Gospel Coalition Tries Again - Do We Need Online Watchmen?

Hey there, smooth AD Robles here. It's been a long time. It's been a long time since I Saw you guys, and I just wanted to say thank you. I happened to find my gospel coalition sunglasses in the car yesterday.

And I figured I'd just jump on here and just just say hi. Just just introduce myself again to those of you who might not know me. I've got my delicious caramel macchiato here. And I just wanted to say thank you over the weekend.

We hit a couple of Milestones. We have 10 ,000 subscribers now. Thank you so much if you subscribe. I'm glad that you find this content very helpful and the other Milestone that we hit we've got a Million views at this point.

Wow 1 million views you know relatively speaking It's still a small YouTube channel. But we are growing we're growing and I just thank you so much if you have shared this content if you've subscribed if you've clicked The notifications bill all that kind of stuff.

Thank you so much, and if you haven't yet well What are you waiting for. I hope to upload more helpful content in the future and some funny content as well. And so I just wanted to say one more thing before I got off before we got to the purpose of this video I just wanted to say happy birthday To America you know it's certainly feeling like one of those later-in-life kind of birthdays where the sense of urgency to Party hard is a little bit more because you're not quite sure how many birthdays you have left.

But I I'm very hopeful you see this this channel is all about Encouragement and hope and love and and just all that kind of thing and I I'm very hopeful for the United States of America. So happy birthday America.

Thank you so much for watching the channel and well. We'll just We'll get to it. Take care. All right, all right. Well. Let's jump right into it today. You know I have a lot of ideas for videos, and it is Sometimes difficult to decide what to do a video on and I was sitting there this morning Woke up early and thinking okay, which what video should I do today?

You know what would be helpful right now to the subscribers to others you know what would be the most encouraging thing? I could do right now, and I was deciding between a handful of ideas and Then a troublemaker on patreon sent me a message.

All the message said was it had a link it had a link to this article and so I Had a nice chuckle at the at the title, and I just decided you know what let's do a video on this. I don't know if you'll find it helpful, but it'll certainly be entertaining so Gospel coalition you know they put out articles like this every now and then but I've noticed that the rate of Frequency for these kinds of articles has increased as of late and understandably so because they are getting their clock cleaned on Social media there's no question about that and and the more that they see that that unapproved Uninitiated uncertified not in the guild folks like me are gaining traction on social media, and it's not just me.

There's a lot of me's out there. There's a lot of people that are gaining Influence on social media the more they see themselves losing ground in that game the more they want to vilify the game itself which is a Very loser strategy.

It's a it's a loser strategy. You know you hate the player not the game. You know what I mean, but but this is what they've decided to do so understandably so We've got another article. That's gonna say that social media is bad now.

I have not read this article yet. So hopefully this will be interesting. We will see if the video falls flat on its face. I'm sorry in advance. So one of the things I like to do is when I see an article like this I look at the look at the byline Caleb wait is who wrote this article today, and I don't know him so what I like to do is scroll down to the bottom and See what Caleb wait is all about.

Caleb wait Western Westminster Seminary, California is a writer. He's a producer of the mere fidelity podcast and he has wife two young kids. He lives in California, and I can connect with him on Twitter.

Which I did earlier and just to show you the receipts there it is. I'm now following Caleb wait all right, so Let's see what Caleb wait has to say let's see what wisdom Caleb hate has to bring wait has to Caleb eight to bring to the table when it comes to social media and Internet Watchmen look at this very scary picture look at that.

This is some good propaganda. Gospel coalition is decent propaganda. There's no question about it. They've got a way of Speaking that makes them sound convincing even though typically there's not a lot of meat to the articles.

And then the pictures that they choose are always the best always the best. Notice the very white a Person that you have on this it's always white guys that get in trouble for using the internet. That's.

That's pretty much standard, so let's see what Caleb has to say. He says Christians on the internet can sometimes be like the fake Batman's and Christopher Nolan's the Dark Knight copycat caped crusaders wearing hockey pads and do-it-yourself cowls our Personalities online can often mimic a kind of second life as vigilantes.

Online Watchmen and the Problem of Unapproved Authority

Self-appointed citizens who undertake the role of law enforcement in their community without legal authority. Typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate. Now this is hilarious.

Because any Casual observer to this article will instantly look at the title. Instantly see what's being said here about the about the Batman and will notice two things instantly ready. First thing the title the church doesn't need online watchmen now.

This is a truism. I've talked about this before the gospel coalition is good propaganda because it takes a truism and then applies it in a very strange Untrue way because who could argue with this the church doesn't need online watchmen.

That's very true. I agree the church doesn't need online watchmen. There's no office in the Bible called online watchmen, so I can't ever argue with this truism. It's just a truism. It's true. I can't argue with that.

But if you did what I did and go down to the byline you will notice that Caleb way is a writer and a Podcaster and so I could just as easily say the church doesn't need Podcasters the church doesn't need Bloggers or blogs or any of these things and it's like, okay, that's true.

There is no office of Podcaster in the Bible likewise. There is no office of blogger in the Bible and yet Caleb wait is both of those things. So what's the point of this article? It's a truism. Nobody would argue with it.

But what are you really trying to do? I have a suspicion. We'll find out in just a minute the second thing you'll notice right off the bat is that he says that that that that the internet is sometimes like Christians on the internet are like the fake Batman's because they're they're like.

They're like half-baked Vigilantes, and so if you notice Batman is actually a vigilante. He's not an approved person. He has no official authority. So the really the problem here isn't that someone's a vigilante.

The problem is Caleb doesn't like the quality of the vigilante ism that he sees on the internet. Caleb himself is a vigilante as you might see because again, there is no office of Podcaster and there is no office of blogger.

And so the problem really isn't about the vigilantes. It's about the quality of vigilantes. He doesn't like the fake Batman's. He only likes the real Batman and this is kind of a way to circle the wagons because the gospel coalition is an official Certified channel they're members of the guild and what Caleb likely wants is for you to only get your information From the guild he wants you to treat gospel coalition like Snopes.

He wants you to treat gospel coalition like the mainstream media. This is where you get approved information. This is the correct information. This is the gospel centered information and everything else look at it with suspicion.

That's what he'd like you to do. The problem is that this strategy Rarely works and all it does is make you look shadier and me look more reasonable by comparison. Because I'm not telling you not to read gospel coalition.

All I'm saying is look at the receipts, right? Don't just take their word as gospel truth just because they have gospel in the name. Let's see. What's what? Let's compare it to the Bible and see how it compares.

That's what I'm saying. But anyway, let's continue Tim Challis. Tim Challis is definitely approved. He's a Batman. He's like a real Batman. I'm like the fake Batman. He's like the real Batman. That's what's being said here.

Tim Challis discusses how cyberspace is often thought of as a place but one where our embodied selves never have to go anywhere. Quote, we now see cyberspace as a place but also as a state of being. Cyberspace gives us a place to be ourselves apart from our bodies and in many cases the draw is irresistible.

Often we are led to view this as a superior alternative to the real world. Now, I'm sure there are some incels out there that treat the internet like this but You know This is this is quite a straw man.

I might say let's continue. What's more if we are disgruntled within this with the state of the church and believe its government inadequate? We now have a place to go and sir pop to Supervise the church from behind the safe buffer of a screen again, this is such as this is such a straw man because many of us who are in this fight are Members of churches we are under Authority we we go through the official channels and all of that, but we also have a YouTube channel.

We also have a blog we also have You know podcasts and in many cases that I'm aware of our pastors know about this stuff. In fact my pastor I was just talking to him yesterday. I was at his house for lunch.

We our families got together and he was talking to me about my YouTube channel how it's going. He watches my content this and that he encouraged me. He helped me. He'd he you know, he's aware of this stuff.

So this makes it seem like if you're online and you're not part of the official guild. Then you're saying that the church government is inadequate. You're saying you're saying that that that that that you're disgruntled with the church government.

And it's like look we might be disgruntled with Big Eva. That's very different than being disgruntled with the church because Big Eva believe it or not Caleb is Not the entire church you understand I'm saying like you don't have to be members of the gospel coalition board to be an official Church, there are lots of churches out there that are just as official as you that have the same commission as you and guess what?

They don't need your stupid approval to write a blog post. They don't need your approval to be a podcaster. They don't need your approval to start a YouTube channel. I know that hurts. I know that smarts.

I will you wish it wasn't so but you are not the magisterium. Sorry, that's just how it works. So you see how he's trying to set this up, right? Like those are oh if you're online and you're not official.

Then you're saying that the church government is not adequate and nobody's saying that. Take it back rewind the tape some people say that but that's true in any situation of any in any church in any kind of context.

There are podcasters that say that so does that mean that your podcasting is a legitimate Caleb? Obviously not so you see you kind of look at the argument behind the argument here because I could say all this stuff about Podcasters and blogs and it would either apply to Caleb.

Just like it would apply to me or it wouldn't and I would say it wouldn't because this is not an argument. Here's what we got next divisive vigilantes. Now, that is scary sounding. Caleb says there are times when an online watchman role can be helpful.

Thank you. Thank you. How much you bet how much you want to bet that he's not talking about me? Especially when exposing corruption in churches or institutions that have silenced or dismissed dissenting voices within but in my experience Online watchmen are usually less like investigative journalists and more like internet trolls prone to ill-informed Speculation smearing and spreading division.

I might take this opportunity to say if you have not listened to my podcast a biblical theology theology of internet trolling. Please check it out because internet trolling is not necessarily the worst thing ever I know that's gonna blow someone like Caleb's mind.

But it's not and I have no problem admitting that on occasion. I have been known to internet troll. All right. He says quote the words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels they go down into the inner parts of a body.

Social media often exacerbates the temptation to receive rumors and raise the alarm about strangers in the church. No longer are we satisfied with our faithful service to a local body of believers instead?

We can be in the people everywhere business people. We don't really know but can easily think the worst about. We can become obsessed by outrage at things happening far beyond our proximate community.

We can scroll and vent when distant others rage about the latest dangers and problems caused by those people in those Churches. You see how weird this is. This is there's no consistency to it because on the one hand he says Online vigilantes can be helpful to expose corruption in churches or institutions that have silenced or dismissed dissenting voices from within.

But on the other hand what he gives you with that he takes away with the other hand. He says yeah, but if you don't really know them then you can't say anything about them and he makes it seem like we're whispering things like this is all in secret and the Reality is that the majority of videos that I've seen About this kind of thing are videos that what they'll do is they'll take a public article for example Like this one or public words and they'll rebuke them or critique them Publicly and it's like that is not the same as spreading rumors.

Yeah, you have to understand that like your article was put out publicly and you're trying to accomplish a public good at least in Your opinion and I'm trying to take it down Publicly because I know what you're doing here.

And so I'm trying to destroy the negative effects that I feel like a video an article like this will have. I'm gonna try to nip it in the bud right away. And you're what you're trying to do is set up this thing where it's uneven.

So it's like gospel coalition can say this stuff publicly but these weirdos over here can't and by the way when they do that's like Whispering and telling rumors and stuff like that and it actually has nothing to do with that.

Now are there people that disseminate rumors and slander and stuff like this? Absolutely, but the problem is because you don't name names. You don't say something specific. All this does is attempt to throw shade on it.

You know the way of unapproved sources of information and again, you can keep trying. In fact, I love these articles because they help me they help me look reasonable by comparison and I like that kind of thing.

But keep trying. I mean, I always have a nice laugh when I see these so let's let's continue. These ecclesial vigilantes ignore church polity and try to take matters into their own hands. Even if they don't know the people they speculate about they often feel safe spreading rumors and suspicions.

Refuse refusing to bear all things in love sometimes these online watch. Sometimes hold on times these online watchmen gain followings and other Christians begin to see their voices as more authoritative than their own pastors.

Scripture warns us of these factitious and divisive men and then he quotes scripture avoid foolish controversies genealogies dissensions quarrels about the law for they are Unprofitable and worthless as for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice have nothing more to do with him.

Knowing that such a person is warped and sinful. He is self-condemned. That's interesting because I would use that same verse about the gospel coalition because the gospel coalition actually does all of these things they set up an External non, you know non church polity organization that seeks to be the arbiters of truth.

And if anyone contradicts what gospel coalition says is true, they get taken to the woodshed and so what I'm doing is trying to temper that influence as much as I possibly can and the reality is that this Absolutely does not ignore church polity.

It absolutely does not all it does is confront public error. Publicly the same way the disciples did it the same way Christ did it the same way the prophets did it you send. One side of an issue is pointing out the divisiveness of the other side that might look divisive in itself but actually the division started with the person who departed from the truth and so there's really actually nothing wrong with being Divisive as long as you're dividing on the lines of truth.

You understand what I'm saying? Like like like you if you say that division is always wrong, then you're gonna have to condemn Christ who divided people you're going to have to Condemn the Apostles who divided people you see the thing is division is fine.

So long as it's dividing over truth over doctrine over correct doctrine. You don't see what I'm saying. So when I point out that Eric Mason is dividing the body of Christ according to skin color. Inappropriately with partiality and according to some kind of a pagan doctrine.

Yes, I am dividing with Eric Mason, but that's a holy division. Eric's was the unholy one. He's the one who was dividing over something inappropriate like skin color. For example, we continue so. For those tempted to be divisive.

It's no wonder the online world is so appealing. It lacks the structures of accountability that hold the real world and the church together. Even though cyberspace isn't really a place though. The consequences of what takes place there are real digital words hold no less weight than those we say in person.

This is another kind of a tactic that lots of big Eva types are saying that there's all these people out there that don't think. That the words you say online are real and I just don't know any people like that.

Even like the worst of the worst online trolls that you can think of I don't think they think that their online words are different somehow. Than the words they say in person like that doesn't make any sense at all.

In fact, the very reason that I talk online is because I know that these words have impact. Like why would you even say anything online if you didn't think that they were real if there would be no consequences?

I just don't understand that. So it certainly seems like if he is talking to real people the the amount of people that he would be talking to you That would fit this description are so miniscule. It's like why waste time even talking about people like that.

I know people I know trolls online that that their words are just insane and they don't really Think about what they say and stuff like that. You know what I do when I encounter people like that. Nothing, I move on.

It just doesn't make any sense to me. I don't know. All right. The tongues devastation. Proverbs 18 says the words of a man mouth are deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is a babbling brook. Deep waters is a phrase that harkens back to the ancient Near Eastern views of the abyss a place of chaos.

The realm of beasts and sea monsters. James also picks up this imagery for. Every kind of beast and bird of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. The bleak and severe warnings regarding speech in James 3 should give us all pause. He says that the beasts of the deep are easier to tame than the tongue.

Why can our words be so devastating? James answers with the tongue we bless our Lord and Father and with it We curse people who are made in the likeness of God from the same mouth come blessing and curses.

My brothers these things ought not To be so good advice. I think about that kind of stuff every single time I make a video. He continues don't bear false witness. The Westminster larger catechism lists No less than 47 speech sins forbidden by the Ninth Commandment.

Thou shall bear no false witness against thy neighbor. Such sins include. Quote all prejudicing of the truth in the name of the good name of our neighbors, especially in public judica juda couture. I don't know that word.

I went to public school speaking the truth unseasonably or maliciously to a wrong end. Misconstruing intentions words and actions aggravating smaller fruits. Unnecessary discovery of infirmities stopping our ears against just defense and evil suspicion.

Those who spend their days building a personal brand on the sins above for on the sins above forfeit the privilege of speaking credibly into others lives. As Jesus himself said the good person out of his good treasure bring brings forth good and the evil person out of his evil treasure Brings forth evil.

I tell you on the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless word. They speak when we fail to keep the ninth commandment in these regards. We must repent and charge others to repent and trust in the one who while being led to slaughter opened his mouth.

Not give your attention to the silent and slaughtered lamb not cowards and hockey pads always looking for a fight online. So this is the this is the way that a big Eva article typically works, right? Because I would agree with all of those things.

It's all really good advice at the end there. Especially if you are engaged not only in online communication, but just in any communication these these these verses from James in particular. James is super helpful for this kind of stuff these verses from Proverbs and this stuff from the Westminster Catechism is gold man.

This is gold. You should look at the way the Westminster breaks down the sins of the Ten Commandments. And it talks about what you're not supposed to do plus what you're supposed to do. It is one of the most helpful sections of any document besides scripture that I can imagine.

The Westminster Catechism on the Ten Commandments is extremely helpful but the thing is like You can't really deny this stuff. But but what what what I want to kind of point out is the strategy of an article like this.

This is how pretty much every big Eva article, you know. Accomplishes their goals. They they talk about something that they think is really bad. Fake Batman's and in hockey pads basically internet Christians that aren't approved.

That's what he's talking about here. Because again, he is one of these people. Tim Challey's is one of these people. They are bloggers. They are podcasters. God doesn't need bloggers and podcasters. The church doesn't need podcasting watchmen or or blogging watchmen or any of these things, right?

So we so so He's not talking about himself. Obviously, he's talking about unapproved people and then he puts all these accusations against them. They're ignoring church polity. They're they're saying the church government isn't enough.

They're saying all these things. And so here's the reality about this guys in saying that He slanders people that he doesn't know all while pretending to write an article. About how you shouldn't slander people.

You don't know. You see what I'm saying? Like this is this is textbook projection. Like he's doing the thing he's saying you shouldn't do he doesn't know me. He doesn't know people online that are anonymous or people online that that you know say things he finds distasteful and yet He's willing and comfortable to say all kinds of things about them.

They disregard church polity. They think church government isn't enough. They're obsessed at outrage by things happening far beyond our proximate communities. And this is all Lies, he doesn't know any of this stuff or if he does he doesn't tell us how he knows this you see I know a lot of these people that he's talking about.

I know these people personally. I know they're churchmen. I know many of them are elders or deacons in the church. These people have the same Commission the same authority the same Ordination that many in gospel coalition have these are the same.

They have the same authority that you do and the reality is like I know you don't like what we say. And that's why we exist because we think that you've lost your way. Gospel coalition has lost their way.

They've become the coalition the gospel part is just it's kind of a side issue at this point. For the gospel coalition and the thing is we don't just say that we actually look at your words. We read them in context and we respond to them directly.

You see you try to make it seem like we're just talking about people behind their back. We're not we're not. We're just making stuff up and it's like no. No, what we do is we read your articles. You know, we read your articles and we critique them and I know you don't agree with us, but that's the whole point.

That's that question. You see the way that he liked this to be set up is that there would be no debate you know, you have the official channels and then everyone else just keeps your mouth shut and I'm sorry, but no.

No, I believe in the priesthood of all believers. I believe that churches that aren't part of the gospel coalition or acts 29 or your official channels. Are actually legitimate churches too. They have the same Commission you do the same Jobs and responsibilities that you do and if you don't like what we say.

Then let's talk about it have a Bible study and see whose words actually match the Bible. More you see because you can quote a lot of verses here and I agree with all of this stuff. The question is though, how do you know we're breaking this stuff and I'll show you how you are.

You don't understand. I'm saying like gospel coalition regularly puts out articles that will slander entire race of people. Right, and I can show you how that breaks the commandments specifically and I'll use specific examples and I'll name Names because the reality is that if you don't have two or more witnesses.

You actually shouldn't even be putting out a report like this. And so when you put this kind of stuff out and you don't actually identify who you're talking about. All this serves to do is sow division in their churches because all of a sudden people are gonna be like wait a minute.

Is my pastor doing this is is he talking about my pastor or my favorite blog or my my friend and stuff like that? See like that's why I like this kind of stuff. This is the division that I want to stop because this division all it does is seek to sow division because it doesn't name names.

Nobody can check your receipts Caleb. All you're doing is sowing discord among brethren and that is evil. That is evil when you don't show me what you're talking about. All of all it does is serve to drive suspicion for everybody.

You see I won't do that. I won't do that. I'll call you out directly Caleb. This is not a good article this sows division. This isn't helpful this is actually slander in itself while pretending to be against slander you see and I can show you the receipts here.

You know, you want to talk about this. You want to see why I say that? Well, let's talk. I Don't think you're gonna accept because this is your strategy. You're sowing discord among brethren and that's wrong, buddy.

And you know, it's wrong because you've quoted me all the right verses. So my suggestion to you is if you don't like how social media is going for you guys. Find a new profession. Anyway, I hope you found this video helpful.

God bless.