Donald Trump And Russell Moore

Recently Donald Trump and Russell Moore have had an interesting exchange.  Of course Donald Trump is a real estate mogul, celebrity, and presumptive Republican presidential nominee.  Russell Moore is with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Moore has been a public opponent of Trump even contributing to the National Review issue "Against Trump".  

Donald Trump responded to Russell Moore with his usually tact and class saying Moore was "a nasty guy with no heart."  Most interesting was Moore's response to Trump because he agreed with him saying, "I am a nasty guy with no heart, which is why I need forgiveness of sins and redemption through the gospel of Jesus Christ."  

Russell Moore was right on target with his response.  In reality Russell Moore, Donald Trump, and the rest of us are nasty guys with no heart.  This is what theologians call total depravity.  We are all utterly sinful and unrighteous.  We are born sinners and are not the good people we think we are (See Genesis 3, Psalm 51:5, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23). 

Because of our sin we face the wrath of God and deserve to go to hell.  We can only find forgiveness through Christ and his work on the cross.  No one deserves to go to heaven. Salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  

(Romans 7:24-25a) "Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  (ESV)   

I'm A Fusionist

So, what in the world is a fusionist?  Fusionism is a political philosophy that combines traditionalism and libertarianism.  The architect of fusionism was Frank Meyer (1909-1972).  Meyer was a former communist who became a conservative and was one of the original editors of National Review.  He believed that traditionalists should be libertarians and libertarians should be traditionalists.  Meyer believed the two groups had a common enemy (liberalism/socialism) and also a common heritage.  The name "fusionism" was actually coined by Brent Bozell Jr. who was a traditionalist opponent of the political philosophy of Frank Meyer.  

In 1955 William F. Buckley brought together traditionalists, libertarians, and anticommunists at his new magazine National Review.  Buckley credited Frank Meyer for doing the best job of bringing these groups together with his fusionism.  Fusionism was embraced by Buckley as well as Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.  Fusionism became known simply as conservatism.  

Frank Meyer saw the basic functions of government as national defense, maintaining order, and promoting justice.  He believed the national government should be limited, states rights should be recognized, and in decentralized power.  Of course freedom is of the utmost importance but we must have an ordered liberty.  Meyer pointed out that freedom needs virtue and virtue needs freedom.  Freedom by itself leads to anarchy and then tyranny will eventually arise.  Of course virtue that is coerced is not really virtue at all.  Fusionism places great value on freedom while still maintaining respect for religion and tradition.  Fusionism combines cultural conservatism with political and economic libertarianism.  

The government must be limited because those in government are affected by original sin just like those whom they must govern.  Government must be able to restrain evil but at the same time it must be restrained itself.  Too much power in the hands of sinful men is horrifying.  We must also distinguish between an authoritarian government and the authority of God.  The authority of government must be strongly limited but the authority of God should be fully embraced.  We must recognize the absolute authority of God.   Those who reject the authority of God end up losing truth, virtue, and even freedom.  

A fusionist is simply a constitutionalist.  The U.S. Constitution was a brilliant political document with its limits on government, containing a system of checks and balances and the separation of powers.  America needs to embrace the political philosophy known as fusionism.  

Transgenderism And Modern Society

The secular left is now pushing the acceptance of transgenderism after having succeeded with normalizing homosexuality.  President Barack Obama has issued an order for public schools to allow transgenders to use which ever restroom or locker room they choose.  Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have both expressed their support for transgenderism.  There has been great outrage over a North Carolina law mandating that men use the men's restroom and that women use the women's restroom.  ESPN, the liberal politically correct sports network even fired Curt Schilling for speaking out against transgenderism.  

Transgenderism has been framed as a civil rights issue.  And of course anyone who opposes civil rights is a bigot.  Transgenderism was once condemned but is now accepted.  And if you oppose it you will be condemned.  It seems that the whole world is upside down.  Woe to those who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).  

Transgenderism is an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 22:5).  God created them male and female (Genesis 1:27).  The issue is who determines who you are.  Is your identity determined by you or by God?  The reality is that God creates you as a man or a woman and that is who you are.  Transgenderism is a sin, it is simply rebellion against God.  

What Proves The Authority Of Scripture?

The Bible is constantly under attack these days and its authority is often rejected.  Liberal scholars and sometimes evangelical scholars express doubt about the trustworthiness of Scripture.  So how can the authority of Scripture be proven?  

Biblical Christians believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority.  If something is an ultimate authority it cannot be proven by a lesser authority.  The Bible is the Word of God so it cannot be authenticated by the word of man.  There is no authority outside of Scripture that can prove its authority.  Ultimately the Bible is self authenticating, it proves itself as the Word of God.  Since Scripture is the ultimate authority it must be appealed to in order to prove its own authority.  

But what about evidences, proofs, and arguments?  All of these can be helpful and do provide support for the authority of Scripture but they cannot offer ultimate proof of its authority.  All of these would involve appealing to a lesser authority to validate Scripture which is the ultimate authority.  

We can see some weaknesses in evidentialism and classical apologetics.  They both end up appealing to a lesser authority to prove Scripture as the ultimate authority.  They start with the premise that the Bible cannot be used in apologetics.  So in order to defend the Bible we must set it aside and not use it.  This makes no sense whatsoever.  They believe we should start on a neutral ground with the unbeliever.  Quite frankly this is simply not Biblical apologetics.  

In reality there is no neutral ground to start on with the unbeliever.  Everyone operates with basic presuppositions or assumptions.  All people start with the assumption that Scripture is authoritative or it is not authoritative.  This then shapes how one views evidences and arguments that are presented.  The strength of presuppositional apologetics is that it actually uses the Bible to defend the Bible.

Ultimately the Holy Spirit must open a person's heart and mind to the truth of the Bible.  Scripture is self attesting or self authenticating, it depends on no outside authority.  But is claiming that the Bible proves itself as authoritative a circular argument?  To a certain degree all arguments for an ultimate authority involve circular reasoning.  For example one who holds that reason is the ultimate authority must use reason to prove it.  Only presupposing the authority of Scripture leads to truth and reality.  
 

Mormon Beliefs About God

Mormonism has become more and more mainstream in modern America.  The Mormons themselves claim to be Christians.  Some evangelicals have joined with them and accepted them as orthodox.  But are Mormons really Christians?  Does their view of God match with that of Biblical Christianity?  

First of all Mormons hold to polytheism (belief in many gods).  They believe the Trinity is composed of three different gods and not one God in three persons as the Bible teaches.  They believe that two of the three persons of the Trinity have physical bodies. Mormons believe there are more than just these three gods, they believe in thousands of gods. The Bible teaches there is one God in three persons and we are only to worship the one true God (Exodus 20:3).  

The Mormons believe that God the Father was once a man and has now attained godhood.  They believe he has a physical body and a wife.  But the Bible teaches that God is a spirit (John 4:24).  It teaches that God has always been God, he has eternally existed.  God the Father was never a man and he has no wife.  

Mormons believe that Jesus was the first spirit child born to God the Father and his wife.  Jesus progressed to becoming God in the spirit world.  They believe he was physically conceived by Mary through a physical union with God the Father.  The Bible teaches that Jesus has always existed and has always been God.  In the Incarnation 
Jesus was conceived in Mary through a miracle of the Holy Spirit.  

The Latter Day Saints believe that Mormon men can become gods.  This sounds a lot like the lie the devil told Adam and Eve at the fall of mankind (Genesis 3:4).  The Bible teaches that men are not gods and cannot become gods. The desire to be a god is sinful.  Humans are creatures created by God their Creator and are meant to worship him alone.  

In reality Mormonism is full of idolatry and errors teaching people to worship false gods. Mormonism is not Biblical Christianity, it is a Christian heresy and false religion.      

Return To The Reformation

Modern evangelicalism has lost its way and strayed from its roots.  As our country has taken a dramatic secular turn the evangelical church is weak when it most needs to be strong.  Evangelicalism has been said to be a mile wide and an inch deep.  A return to our Reformation roots is badly needed.  The Protestant Reformation began in the 1500's and was led by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli.  The Roman Catholic Church had gone astray and the Reformation was a return to Biblical Christianity.  

The Reformation teaching is generally defined by the "solas".  Sola is a Latin word that means only or alone.  The "solas" were Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and to God alone the glory.  

The foundation is Scripture alone because all of the other "solas" flow from it.  The Bible alone is the ultimate authority.  It is authoritative, inerrant, infallible, and totally sufficient.  It is not Scripture plus the church, not Scripture plus tradition, not Scripture plus reason, not Scripture plus  experience, not Scripture plus our culture, and not Scripture plus our feelings, but Scripture alone is the ultimate authority. 

We must also get the gospel correct.  Salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone.  Salvation is totally the work of God, it is not God and man working together.  People dead in their sins and trespasses are made alive by God.  People are spiritually dead and unable to respond to God.  He regenerates his people and brings them to himself.  We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone and not by works.  If we could be justified by our own works then Christ died for no purpose.  Christ accomplished salvation for his people and nothing can be added to his work on the cross.  Jesus is the only way to heaven.  

To God alone belongs the glory.  God does not share his glory with anyone else.  We need to stop acting like it is God and us working together and recognize the reality that God is God and we are not.  We must recover our sense of the greatness of God.  God is sovereign, holy, supreme, transcendent, majestic, and awesome.  It is indeed God alone who deserves the glory.  
 

The Cross And The Resurrection

In modern Christianity we hear many different things proclaimed to us.  Much of what we hear is self help, positive thinking, how to have a happy life, and general feel good messages.  Unfortunately we often do no get actual Christianity.  We are given a man centered message instead of a God centered message.  We are told to reach up to God when in reality it is God who reaches down to us.  

(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:  that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,"  (ESV)




True, Biblical Christianity focuses on the cross and resurrection of Christ, it is the very heart of the matter.  Adam sinned (Genesis 3) and we all inherited a fallen, sinful nature from him.  We are all born sinners in rebellion against God.  Sin brings about death, both physical and spiritual.  Sin makes us enemies of God and we incur his wrath because of it.  God is holy, he cannot tolerate sin, he hates it.  

But God loved us and sent his Son to save his people from their sins.  Jesus lived a perfect life without sin and died on the cross to pay for the sins of his people.  He took God's wrath on himself in our place.  Believers have the righteousness of Christ credited to them.  Salvation is totally by the grace of God, we can do nothing to earn it.  We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone.  

Jesus was raised from the dead victorious over sin, death, and the devil.  He was vindicated when God the Father accepted his sacrifice for our sins.  The resurrection also proves that Jesus is God.  If there was no resurrection there would be no Christianity.  That is why people are skeptical and attack the doctrine so intensely.  

Jesus appeared to over 500 people after he was raised from the dead.  It is not likely that all these people would have the same dream or be delusional.   All the early opponents of Christianity had to do was produce the body of Jesus.  If the body could have been produced, Christianity would have been shown to be a hoax.  But they could not produce the body because it was not there.  Many of the early Christians died for their belief in the resurrection of Christ.  People do not usually die for something they know is not true.  Most of all we can believe the resurrection of Christ because the Bible tells us it occurred.  The Bible is reliable, inerrant, and infallible.  The most plausible explanation is that Jesus really did rise from the dead.  Since the resurrection is true, Christianity is true.