This episode chronicles the history of Christian nationalism up to about 1300, interspersed with commentary from James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments. Madison concluded that the mixture of church and state produced "pride and indolence in the clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both superstition, bigotry, and persecution." Informed by the history of power working through depraved humanity, Madison saw a close mixture of church and state as invariably corrupting both. The episode describes the quid pro quo arrangement between church and state emerging out of the creation of the "Holy Roman Empire. Both Church and State sought to co-opt the other, leading to a very unholy Holy Roman Empire, not to mention a corrupt Church. Madison found the Church's unholy collusion unbiblical, "every page of it [the Scriptures] disavows dependence on the powers of this world."
Christian Nationalism: when Kingdom Mixing Leads to Kingdom Purging
This episode finishes addressing dominion theology in the New Apostolic Reformation and cites the Biblical evidence for the resulting corruption of the Church. The Church's mandate is primarily that of making disciples, not controlling government. Christian nationalism convolutes the mission of the Church, eventually leading to corruption of the Church, as worldly power dynamics take hold of the Church as it struggles to exert control over government. Demonic forces know they can't prevail against the Church (Matthew 16:18), so they instead infiltrate it, as many of Christ's parables acknowledge. "Birds" are representative of demonic activity in the parable of the sower, the story that unlocks ALL the parables. (Mark 4:13) The parable of the mustard seed predicts the eventual pervasive presence of the Kingdom, which nevertheless becomes the nesting place of demonic powers and those under their influence. When Christ returns, "all stumbling blocks" will be removed: sons of darkness "nesting" in the Kingdom will be thrown into Hell. The angels "will gather OUT OF HIS KINGDOM all stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire.." (Mathew 13:41-42) Christian nationalism, the convolution of the kingdoms of this World with the Kingdom of Christ, promotes the lie that kingdom of America IS the kingdom of Christ. And, it will likely lead to massive angelic purging of KINGDOM impostors, in which Christ will say, "I never knew you, depart from, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:22)
The New Apostolic Reformation and Dominionism
This episode spells out the aspirations of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), particularly that of conquering the mountain of government. Che Ahn, a prominent leader in the NAR, declared on January 5, 2021 that "we are going to rule and reign through Donald Trump and under the Lordship of Jesus Christ." This form of dominionism seeks to mix church and state to the point of enabling Christians to rule and reign through secular princes. Much of the episode addresses the post-millennial expectations of the NAR, maintaining that Christians will establish the Kingdom of God on earth and usher in the millennium--Christ returning AFTER the millennium. Both the book of Revelation and Christ's Olivet discourse contradict this optimistic outlook.
From ‘Spheres’ to ‘Mountains’: the Rise of Dominionism in America
This episode marks a shift in the series, mostly addressing the history of Christian nationalism. The program initially notes that adherence to Christian nationalism differs depending on definition and application. While roughly 45% contend that the United States should be a Christian nation, only 15% want the government to rule based on specifically Christian laws. Most of the episode focuses on dominion theology, which promotes a Christian take-over of the 7 spheres of society--government, media, business, education, arts and entertainment, family, and religion. An outgrowth of Bill Bright's "7 spheres," dominionism promotes the "seven mountain mandate," in which believers take over the leadership of these spheres or mountains, maximizing Christian influence. The latter part of the episode introduces the novel interpretation of Matthew 28:19-20 by the New Apostolic Reformation, the primary promoter of dominion theology in evangelicalism.
Christian Nationalism: Winning Culture Battles and Losing the War
This episode expands on the previous episode, emphasizing the appropriate posture of believers to non-Christians, based on 2 Timothy 2:22-26. "The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to ALL, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition," who "are held captive by him [the devil] to do his will." The present culture war mentality of many evangelicals in the United States is evidently not informed by Pauline theology, where the devil is the real adversary and unbelievers are his hostages. The episode bluntly confronts the quarrelsome posture of culture warrior Christians whose mission and hatred are misplaced. More informed by the vitriol of Fox News than the liberating imperative of the Great Commission, these believers make worldly power an end, and some version of Christian nationalism the means, resulting in, not surprisingly, further alienation and mistrust from non-believing hostages. Their mission is misplaced and is tantamount to shooting prisoners that Christians are commanded to liberate. The culture war mentality contradicts the winsome mission-oriented focus of Paul, in which believers are admonished to "pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)
Christian Nationalism: Subjugating Hostages Instead of Freeing Them
This episode mostly addresses the posture of believers towards the world. Christ's kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and therefore wars against people and the unbelieving culture at large are completely misplaced. Believers should war against the real enemy, "spiritual hosts of wickedness," instead of foolishly wrestling with flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12). The unbelieving culture around us is composed of hostages of the devil who are "held captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:26). Christians are called to liberate these hostages, not subjugate them to a so-called "Christian state," that essentially governs according to the power dynamics of this world. That many evangelicals are open to Christian nationalism underscores the misplaced identity of believers who haven't yet grasped their "alien" status, with respect to this world (1 Peter 2:11). And critically, the mission of Christ's kingdom alien ambassadors is neglected and undermined when worldly believers wrestle with flesh and blood and slaughter POW's in a misplaced culture war.
The Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, NOT to the State
This episode elaborates on the previous episode, principally focusing on Matthew 16:18-19, where believers are given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Christ builds His Church by calling people out of the kingdom of darkness and placing them in the kingdom of Christ, through the person of the Holy Spirit. The "ekklesia," or church literally means "those called out of." Those who don't respond to the call carry on in the kingdom of darkness, and the natural locus of ungodly power is the state. This fact alone points to the inevitable conflict of kingdoms as both the Church and non-Christians seek to co-op the State to serve their respective interests. The history of Christian nationalism largely reflects widespread corruption in the Christian Church based on an unhealthy mixing of the kingdoms. Since Christ gave believers the keys to the kingdom of heaven, NOT those accessing worldly kingdoms, Christians should focus their efforts on reaching unbelievers through preaching the gospel. Setting up earthly "Christian" kingdoms amounts to making the Church another powerbroker, diluting and corrupting its mission. Believers instead should utilize their LEGITIMATE authority to make disciples, not presuming they have been given a mandate to FORCE Christ's other-worldly kingdom onto non-Christians. The episode finally addresses "binding and loosing" as it relates to the keys of the kingdom.
The Proper Response to Christ’s Authority
This episode unpacks the appropriate response of believers to Christ's triumphant resurrection. "All authority has been given to Me [Christ] in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18-19) Based on Christ's universal authority, Christians are commanded to make disciples of all the nations, and their primary mission is to proclaim the gospel, calling people out of darkness into the marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9) The universal body of Christ is composed of those who have been called out of the kingdom of the darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Christ. (Colossians 1:13) The word "church" literally means "those who are called out of," and believers are given the veritable keys to the kingdom, as they proclaim access to God's kingdom through repentance and faith in Christ. This then is the mission of the church and the mandated response to Christ's universal authority. It is NOT the setting up of an abominable church-state mixture where all are compelled to submit to Christian rule, in the same way that mosque and state are intertwined in predominantly Islamic countries. The episode finally concludes that the principal enemy of the church (those who are called out of) is demonic forces ("gates of hell"), not the world, whose hostages we are called to liberate.
My Kingdom is Not of this World
This episode initially addresses the question based on Christ's interaction with Pilate in John 18:36 and John 19:11. Based on the other worldly nature of His kingdom, Christ told Pilate that his disciples didn't need to fight to protect Him. His kingdom would advance, and worldly "encouragement" or opposition is simply not a factor. Even though Christ acknowledged Pilate's DELEGATED authority in John 19:11, He doesn't make His kingdom "dependent" on Pilate's benevolent or adverse participation. Christ is crucified because He chose to lay His life down, and the kingdom of Christ is not beholden to Pilate, and by extension ANY KINGDOM of this world. The late John McArthur concluded the same, even claiming that "Christian nationalism doesn't exist." The episode concludes with a brief analysis of Matthew 28:18-19, whereby Christians are called to respond to the universal authority of Christ by making disciples from all the nations. Christ's dealings with Pilate and His subsequent instructions in the Great Commission reveal how believers are to interact with nation-states as we make individual disciples for Christ.
The Dynamic of Politics and Power in the Carnal Christian
This episode highlights potential abuse of power by carnal Christians in government. Sanctified believers identify substantially with Christian values and motivations, and the wisdom that characterizes their decisions is pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:13-18) On the flip side, James warns believers that "strife and selfish ambition" are the fruits of earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom. Paul calls Corinthian believers "mere men" because their carnality was evident in strife and jealousy. (1 Corinthians 3:3) Taken together these Scriptures are a sobering reminder that Christians can operate according to a demonic agenda when they engage worldly and carnal values. Coupled together with the corrupting allure of power, carnal Christians in government tend to operate according to wisdom that is "earthly, natural, and demonic," instead of the wisdom from above, that is "pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy." Partisan and demonizing rhetoric from professing Christians in government underscores the prevalent carnality that is sadly justified by an appeal to Christianity. A so-called "Christian state" would only exacerbate the present hypocrisy.