The following is a brief exchange I had with two people in the comment section who were responding to Dr. Michael Brown’s article “What does the Bible say about the end of the age?” on the Christian Post site (watch for an upcoming podcast for my comments on Dr. Brown’s article). I don’t answer every point these commenters make. If you want more specific answers, see my books Is Jesus Coming Soon? [...]
Gary discusses several recent instances of Christians not being able to answer basic challenges to a biblical worldview. Many Christians seem to believe that thinking is an act of unbelief. They do not even begin to understand how the Bible might apply, for example, to science, economics, politics, law, or education. They might have opinions about these topics but no formulated, thought-out biblic [...]
I saw the following post on Facebook by a woman who identifies as a Christian. It’s typical of the barely literate when it comes to the Bible: “Jesus said absolutely nothing about homosexuality.” Following this line of argument, that if Jesus didn’t say it, it’s not a law, one could claim that tripping blind people, rape, pedophilia, cannibalism, not having a fence around an open pit or roof, kidn [...]
Gary responds to a Facebook commenter who claimed America was not founded as a Christian nation. A single line in the first Treaty of Tripoli (ratified June 10, 1797) is often cited as incontrovertible evidence that our founders self-consciously denied any attachment to the Christian religion, and that there is a radical separation between religion and civil government. This conclusion is based up [...]
In this rebroadcast, Gary DeMar sits down with the late Dr. Gary North for a discussion about the five-point covenant model. In The Godfather books and films, Don Corleone is a lot like today’s politicians. He’s the man in charge. He grants political favors. He makes and enforces laws. He even collects taxes. The Mafia is run like a government. Five Points of Government Vito Corleone b [...]
Did you read in the news about the three mosques in the U.S. that were set on fire just the other weekend? Did you hear in the mainstream media about the scores of attacks, including some firebombings, of the Planned Parenthood facilities by pro-life extremists? Did you hear about the harassment of pro-abortion politicians and judges for their pro-abortion stance? You didn’t? Neither did I, becaus [...]
The church has a long history of applying the Bible to all of life. “Throughout American history, the moral principles of Judeo-Christian ethics have been used as one of many effective tools to evaluate and reform a wide variety of social structures, and have continued to be invoked in political debates.”[1] This perspective is best exemplified in the life and work of the Puritans who applied the [...]
Gary responds to a statement from Hawaiian Sen. Mazie Hirono claiming that we have no idea what the Founding Fathers believed. One way to keep Christians out of the public arena, especially in the realm of politics, is to claim that there is a separation between Church and State. The argument is based on the assumption that in biblical times Church and State were merged, and in modern times the Fi [...]
Gary shows how to force unbelievers to live consistently with their stated anti-God beliefs. All worldviews are by definition belief systems. A person does not have to believe in God to be considered religious. John H. Dietrich, for example, admits that he is a religious humanist. For centuries the idea of God has been the very heart of religion; it has been said, “No God, no religion.” But humani [...]
What you’ve read up to this point (here and here) is enough to refute Hicks’ claims that “this generation” refers to “trans-historical people” that “includes (past generations) tied to Cain, through to the contemporaries of Jesus, and will extend down until the return of Christ.” There are a few more issues that need to be discussed. Early in his 26-page article he refers to me and other preterist [...]
Gary answers a listener question about Daniel 12 and the resurrection of the dead. The events of Daniel occur at the very beginning of a new covenantal and historical situation. The Restoration Covenant places the priestly covenant people in a wider context, the context of a world empire. This is the beginning of the “latter days.” This new covenant and new priestly service come, as always, throug [...]
Ian Hicks has a novel interpretation of the meaning of “this generation.” While he believes the phrase applies to the generation of Jesus’ day, he also claims it refers to “trans-historical people [that] includes (past generations) tied to Cain, through to the contemporaries of Jesus, and will extend down until the return of Christ. My view of genea,” Hicks argues, “is not limited to a singular gr [...]
Gary discusses the recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade and what it means and what comes next. As citizens of political jurisdictions, Christians must submit themselves to those who rule because God has established the civil realm by His own sovereign will (Rom. 13:1). Keep in mind, however, that civil authorities are not absolute in the way they exercise their authority since they a [...]
The following is the beginning of a multipart response to an article by Ian Hicks who argues against a preterist interpretation of the meaning of “this generation.” Keep in mind that numerous scholars who do not identify as preterists argue that Jesus’ use of “this generation” refers to the generation of His contemporaries. See Chapter 10 in my book Wars and Rumors of Wars. It’s a high bar to clea [...]
Gary discusses the early history of the colonies, and how they founded their laws and constitutions on the Bible. A misconception is held by many that the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence was the beginning of our nation. Abraham’s Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” (Nov. 19, 1863) contributes to the confusion with the opening line: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers bro [...]
What impact did the Enlightenment have on America’s Christian heritage? The big-name founders get most of the attention who, like Jefferson, did not argue in an ideological vacuum. The Christian roots of America’s founding run deep. For example, James Madison studied under the guidance of the Scottish Presbyterian minister Donald Robertson, “whom he later said, ‘all that I have been in life I owe [...]
A lack of a comprehensive biblical worldview has left Christians open to a blind-side attack from humanists who have developed a comprehensive secular worldview. The adjective secular comes from the Latin saeculum, which means “time” or “age.” “To call someone secular means he is completely time-bound, totally a child of his age, a creature of history, with no vision of eternity. Unable to see any [...]
Gary discusses electric cars, economics, and the current administration’s love affair with making political laws influenced by climate change. Almost every business in the United States started and prospered without the help of the government. This does not mean that once some businesses started and prospered that they did not try to use the power and authority of civil government to thwart [...]
Education and action are at the heart of what we do at American Vision. As a biblical worldview ministry, we seek to provide biblically faithful resources and training to fill the mind. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks, so he is,” which means that thinking precedes doing. Christians must become biblical thinkers before they can become biblical doers. We have long had an idea for a proj [...]
Gary discusses how Paul and the apostles approached promised persecution and tribulation during their own lifetimes and ministries. The kingdom of God does not advance by military power. Though power-directed, the kingdom’s power comes from above and works on the heart of man: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and giv [...]
