NOTES ON PEACE TO THE PELOTON: FORMING RANKS FOR THE COMING AMERICAN STORM OVER TRUE RELIGION VS. CIVIL RELIGION – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “And the seed whose fruit is righteousness (spiritual maturity) is sown in peace by those who make peace [by actively encouraging goodwill between individuals].” – JAMES 3:18, AMP

KEY TERM: “RIGHTEOUSNESS.” ‘Dikaiosuné’ [δικαιοσύνης]: “From a root word meaning, ‘Equity of character, i.e., refers to that which is holy, just and right;’ impartial, proper, or fit; includes the idea of kindness, graciousness, and liberality; the state of him who is such as he ought to be, the condition acceptable to God; ‘Justice, or the virtue which gives each one his due;’ also, purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the Divine Law.”

QUOTATION. “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ‘Ripple of Hope,’ and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” ― ROBERT F. KENNEDY, “Ripple of Hope” Speech, Day of Affirmation, University of Cape Town, South Africa, June 6, 1966; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘And the fruit of righteousness.’—Better thus slightly altered: ‘And fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by them that make peace.’ They ‘shall be called the children of God’ (Matthew 5:9). Their fruit is hidden in the precious seed, but ‘the times of refreshing shall come,’ and the glorious plant bring forth her flower, and bear the golden fruit for the blessed ones to eat in the fadeless paradise of God. As ‘whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap’ (Galatians 6:7)—Here is a harvest laid up for the righteous to enjoy forever; and (comp. Hebrews 12:11).

‘God’s chastening of the truly penitent yields with it a like promise afterwards of the peaceable fruit of righteousness’—So, in the tender mercy of our Saviour,’they that sow in tears shall reap in joy’ (Psalm 126:6). Thus, in some words which well might mark the close of one whose ‘quiet spirit slowly passeth by to some more perfect peace’—

‘Peace comes at length, though life be full of pain.’ Calm in the faith of Christ I lay me down; Pain for His sake is peace, and loss is gain: For all who bear the Cross shall wear the Crown.’” – CHARLES ELLICOTT, An Old and New Testament Commentary for English Readers, 1878, 1897; edited

II. TEACHING

Here I have the joyous occasion to praise God and the character indeed of a few of our own in the Peloton Confessing Fellowship that former fractures are on the accelerated mend. But in such a way that we shall be able to hold strongly together in the days to come.

Thanks to the good offices of GOD, “RD, MF, AND LS” and many others of you who were fervently interceding, we are moving rapidly toward, indeed, “A FORMING OF RANKS” (“a line of soldiers standing side by side in an ordered formation”). This in order to become an integral part of God’s Remnant Army for the Great Spiritual Battle that lies just ahead.

TWO TYPES OF UNITY. The Key Lesson is that there is only one kind of Unity that can prevail in such a Struggle, versus one that shall surely fail. To make this important distinction, I turn to an excellent essay by pastor and Bible scholar BOB DEWAAY titled, appropriately: “True and False Unity,” published in Critical Issues Commentary (Issue 88 – May/June 2005; edited).

• MICROCOSM. “I need some advice; I have been told that I am a bad influence on the congregation and that I am dividing the body of Christ. What happened was that our Pastor decided to change the church to the ‘Seeker Sensitive Model’ [cf. Donald McGavran, Fuller Theological Seminary, The Bridges of God, 2005]. He no longer preaches the Gospel. The sermons are watered down and have little Biblical content. What Bible is used is from a paraphrase. The music is more entertainment than worship. ‘Everything has changed’ [except God and us!]. When I asked the Pastor about it, he told me these changes were necessary for the church to reach new people and grow. I told him I strongly disagree and asked him to preach the Gospel. He has most of the Church Board on his side. I was saved in this church and have supported it for many years. I do not want to be divisive; but it doesn’t seem right that Bible teaching and Gospel preaching have been removed from the Church. What shall I do?’”

• CRISIS. “We are in the midst of a Radical Change in Evangelicalism that has left countless Christians starving for God’s Word in their churches. Proponents of ‘The Change’ have labeled as ‘divisive’ those who resist the movement away from Gospel preaching and Bible teaching. Opponents of The Change are declared judgmental and selfish ‘Pharisees’ and are told that they should be more loving toward others and quit hanging onto their old ideas about Church. In short, the ‘Troublemakers’ are told they must embrace the New Paradigm or leave. ‘At issue is the True Nature of Christian Unity.’ Are we unified by God’s Work of Grace that converted us, giving us the Unity of the Spirit with all true Christians, or are we unified organizationally with the Corporate Vision of the New Paradigm change agents?

• THESIS: Biblically Defined Unity is a Gospel-Centered Unity that always works toward the Unity of the Faith. Biblically Defined Unity is never a unity centered about the Corporate Vision of the New Religious marketing agents.”

• TRUE UNITY. “Paul exhorted the Philippians to be, “[S]tanding firm in one spirit, with ONE MIND striving together for the faith of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27b). The Book of Philippians is filled with passages that show ‘Paul’s Passion for the Gospel.’ He was imprisoned for the Gospel, but he rejoices because his circumstances turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel (Philippians 1:12). He saw the Gospel as so important that he could even rejoice if it were preached by people having bad motives (Philippians 1:15-18). He rejoiced because the Philippians participated in the Gospel (Philippians 1:5). As we saw in Philippians 1:27, for Paul, Christian Unity was all about the Faith of the Gospel. To stand against opponents was a good thing because there will always be opposition to the Gospel (Philippians 1:28-30). Christian Unity starts with the Gospel and ends with the Resurrection from the dead for those who have joined Paul in seeing the surpassing value of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8-14). ‘Therefore, there is no true Christian Unity unless it is unity grounded in the Gospel [Truth] of Christ!’ This Gospel includes the Truths of the person and work of Christ (who He is, what He did, and why it is important: Philippians 2). 

• FALSE UNITY. “We saw that in the New Testament, True Unity is Gospel-Centric. The False Unity that is being promoted today is not like that. In most cases it is unity under a Religious Leader’s ‘Vision.’ What is meant by the term ‘Vision’ is not the same as the Biblical usage. It is used in a modern marketing sense and relates to the leader’s mental image of what he wants the product and corporation to be like in the future … The unity that is necessary to create a church molded from the mental image of a religious leader’s dream of an optimal future is unity under the Religious Corporation’s Vision. To fulfill the dream each piece must work together, and each piece must contribute to the purposes determined by the Visionary Leader. The wisdom of business gurus has been mined by Christian leaders who have created religious versions to help pastors market the church. That is precisely what I was taught in the seminary class. I resisted this publicly in the class; but many of the students bought it. Here comes THE PROBLEM: ‘When this ‘Vision’ has to do with converting a Bible church into something else, there is an inevitable Clash.’”

• CONCLUSION. “Jesus said, ‘Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division’ (Luke 12:51). The Gospel is divisive when preached to the unregenerate. Those who respond in faith are divided from those who reject it. Christian Unity is Unity under and through the Gospel. It is created by God when He regenerates people and makes them one in spirit with other believers. It is nurtured through the teaching of ‘Sound Biblical Doctrine’ that has as its goal the Unity of the Faith. ‘False Unity’ is unity that is demanded and prescribed by religious leaders to their own ideas and organizations. This is the unity that the religious leaders of Israel wanted, and that Jesus threatened. His Gospel divided their religious system and spoiled their unity. ‘They decided they had to get rid of Him.’ The [Real] Gospel will divide churches as well if they are not based on the Gospel itself … Those who promote ‘Pure Gospel Preaching’ are the friends of Christian Unity. Those who promote ‘Man-Centered Vision’ for their religious systems are enemies of Christian Unity! Be encouraged in your support for the Gospel; the Bible says that you are pleasing Christ by so doing (Philippians 1:27).”

NOTE. Of all that this Bible scholar has written here, the Reminder that Christ’s Teachings threatened the Religious of Elites of His day led to their needing: “To get rid of Him.” Severe Warning to those of us who Resist False Unity in all its hideous forms in the American Church and State today.

‘Therefore: We must prepare for persecution!’

III. THE POLITICAL CHURCH

As I reviewed the rather expected analyses of the currently and toxically Politicized American Church under the rubric of Trump Christian Nationalism, I was astounded to find an historical piece that persuasively argued that this is not, as I had always believed, a new phenomenon. Indeed, it is apparently in our Foundational DNA, according to one scholar’s read of our history.

AMERICAN CIVIL RELIGION. Once more I cross the Protestant lines of scholarship to the humble pen of Catholic high school history teacher, LOGAN HORTON. In what I unapologetically consider is a brilliant uncovering of our less than stellar “Christian” origins, his essay is titled: “The Politicization of Early American Christianity” (The Alexandrian VI, no. 1, 2017; edited).

• OVERVIEW. “‘The Politicization of Early American Christianity (1760s-1890s)’ examines the role that Civil Religion played in American society during the time frame of 1760-1899. This paper argues that Civil Religion created doctrinal and ideological issues for both Protestant and Catholic denominations of Christianity. This paper examines Five Watershed Moments in American politics and American Christianity during this time frame, and it argues that the language within Civil Religion ultimately caused American’s identity to be mistakenly conceived as ‘Christian.’”

• ROOTS. “Many philosophical thinkers—John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu— influenced American political thought. JEAN-JACQUES ROSSEAU, both actively and passively, held the greatest sphere of influence on American governance specifically political identity, and in turn, his ideologies created systematic and doctrinal problems for early American Christian denominations. Unlike his colleagues and predecessors such as John Locke, Montesquieu, etc. who focused almost exclusively on Morality, Rousseau was interested in how these ideals— Natural Law, Nature, Morality, etc.—affected the Society in which he lived; that is, he concluded that the government is only as strong as its citizens, if the citizens are not morally strong (ideologically virtuous), then the government itself shall not be seen as visibly strong (physically virtuous). Furthermore, Rousseau established, in ‘The Social Contract,’ the notion of ‘Civil Religion.’ This Ideology had a profound impact on the identity of American politics, specific Christian doctrine, and America’s own identity.”

• CIVIL RELIGION. “Rousseau defined Civil Religion as: ‘The Glue that holds society together, or, more specifically, it is a way to bring Unification in a nation by giving it guidelines to follow.’ Rousseau argued that this idea of ‘Civil Religion’ (public piety, guidelines) is essential for a Virtuous Society. In order for a Society to flourish, there must be a Moral Standard set in place, so the society will not go into chaos. Rousseau argued that ‘Religion, considered in relation to society…may be divided up into Two Kinds: The Religion of Man and that of the Citizen.’ Furthermore, Rousseau argued that ‘The Dogmas of Civil Religion ought to be few, simple, and exactly worded, without explanation or commentary.’ To Rousseau, Christianity was a Religion occupied solely with Heavenly things.’ Rousseau went on to define what Civil Religion’s main beliefs were, saying they were: ‘The existence of a mighty, intelligent, and beneficent Divinity, possessed with foresight and providence, the life to come, the happiness of the just, the punishment of the wicked…those who distinguish civil from theological intolerance are, to my mind, mistaken.’ Rousseau’s Main Argument was that: ‘Civil Religion placed its importance, not on Heaven or Hell, but on the Betterment of the Society.’” DK: This a foundational definition of the Worldview called “CLASSICAL DEISM,” covered in The Sixth Seal II (2024, pp. 48-49).

• FIVE IMPACTS. “The main ideas that make up Civil Religion are not expounded upon; that is, [Rosseau] leaves them without any afterthought or explanation whatsoever. Rousseau does this on purpose. He explicitly gives the reader instruction that the terms are to be ‘Subjective.’ This work by Rousseau was published in 1760, and Rousseau’s ideas ultimately had an impact on FIVE MAJOR WATERSHED EVENTS to be examined: (1) The Drafting of the First Amendment of the Constitution; (2) The Second Great Awakening; (3) The Nativist Movement; (4) The Civil War/Slavery; and (5) Religious Pluralism/American Myths.

• FOUNDATIONAL FRACTURES. The Framers of the Constitution were influenced by and borrowed from Enlightenment Ideologies influenced by Locke, Montesquieu, and other philosophers; these ideologies focused more on Civil Liberties. Rousseau’s work proved highly influential in the creation of the First Amendment, as well as Thomas Jefferson’s [Ideology] regarding Separation of Church and State. Furthermore, scholar STEVEN GREEN argues that ‘[Civil] Religion was so deeply intertwined with Revolutionary Ideology that it seems virtually impossible to distinguish between them.’Religion was such a part of the American society, the Founders had to address it—even though the Amendment was not passed until 1791, one year after the start of the Second Great Awakening. However, as Green shows us: ‘The Founders’ conception of Church-State relations was heterodox, dynamic, and incomplete—and purposefully so… [and by] 1800 the United States represented the only Secular Government on earth, Revolutionary France excepted.’”

• CONCLUSION. “‘What was advocated for by Civil Religion was not a strict Theocracy, rather a shared United States in which many beliefs and customs are welcomed’ … The ability for Civil Religion to adapt to each challenge and revise itself throughout the decades show that Morality, however one defines it, will most likely be a part of American Government for many years to come. ‘Finally, with the growth of Nationalism, Pluralism, and Modernism, it is likely that Civil Religion will soon include a host of new religious and non-religious identities.’”

If you are listening closely, we have here the very ‘Roots of American Disorder’ (Enlightenment Deism permitting Slavery, Native American Policy, Theft of Mexico, Freemasonry) that I have been writing about for the past year much more clearly defined than before. The Heart of such Disorder is found in the very Core of the ‘Idea of Heterodoxy.’

THE POINT. ‘America was never, ever “Christian,” beloved! It was on its best days a highly Secularized Religious Republic, and nothing more.’

Selah.

IV. LAST THOUGHTS

I will cut right to The Chase in what follows borrowing from a superbly concise DISTINCTION OF THREE TERMS we must understand in order to grasp the full measure to the Current American Crisis. From JONO MARTIN in his Blog, GeoJono published on August 31, 2017 (edited).

• ORTHODOXY. “‘The True and Correct Teachings of Scripture.’ In my position, Orthodoxy is the body of teachings of the Evangelical Church so far as it corresponds to the Truth of Scripture. The belief that Jesus is fully God is an Orthodox belief.”

• HETERODOXY. “‘Beliefs or teachings that differ from Orthodoxy but not so much as to be categorized as Heresy.’ Those who hold to Heterodox Beliefs are still within the fold of Christ and are saved, though they are mistaken about some non-essential issues. The age-old debate between Calvinism (or Monergism, ‘God Alone Regenerates’) and Arminianism (or Synergism, ‘God and Man Regenerate’) is an example of what may be a Heterodox Belief. These Systems are opposed to one another and therefore cannot both be Orthodox, but neither is Heretical.”

• HERESY. “‘Beliefs or Teachings that differ from Orthodoxy to such a degree that they can no longer be called Beliefs of Christianity.’ Those who hold these Beliefs, properly understood, fall outside of the fold of Christ and are not saved. The Belief that Jesus did not physically die on the Cross (i.e., Docetism) is an example of a Heretical View.” DK: Thus, Christian Nationalism, the QAnon Conspiracy Cult, the Prosperity Gospel, Reconstructionist Dominionism, and the New Apostolic Reformation Movement are all likely Heresies, sending millions of adherents to ‘Hellfire.’

THE QUESTION. Now then, given what has been presented to us here: Do you believe that America and her Church fall mostly into the Region of Orthodoxy, Heterodoxy, or Heresy?’

“And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” – DANIEL 2:40-43, NKJV

MY ANSWER. Therefore, after nearly ten years of research on these and related matters, I conclude the following for your prayerful consideration.

1. AMERICA’S FOUNDATIONS. They were fatally fractured from the time of their Origins, having never been set in firm Christian Doctrine, but rather in a Syncretistic Mix of: Judeo-Christian theology, Enlightenment thought borrowed from Greco-Roman philosophy, Nativism, and Esoteric Mysticism in the form of Freemasonry.

• DANIEL’S VISION. I am also convinced that America, not Rome, fulfills the letter the Fourth Kingdom shown to the Prophet Daniel on behalf of King Nebuchadnezzar in the 6^th Century BC. This because of our “Mixed Feet of Iron and Clay” central to the nature of that Fourth Kingdom, headed by Antichrist, that will rule over the entire world in the Last Days just prior to Christ’s Return to constitute the Fifth and Final Kingdom of the Messiah.

• ANTICHRIST & BABYLON THE GREAT. As I and a number of other scholars have concluded, the Historic Intersect between the Rise of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States combined with his plans to turn America into a Fourth Reich comports perfectly with the fulfillment of both the Prophecies of Daniel and John the Apostle’s descriptions of Babylon the Great in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 17-18.

CODICIL. To this firm expectation: The Years 2025-2030 shall figure prominently in the actual manifestations of all the events of The Eschaton. Or at least their Beginning. Therefore, beloved, if this is accurate and responsible forecasting, then by all and every means possible:

‘Make Ready for what lies ahead!

As I have outlined in The Sixth Seal II (2023, pp. 126-131), that includes preparing ourselves Spiritually, Financially, and Physically for these Years of Trouble just in front of us. What the Apostle Paul termed, “Perilous Times” described by the Christian evangelist and bishop, Timothy (2 Timothy 31-13).

To do anything less, beloved, is vastly beyond foolishness, but rather to dishonor the Very King Who Commanded: “Endure to the end!” With the knowledge of what America is, what she is not, and what she is becoming.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-1do_JzFvAU