Oh yeah

Jan Hus - The Goose Father

Around 1369, a goose was born in gooseland. Jan Hus (Czech for goose) was born in Hussinec (Czech for Goosetown) in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Born into a poor family, the goose left the gaggle for the priesthood in search of a better living and prestige. He came to be a renowned preacher at Bethlehem Chapel, but spent much of his time serving in academia as the dean of the philosophical faculty in Prague. Living in a time of social unrest between German speakers and Czech citizens, Hus became a key figure for Czech nationalism.

Hus lived in a time when immorality infected the priesthood of the Catholic Church. He soon began preaching “violent sermons” against the rampant iniquity of the clergy until they reported him to the archbishop and had him banned from preaching. As Hus read Scripture and watched the popes of his day abuse their power, he concluded that papal authority was not ultimate. He needed a sturdier foundation than was built from the straw and sticks of men’s opinion — no matter how highly regarded those men were. He built his life and ministry on the word of God.
His views about Scripture’s ultimate authority were set ablaze as he began to read the condemned works of John Wycliffe. Wycliffe found a loyal disciple in Hus. Hus defended his works with such tenacity that one historian called Hus “Wycliffe’s bulldog” (The Unquenchable Flame, 30).

He staunchly argued against indulgences, advocated for both the bread and the wine to be served in communion, and preached in the common language (as opposed to the untranslated Latin of the day).

When Anne of Bohemia married King Richard II of England, she sent copies of Professor Wycliffe's writings back to Prague. Inspired by Wycliffe's teachings, Professor Jan Hus (1372-1415) boldly confronted corruption and superstitions, and taught the Scriptures in Prague University. As a result the papacy ex-communicated Hus and condemned him and his writings to be burned.

Hus declared: "I would not, for a chapel full of gold, recede from the Truth... the Truth stands and is mighty forever in the Truth of the Gospel I have written, taught and preached, today I will gladly die." As Hus was being burned, he proclaimed: “You may roast the goose, but a hundred years from now a swan will arise whose singing you will not be able to silence.” Exactly 102 years later, a sprightly monk nailed ninety-five theses to Wittenberg’s door.

The Luther Monument in Worms, Germany depicted on a 1902 postcard. Props to you if you know everyone in the monument.

"Christian nationalism is a totality of national action, consisting of civil laws and social customs, conducted by a Christian nation as a Christian nation, in order to procure for itself both earthly and heavenly good in Christ."

Wolfe, S. (2022). The Case For Christian Nationalism. Canon Press.

Interesting posts from Apostolic Branch arguing the early church functioned under Presbyterian and Episcopal governmental systems. This is probably accurate since in a Presbyterian system there is bound to rise a "first among equals," a man older/wiser than his fellow elders.

This fact of life doesn't mean we should create a separate office for this man as the early church eventually did, but inevitably one elder will hold a disproportionate amount of sway.

Of course, these systems are both far and away preferrable to the baptistic practice common today with a senior pastor over whom no one has real oversight, or the bureaucratic Roman structure which is basically an ecclesiastical DMV.

https://t.me/apostolicbranch/2006

Followup-- I would also add that congregationalist church government, while not entirely biblical, has been very helpful in preserving conservative churches. Liberals have easily engineered takeovers of more centralized churches by targeting their seminaries and bishops. Baptists have thankfully been quite resilient to this because each individual church is independent. Trying to be as fair-minded as possible.

1 Corinthians 15:24-26 KJV
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [25] For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

@JesusFreaksBibleGeeks

Happy No Quarter November y'all. Get yourselves over to Doug Wilson's blog for the great posts they're doing. https://youtu.be/o5j0AclzORA

Boomers have no idea how dysfunctional and lost people under 40 are in this country. Instead of helping their own children and grandchildren, they would rather waste their resources on another vacation, or propping up a token third world child than help the kid down the street.
Churches that want to send people on missions? Look in your own back yard.

Romanist sacramentology: Ex opere operato (from the work working). The efficacy of the sacraments inheres in the acts themselves.

Baptist/Donatist sacramentology: Ex opere operantis (from the worker working). The efficacy of the sacraments inheres in the person performing/receiving the sacraments.

Reformed sacramentology: Ex opere Spiritus (from the Sprit working). The efficacy of the sacraments inheres in the Holy Spirit's covenantal application of the graces signified and sealed therein.

What is the efficacy of the sacraments?

Under the Roman view, they convey salvific grace, but of course, the quantity delivered via the sacraments is not itself sufficient to save.

Under the Baptistic view, they convey only sanctifying grace akin to that which reading one's Bible or praying conveys.

Under the Reformed view, they convey the salvific grace of the Covenant, but the realization of the grace conveyed is not directly linked to the time of administration. Furthermore, the grace of the Covenant is conditioned upon faithfulness to the Covenant.

GM 👑

This is your election season reminder that Christ is King, His word is law, and anyone who refuses to obey Him rules illegitimately, no matter what letter follows their name.

For the past two years, America has been governed by the most incompetent and unpopular administration in living memory. That the midterms were not an absolute wipeout tells us either...

a) Election fraud is occurring on such an industrial scale that voting is completely ineffective, or

b) Demographics have shifted heavily enough that white Christian conservatives will simply get outvoted in any competitive race.

Either proposition proves the "democratic process" is no longer an effective vehicle through which the right can pursue change.

The solutions Christians have historically found for regaining political power have been:

1) Conversion of leaders who already hold power (e.g. Constantine, Clovis),

2) Forcibly wrest power from godless leaders, even militarily (e.g. the Covenanters and the Long Parliment),

3) Negotiate with somewhat disinterested secular rulers to create an area where they can break off and consolidate power (e.g. Nehemiah, America, Frederick the Wise).

Question of the day for y'all: Given the distinct roles of the church and the state, both of which under God's sovereign authority, should Christians hold positions in civil government?

Some context: I talked with a man who calls himself an anabaptist and said that no Christian should hold official positions in government or enlist in the military because as a member of Christ's church he does not hold the power of the sword given to the government. Very interesting position, and I would like to hear y'alls views on it.

Absolutely Christians can and should. We need look no farther than the Old Testament with godly kings. When the righteous rule, the people flourish (Prov. 29:2).

One *can* argue that church officer should not *simultaneously* be a government officer, and that can be supported by a distinction of offices.

Best reading on this is the Westminster Confession chapter on the civil magistrate and Calvin's Institutes' chapter on the same. Anabaptists are a ridiculously ahistorical gay sect.