AD Earnestly Apologizes to the Audience - Part 6

All right, everybody. Welcome back to the channel. It is Friday. So happy Friday. I hope you have a good weekend planned coming up. One of my son's birthdays is this weekend. We're gonna have a great time got we got MetSpring training starting tomorrow.

We got hockey I mean man the Rangers they are just they're just killing it right now nine game win streak. You know, we had a kind of a typical New York sports lull where we kind of fell behind a little bit.

But since then we've won nine in a row and it's been it's been fun. It's been fun to watch in any case. I wanted to get back to this own strong stuff. It's been a I've been enjoying it. I think it's been beneficial to a lot of people.

Why I Keep Addressing Owen Strachan

But what I did want to address one thing one thing, you know. Someone asked me what is the big deal here? Why are you dedicating so much time to this? You know, whatever you disagree with. Oh and who cares who cares, you know, it's not that big a deal and You know, I think I think that there's some truth to that.

But there's but there's also a reason why I'm doing it. So so the disagreement itself, you know, Owen represent his positions I think represent a lot of people. And they they might not be as consistent as Owen is because they can you know.

They would realize it's kind of ridiculous to say that for example Righteousness in the New Covenant doesn't exalt a nation like that's completely preposterous and ridiculous. Most people won't say that but Owen, you know, he's a scholar.

He's trying to be consistent, whatever. But at the end of the day the disagreement really isn't that big a deal. You know, I've disagreed with Christians on this kind of thing for a long time and I don't make a big deal out of it.

It's not a big deal. We can still be brothers. We can still have fellowship. We could still hang out I mean, it's all fun. You know what I mean? In fact, we're still on the same team a lot of the time the reason why I'm focusing on this with Owen is because of He doesn't just believe this stuff.

He actively works against Christians, you know, essentially, you know trying to claim the state for Christ because it is he's got crown rights over that right. And so we you know in our country, we have an opportunity to participate in the way It's governed at least in a small way at least in a superficial way.

But but you know on the local level in a real way and we ought to be doing those things. We ought to be doing those things for the Lord. We ought to be doing those things self-consciously as Christians and he works against that so often I think here here's here's here's where the rub is you know the guys at eschatology matters did a follow-up to this video and they were kind of doing like a debrief like a postgame show talking about the conversation and if you haven't seen that already give it a watch because.

The whole thing is good. But the beginning was so good because they they pointed out that Owen called our perspective dangerous. He says it's not it's not just that he disagrees. It's dangerous and. And the guys in the conversation were like well, why why is this dangerous?

Okay, you don't like it. You think it's dangerous. Why what is so dangerous about it? Why do you have to dedicate? You know sweet conference time to trying to destroy the people that are part of it and and quite frankly that Conference time was dedicated to really slander a lot of the people that are part of it.

And and I mean like the objective definition of slander not like the I don't like it and these guys, you know. They're not that smart like that's different. But I'm talking about like the actual saying we believe things that we don't actually believe like that kind of thing.

In order to destroy us or hurt our reputations. So anyway, I guess it's libel because it would be it's vocal. But anyway, whatever whatever that's not the point. That's the problem. That's the problem.

You know Owen's positions here are Our you know, they're not correct, but they're fine. I mean, I wouldn't make a big deal of it. Lots of people believe this stuff, but the point is though that he's not only saying these things.

But he's also trying to try to hurt The reputation of honest good Christians who are out there and they're putting in work, right? They're putting in work for Christ in the civil realm. You know to me not just in the church realm and the ecclesiastical, you know discipline.

But in other disciplines and and they ought to be encouraged especially now, especially in our time now in 2024. They ought to be encouraged not looked at sideways, you know suspiciously and oh, they're so dangerous, you know that kind of thing.

So that's the big deal with Owen. I think that that's why I'm doing the videos you know, I think it's very clear to see the things that he says are pretty preposterous, but but what I want to Emphasize here is not only are the things he's saying preposterous, but the things we're saying even if you don't agree with them.

They are worthy of a legitimate hearing. They are worthy of a legitimate conversation and we're not heretics, obviously obviously, you know, I gotta do is look at the vast way that that that Stephen Wolf just leans on the Historic reformed fathers like he's putting out this book and he's just like I Have not seen a book that leans more heavily on that stuff In recent times then than his book and so it's just you know, they call it a retrieval.

That's what they call it is a retrieval. It's a retrieval not everything you learned in mrs Jeffries, you know elementary school the reason I say mrs. Jeffries because that was my teacher and I was in elementary school Mrs. Jeffries, she was a good teacher, too She's a Christian too actually.

But not everything I learned from mrs. Jeffries about the civil government and how it ought to work and what's moral in the civil government. Not everything I learned there was correct. And so we have a better way, you know, we have a better way.

Anyway, let's let's continue. I'm.

Corporate Baptism and the Church at Ephesus

Totally bereft of any understanding of how that happens. How does the Conway get baptized? You actually were the argument can't help but go to my Vantage point because the argument would be made there's lots of people getting baptized.

Individuals getting baptized. That's actually the point. I'm making The huge number of individuals someone could say I'm not on their side. But they could say that means then that the city itself got baptized and I'm saying no.

The city didn't get baptized a whole lot of people got baptized. Praise God for that. But but it's not that Conway got baptized and now Conway is You know joining a church and now Conway is Under-disciplined when Conway acts badly.

No, there's it's just it's just so it's so.

Is it pedantic? Is that the word because I learned that word in Seinfeld. Is it pedantic? Is that the right? He's being pedantic here. Let's look it up. There's no sense of that. I bought. Yeah, it's pedantic.

That's what it is. I learned that word in Seinfeld that I used it correctly. It's but he's being pedantic. Pedantic is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors caring too much about minor details or Emphasizing their own expertise, especially in something narrow or boring subject matter.

I think that applies to Owen pretty pretty well because here's the thing, you know when I say Keene is playing Brattleboro tomorrow and ice hockey. We all know that this whole city is not playing Brattleboro.

We understand that at the city the team representing the city is playing the team representing the other city. We understand that with New York is playing Miami. We know that the whole state is not representing.

It's not playing Miami. We understand that it's the Jets that are about to get their teeth kicked in by by the Dolphins. We get it and So this is the point. It's like yes, of course the people there are getting baptized because you baptize people.

We get that. But a nation Cannot be separated from people. Because a nation is comprised of people a particular people. That's the point. He could be pedantic. He could be pedantic. I remember when Jerry George used that word in Seinfeld.

He didn't he didn't know what it meant. He was just cut. He could be pedantic.

Presbyterianism, Baptism, and Christian Nationalism

In the New Covenant era and this is a Presbyterian system. This is a pato-baptist system or probably presbyterian. This is a pato. There's a formalism to Christian nationalism, for example, that it's just not going to be found in a Baptist context.

It doesn't work because we don't we only we only baptize those who profess faith consciously. We don't we don't just baptize people. So CN as numerous folks on the CN side have have said they've admitted it.

Stephen Wolfe admitted it publicly. It fits elegantly within a Presbyterian framework. It doesn't work for a Baptist framework.

That's not exactly what Stephen Wolfe said, but I do understand his point because I you know, I I'm a Baptist I guess cuz I go to a Baptist church. So technically I'm a Baptist but by confession, I believe what Presbyterians believe.

That's what I would believe right? So I understand. I I think Presbyterian. I think everything fits better in Presbyterian. That's why I'm a Presbyterian. I Believe the Bible teaches it and because it's the truth everything fits better with Presbyterianism.

But that's not what exactly what Stephen Wolfe said. He said that his conception of this is from a Presbyterian perspective and he's not even going to try to make any effort into putting it making it fit into Baptist Perspectives because he's not a Baptist.

That's what he said. He said I make no effort to do it because I'm a Presbyterian. So it's not exactly what he said and I'm sure if you asked him you would say yeah. It fits way better with president because of how he understands Presbyterianism.

So but there are lots of Baptists that are that are that are looking at, you know. How exactly this would work and what steps you would need to take and they're working on these problems right now. In fact, there are many Christian nationalists, of course who are Baptists and have no plans on becoming Presbyterian.

There are some Christian nationalists who in my opinion, I won't name any names. Are probably planning on becoming Presbyterian soon. Even if they don't know it yet. Anyway. Anyway, but yeah, I mean not exactly what he said.

But it's not I'm thinking toward.

I'm thinking toward like Ephesus for example. So you have you have Ephesus doing quite well early on and then they're singled out, you know in the letters to the Revelation. When you have a conception of let me ask you a twofold question on this.

So like number one, you know, one of the things that one of the guys said in the postgame show. On this on eschatology matters. He says nations have been baptized in the Bible. They have what about the nation of Israel when they?

Won't pass through the waters. They were baptized. And I gotta say yeah Amen, even the children they were all baptized. But it says the Bible but it's in the New Testament. It says that there's so much here.

I think. One of the problems I think that a lot of people have noticed this then have been have been messaging me and saying this is that. You know, oh and I'm sure he's you know. He's worked really hard and he's read a lot of stuff and written a lot of stuff and he knows certain things very well.

But one thing he's very bad at is seeing the the the forest right he can see certain trees. But seeing the forest itself is is not a skill and and honestly I believe that's probably pretty true of a lot of PhDs, you know a lot of PhDs.

They're very good at seeing a tree or a couple trees, but the forest itself.

Often escapes them. Do you see any sense in which a corporate people in the New Testament? And I'm trying to be careful with the language because I don't want to say nation. But in the sense of a corporate people are judged as a corporate unit.

So for example, you've got the church at Ephesus and we could talk about the fact that it is the church in Ephesus. It's being addressed not the entire town, you know. Point taken before you made it. I know you'd probably say so but but just think you know.

But just thinking through that like it wasn't the whole church that had forgotten its first love. Was it some in the church or the majority of the church to which the church could be judged? I'm just wondering number one.

Would you see any sort of corporate responsibility in the New Testament where a people can be either praised or judged? Whereas even though a hundred percent of them are not in line with that if that's kind of making sense.

But then my second no, go ahead. Go ahead. Don't mention the fact and it's a good question.

But I think I know how Owen's going to address it and from his perspective It'll make a little bit of sense. But but but in the New Testament a lot of people have pointed this out to me as well that Israel was judged in The New Testament time.

In that kind of you know, you know transition time Israel was judged in the New Testament. Does that mean that every? Israelite was judged and everyone or our Ezra as your light had not converted to Christ and every single one down to the down to The animals were were were being judged because they were all doing the same.

No, of course not. We understand that we understand what it means. Sorry.

Absolutely, you know what the you know what the. The body the Representational body change is between old and new. Old does deal in nations new deals and churches. You just. Sorry, but you I'm not trying to do a gotcha, but you just you just that's the point.

I'm trying to make okay. That's how God approached. It's it's not Josh to be to be clear returning to a prior question of yours a very good question a just question to quote Lord of the Rings. It's not so much that the New Testament says hey guys now we're not dealing with in nations anymore.

It's not really like that. It's kind of like a little bit of a strange connection polygamy in the Old Testament. It's not like God really comes out and says a whole lot about polygamy. Explicitly and directly.

God does this? It is that God deals in the New Covenant with churches. That's the focus. Nations still exist large groups of people still exist. I'm not I'm not gonna say that that's not a category of the New Testament, but God's dealings are not with.

Given nations God's dealings. God's focus is on churches. That those are the bodies of people that that are in view. And yes, you do have the you do have Corinth being treated as a block. Did everybody at Corinth approve of the man and sin with his father's wife, for example?

Probably not but there is a corporate element there. Definitely, but it's the church level and That's what the Great Commission yields. I I'm arguing. That's that's what is supposed to be formed. We're not called to form as our marching orders.

I mean Christian nations. God claimed the concept of the Holy Nation. He is building it. No man can build it. You can pass a thousand great laws. You can be theonomistic or not. Theonomistic pass a thousand wonderful laws that I would agree with and you would agree with in terms of their moral content.

You haven't made anything a Christian nation. The Holy Nation is being made by God. Jesus is the king.

The Reformed Tradition and the Continuity of Nations

So, uh, you know. Well, so I mean that's his position we've we've already kind of very made that he's made that very clear. This is you need to understand that what Owen is saying is in contrast to the Reformed tradition.

Owen has stepped away from the Reformed fathers the Reformed tradition and he's saying something different now. He didn't invent it, but he's saying something different and that's there's nothing. There's nothing wrong with that per se.

But there is but he but he almost acts as if as if this is the automatic this is the standard because you know the way he treats, you know guys like Stephen Wolfe and and others as. If they're like these new heretics and they're like they have this new weird doctrine.

The way he treats them is is as if this is not part of the Reformed tradition and really Owens Standing in the Reformed tradition. Look at I'm not one of these guys that care so much. I'm more reformed than you.

You're more important to me. This is I don't really care about that so much. But a little humility would be would go a long way Owen and I think that's why it's so important to address Owen because his perspective is not unique and it's not that crazy, whatever.

But the way he goes about trying to flip the script right trying to rewrite history trying to retcon the reformers is Is is is problematic for me, you know what I mean, and I feel so. Man, I just used the word problematic in a non-ironic way and I just have to say Forgive me Forgive me you will never hear me say that word again on this channel.

I Hope anyway, but that's the point. That's the point it's like okay you disagree with it. That's old hat but a little humility a little humility because you're the one who's kind of stepped away here.

You're the one who sees this differently now. That's you. That's not us and and quite frankly If you if you see it differently, I really don't care I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it. But trying to stop trying to pretend like we're all kinnis racist evil bigots because we agree with the what the reformers Thought about this topic.

Let me let me let me find the common ground there cuz like on the one hand I would you know. Dividing wall of hostility broken down in Christ, right? Yes. Yes, and amen. There's there's no division between Jew and Greek.

Etc, etc. So on that sense, I I like Josh. I like Josh Tower cuz he's got the lingo down. You know, he you know when you're when you're tapping one of these kinds of conversations. And you agree with something that your opponent says you got to say yes and amen, that's how you say yes and amen.

That's how you do it. And and the message is received. You know what I mean? When you say yes and amen your opponent he knows it. All right. All right, we can play ball here. You know what I mean? That's the thing that that's why Josh Howard's perfect for this conversation and a guy like me is not.

I got like he's not cuz uh, I might know the lingo, but I don't use it. So Owen here's what I say and he's like, well, this guy might be an enemy. Josh Howard hats off to you, but.

I'm hearing you and it maybe I'm maybe I'm misreading this but it's almost a continuity discontinuity thing. Where you see nations in the the Old Testament Nations are very clearly judged and called to repent.

I don't see that abrogated in the New Testament and in my position would be I think that's carried over into the New Testament.

We can even see it just in the way history has shaken out. You know what I mean? We can see God come in calamity, right? We can see God, you know come and bless right we can see You know nations rise and fall and we can see all of this stuff even in just the course of history and how things are Going, you know, it's no mistake that the degradation of the United States has has come with moral rot, right?

It's come with moral rot and of course that leads to economic rot that leads to Climate rot and all kinds of different things right all kinds of disasters that the Lord is Putting on to the United States Because of our disregard of him completely as a nation, of course as a nation.

And so yeah, I mean I get Owen can be consistent here and he could never again say, you know God's gonna judge the United States or God's gonna bless the United States or like he can do that if he wants.

But I just don't think that's that's gonna land with most regular, you know, Pew sitting Christians. We understand quite Intuitively that a nation that just dishonors God can only expect calamity can only expect calamity.

They come in judgment and and we see what those judgments look like in the scripture a nation that honors God Righteousness exalts a nation we can see that God will come with blessing blessings and curses Blessings for obedience curses for disobedience.

There is no abrogation of that. We should we should expect no abrogation of that. That doesn't make sense Given what we we know from the scripture and what we see in history as well.

But you know Owens welcome to that do have a people of God, you know, first Peter to your chosen people. Royal priesthood a holy nation. Using language from the Old Testament there's always been a cohesive people of God and yet nations have always risen and fallen based on whether they whether they Fight the Sun.

Psalm 2 and again not not getting into the Psalm 2 thing. But that's just how I would I would sort of see that but you mentioned at the end there. About the the adjective of Christian and I know you've walked through this before with others, but I'm just curious.

When you when you see that word Christian because this is one thing that I think throws a lot of us off. Sometimes there's somebody will speak about a Christian school or a Christian family. But then they will in the next breath affirm essentially that Christian can only be a noun.

And I don't want to read in anything into what you're saying, so I'd love I'd love to share your thoughts on that. But from my perspective Christians both it's a noun and it's an adjective. You can have Christian things for example Christian laws.

Did I just get a background going on my? Wow, what in the world was that?

It's kind of cool zoom is possessed. That was that that was that glitter that they put at at Bethel Church, you know. Oh Man yeah, he's making a great point. I hope you didn't miss it because there's always been a cohesive people of God all the way from the Old Covenant to now and There was also at the same time.

There was also nations and that honored God or didn't and So that hasn't changed. Owen just said yeah, there's still nations that still exists. It just doesn't make sense that God would now no longer deal with nations as well in addition in addition to is dealing with his people because There's a lot of continuity there now.

There's some differences, of course. Because the Gentiles have been grafted in and we understand that and there's a new man and all that we get that.

But there's also some continuity as well. Good point, man. What just happened? Wow. I'm gonna have to edit that out. Sorry about that. Right. Did I make a good point and zoom approved. Probably actually if zoom is on my side, that's not actually good for my perspective.

I don't want you have one zoom over. No, I'm sorry getting getting back to what I was saying this so noun and adjective and I just love to hear your thoughts on that because I I'm sensing that that's a little bit of this conversation.

Can you have a Christian nation and I know you're angling toward no on that. But can you talk about anything beyond the individual Christian noun? Can you talk about anything beyond that as a Christian?

Family slash school slash whatever that might look like. Yeah, that's a very good question as well. I agree. Um, you know is England. Here's a great Real-life test case is England a Christian nation.

Yes in one sense right because it's technically Anglican. People are technically members of the Anglican Church. I think that's still happening I'm not entirely sure how that's all playing out, but certainly over its past post Henry VIII Christian nation seemingly.

Is England a Christian nation? I mean if it's got a formal identification. That's not a that's not up for debate. It is is it a Christian nation in the sense of a new tip the Holy Nation of first Peter 2 9.

No, this is me. No, no whatsoever. So this is where I think it's so fuzzy. The concept of what a Christian nation is is so fuzzy because we're not in an era when we're supposed to identify Nations as Christian or not.

It doesn't work in the New Covenant. It worked in the Old Covenant. There is there's profound discontinuity here because that needs to be acknowledged even as there's real continuity in terms of the citations as you nicely Pointed out there first Peter to the language, but all the citations, you know.

Express is extreme continuity. All of the Old Testament citations in the New Testament express an extreme continuity. But you need to understand That dr. Owen Strawn is telling you there's an extreme discontinuity.

Why? Why? There is a discontinuity and we can talk about that. But why would it now mean that righteousness no longer exalts a nation? I think that's one you need to explain a little bit dr. Owen Strawn.

That's a big one. No, righteousness does not exalt the nation.

Israel had a mandate from God to be it's to be God's people the nation did. There was a king that you know initially wasn't Prompted by God that was prompted by the people, but then God appointed a kingship.

There was a dimension of the law that is sometimes called the civic law that that's not a biblical term. We don't have to use that. I don't actually hold to the tripartite division of the law. But there are certainly elements of the Old Testament law that adhere to the civic life of the nation.

Yes. None of that carries into the New Testament there's no instructions for You know an ethno state or something like that or even or even a beyond ethno state there's no setup given by which there's now a Political entity of a Christian nation,.

I mean, okay, so that's because like Jesus so good I'm sorry, that's because Jesus is the king. This is. This is because of the political nature of the church. It feels like not just the king though Owen.

Because that coffee mug verse That becomes just a coffee mug verse in your system. Actually has meaning behind it, you know a coffee mug verse it means a verse that you really doesn't have any meaning.

But it sounds really good. The coffee mug verse is he's the king. All right, but he's the king of all the Kings. He's the Lord of all the Lords. He's the king of the Kings. He's the Lord of the Lords.

So it's not just that he's king. He's king of Kings he's king of other kings and Those other kings it says in the New Testament are his servants. They're his servants. It says do not seek vengeance. Vengeance is mine says the Lord by the way my Avenger Is not a direct quotation.

This is the the ad abridged version. My Avenger is the civil magistrate. That's the other Kings that I'm the king of. I'm the king of those Kings and vengeance is mine. And I say that my Avenger is is those are those Kings are those Lords?

Punish evildoer a terror to evildoers guess who gets to define evildoers the king of the Kings does not the Kings the king of the Kings does. The Kings get to carry it out and they get to to figure out how to carry it out.

Right, and there's some leeway there. There's something but there's some instruction there too. Don't get me wrong. There's I'm a theonomist. So there's some instruction there too, but there's some leeway there, right?

There's some there's some there's some prudence that has to go into that. But he's the king of the Kings and he's the lord of the lords. It's not just that he's the king. Oh, he's the king that that coffee mug verse is actually much more than a coffee mug verse and in Owen's system I think it becomes just a coffee mug for sure.

He's the king of Kings, but really what he's really concerned with is the elders. He's the king of the elders really in Owen's system, I think the king of Kings and Lord of Lords becomes king of Elder of elders and deacon of deacons.

That's what I think it becomes. That's what I think it becomes. I.

Have that argument made against me, but now I'm the one making it. Jesus has claimed kingship. You can't belong to a Christian nation now. Unless you're saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone England is not a Christian.

By the way, England being let's just let's just play the other science game. Sorry real quick. England's a Christian nation. Okay, I'll admit it for a second here. What's that? What exactly is that getting what?

It Christian nationalists act like if we embrace their their argument. The world is is just going to become so wonderful and great being being formally Christian. Hasn't saved England from having transgender priests.

If yes, but the thing is like we understand of course Owen because we're not pedantic. We understand though that like being a Christian Church doesn't save anybody from being a transgender priest unless.

That church is acting righteously and is doing the things that Christ has Commanded that that church to do. Cleaning house when necessary church discipline as a rule. That is what we do. We do church discipline at this church and we do it according to God's standard.

We do it for a for for the Lord right, we do it for the Lord and in the same way England being a formally Christian nation doesn't do much unless you actually rule and reign England for Christ and righteously.

And so no if United States just randomly said hey, we're a Christian nation. It wouldn't be like you snap your finger and everything's fine. No, there's a lot of work to do. You got to have the the the the the the goals, but you also have to have the willingness to do it.

You got to get your hands dirty. You got to have the Ezra's right? You got to have the Ezra's who knows what's right who knows what to do who knows that the people shouldn't be intermarried. But then you also need to have the governor you need to have the Nehemiah who's gonna go and crack some skulls until the people Admit.

All right. I'm gonna stop intermarrying now. I'm sick of having my beard pulled out. I'm sick of having me I'm sick of getting beatings. So I'm gonna stop intermarrying because we had a governor who not only knew what to do and what was right.

But had the will to do it who had the will to get his hands dirty. And so England as an example formerly Christian nation has no balls. Has no cojones does not have the will to do what ought to be done and.

So it's worthless. Just like the the the the liberal church down the street is worthless. Because they don't care what Christ says they don't care and if they do they don't have the will to do what Christ says.

If they don't love they have no love for the Lord, that's what I mean, how do you how do you abide in the love of? Christ do what Christ says? How do you buy the love of Christ you do what Christ says?

What what exalts a nation its righteousness according to Christ standards you do what Christ says? So it's not enough for England to profess Like Ezra that there's certain things that we do here and we know what to do.

I'm not saying that Ezra was wrong because we need people like that who? Know what to do and all of that kind of thing, but you can't just have an Ezra. You need also a man of action. I'm not saying Ezra was not a matter of that.

That's a bad example because the Ezra wasn't the governor so it really wasn't his role. But you need governors to you need a solid church who knows what's right you also need solid governors who have the will and the ability and the Make that like the the Constitution really and I don't mean like the u .s. Constitution.

I mean they're built a certain way to do what needs to be done and That's the difference. That's the difference. We'll let Owen have the last word.

Terrible marriage and all sorts of horrible things in society. Josh I think the whole CN thing is is an understandable But misguided attempt at finding hope in in a very dark time. And I think honestly the CN project leads people in a very dangerous way.

It leads them to find their hope in Christian ization and not in Christ. Christ is the object of our hope Christ is the King. Christ is building the Holy Nation. The Holy Nation is not composed of people who live in a given area.

It's composed of exiles.

So, all right, we will stop there. I have stuff to say about that. But I said I would let Owen have the last word and I do not intend to go back on that. Hope you had a good week, and I hope you have a good weekend plan once again.

Forgive me for using the word problematic in an unironic way. It won't happen again. Hope you found a good. I hope you found this video helpful. God bless.