spiritualtyranny.com

By John Immel

Her Daddy told her this day would come. He told her there would be boys who took her out for a drive, who said they wanted to know her better. She’s sixteen, with a boy she likes, big baby blues wide with affection. He’s whispering sweet nothings in her ear. It feels right, but it doesn’t. Something is missing, but she can’t tell what exactly. He keeps telling her this is what people do when they get to know each other.

But should they be doing…this?

Respect yourself, her daddy says.

Don’t give yourself away.

Expect commitment!

Be cautious with intimacy.

But…oh the sweet agony…

The boy is giving her attention, he’s focused on her. Whispering in her ear, telling her how pretty, how valuable, how profound it is that God would put her in his life.

She wants to belong!

She doesn’t want to make him angry.… Read the rest

The Walls of Mystic Despotism

I dares ya ta’ step across this line.

- Bugs Bunny

Click here for audio

I had thought to let this series of posts go, (June 12th, 12:20 a.m. to June 13th, 2:43 p.m.) on Women and Children First, offered by self-identified Mike Doherty. My reasons were equally divided across a few thoughts. First, I am working on another article tentatively called “Crisis Management” and didn’t want to get distracted from research. Second, in my mind, Mike Doherty’s words speak for themselves, and I expect that the savvy Spiritual Tyranny readership sees the implicit failure in Mike’s demand. Third, I have addressed many of the stock defenses of tyranny over and over and over and over and over and over. Fourth, I anticipated this was just another drive-by blogging; people say their piece and move on. However, Mike did return for a couple more shots at me, my character, my lack of deference to him, some foreboding proclamations about biblical authority, and a general: “What are you talking about?”

One must wonder if orthodoxy forbids classes on reading comprehension, because detractors seem not to grasp my specific criticisms in context to the atrocity of rape, and my unrelenting critique of the doctrine of apostolic covering being taught to American Christianity:  its catastrophic failure to deliver on its self-declared social contract.… Read the rest

Somehow I ended up on a Frank Viola e-mailing list. Someone was very kind to add me. I suspect that the motive was either counterargument by proxy or they assumed that I would agree with what Mr. Viola is teaching. Whatever the reason and whoever put me there, thanks. I now have more fodder for my Spiritual Tyranny grist mill. Of course, I know some of you are Frank Viola fans, so this could get interesting. My fans are most affirming and vocal when I’m taking on the Sovereign Grace Ministries phenomena. I’ve said repeatedly that they are not my obsession, only a stepping off point. Anyone making a bid towards Spiritual Tyranny is fair game. To that end, let the frolic begin.

It must have been a divine appointment that I actually read the e-mail. As a rule, I delete what looks like spam. But I happened to notice that Frank weighed in on the Harold Camping End of the World deal.… Read the rest

I’m going back through and recording core posts. This, of course, means that in my never-ending pursuit of perfect, I end up re-writing. Which I did with the post Defining Insanity.  Have a re-read or have a listen; the fun just keeps getting better.MP3

Further Comments can be made on the original page.… Read the rest

By John Immel

I originally posted this on Texas HB 36: Informed Consent to an Abortion in response to something Canary, resident commentor extraordinaire, said about the concept “First among equals.”

Here is what she said:

BU-WA-HA-HA-HA.

Gee – I thought the Greeks were a bit wiser than that. To tell someone “We are all equal, but I’m first” is really dumb, and that Christian Theology adopted the idea is even dumber. Even a first grader at the end of the lunch line knows just how DUMB that saying really is in literal terms. “If I’m equal, hows come I didn’t get a slice of the sausage pizza like those in the front of the line, and hows come I didn’t get equal time to eat my mystery meat casserole?” Amazing what sort of nonsense we will ingest simply because a leader assumes authority over us and therefore must know everything. Down, Kitty.

… Read the rest

Matthew 7:15-20
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?7 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.18
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

“My, how big your eyes are grandma!”

“Come closer my dear, for it is better to see you.”

Shoot, wrong story

Although…the tale of Ms. Riding Hood’s woe does have a striking similarity: a wolf in Grammy’s Jammies, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

You get the picture. If the stories are any indication, then wolves do not seem particular about fashion as long as the costume makes it possible to hang close to the food.… Read the rest

By John Immel

You’ve walked out of a spiritually oppressive experience, or are very close to taking that very action. Is it a fair guess that you are currently terrified? The fear of parting from your “spiritual covering” is directly proportional to your own personal confidence and the length of time it’s been since you last walked through the doors of the hallowed halls.

You are looking around at the events of your life playing an elaborate game of divine charades. Three Syllables, sounds like…. RUN, get out of dodge, amscray, vamoose. Leave the spiritual thugs in the dirt. But… it is like God stands in front of the room giving signals and gestures but the clock keeps ticking that meaning is vague leaving you to guess the point. When you move away something bad happens, the car breaks down, the air-conditioning gets too cold, there is a fight with the wife. See, if only you hadn’t left their covering.… Read the rest

By John Immel

Defining Insanity (Click here to listen to an Presage Publishing MP3 Audio production)

All tyranny requires these elements to be successful.

• • Universal Guilt
  • Incompetent masses
  • Dictated Good
  • Abolition of Ambition
  • Collective Conformity

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The following is from Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership, by Alexander Strauch.

Shared Leadership should not be a new concept to Bible-reading Christians. (page 36)

By definition, the elder structure of [Church] government is a collective form of leadership in which each elder shares equally the position, authority, and responsibility of the office. There are different names for this type of leadership structure. More formally, it is called collective, corporate, or collegiate leadership. In contemporary terms, it is referred to as multiple church leadership, plurality, shared leadership, or team leadership. (page 39)

The challenge with excerpts is whether they really capture the overall point the author was trying to represent while being an effective referent for subsequent commentary.… Read the rest

By John Immel

I started on this article over two months ago, long before the current conversation on www.sgmrefuge.com with Protestant Knight (AKA ~John) advocating reform and Jim’s post Let’s take a poll (1) started on March 23 of ’09. It has undergone substantial changes from the original drafts, but as a writer the time comes to abandon a project. That time has come for To Reform or Not to Reform. What started as a 1500-ish word post turned into this 24-page 9,500 word behemoth with end notes.

I’m a wordy sort…what can I say?

This is a Sovereign Grace Ministries (2) related post. While many of you dear readers have no connection with SGM directly and therefore may be inclined to skip this post, please don’t. The concepts within this post are related to the current trend in American history on the political and religious fronts. Indeed, these fronts are inseparable.… Read the rest

The following is excerpted from a book I self-published in 2000 called Blight in the Vineyard. (I’ve got a new version of that book coming, so there will be more later.)

Welcome to the Arena of Ideas

Do you feel the expanse of the coliseum, and the crowd looking on, and the tides of opinion ebbing and flowing? Do you feel the wind whipping around your mind? Do you feel the soft cool sand under your feet? The Latin word hara is sand, and Harna came to mean the part of the Roman amphitheater that was covered with sand. In the ancient Roman coliseums they put sand on the floor to soak up the blood.

How is that for a vivid image? Do you have the courage to stay here? Or does the thought of shedding blood for Ideas bring a tremble to your soul? This place is not for the faint of heart, or of the faint of mind.… Read the rest