Tag: God

Wayback Wednesday^2: Gnostic Mysteries

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One of the enduring temptations for Christians of a more intellectual or theological bent is to take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. It’s scarily easy to fall into that trap, but it’s one that must be avoided, lest we either a.) fall into the heresy of Gnosticism or b.) are so proud in our knowledge, we sin against God. Really, both are likely outcomes, and “b.” includes “a.” Furthermore, no one is an effective witness if they come across as a boastful know-it-all.

The danger of that pride is very, very real. Consider that it was the pride of the Pharisees that condemned Jesus to the Cross. The pride of the Athenian elites condemned Socrates to hemlock. In both cases, the condemned poked at and exposed the foolish pride of their tormentors.

The appeal to know some “secret” knowledge, or to have the real answers, is one that those of an intellectual stripe must constantly guard against. I speak from experience (and that’s not me giving myself a very roundabout, backhanded compliment, but acknowledging that I have struggled with this sin). Ultimately, Jesus Is the Source of all Truth.

With that, here is 26 November 2025’s “Wayback Wednesday: Gnostic Mysteries“:

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TBT^4: A Discourse on Disclaimers

The Portly Politico1 Comment

In surveying the vast expansion of the much-discussed Overton Window last year, it seemed like things couldn’t get any better. After a decade of oppressive wokery, people were suddenly letting it all out in a cathartic moment that felt incredible.

A year on, it seems to be getting even better. Maybe that’s because I’m using Substack more, which basically takes all the hot takes of X and transforms them into pseudo-intellectual essays (the writing on Substack is really good, by the way). People on there have zero qualms about saying anything, which makes it a pretty exciting intellectual environment. When no idea—even the bad ones—are off-limits, everything gets discussed—and exposed.

It’s refreshing. I remember how bad things got in 2015-2016, when even here in super conservative South Carolina you couldn’t audibly espouse support for Trump in mixed company, and certainly not in a professional setting. Now people are like, “Trump hasn’t gone far enough.” I mean, look, I agree; it’s just wild how we can say it out loud now.

So, no more equivocating, folks, no more disclaimers. Let it all out in a flurry of free speech!

With that, here is 26 June 2025’s “TBT^2: A Discourse on Disclaimers“:

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TBT^256: Reclaim the Rainbow

The Portly Politico2 Comments

It’s truly wild to think how much the world has changed in just a few short years. When I first wrote this post in 2021, we were living through Peak Woke. The Left tried to discredit Trump with the Epiphany Demonstrations and Joe Biden served as a sleepy, somnambulant puppet for a shadowy cabal of hyper-progressive ghouls intent on devouring the corpse of decent society.

Now it’s like we’ve stepped into some kind of time machine or portal to another dimension. It’s not only tolerated, but almost borderline accepted that, say, people will openly complain about Indian H1B workers writing horrible code, or denouncing the oft-repeated lie about homosexual men not being into lurid acts with underaged kids (to be fair, it seems like our ruling class is also into that stuff—horrible!). People are saying things on the Internet and publicly that would have cost them their jobs in 2021—and, let’s be real, for as long as I’ve been alive.

I don’t know if this moment will fade once Trump leaves office or if we’ve really seen a cultural shift. I suspect that large corporations will simply go wherever they think the prevailing winds are blowing, which makes me pessimistic about the long-term prospects of such hardcore red-pilling in that arena. But people overall seem to be waking up to Reality.

Once again, the “Pride” celebrations seems muted. The flamboyant pastels and wiener-tucking kids’ clothes of yesterpride have been replaced with the drabbest of beiges—praise the Lord! I get The New York Times‘s The Morning newsletter sent to my school e-mail address, and the author for 1 June 2026’s newsletter wrote, “Happy Pride Month.” No even an exclamation point! He knew he had to write something about it, but it’s like that scene from The Office where Dwight puts up the banner that says, “It is your birthday.”

Finally, the way “Pride” Month should be observed—deflated balloons and declarative sentences.

Once again, I’ll renew my call that we restore the symbol of the rainbow as the sign of the covenant between God and Noah never to flood the earth again, rather than as a symbol of depraved sexual licentiousness and casual buggery.

With that, here is 5 June 2025’s “TBT^16: Reclaim the Rainbow“:

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TBT^16: Go to Church

The Portly Politico1 Comment

Any churchgoing Christian will understand that feeling that sometimes hits on Sunday mornings—even though you typically want to go to church, you just don’t want to that Sunday.  The week is long and hard; the weekend is short (and usually full of the stuff you couldn’t get done during the week).

My brothers and I used to joke with our dad—a man who was borderline giddy as he’d wake us up for a marathon session of church (we were Pentecostal in the 1990s and early 2000s, so church was pretty much an all-day affair)—that we would “worship God in our own way” by staying home and playing Nintendo.  Thank goodness he had a sense of humor and understood we were lampooning the milquetoast cultural “Christians” and New Age spiritualists who framed staying home and washing their cars as an act of piety.

But the struggle is real.  I sincerely believe that Satan and his minions attack us the hardest right before church.  Like most things, the justifications are reasonable:  “I really need the rest”; “I have a crazy week ahead and need to get prepared for it.”  Sometimes those things are legitimate concerns; more often, though, they’re just lame rationalizations, and we know it.

I’m preaching to myself here.  I know from experience that missing one week of church makes it that much harder to return the following week; missing two weeks in a row or more is lethal to regular attendance.  Due to our current living situation and Dr. Wife finishing up residency, we often find ourselves out of town on Sundays, but we try to attend one of our churches.  Indeed, there have been times I’ve proposed staying home so we can “rest,” and she’ll insist we go to church.  She’s a good woman.

Again, I understand there are exceptions.  Some people—even here in the South—work on Sundays.  People travel.  Family events and the like sometimes interfere.  Look, I’m not a Catholic—I don’t believe your salvation is contingent upon checking off the “I attended Mass so I’m good for another week” box.  I do, however, believe that Scripture Instructs us to be part of a body of believers.

Going to church is beneficial spiritually first and foremost, but it’s also an opportunity to build Christian community.  In an age of economic isolation and social atomization, folks are desperate to be part of something bigger than themselves.  What’s bigger and better than the Bride of Christ?

Here in the South, there a sometimes more churches per square mile than people.  I know other parts of the country are not so fortunate, but churches are not hard to find.  Find a good one and start going!

With that, here is 17 April 2025’s “TBT^4: Go to Church“:

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TBT^65,536: Nehemiah and National Renewal

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It’s interesting to consider that since I first wrote about Nehemiah in 2019, the concept of an overtly “Christian nationalism” has become more mainstream (or, at least, “mainstream” in the fringe circles of the Internet I inhabit).  What exactly “Christian nationalism” looks like or entails is unclear, but it’s a concept that sounds pretty sensible:  a predominantly Christian people should have a nation governed by broadly Christian principles.

Of course, the thorniness of the concept crops up as one enters the thickets and weeds of the particulars.  But isn’t that the case for any civic arrangement?  “Republicanism” and “democracy” are pretty broad terms that take on various permutations depending on the culture, peoples, and places that adopt them; America’s constitutionally-limited federal republic and Nigeria’s are pretty similar on paper, but vastly different in implementation.  The labels just give us a broad idea of the kind of government and civil society at play, not the detailed particulars.  As such, one could reasonably expect “Christian nationalism” to look quite different in, say, Italy than it would in the United States

Regardless, it certainly seems as though, in most states, tribes, kingdoms, empires, etc., throughout history, religion and government were inextricably intertwined.  If a nation-state is a collection of a particular people within a particular geographic region, it would make sense that their faith would play a major role in their political, cultural, and national decision-making.

It’s an interesting concept to ponder, and brings to mind a religious revival that resulted in a political revival for the ancient Israelites as they rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem under the faithful guidance of Nehemiah, who trust God deeply and fully.

With that, here is 6 March 2025’s “TBT^256: Nehemiah and National Renewal“:

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Memorable Monday Morning Movie Review: Nefarious (2023)

The Portly Politico4 Comments

Last year, when Dr. Wife was still Dr. Girlfriend, we sat down and watched an incredible movie exploring demonic possession and spiritual warfare.

That film was 2023’s Nefarious (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link; I receive a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no additional cost to you).  It’s one of the best films I’ve seen in years, and it’s an overtly Christian film (without making it feel like it’s overtly Christian).  It’s an excellent example of how Christians can make compelling art that espouses our beliefs culturally.

With that, here is 2 December 2024’s “Monday Morning Movie Review: Nefarious (2023)“:

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Wayback Wednesday: Gnostic Mysteries

The Portly Politico1 Comment

The online historian Rudyard Lynch, also known by his channel name, Whatifalthist, put up an interesting video earlier this week about the influence of alchemy and alchemical modes of thinking on the development of Western civilization.  It’s worth watching and considering, especially as an example of the crosspollination of ideas between philosophical, ethical, and religious systems.

Lynch makes the point of differentiating alchemy from Gnosticism, the latter of which he clearly views as a demonic heresy (it is).  I suspect he lets alchemy off the hook a little too easily from a Christian perspective, but apparently it’s a topic that many churches have studied and even endorsed.

I’m not willing to go that far.  It smacks too much of the appeal of secret knowledge that is at the root of Gnosticism.  For nerdy men, especially, there is a pull to these kinds of mystical interpretations because, like computer programming, they offer up an alleged deeper understanding of the “code” behind existence.

Ultimately, Jesus Is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  We must always be on guard against potential heresies.

With that, here is 20 September 2022’s “Gnostic Mysteries“:

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TBT: Rooting Out Heresy: The Cathars

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We’re living in heretical times.  All sorts of New Age nonsense is afoot.

The thing is, all the “New Age nonsense” is just Old World paganism and Gnosticism wrapped in therapeutic language.  People are looking for answers—the easier the better.  I’ve been reading the classic, authoritative book on the subject, The Kingdom of the Cults (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link, as are several others links in this post; I receive a portion of any purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you), by theologian Walter Martin, and it is wild how many of these cults share the same basic qualities—claiming to be “Christian” while perverting and distorting the very heart of the Gospels.

With that, here is 14 October 2024’s “Rooting Out Heresy: The Cathars“:

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TBT^2: Remarkable Animals

The Portly Politico4 Comments

After years of misspent youth, during which time I considered animals little more than fleshy, occasionally cute, robots, yours portly has learned the error of  his ways and become an animal lover.

Don’t get wrong—I love to eat animals as much as I enjoy keeping them as pets, and I possess a realistic view of animals:  they exist to serve us, not the other way around.  I love Murphy, and I’ll make sure she is fed, watered, and (when appropriate) medicated.  But the day that the vet says, “we can keep her alive another two weeks with this $4000 experimental canine chemotherapy,” it’ll be time to give the old girl a heartfelt goodbye.  By comparison, I’d sell my left kidney to the gay mafia if it’d add one day to the life of one of my family members or Dr. Fiancée.

All that said, I now very much see animals as a gift from God.  Every child in Sunday School knows that the first job of the first man was to name the animals; God Spared the animals along with humanity when He Commanded Noah to build an ark.  Clearly, our relationship with animals is meant to be a fruitful and productive one.

Further, anyone who has ever owned a dog (or even a cat) knows that these creatures have personalities.  Sure, I imagine jellyfish don’t lead rich inner lives, but it’s wild and amusing to me how dogs can possess such a range of personalities.  Murphy is aloof and anxious, but very much the queen of her domain.  Dr. Fiancée’s three-legged mutt is sweet and loving, but has her sassy moments like Murph.  My parents’ two rat terriers are cousins and/or half-brothers of some kind (I think they share a grandparent), but despite their genetic similarity, their personalities are nearly opposite (much like human siblings at times).

Do I think dogs have souls?  Perhaps not in the way that humans do.  But there is a life and intelligence behind the eyes of a dog.  Even the most forlorn, neglected mutt possesses something of a shimmer behind his sad eyes.  The fact that the eyes can even express emotions suggests there is something deeper there.

Of course, the evolutionist wags will snarkily remark, “we just bred them to reflect qualities we like.”  Perhaps.  Nevertheless, I’m struck by how human dogs can be, while also being something quite different—in some ways, something even better.

All points worthy of speculation, idle or otherwise.  What do you think, dear readers?

With that, here is 12 September 2024’s “TBT: Remarkable Animals“:

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TBT^4: Chapel Lesson: Listening

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One of the appeals of teaching is that there is a rhythm and regularity to the school year.  The same events occur at roughly the same times each week, each month, each year.  I became a teacher for many reasons, but the predictability of the schedule has always been a major appeal.  I like a structure of routine that allows for great variety of experiences and activities within that larger structure.

So it is that we have come, once again, to the first day of Chapel for the new academic year.  We have Chapel every Thursday morning during our Morning Break/Meeting time.

Very occasionally, yours portly is called upon to deliver a brief Chapel lesson.  Here is one from a few years ago.  My only regret is that I did not do more to tie the message specifically and overtly back to Christ.

With that, here is 22 August 2024’s “TBT^2: Chapel Lesson: Listening”:

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