AD: Christians* Should Not Turn The Other Cheek (Reasonable Latino Response)

Hello there, this is A .D. Robles, and you're listening to A .D. on the Fight, Laugh, Feast Network. Alright, welcome to the podcast today, the video, however you're watching me or listening, welcome.

I am a Latino, and at least in my opinion, I'm pretty reasonable, therefore I'm a reasonable Latino. And what I wanted to do today is I did want to respond to a very common, but wrong, objection to Christian nationalism.

Why This Objection to Christian Nationalism Matters

Now, I'm going to be doing a lot of these kinds of response videos to various arguments about Christian nationalism and things of that nature. And this one is pretty popular, so I wanted to just kind of review it and read it, and then just kind of move forward from there.

And so this one, in my opinion, is probably maybe not the most common, but it's popular because when you give this objection, you're trying to be very pious, like you're trying to say, you know, the Christian way is a different way.

You know, it's a more excellent way than the way that you're proposing here, Christian nationalist. You're above this, and this is beneath you. You're capable of so much more. And to be honest, in my opinion, many people that say this, they don't really mean it.

They're just trying to use it as an argument against you to make you feel bad. It's almost like a manipulation, almost. You know, you're above this, and I'm praying for you. Some guy said that to me yesterday.

I don't believe that this particular person was praying for me at all. But in any case, I don't think everybody who makes this argument is being disingenuous with it. I think some people really do think this is a solid argument against Christian nationalism.

So I want to go into it. I don't know Patrick Miller. I did see that he's a journalist of some kind. Ugh, NFTs. He's a journalist of some kind, which makes me very suspicious that he's not being genuine with this critique.

But I'm going to pretend as if he is, because honestly, this will be the most helpful for you when you're talking to people in your everyday life. So let's jump into it. Here's what started this argument.

William Wolfe said this. Here's one of the biggest problems with conservatives in America. They would rather lose nobly, even to wicked and evil enemies, than win in an ugly manner. They want to feel good about themselves, though they let their country be overrun by tyrant, than do what it takes to win.

Christians Act Differently in Different Roles

So this idea that war is ugly, and you can't necessarily win this fight according to all of the standard rules of decorum. You can't be this lovely, just beautiful, wonderful Christian man, he's just so beautiful, and actually win this war.

Because war requires you to sometimes be a bit of a barbarian. And I don't mean a technical barbarian, and I don't mean that this requires you to sin. And obviously, anyone who's being fair with William Wolfe's statement here, he's not telling you that you need to sin in order to win the fight.

No, what he's saying is, though, that a Christian man, let's just say a Christian soldier, for example. He's going to war with an evil enemy, the Nazis have come to overtake New York City or something.

Most guys these days say, just take it, we don't want New York City. But if you're defending yourself, the Christian man with his wife and his kids is going to act a certain way. And he's going to even be leading the singing on Sunday, or participating in the singing.

He's going to act a certain way in his normal life. But when he's on the battlefield, when he's at war, he might be unrecognizable. Because he's going to have to do things much more aggressively than he normally would.

He's going to have to do things violently where he normally wouldn't be violent in his normal life. You have to understand the context of your situation. Even Paul in Ephesians says that your speech should be that which is appropriate for the situation.

Only that which is helpful and useful in the situation. So that's why we see Paul, in some contexts, he's very compassionate and he's got a lot of pathos and stuff like that. And then in other contexts, he's telling people to emasculate themselves.

And even Jesus is a perfect example because he was a perfect man. You see him dealing with certain people, and again, there's a lot of pathos there. He's very calm and he deals with people softly. But then in other contexts, he's calling them whitewashed tombs, he's calling them Satan, he's very aggressive.

And that's what William's point is. We're not going to win this fight according to the standard rules of what's lovely and decorum and all that for a Christian man. And so that's what he's saying. Now of course Patrick Miller, and this is another kind of hint that I don't think Patrick Miller is really coming from an honest place.

He pretends like William Wolfe is telling us that we need to sin, which of course he wasn't doing. And Patrick Miller says this, What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

And then Patrick Miller says, You know, Christians in the first century, they were martyred left and right. They didn't take up arms. The earliest martyrs blessed their killers and forgave them. But we've got it so much worse today that we get to be ignoble jerks.

He goes on, he says,. Someone responds to him and asks him, what are you, a pacifist? And Patrick Miller says, Are you at bodily risk for martyrdom? Or are you tweeting at me from your air-conditioned house with your car on the outside?

And then this person makes a good point about how we have a civilization to take care of. We've got to think of our children, stuff like that. You need to fight evil. And here's what Patrick Miller says.

Romans 12 and the Christian Duty to Love Enemies

Now, this is the argument. Ready? If you need to fight, then fight like the apostles fought for future generations. Love your enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek. Forgive your attackers.

You could see him getting his holy robes on. They had greater aspirations than preserving a nation. They sought Christ's kingdom. God's got a bigger plan for you. And so that's the argument, right? Now, I don't, again, I'm going to assume he's coming from an honest place.

I think the way he's written this, I'm not 100 sure. But I'm going to answer it as if someone's coming from an honest place. Because on the surface, this sounds like a pretty formidable argument. Because, you know, the apostles were martyred, right?

We know that from history. The church was persecuted. We know that from the Bible and also from history. And they didn't seek to overthrow the government, right? They didn't seek to control the government and all of these things.

And that's a very good point. They blessed their persecutors. They forgave their attackers. Even when Stephen, he's being martyred in the Bible. This is from the Scripture, so we have to pay attention to this.

When he's being martyred in the Scripture, he says, forgive them. As he's being killed, he asks God to forgive those who are killing him, essentially. And so we need to consider that, right? And I think it sounds like a really good argument.

And it's especially used these days because this is a very pious-sounding thing. You should not seek to control the government. You should not seek to fight evil because the apostles didn't. They blessed their attackers.

And so here's the thing, though. This is actually answered quite easily, in my opinion. Because the thing is, the Christian is a Christian everywhere he goes, right? The Christian is a Christian at church.

The Christian is a Christian at work. He's a Christian when he's dealing with his wife. He's a Christian when he's dealing with his family, his kids, his father, his mother. He's a Christian everywhere.

He's a Christian even if he's the civil governing authority. And the thing is that God has commands for the Christian in every area of their life. There's a way to be a judge or a civil governing authority as a Christian versus as a pagan.

And that's something that we need to understand. And God gives us a lot of detail about this. He doesn't give us everything, but he gives us a lot of detail on how to do this. And we need to understand that as a family member, we have a certain role.

Like I've got a role with my wife that I'm supposed to love her the way Christ loved the church. I'm supposed to give myself my life for her. That's what I'm supposed to do, right? And I've got a role with my children.

I'm supposed to teach them in the way that they should go so that when they're older, they'll never depart from it. I'm supposed to teach them about the Lord, about the world, and how to be—well, I only have boys, so how to be a man.

That's the thing. That's my role with my children. But then I've got a different role at church. And there are certain things at church that I've committed myself to doing and loving the brethren and taking care of their needs if I can or if they need it.

There's different things that I'm responsible for at church. And then there's different things that I'm responsible for in the civil government, right? And so we have to recognize—and Patrick, I think what he's failing to recognize here—and again, I'm assuming he's coming from an honest place.

I think many people are. Is that Christian government is not the same as Christian the individual and Christian the churchman and Christian the father and Christian the mother. We act differently in different contexts, right?

And so love your enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek. Forgive your attackers. These are things that every Christian should do and needs to do. But the reality is that a Christian acting as the civil governing authority actually has a different mission.

And this might sound complicated, but it isn't. Because let's say I'm a governor or even just a voter. I'm just a voter, right? I'm just a voter. If somebody comes and they're persecuting me, I can't hate them in return, right?

Individually, right? People have done this to me before. People have lied about me. I've been deplatformed from certain things. I think I'm pretty sure at this point there's a very large account that I had in my business.

I'm pretty sure I lost it because of some of my beliefs and things like that. I can't prove that, but whatever. But I'm not allowed to hate the people that try to hurt me, right? I'm not. I'm supposed to bless them.

I'm supposed to love them. I'm still supposed to treat them the way the Bible tells me to treat them. When the Bible says love your enemies, it's not saying you've got to figure out some way to conjure up emotions within you.

No, it's saying that you need to treat them according to how God says you should treat them. You shouldn't be getting revenge. In fact, the individual Christian, as an individual, is forbidden from seeking vengeance on their enemies.

And that's what Patrick is talking about here. Loving your enemies as an individual Christian. Blessing those who persecute you as an individual Christian. Turn the other cheek. Do not seek vengeance upon people who do you wrong.

That's what this is talking about. Patrick is dead on. When it comes to the Christian as a Christian, as an individual, that's what God requires. In fact, there's a really clear verse that comes from Romans 12.

And here is what it says. This is actually exactly what he's drawing from, right? He doesn't actually quote the verse, but allow me to quote the verse for Patrick, just to kind of help you guys out a little bit.

He says this. Bless those who persecute you. Bless them and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Never be wise in your own sight. Now, pay attention to this. Ready? Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Get this. This is the key verse, right? Again, this is all for Christians. As Christians, when you're facing persecution, when you're facing evil, this is how you deal with it as an individual Christian.

Ready? Beloved, never avenge yourself. Pay attention to that word, avenge. Never avenge yourself, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written. Ready? Pay attention to this word, too. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.

I will repay. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

That's the full context of what Patrick Miller is saying. So it sounds like we're eye to eye. We're seeing eye to eye right now with Patrick, right? But here's the mistake that he's making. He doesn't go far enough.

Because what comes after Romans 12 is Romans 13. And Romans 12 uses very particular language to talk about how a Christian needs to engage with evil, right? And it says things like, bless those who persecute you.

It says things like, don't seek vengeance, because vengeance is God's. That's what it says. It says, don't pay evil with evil, overcome it with good. That's what the scripture says in Romans 12. But you got to keep going, Patrick.

And when you talk to a friend who approaches it this way, I would recommend that you say, you're exactly right. I agree with you, but you have to keep going. Because Romans 12 comes in a very particular context.

And the context includes Romans 13. The very next sentence says this. Because he just got done saying, if you take vengeance, that's evil. That's overcoming evil with evil. You're not allowed to do that as a Christian.

But here's what it says. The next sentence. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God. And those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.

And those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you'll receive his approval.

For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is a servant of God. Now, pay attention to this word. He just got done saying, the civil governing authority, the governor, the judges, the police officers, whatever it is.

They're a servant of God. An avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. The civil governing authority is an avenger. God just got done saying a few sentences earlier, Beloved, never avenge yourselves.

Vengeance is mine. And then God says, a few sentences later, that the civil governing authority is how God executes vengeance upon the evildoer. And so, as Christians in the United States, where we have representatives in government, and we can vote people into government, as a Christian, if you were elected into one of these positions, as a judge or a sheriff or whatever it is, as a Christian, you have a very specific role.

The Christian governor, the Christian president, the Christian senator, the Christian sheriff, the Christian councilman, the Christian alderman, whatever it is, has one job before the Lord. And that is to be God's servant, executing vengeance upon the evildoer.

And so while that individual, that sheriff, for example, that judge, that city councilman, whatever it is, as an individual, they're not allowed to get vengeance for themselves, because vengeance is God.

But in that role, as someone that serves in the state, and in the United States, a lot of us have these roles, by the way, smaller scales or larger scales, and even as voters, there's a certain degree of authority that we have just by being a voter.

We have one role, though, as an individual, never seek vengeance for yourself, but as a civil governing authority, that's your whole job, is to seek vengeance for God. Vengeance is God, and he gives that role to his servant.

By the way, that's just the word deacon. So the civil governing authority is a deacon of God, a servant of God. And they execute vengeance upon evildoers as a servant of God. That's their role. And so what Patrick here is missing, and what a lot of our friends end up missing, is that they're 100 right.

You know, turn the other cheek, love your enemies, bless those who persecute you, forgive your attackers, don't repay evil for evil, overcome evil with good. As individuals, that is our role, and that's why the apostles responded that way, because at the time when the apostles were being persecuted, they could run, they could turn the other cheek, they could turn themselves in, and things like that, but they were in no position to execute vengeance upon the evildoer.

In fact, that's one of the reasons why Jesus rebukes Peter when he pulls out his sword. He's like, who are you, Peter? This is not, my kingdom is not, this is not how my kingdom comes into power. My kingdom has authority because I am who I am.

I am the son of God. And my kingdom is not of this world, it's of heaven. But Christian, this is not an argument against Christian nationalism, because Christian nationalism is not saying, hey, take vengeance into your own hands.

If William Wolfe was saying, take vengeance into your own hands, that would be wrong, right? If William Wolfe was saying, avenge yourself, that would be wrong. If William Wolfe was advocating vigilante justice of some kind, he would be wrong, and this would be a good argument from Patrick against him.

But since William Wolfe is not doing that, instead what he's saying is Christian nationalists should execute vengeance upon the evildoer according to God's standard as Christians, because that's their job, it says so in Romans 13, right after the section that Patrick Miller here is drawing from.

Because that's what William Wolfe is saying, this is actually not an argument against Christian nationalism. This is not an argument, this is a non sequitur. He's right, and the reason why this feels like it's right is because he is right for Christians as individuals.

But Christians in the civil governing authority have a duty before God. If they're going to honor God as Christians in their role as civil governing authority, then what they better be doing is being his servant, bearing the sword for God, executing revenge upon the evildoer, vengeance of God upon the evildoer.

That's their whole role in promoting what is good. And so the next time you see one of your friends saying something like this, and again, it sounds very pious, it sounds very noble, it sounds right, well that's because it is right, it's just not right for the civil governing authority.

A Christian civil governing authority is not in the position to turn the other cheek. Christian civil governing authority should not turn the other cheek. Christian civil governing authority should not bless those who do evil.

Christian civil governing authority should not be loving evildoers. It's just that simple. The Christian civil governing authority should be executing vengeance upon those who do evil. In any case, that's my video for today.

Closing Thoughts and Upcoming Response Videos

I will be doing more arguments. This is just the very first one. I hope you found this podcast helpful. God bless. Don't forget to tune in next week on Thursday for AD on the Fight, Laugh, Feast Network.

God bless.