023. Earlier installments in this series can be found HERE. My hope is to inspire and encourage some of you to a more disciplined and diligent practice of reading.

I planned to read 100 books in 2022 spread across six categories: theology, philosophy, history, classics, biographies, and books I regularly re-read. I completed 37 books in the first quarter, 31 in the second, 32 in the third, and 27 in the fourth, finishing with a total of 127. My reading in the fourth quarter included 8 volumes of theology, 5 biographies, and 10 re-reads. My final totals in each category were 29 theology, 12 philosophy, 10 history, 11 classics, 19 biographies, and 28 re-reads.

Here are three books I read in the fourth quarter I particularly enjoyed or found profitable.

First, The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton. It is no secret that Chesterton is probably my favorite author of all-time, and I am almost always reading something by him throughout the year. Everlasting Man is not one that I have re-read yearly, but it likely will become so after this year’s read-through. The argument is stimulating, the prose delightful, and the encouragement to faith and wonder at the work of God in human history is truly a blessing. Chesterton argues that Christianity is the “true myth.” This work was a key influence in C. S. Lewis’s conversion, and I have been blessed every time I read it.

Second, John Knox: Stalwart Courage by Douglas Wilson. This is a very accessible and practical treatment of Knox’s life and the virtues God’s grace wrought and manifested in this Reformed father. It would be especially appropriate for young men looking for role models of manly piety and courage.

Third, God and Generals by Jeff Shaara. I’m not sure how I never read this particular novel— and as a novel I categorized it as an elective, not history or biography—since I have known about it for many years. I do not read a great deal of historical fiction—though I do enjoy fiction that is historical—but I greatly enjoyed this volume and look forward to reading others in the series.

The 2023 Reading Plan

2022’s reading plan was a success, the most successful that I have developed so far, and I feel encouraged to continue to set goals in specific categories and genres. I have decided to base my reading goals in 2023 on quarterly, rather than annual, totals with an ambition of reading 120 works for the entire year. Every three months I plan to read the English Bible once-through in a different translation, starting with the Geneva Bible. (I read the Psalms and certain parts of Scripture more frequently, but this refers to my general plan of reading.) I also plan to read 4 volumes in each of the designated categories: theology, philosophy, history, biography, classics, and re-reads, leaving 5 electives. --JME