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

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Million views at this point Wow 1 million views you know relatively speaking

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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 Deciding between a handful of ideas and then a troublemaker on patreon sent me a message

Was it had a link it had a link to this article I had a nice chuckle at the at the title, and I 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 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 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 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 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's smart 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

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 illegitimate 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 speculations 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 approximate 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 sometimes 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 understand 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 in 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 that would fit this description are so minuscule

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 tongue's 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 judic judic judecateur

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 discovering of infirmities stopping our ears against just defense and evil suspicion

Those who spend their days building a personal brand on the sins above 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 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 um, 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 batmans 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 challis 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 understand 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 gospel part. It's 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 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 so division in the 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 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 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