Pre-strike prayer by Hegseth: “King Jesus, we come humbly before you, seeking your face, seeking your grace, in humble obedience to your law and to your word,” Hegseth prayed after asking attendees to bow their heads. “We come as sinners saved only by that grace, seeking your providence in our lives and in our nation. Lord God, we ask for the wisdom to see what is right and in each and every day, in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to your will. It is in the name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God’s people say amen.”
Post-strike he gave honor to God.
Sometimes we ask for wisdom and courage to do the right thing and then do what we want to do anyway.
Hegseth is part of the extremist group of Doug Wilson in Idaho whose father tried to get his sick claws in me in 1971 just after I became a Christian. Thankfully my creep meter was working and I fled. Instead I went to seminary and became part of what is now Sojourners.
The Left Behind series stoked the imagination and the politics of a lot of people who, like with Da Vinci Code, did not remember that fiction is fiction. One irony with dispensationalism is that they forbid speaking in tongues because they say the supernatural gifts ceased when the New Testament was completed. This did not stop the Pentecostal + prosperity doctrine leaders from embracing the view of Israel. I confess that as a high school student I read and believed Hal Lindsay's Late Great Planet Earth. As well as Mike Warnke the Satan seller... Thanks Jemar for bringing us back to the study of history, the only way to keep from being misled down a trail of mistakes.
I'm so thankful for Dr. Jemar Tisby's moral courage to write about the harms of dispensationalism and its impact prevailing in the U.S. I pray for these truths to be taught in our families, churches & Christian higher ed with the approach of understanding Scriptures through the life & teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Per Dr. Tisby's recommendation, I'm reading "Strength to Love," by Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Violence begets violence versus the impact of love and nonviolence, which are harder to live.
The "Big Beautiful Bill," (beautiful for military spending, ICE, & billionaires) will provide for more destruction. Again, I see the joining of folks, Christians who believe God must be helped to bring out about their interpretations; billionaires; technocrats; & others wanting to destroy pluralistic democracy & the planet. And the "big ugly bill" gives more power to the executive branch. I'm for a pluralistic democracy--not "autocrazy" or "theocrazy".
I appreciate your prompt and very welcome history and thoughts on Trump’s bombing of Iran. Unfortunately US has bonded tightly with Israel and are accountable to bombing and damage to Palestinians. Your comments today shed light on the thinking of Christian nationalism and patriotism and guide our thinking to find the peace and understanding of true Christianity. It is not antisemitic to resist Israel’s war with Palestine. We are global citizens who are one and seek to be God’s children of peace. Blessings brother Jemar for you and your profound and focused thinking to promote understanding and peace for all
Thank you for such a concise explanation of dispensational theology. I often think to myself that this whole theological stance is based on the concepts of patriarchy, white male supremacy, and biblical inerrancy. This stance breeds blind obedience to religious leaders through domination and fear (along with massive doses of guilt and shame), all of which are antithetical to the things Jesus taught.
It also enrages me that “christians” who follow this theory are often openly antisemitic. They don’t really care about the Jewish people, they just want their glorious final battle so their angry war god can wipe out all the people who don’t believe as they do - which necessarily includes the Jewish people - and set them up as rulers under their narrow version of God.
Thanks for sharing. I've been learning more about philosemitism as antisemitism with the disregard for Jewish people "as the means to the end" with the dispensationalist theology.
Bingo. Any partnership between the church and state is in direct opposition to the vision of the Kingdom of God shown in scripture, starting in the Hebrew Bible and all the way through to Revelation.
I grew up entrenched in dispensationalism, my father fighting communism and was so full of hate for everyone who were the”others”. God continues to strip away all the wicked arrogance of my mind and my heart, and the bondage that it creates. I am so grateful to you Jemar for speaking the truth of Jesus and His Word.
"How should Christians today approach U.S. foreign policy toward Israel, especially when military action is justified through theological beliefs about the end times?" I've learned, esp. through TelosGroup.org to advocate for the mutual flourishing & thriving futures of all people--Israelis, Palestinians, Iranians, & the people who are oppressed in the U.S. too. I've contacted elected officials & administrations advocating for following international law, human rights, civil rights, voting rights, etc. I've appreciated the peaceful, creative protests amidst the powerful lobbying influencing U.S. foreign policy. My next action is handwritten postcards to Congresspeople.
Several weeks ago, a series of reconciliations started in our family. The most impactful is that, after 14 years, ,my husband’s daughter ,who had forbidden us to see our grandson, called and asked, “ Can we start fresh?”
Meanwhile, I was responding to an almost visceral urge to stock pile necessary supplies.
It doesn’t matter what I think I know about Israel. My responsibility is to remain receptive to the urging of the Holy Spirit and to welcome our loved ones into our safe family tent. At the same time, various people in the community are identifying our home as a place to rest. My sweet husband, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia 6 years ago, speaks a blessing on each person who steps back out our door.
After reading Daniel Hummel's book, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism, I concluded that Darby's teaching blocked the outworking of the supposed gains of the War. Churches in the north, longing to be reunited with their counterparts in the south, overlooked their wrongs in clinging to slavery and racial injustice, and saw dispensationalism as a bridge for bringing North and South back together. "Nevermind these temporary problems of inequality and poverty. Let's focus on the eternal business of saving souls."
This is a worst case scenario. So-called Christians (without Christ) using the Bible as a basis of governance and military policy. But the real issue is that DJT is using this to distract from all of the other nonsense things he's doing.
I just finished Matthew Avery Sutton's "American Apocalypse". These guys have been "seeing prophecy" in the news for over a century. Daniel Hummel's "Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism" made the interesting point that while the "respectable" dispy theologians have pulled back from the extreme positions, the craziness is alive and well in the pews. Growing even...
Pre-strike prayer by Hegseth: “King Jesus, we come humbly before you, seeking your face, seeking your grace, in humble obedience to your law and to your word,” Hegseth prayed after asking attendees to bow their heads. “We come as sinners saved only by that grace, seeking your providence in our lives and in our nation. Lord God, we ask for the wisdom to see what is right and in each and every day, in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to your will. It is in the name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God’s people say amen.”
Post-strike he gave honor to God.
Sometimes we ask for wisdom and courage to do the right thing and then do what we want to do anyway.
Hegseth is part of the extremist group of Doug Wilson in Idaho whose father tried to get his sick claws in me in 1971 just after I became a Christian. Thankfully my creep meter was working and I fled. Instead I went to seminary and became part of what is now Sojourners.
Hegseth's prayer is gag-worthy performance!!! Every word and inflection memorized standing before a mirror.
The Left Behind series stoked the imagination and the politics of a lot of people who, like with Da Vinci Code, did not remember that fiction is fiction. One irony with dispensationalism is that they forbid speaking in tongues because they say the supernatural gifts ceased when the New Testament was completed. This did not stop the Pentecostal + prosperity doctrine leaders from embracing the view of Israel. I confess that as a high school student I read and believed Hal Lindsay's Late Great Planet Earth. As well as Mike Warnke the Satan seller... Thanks Jemar for bringing us back to the study of history, the only way to keep from being misled down a trail of mistakes.
I'm so thankful for Dr. Jemar Tisby's moral courage to write about the harms of dispensationalism and its impact prevailing in the U.S. I pray for these truths to be taught in our families, churches & Christian higher ed with the approach of understanding Scriptures through the life & teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Per Dr. Tisby's recommendation, I'm reading "Strength to Love," by Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Violence begets violence versus the impact of love and nonviolence, which are harder to live.
The "Big Beautiful Bill," (beautiful for military spending, ICE, & billionaires) will provide for more destruction. Again, I see the joining of folks, Christians who believe God must be helped to bring out about their interpretations; billionaires; technocrats; & others wanting to destroy pluralistic democracy & the planet. And the "big ugly bill" gives more power to the executive branch. I'm for a pluralistic democracy--not "autocrazy" or "theocrazy".
Christian Nationalists strike again.
I appreciate your prompt and very welcome history and thoughts on Trump’s bombing of Iran. Unfortunately US has bonded tightly with Israel and are accountable to bombing and damage to Palestinians. Your comments today shed light on the thinking of Christian nationalism and patriotism and guide our thinking to find the peace and understanding of true Christianity. It is not antisemitic to resist Israel’s war with Palestine. We are global citizens who are one and seek to be God’s children of peace. Blessings brother Jemar for you and your profound and focused thinking to promote understanding and peace for all
Thank you for such a concise explanation of dispensational theology. I often think to myself that this whole theological stance is based on the concepts of patriarchy, white male supremacy, and biblical inerrancy. This stance breeds blind obedience to religious leaders through domination and fear (along with massive doses of guilt and shame), all of which are antithetical to the things Jesus taught.
It also enrages me that “christians” who follow this theory are often openly antisemitic. They don’t really care about the Jewish people, they just want their glorious final battle so their angry war god can wipe out all the people who don’t believe as they do - which necessarily includes the Jewish people - and set them up as rulers under their narrow version of God.
Thanks for sharing. I've been learning more about philosemitism as antisemitism with the disregard for Jewish people "as the means to the end" with the dispensationalist theology.
It’s heresy. Whenever the cross and the crown are joined, see Constantine and the Roman Empire as Christian, et al, violence prevails.
Jesus is the Purveyor of Peace…
Bingo. Any partnership between the church and state is in direct opposition to the vision of the Kingdom of God shown in scripture, starting in the Hebrew Bible and all the way through to Revelation.
I grew up entrenched in dispensationalism, my father fighting communism and was so full of hate for everyone who were the”others”. God continues to strip away all the wicked arrogance of my mind and my heart, and the bondage that it creates. I am so grateful to you Jemar for speaking the truth of Jesus and His Word.
"How should Christians today approach U.S. foreign policy toward Israel, especially when military action is justified through theological beliefs about the end times?" I've learned, esp. through TelosGroup.org to advocate for the mutual flourishing & thriving futures of all people--Israelis, Palestinians, Iranians, & the people who are oppressed in the U.S. too. I've contacted elected officials & administrations advocating for following international law, human rights, civil rights, voting rights, etc. I've appreciated the peaceful, creative protests amidst the powerful lobbying influencing U.S. foreign policy. My next action is handwritten postcards to Congresspeople.
Several weeks ago, a series of reconciliations started in our family. The most impactful is that, after 14 years, ,my husband’s daughter ,who had forbidden us to see our grandson, called and asked, “ Can we start fresh?”
Meanwhile, I was responding to an almost visceral urge to stock pile necessary supplies.
It doesn’t matter what I think I know about Israel. My responsibility is to remain receptive to the urging of the Holy Spirit and to welcome our loved ones into our safe family tent. At the same time, various people in the community are identifying our home as a place to rest. My sweet husband, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia 6 years ago, speaks a blessing on each person who steps back out our door.
This is our path. Each person has his or her own.
Thank you for this Jemar.
For a good read on dispensationalism check out The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism by Daniel G. Hummel.
Israel has become a terrorist state, carrying out a genocide against Palestinians.
It seems to me it's more about a theology around the war god. We become like the god we worship.
After reading Daniel Hummel's book, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism, I concluded that Darby's teaching blocked the outworking of the supposed gains of the War. Churches in the north, longing to be reunited with their counterparts in the south, overlooked their wrongs in clinging to slavery and racial injustice, and saw dispensationalism as a bridge for bringing North and South back together. "Nevermind these temporary problems of inequality and poverty. Let's focus on the eternal business of saving souls."
Interesting!
This is a worst case scenario. So-called Christians (without Christ) using the Bible as a basis of governance and military policy. But the real issue is that DJT is using this to distract from all of the other nonsense things he's doing.
I just finished Matthew Avery Sutton's "American Apocalypse". These guys have been "seeing prophecy" in the news for over a century. Daniel Hummel's "Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism" made the interesting point that while the "respectable" dispy theologians have pulled back from the extreme positions, the craziness is alive and well in the pews. Growing even...