Martin Luther (movie) 1953

For Reformation Sunday:

The Swiss Reformation

Monday, October 31, 2022 marks the 505th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 theses on the door of the cathedral church in Wittenberg, which is often referred to as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Click on the following link to listen to audio of a lecture that I gave on another Reformer, Ulrich Zwingli and “The Swiss Reformation” in Denver at Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church five years ago to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18mfsgXEQGtlJdJk-_eOSCSToBoBwRWx-/view?usp=drivesdk

(Tap the down arrow “download” icon and it should play for you.)

The German Reformation

Monday, October 31, 2022 marks the 505th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 theses on the door of the cathedral church in Wittenberg, which is often referred to as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Click on the following link to listen to audio of a lecture that I gave on “The German Reformation” in Denver at Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church five years ago to mark the 500th anniversary:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K_y4vfaQD4OaPAsAUjqwQlucvK8QKjGS/view?usp=drivesdk

(Tap the down arrow “download” icon and it should play for you.)

On the direction of the USA

Millennials and older grew up in a moribund Christendom that was on its last leg here in the USA. There’s no going back to that. The foundations must be rebuilt. We’re going to party like it’s 1620.

In the third century Athanasius felt like the entire world was against him for preaching the true doctrine of Christ and he was literally banished from the Roman empire entirely. The heresy of Arianism was en vogue, similar to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Claiming that the Son is the first creation of the Father. Which is not a Savior. But within a generation or two the Arians were banished from the empire. And the preaching of the True doctrine of Christ was being promulgated by men like Gregory Nazianzus, basil the great and Gregory of Nyssa, after the framing of the Nicene creed, with the support of the empire.

Be encouraged. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. We win eventually!

The Reformed Response to Anti-Christian Governments

As our reformed forefathers taught us in the midst of terrible persecution against the Church of Christ, when the civil government and the body politic is shaking its fist at God and spitting at the sky, trying to throw off his yoke (Psalm 2), that is the exact time to proclaim the sovereign authority of God and his law over all nations and governments. It’s more important than ever.

The Belgic confession was written in 1559 (by Guido de Brès) when the false church of Rome was fiercely persecuting the reformed churches. It was literally thrown over the city wall as a statement of faith to the Roman Catholic rulers. Note what it says about the civil magistrate:

36 Of Magistrates
We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind, has appointed kings, princes and magistrates, willing that the world should be governed by certain laws and policies; to the end that the dissoluteness of men might be restrained and all things carried on among them with good order and decency. For this purpose he has invested the magistracy with the sword, for the punishment of evildoers, and for the protection of them that do well. And their office is, not only to have regard unto, and watch for the welfare of the civil state; but also that they protect the sacred ministry; and thus may remove and prevent all idolatry and false worship; that the kingdom of antichrist may be thus destroyed and the kingdom of Christ promoted. They must therefore countenance the preaching of the Word of the gospel everywhere, that God may be honoured and worshipped by every one, as he commands in his Word. Moreover, it is the bounden duty of every one, of what state, quality, or condition soever he may be, to subject himself to the magistrates; to pay tribute, to show due honour and respect to them, and to obey them in all things which are not repugnant to the Word of God; to supplicate for them in their prayers, that God may rule and guide them in all their ways, and that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Wherefore we detest the Anabaptists and other seditious people, and in general all those who reject the higher powers and magistrates, and would subvert justice, introduce community of goods, and confound that decency and good order, which God has established among men.

The moral law is identical to natural law —Turretin

The moral law revealed in the 10 Commandments is the same in substance with the natural law. Turretin

This runs counter to the claim that natural law apart from Scripture can be a sufficient basis for morality in any sphere including government etc. because The 10 Commandments are the summary of that law man is supposed to be learning from nature, or the same in substance with it, and so they are the test of whether laws are just or not.

Grateful for George Washington

Grateful that God provided to the United States of America such a sober and dutiful man of faith as the father of the country: George Washington.

The more one learns about him, the more one discovers how his character has shaped the ethos of the Union, for good.

For Presidents’ Day.

From the then-newly revised American Book of Common Prayer (1785), a prayer for the President.

Written Religious Objection to the Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate

I was mandated to take the COVID-19 vaccine but then allowed to submit a request for “religious exception.”

Then I was asked to state my objection in writing. I’m sharing the verbiage in case it may be helpful to someone else.

Update: The request for “religious exception” was “approved indefinitely.“

The Prussian influence

Honestly one of the reasons why the US military is so effective is that we are Prussian in our doctrine, theory, and tactics. Starting with Baron von Steuben and the foundation of West Point. Continuing on, the Prussian influence has been great in the US military. We perfected Clausewitz’s Auftragstaktik. This means decisions made in the heat of battle by officers on the field.

July 2, 1863: Gettysburg Day 2

Devil’s Den

On this day 158 years ago, day 2 of one of the defining battles in American history ensued. General Robert E. Lee, believing based on intelligence from the day before that the union flanks were open, that Culp’s Hill to the east and Little Round Top to the west were yet unoccupied by federal troops, ordered a simultaneous attack on each flank of the Union line, hoping to collapse their lines.

Longstreet attacked to the west, and some of the most bitter and heroic fighting of the war took place in such now–hallowed spots as the wheatfield, the peach orchard, devil’s den, and little round top, famously defended by the 20th Maine regiment with a bayonet charge by command of COL Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Ewell led the attack to the east against cemetery ridge and Culp’s hill. This failed, too.

At the end of the day, the Army of Northern Virginia (CSA) had lost 6,500 men and the Army of the Potomac had lost over 8,500 men. It is an extremely unusual circumstance for the defensive position to receive higher casualties than the attacking army.

For some perspective, the great military theorist Clausewitz said it took three times as many men to wage a successful attack as to defend. Lee had attempted a flanking strategy that had worked before. But why didn’t it work this time?

Nevertheless it seems the Union army had opened a bottle of courage. Was it the fact that the fight was in Pennsylvania? Was it the emancipation proclamation? Or was it veteran experience kicking in or being tired of losing?

Surely the Union success was in large part due to leadership by Colonel Chamberlain and General Hancock on July 2 against Longstreet’s advance. Chamberlain and Hancock showed adaptability at the battlefield level. This is a superb example of Clausewitz’s concept of Auftragstaktik meaning mission tactics.