The conclusion of a lecture given at a Worldview Conference a few years ago where Gary discusses legacy and responsibility. In the former Soviet Union, Christians were forbidden to “set up benefit societies, cooperatives of industrial societies; to offer material aid to [their] members; to organize children’s and young persons’ groups for prayer and other purposes, or general biblical, literary or [...]
Independence from God is a terrible road to take, but that seems to be the one we’ve taken. Independence from God means dependence on the State. That’s the road we’re on. The book The Case for America’s Christian Heritage shows that there is no honest way to separate religion from America’s political, social, historical, and institutional life. It’s equally true that not all our nation’s fou [...]
In this first part of a lecture given at a Worldview Conference a few years ago, Gary discusses legacy and responsibility. The church is a government ordained by God. It has rulers (overseers/elders: 1 Tim. 3:1–7), members (flock: Acts 20:28), laws (goodness of God’s law: 1 Tim. 1:5–11), sanctions (“removed from your midst”: 1 Cor. 5:2), and a legacy (“the gates of Hades will not overpower it”: Ma [...]
Technology is a double-edged sword. Like anything it can be used for good or evil. Nuclear material can build weapons or power plants. Lasers can kill or cure. Recently I had some retina tears that were fixed with a laser. Cataracts are also being remedied with lasers. We’re all concerned about chemicals being sprayed on food for pest and weed control. A non-chemical solution is coming. Farmers in [...]
It’s been a busy year. As many of you may know, I and American Vision have been attacked by some high-profile Christians because I have asked some necessary questions concerning eschatology. Some of the attacks have been vicious, mean spirited, and downright ugly. The questions I am asking have been designed to construct a better understanding of the topic. Many Christians are afraid to make a stu [...]
Gary discusses a recent sermon written and “preached” at a worship service in Germany by ChatGPT. The culmination of worldview shifts has changed American belief patterns in dramatic ways. The old categories were shot full of holes by new religious assumptions that could not be rationally criticized since pluralism and relativism are today’s reigning worldviews. A common culture with s [...]
Gary discusses recent comments by Yuval Noah Harari about Artificial Intelligence. The claim of neutrality by Christians is judged harshly in the Bible: “I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15–16). Standing in the middle of a moral position is not neu [...]
Gary explains the difference between government and politics. Christianity was shoved to the sidelines when advocates of what has been described as the Enlightenment claimed “that no authority could sit in judgment on human reason, that man’s reason and experience were the measure of all things.” As is typical of shifts away from a Christian worldview, this sterile worldview was not satisfying, so [...]
Gary discusses a recent statement from a well-known faith-healer on the issue of preterism. Matthew 24:33 tells us what audience Jesus had in view: “so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” It’s obvious, and without any need for debate, that the first “you” refers to those who asked the questions that led to Jesus’ extended remarks (Matt. 24:2-4). [...]
The world and the way it functions cannot be accounted for in the atheistic world. Atheists are bound by laws of the uniformity of nature. There is no escape from this reality. Scientists know that an experiment performed today under specific conditions will function in the same way tomorrow under the same conditions because that’s the way the world was made to work. It didn’t evolve to work the w [...]
Gary discusses the death of Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson and the legacy he left behind. Getting the interpretation of prophecy right will help in dealing with those who are not familiar with the topic and see danger in some of the talk about an inevitable nuclear holocaust. When a prominent prophecy writer associated with the Christian Right asks, “Is War with Iran Inevitable?,” people get [...]
The Supreme Court’s majority opinion in the overthrow of the Defense of Marriage Act made a mess of marriage. It opened a Pandora’s Box of future litigation and perversion that we are seeing every day in the United States. Polygamists see that they’re next in line for judicial satisfaction. Who would have thought that transgenderism and sexual perversion would be taught to elementary school childr [...]
Gary responds to a few individuals that took issue with his previous podcast about working for change within the current governmental system. Are we to believe that in all the times the Bible has been preached or taught that the subject of politics should never come up? How does a minister preach and teach and not touch on the politics found, for example, in Exodus, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 [...]
The Oak Beams of New College, Oxford The anthropologist, social scientist, and linguist Gregory Bateson (1904-1980) is said to have told a story of how a college planned for future inevitabilities. There are most likely different versions of it floating around. The date of the founding of New College, Oxford, goes back to 1379. Over the years, buildings were added to the grounds to accommodate stu [...]
False and spurious speculation about events and technologies continue to be found everywhere, from Tabletalk Magazine to NPR. Much of the speculative nature of today’s Bible prophecy hysteria can be linked to “generational provincialism,” that is, the belief that nothing has prophetic significance unless it happens to the present generation. Many who take this approach seem to be unaware that wars [...]
Gary discusses some arguments people are raising online against trying to reform our current system of government. God did not reserve His commandments for just the nation Israel and the church. Scripture makes it clear that all kings in Israel should copy the law in the presence of the Levitical priests so the rulers would be careful to observe every word of the law (Deuteronomy 17:18-19). Even n [...]
In two- or three-months, millions of high school graduates will head off to college where the goal will be to retrain them to get their minds right. What will they encounter? Is there an agenda? You bet there is. Consider what happened at the law school at the City University of New York: CUNY Law School’s dean came under fire … when video emerged of her clapping at a graduate’s incendiary May 12 [...]
Gary discusses the biblical lessons on hearing and seeing. The Greek word typos refers to an image impressed onto something else, for instance, wax. It is the word used in Scripture for the imprint of God’s heavenly pattern on the earth, and thus it is absolutely fundamental to a Biblical worldview. In Acts 7:44 Stephen says, “Our fathers had the Tabernacle of testimony in the wilderne [...]
In this penultimate episode of what he planned to present, Kim shows how the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are related and separate, i.e., their continuity and their discontinuity. Both covenants are pictured in the symbol and the reality of the temple: the holy place and the Holy of Holies. The way into the Holy of Holies was opened and made manifest by Christ’s work and ministry. Clic [...]
Gary responds to a meme he saw on Facebook about Christians being more concerned with the Constitution than the Sermon on the Mount. At first, Christianity was perceived as a threat solely to the Jewish leadership. In time, however, Christianity became a threat to Rome because of the implications of the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ: “‘These men who have upset the world have come here also;. . [...]
