About Joel

Joel McDurmon, M.Div., Reformed Episcopal Theological Seminary, is the Director of Research for American Vision. He has authored four books and also serves as a lecturer and regular contributor to the American Vision website. He joined American Vision's staff in the June of 2008. Joel and his wife and three sons live in Dallas, Georgia.
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Joel has written 307 articles so far, you can find them below.


Restoring America one county at a time – Master Table of Contents

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The basic writings for Restoring America One County at a Time are done. In response to requests, below is the Master Index to the web text version. The free online videos should be complete and uploaded soon as well. The book and DVD versions are coming soon as well. For the main book, we have [...]

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The Rape of Morality

Sade_(van_Loo)

The best way to refute an atheist is to quote a more consistent atheist. Modern atheists get angry and some even feel justified in ridiculing Christians when we recall Dostoevsky’s refrain (paraphrased), “If God does not exist, all things are permissible.” The ridicule comes with pointing out that Dostoevsky didn’t actually write this exact line, [...]

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“That which is perfect”: a theological glance at 1 Corinthians 13:9-10

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Many pastors and Christians in general take 1 Corinthians 13:9–10 as a proof-text for the cessation of revelatory gifts in the church. The well-known passage reads, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” In this passage, some readers commonly understand—or are taught [...]

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“God’s American Israel” by Ezra Stiles

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Ezra Stiles rarely makes even an obscure footnote in most American history texts, yet he was probably the most broadly learned man on the continent during the era of American independence. His book, The United States Elevated to Glory and Honor, presented here, is a showcase of his tremendous intellectual gifts, his foresight, and his tireless [...]

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New Creation, Adorned

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One of the most misunderstood and misapplied themes in all of Scripture is that of “new heavens and new earth.” Peter wrote “we are waiting” (v. 13) for this reality, and many Christians think this is the case still for today. In the studies which follow, I am going to tell you why this is almost entirely incorrect.

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The promise of His appearing (2 Peter 3)

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The following is some background work on a larger study (to be completed tomorrow) on the “new heavens and new earth” motif in the New Testament. Before getting there, it turned out be necessary for me—psychologically at least, anyway—to lay the preterist foundations of the whole of 2 Peter 3. Tomorrow we will move on [...]

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Restoring Freedom from Executive Tyranny

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In light of all these Executive excesses, what can be done to restore the freedom Americans once had? Even better, how can we return to a society even more free than before—something more akin to biblical controls on Executive tyranny? The answer is two-faceted: first, things average people can do now, and second, larger goals toward which we must aim.

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Executive tyranny: how freedom was lost

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There is certainly no limit to the tyranny of an Executive who has both the ambition and opportunity. There is certainly enough to show how a once freer America has been subdued. This has come primarily through three key Executive powers in this country: the Treaty-making power, the abuse of executive orders, and the ascendancy of government-by-emergency.

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Freedom and Executive Power

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Lord Acton is credited with the famous saying, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A corollary to this is to say the closer you get to absolute power, the more the potentials and temptations of corruption increase as well. Solutions to the various problems of society appear more within reach when viewed through the scope of a comprehensively armed and funded coercive apparatus. Thus, the larger and more centralized the Executive institution becomes, the more tempting it becomes to bypass clumsy Congress and a lumbering Judiciary and instead administer as extensively as possible via Executive decree alone. And as soon as the Executive tastes the efficiency of government by decree, like sharks with blood, it goes crazy for more.

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Restoring freedom in national defense

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Restoring America One County at a Time Chapter 9: National Defense 9.3. How to Get Freedom it Back How can we restore the freedoms we once had, long ago, in the areas of war and the military? It starts with changing our personal views from the celebration of aggression, destruction, death, hell, to the celebration [...]

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