Those of us who are in Christ sometimes think that today is much worse than in the past. We see polarizing messages from all forms of media. The news can be selected by which camp you live in. Government schools indoctrinate children. Social media treats you like a trained chicken tapping a lever for food pellet, or in this case, and endorphin boost. Movies, and music, cooperate with the government schools, and further pervert the minds of the youth against us, against God. They are being taught to reject God, and to treat the idea of being thankful to God as a reminder to an unjust, colonizing past. We know the lies. We want to make others see the truth, but unless God opens their eyes, and makes them able, they will continue to shake their fists, and grit their teeth, as they live raucous lives, and die angry, unfulfilled, and alone. Hell is a long time my friends.

I’m as guilty as the next person. I get angry when I see lies being extolled as the truth. I get angry when young minds are perverted, but do I give thanks? Do you thank God? After all, He provides for us all, even those who hate Him. All the world is stealing His air, robbing His larder, and squandering their days in selfish pursuits of fleshly pleasures. Now, for Christians we should be living in the Spirit. We should be denying the sinful desires of the flesh, but some are so weak that they are barely hanging on by the whites of their finger nails to a ledge of faith that can only confess, “I am yours Lord. Save me!” The world refuses to thank God.

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²²  Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” Romans 1:21-23

Let’s not be like those enslaved to the sinful world system that is leading to eternal death. Let’s stand out, and contrast the world system of death, and dying. Let’s show the world what true life, and liberty look like in Christ. We should proclaim all the truths of God. We should let our behavior be consistent with belief in the truths of God. When the world says, “They are too old to be of any good. Let them be euthanized. It is better use of the environmental resources for them to die now.” Let us say, “Dear one, you have lived a life of labor, and love before the Lord. Let me now help you, and care for you, the way you lovingly cared for me as a child. Recount your life’s history to my children, so they might be wiser.”

Abortion, adultery, sexual perversion, idolatry in all of its forms, (planet/environment worship) veganism, (which can be animal worship) hatred in all of its forms, (sectarianism, bigotry based on skin color or nationality, (socially constructed and called racism used for division) political ideology, etc. are all part of the larger world view of death. This world view is founded on lies, and murder.

Satan murdered the human race by his lies, and demonstrated his hatred for God by the murder he worked. “¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5”

Jesus said this to the Jews who were trusting in their descendance from Abraham, “³⁹ They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but  He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand  what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? ⁴⁷ He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” John 8:39-47

The world does what their father does. They hate, lie, and murder. They don’t see it that way. They can’t see it that way. When they look at the Church, they see in us, what they are. They accuse us of being, and doing what they themselves are guilty of. Worst of all, they accuse their Creator. He is odious to them. They have enmity with God.

“as it is written,
“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
¹¹ THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
¹² ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
¹³ “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”
“THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
¹⁴ “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
¹⁵ “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
¹⁶ DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
¹⁷ AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
¹⁸ “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”” Romans 3:10-18

“¹⁴ But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. ¹⁶ For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

What is the alternative to death and dying eternally? It is life, and living eternally. How are we to live knowing that we are surrounded by death, murder, perversion, and lies? We are to be truly alive in Christ. The stark contrast between the two realities is a testimony to God’s goodness, longsuffering, patience, mercy, and grace. We should respond with love, and with truth. We cannot love without being honest.

“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
²¹  Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:19-21

“⁶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified  by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved  by His life. ¹¹  And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11

“⁹ (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) ¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹²  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the  knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴  As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The Christian’s Walk
¹⁷  So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ being darkened in their understanding,  excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; ¹⁹ and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ²⁰ But you did not learn Christ in this way, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, ²² that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, ²³ and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and put on the new self, which  in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
²⁵ Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. ²⁶  BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not give the devil an opportunity. ²⁸ He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. ²⁹ Let no  unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ³⁰  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
CHAPTER 5
Be Imitators of God
¹  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ² and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
³ But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; ⁴ and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
⁶  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them; ⁸ for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), ¹⁰   trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even  expose them; ¹² for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. ¹³ But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. ¹⁴ For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”
¹⁵ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶   making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; ²⁰  always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to  God, even the Father; ²¹   and be subject to one another in the  fear of Christ.” Ephesians 4:9 – 5:21

The system of true life is of God. Those who have been translated from death to life now live for God’s glory, and that living is their greatest joy, and fulfillment. It is found in God. He is the truth, the life, and the way. He is the one true and living God. Jesus exampled the triune God to us. He lived a perfect, and sinless life. He is our spotless Passover lamb. We have learned to truly love because He has showed us love by way of the cross. There, our precious Savior did bleed, and die. He atoned for our sins, and was resurrected on the third day. He conquered sin and the grave. We should respond with a humbled heart, that repents of sin, and trusts not in its own works, but the justifying work of Jesus our God!

If you are in Christ, you can and should live peaceably with all men, as much as you are able, and demonstrate the love and truth of Jesus. He left us the mission of preaching His good news to all the world, and of making disciples of all men. Let us be about His business of bringing the elect in, and showing true love to the lost, dying, world. Be thankful for God’s plan. Be thankful for His work on the cross. Be thankful for your adoption, and all that entails.

If as a Christian you can find no reason to be thankful this year perhaps it is because you are focused too much on the problems of the world system, and not enough on the glorious Savior? If you are downcast, look up to Him! Fix your gaze on Him! Read His word! Think about the wonderful miracle He has worked in your new birth! Remember it! Remember His mercy, and love! Remember how you came to it! Thank God for all His provisions!

I made a table, and then converted it into a very large graphic. Then I added a link to the graphic on my Flickr page. You can view the file in its full size by clicking on the image below.

Now, I know many of you are like minded along with me that the differences in these texts are negligible, and don’t have an effect on the intended meaning. Yet, there are some out there who would disagree. I believe they do so out of a misguided devotion to a human tradition known as King James Onlyism. It is one thing to prefer one text over another, but these folks go further and make it into a primary article of faith. In other words, they don’t consider anyone using a different translation other than the 1611 King James to be a Christian. Pretty strange right? Well, it is more common than you might think. The KJVO people would claim that I am ignoring the most meaningful examples of how the other translations have got it wrong. I admit, I’m not going to do a thorough treatment here as many more people have already done so, and their work is readily available for free on the internet. What I am doing is simply asking you to think. For those who claim it must be the KJV, which version of the KJV are you talking about? There have been several editions over time. Usually they insist that it must be the 1611, “Authorized” edition. I think this is quite humorous. Many of them are surprised to find out there are different editions of the KJV, but the ones who insist on the 1611 make me laugh. The 1560 Geneva Bible was the first complete Old and New Testament Bible in English, with chapter and verse numbers to my knowledge. It was translated from the same collection of texts that the 1611 KJV was. Yet, most KJVO people have never heard of the 1560 Geneva Bible. Did you know it was the translation the Pilgrims took with them to America? Well, it was. It sure wasn’t the 1611 KJV lol! There is a reason the Puritans fled England, and Europe in general. It wasn’t because they weren’t locking them up in prison, hanging them, and burning them at the stake for being anabaptists…

Anyhow, enjoy your cult KJVO peeps. Remember, knowing is half the battle! G.I. Joe is there… or something like that.

We are to seek what is good, and right. We know what we are to seek because God has given us His word. When the government is so corrupt that it insists you accept a lie as the truth, and not only accept it, but repeat it, and act as if it is true, they are requiring you to violate your conscience. If you go along with them, you are guilty of lying, and much more. When they tell you that there are more than two genders, it is a lie. This lie does harm to the people who believe it, their families, their local communities, and the nation. When parents pervert a child into thinking they are a girl instead of a boy, this is child abuse. It will have life long effects. If you go along with the lie, you are complicit in the abuse. You might think you are being polite by not causing drama, or hurt feelings, but the truth is a necessity. God knows the truth of all things, and He is truth. If the government would have you violate your conscience to obey them, and your conscience is captive to God, then you must obey God instead. This by necessity of consequence will bring persecution to your very door. Remember, they crucified our Lord. We can expect no different treatment from a bloody, murderous, and satanic world.

I’m pretty sure, most of us have felt frustrated, and angry with what we see going on around us. Many of us have probably thought, “Stop the world! I want off!” I know that I have. I’ve also been very angry as of late. I think it stems from being lied to. As Christians, we should be on the inside track with the truth. We have a corner on the market. Sure there are folks with bits of truth, but we have the truth. If you don’t believe that, you need to check yourself. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

When I read God’s revealed word, (the Bible) I get informed as a person, and I get transformed. I think, and feel, “This is right, and good. This is what I should be about.” I notice when I watch the news, or online videos, I get more angry. I hear all the lies, and the people telling them act as if they are blessing us with the truth. The truth about gender, economics, sexuality, personhood, infants, marriage, children, health, disease, coronavirus, vaccines, and worst of all, people seem to believe the lies, and act as if nothing is wrong. I guess it is a good testimony that at least I know the truth, but I am tempted to respond with anger, and malice towards the lost when they repeat the lies. We can’t expect the lost to act, and believe, as if they were among the church. I have to take a moment to remember, “There for the grace of God go I.” I think we all would be helped by doing that, and then, share the truth in love. Share the only truth that will win them as brothers and sisters. Share the gospel (good news) of Jesus. Help them see their sin, their need for the Savior, and then tell them what He did so that they can be with Him in eternity instead of being in hell where we all justly belong. Repentance and faith are the ideas to get across to them. Help them understand the grace of God, and maybe they will be with us here and now, but even more importantly, they might be with us all in our heavenly family.

It is easy to be angry, and prideful. It feels good to be right, but we have to remember, this is a temporary life with eternal consequences. There is only one way into the family, and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

While driving in my car, I can smell the vapors exhaled by the person driving, and vaping 15 yards in front of me. The person’s breath goes out the slightly opened window. It swirls in the air behind their car, and gets sucked into my car, even with the windows up, and I can smell the sweet candy scent of the vape of the day. My car has a filter for the cabin air. I tell you this to ask you, “Do you truly believe that you can protect yourself from a virus with a silly little mask?” I bet you could smell the vape through a mask while riding in the car. You people who wear your masks in the car with the windows up, have you ever smelled the vapes from someone driving in front of you? Did it not occur to you, that your mask was as useless as a screen door on a submarine? Covid sucks. I get it. Heck I even got it, but come on man!? Where am I? What’s this place? Oh, I’m the President?… You don’t say… Whoops, wait a sec, I thought I was Brandon for a moment. By the way, “Let’s go Brandon!” Stop wearing masks. Stop acting as if you are o.k. with the lies they are telling you. It isn’t o.k. for them to lie to us. The people mandating things, are the same people who would urinate on your back and tell you it is raining, and you are going, “Well, ok… I guess if you say so… It must be raining…” Stop covering your faces with freedom filters! It is a psy-op by satan and his globalist forces.

I can’t believe we are still talking about this! I know people who are going to lose their jobs because they won’t get the vaccine. I don’t want it. I’m getting sick of being called anti-vax, or a vax-denier, when I have taken several vaccines over the years. I’m not a vax-denier! They are side-effects-deniers! They deny there have been an unacceptable number of horrendous negative side-effects. I personally know people who have had, and are suffering long-term negative side-effects from the necro-nectar. I know people who have died from this lab-created bioweapon. It ticks me off to no end! Yet people are still so dumb, stupid, slow, and gullible! We need to fight back! We need to refuse to comply! Obey God! Defy tyrants!

This was the first Reformation Boise Conference since the Coronavirus hit. I was concerned that it wouldn’t have a good turnout due to people being limited in their travel from other states, or being hesitant to gather together, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how many folks did attend. In my estimation it was over 400. I’m not sure how many actually were there. This was just my personal estimation… Don’t be hatin’ if I got that wrong.

I went with a friend from my local Church. We both had a great time. It was good to see that we are not alone in Idaho. I don’t know how much you know about the spiritual state of Idaho. It has been predominately Mormon for an exceedingly long duration. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) For those of you who don’t know what Mormonism is, it is a works-righteousness cult developed by a con-man and false prophet named Joseph Smith. Like all cults, they insist they are Christians while denying, the deity of Christ, the trinity, the nature of sin, and righteousness, monogamous marriage, and the aseity of God just to name a few key points. I hope you get the picture. They are not the only cult in Idaho. There are the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Seventh Day Adventists, and a few other minor ones. The rest of the religious landscape is filled up with different Arminian, Pelagian, and Semi-Pelagian anthropocentric denominations.

I had never known an Idaho, my entire life, that wasn’t Mormon primarily. That is why it has been so very encouraging to have this convention annually. I, along with others who believe like I do, get to meet up, and listen to intelligent, and educated men, give discourse on topics of great theological import. This is edifying to the body of Christ. I can’t speak for everyone, but I assume they feel similarly, else why would they return year after year? It is wonderful to see the same people year after year, and have fellowship. It is also a great blessing to be able to purchase books at the book tables. This year they were offered at cost simply to get the resources into the hands of those who need them, and would use them.

I know they are probably tired of hearing it, but thanks for putting the conference on. It takes a lot of planning and work.

Here is a link to the youtube playlist if you’d like to watch the entire conference. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJv5lK3Eybk1p4AmaCrpk0tx94XcLNx2M

If you are like me you’ve probably not heard of Paul Dirks. As it turns out, we’ve been missing out. He is a very thoughtful man. Here is a short bio I pulled from Amazon, “Paul Dirks is Lead Pastor of New West Community Baptist Church, where he has served for 12 years. He lives in New Westminster, BC, Canada, with his wife Rachel and their five children. Dirks has published on other topics including sexuality and gender at The Public Discourse.”

When I was contacted via e-mail about doing a review, I was a bit dubious. Most of the people who contact me for reviews are from backgrounds that eschew deeper theological thinking. I refuse some, and others I warn, and ask if they are certain they want me to do a review. After reading a bit about the book’s topic, and corresponding with Paul a couple of times, I became more enthusiastic about his work.

The book was a much more thorough treatment of the topic of Hell than I anticipated. Paul cites many source texts, and they are included in the Bibliography for one to verify. This was a pleasant relief from the hearsay that floods arguments from social media keyboard warriors and, “Biblical scholars.”

The notion of Hell, and the included eternal suffering, is very unpleasant. So much so, that most people attempt to convince themselves it doesn’t exist, or that they are a good person, and would never end up there. As a Christian, it has bothered me, and it was one of the main reasons I began to read the Bible before I was a Christian. Before I understood certain attributes of God, I couldn’t figure out how to make hell fit with what I knew. All I could do, was trust what the Bible said. A book like this might have saved me some time. I don’t want to give away the key arguments against Hell, and for Hell, because Paul does a great job of laying those out in the book. I do want to encourage you to give it a read if you have been struggling to understand how the fact that there is a Hell, and people will end up there, and it is a good thing. This book does a pretty good job of explaining it all. However, at times, it might be a bit too much for some newer Christians, or people who aren’t used to following a thought through. It isn’t as accessible as some other works on the topic, but it is more thorough, and nuanced. On the other end of the spectrum, high minded theologians might see it as an offering for the neophytes among them. Regardless of which end of the spectrum you are on, I do think you’ll agree about the value of this work for the body. With that in mind, I recommend his book. I Think it adds value to the individual Christian’s library, and can be a valuable aid in helping a friend understand as well. Get a copy for yourself, and one to give away. You can buy them on Amazon.

Since Paul was amicable to the idea of doing some Q. & A. I thought I’d include that as part of the review. Those follow below. My Questions are numbered and his answers follow each one.

1. I think understanding God’s authority in juxtaposition to our human subjection to that authority, properly understood, should bring sharp contrast to the monolithic difference between the two. Do you think that this contrast of an infinitely authoritative Creator and His subject creatures, is sufficient for most Christians to understand the justice of an eternal Hell? Why/why not?

I think that goes a long ways to understanding the justice of hell, but there are hurdles for most people in how God’s characteristics (love, goodness, mercy, justice) interrelate. Furthermore, there are questions like those the apostle Paul asks and answers in Romans 9 concerning God’s authority itself. But I think you are generally correct. Cultures which tend towards understanding authority and subjection, even in society, tend to have far less concerns with the doctrine of hell.

2. The thought of going to Hell is very disturbing. There are times when Christians doubt that God has justified them, and they begin to fear that they will end up in Hell. Could you briefly explain where assurance is found?

Eternal torment in hell is indeed disturbing. Praise God that He offers absolute assurance of salvation in an historical and objective work–the substitute death of Jesus Christ upon the cross for our punishment –the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God (1 Pet 3:18). The saint ought to now hear “it is finished” (Jn 19:30) echo in his soul when faced with doubts, and claim passages like Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” A proper understanding of inherent (if imperfect) righteousness also helps for assurance. When rightly understood, unbelievers do not thank God, acquiesce to His will, or love the brotherhood of believers. All these and more are “green shoots”–signs that a person is a new creature in Christ, in spite of remaining sin and struggles. The book of 1 John is helpful in this regard.

3. Do you hate neck ties? I was just curious. Thought I’d throw you a softball.

Nope! In a different cultural context, I would have no problem wearing a necktie most days.

4. How has the governments response to the coronavirus impacted your local Church?

In my view, our government (and most around the world) significantly overreacted to COVID. There were points over the last year or so that the uneven application of their regulations were unfair towards churches and certainly undermined guaranteed charter rights of worship. At almost every point we have opened to in-person services as soon as possible, while also offering on-line services. I am thankful for the unity of our church and elders, without which we could not have navigated the complexities of this time. Even with that unity, it has been challenging. I do wish I had given more time to doing personal visits during what was a more extended lockdown than I expected, but our church has mostly weathered the storm and is doing quite well. The maturity of our saints has been evident in all this.

5. How has good theology helped keep fear in its proper place?

Yes, it has been crucial. I see so much fear around us, and not only from unbelievers. Truths like the immanence of death, the providence of God in health and healing, the focus we are to have on eternity, the fear of God which drives out the fear of man, are all helpful for peace during these difficult times.

6. What was the deciding factor in determining to write your book?

As I state in the introduction, a statement from a man I greatly admire that he “wished there was no such thing as hell,” really provoked me. As a reformed theologian who believes in God’s sovereignty, election, and that He does all things ultimately for His glory, there was something not quite right about that statement. I think that thought also reflects what I see in practice, that many preachers speak of hell in a biblically imbalanced way, emphasizing the sinner’s choice to be there and describing it as a place apart from God. These things are not untrue, but they don’t capture the centre or balance of Christ’s words on the subject. So I guess that I saw within my own tribe an imbalance that needed to be corrected and a puzzle that needed to be solved. I love digging into theological puzzles and I felt like there was a book in it that had never been written (Hartman’s Divine Penology is probably the closest thing). Since then I have come to realize how many otherwise-mature Christians struggle with the doctrine of hell, and it has been encouraging to offer help and some answers.

7. On page 133 I found Anselm’s argument “…that our sins are worthy of an infinite punishment because they are committed against an infinite majesty…” to be sufficient. This concept is where I stopped when I was looking into the justice of Hell as an expression of God’s love. I found satisfaction there, so I didn’t delve deeper. How difficult was it for you to read many of the other arguments, isolate them, and refute them after dealing with this argument?

I think different people find different arguments compelling or sufficient. Anselm’s argument is brilliant because it ties God’s infinite honor (a somewhat abstract concept) to our infinite obligation to Him and then proves it’s infiniteness by a ratcheting measurement of differing obligations (there are places in Jonathan Edward’s preaching that he also makes many of these connections.) Those who dismiss Anselm’s argument by saying it is tied to his feudal context haven’t understood him at all.

To be honest, I love reading the opposing arguments. It’s another puzzle. I know enough (God’s word is sufficient) to know they are wrong, but there is reward and even enjoyment in discovering how they are wrong and seeing what truths or emphases surface in refuting those positions (as well as which nuggets of truth are there in the erroneous positions.) For instance, I remember coming across Kronen and Reitan’s argument in “Species of Hell” and thinking, “now finally, that is a decent argument against hell–how are they wrong?” (See chapter 9). Conundrums are some of the best aids to developing clarity.

9. I understand that a loving God must also be just. How difficult was it for you to connect in your arguments God’s justice via hell, and His love?

I think the challenge for some people, and a challenge also to communicate, is how justice requires punishment. We live in a world in which the retributive aspect of punishment is routinely downplayed, if not denied altogether. Once you have arrived at the understanding that justice requires punishment of evil, then the connection to God’s love (or goodness) is easier to make. For much of history, starting with the church fathers, it has been an accepted axiom that the one who loves love must therefore hate hate and punish it, as the two are necessarily equivalent. I don’t think most people today, including Christians, would consider that axiomatic.

10. Do you have any other writing projects in the pipe?

My wife would laugh at this question! Yes. The question is what will actually see the light of day anytime soon. I am currently working on a study guide for Is There Anything Good About Hell? Within a month or two I will be releasing L. B. Hartman’s peerless but obscure work on hell and justice, Divine Penology. I wrote an extended biographical introduction for the book, which was very enjoyable. No biography exists of this notable 20th century Baptist pastor and author. I am also doing a significant amount of reading and work for a future book on the Trinity, very tentatively called The Eschatological Trinity, but it may be five or six years before that sees the light of day. I have a couple other smaller projects that might be published prior to that, including a fictional short story which I may release in serial fashion, chapter by chapter, via podcast.

11. What Bible are you currently using, and which one would you like to get in the future? I know this is unrelated, but it is relevant to my platform.

I’m a big fan of the ESV, although I am not dogmatic about translation choices. A year and a half ago I “splurged” on a Schuyler Personal Size Quentel in calfskin. Beauty is a virtue and though I tend towards being economical, I have enjoyed having a bible that is aesthetically pleasing to look at and a pleasure to use. It’s relatively small, but the typography and layout compensates significantly for the font size and its close to perfect for carrying around with me everywhere. Because I use Logos for much of my study, I don’t buy print bibles very often. I was intrigued with the Weidmann ESV journaling bible you recently reviewed, and that might go on the gift list for my wife. I think I can get away with saying that–I doubt she’ll read this!