• Race Realism: A Discourse on the Current State of Race in America

    Shakespeare was the greatest writer of all time, besides the Bible – which was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It’s sad so many high schools and universities have dropped the study of the venerable bard and his many works. Too white. Too western. Too Christian. This is the tip of the anti-white, anti-Western, and anti-Christian bias which is, sadly, now so prevalent in Western society. White Christian men are largely responsible for our modern society and all of its knowledge and scientific advances. Examine any field of knowledge: whether it be chemistry, physics, mathematics, geography, geology, archaeology, literature, political science, history, business and industry, architecture, the arts such as music, painting, and sculptures, poetry, etc. You will see, if one is objective and intellectually honest, that white Christian men are largely responsible for constructing modern civilization. I could go on and on! This doesn’t mean that other races haven’t achievements of their own. But if one compares all the races, the white race alone is responsible for the lions share of achievements, breakthroughs, advances, and discoveries.

    I for one am proud to be a white Christian male! We made the greatest achievements the earth has ever known. When we die out then the real hell on earth begins! We’re seeing now only glimpses of the coming degeneracy, anti-intellectualism, destruction of western civilization! Open your eyes white man before it’s too late!

    I’m sick of having to qualify my statements and defend myself regarding my race. For boldly stating that I am proud to be a white Christian man I was slandered, called a fool, dismissed as a racist, and labeled a white supremacist.

    The discussion of race in America has become so poisonous and anti-white that if a white man is not politically correct, if he is not woke and discusses race realism and objective historical facts he will be ostracized, ridiculed, dismissed, and written off as a racist.

    There is a huge double standard and a staggering degree of hypocrisy involved in current talk and attitudes about race. If a black man says he is proud to be a black man he will receive near universal praise and affirmation. If a black man says he is proud of the accomplishments of fellow blacks, once again he will find wide support and acceptance. However if a white man says either of those 2 statements he will be attacked, ridiculed, mocked, demonized, vilified, he could possibly lose his job or be expelled from university.

    There is far far more anti-white racism now than anti-black or anti-hispanic racism. Whites are blamed for virtually every single problem in the modern world whether real or imagined. Charles who is black didn’t study in school and now has a low wage job, does he go to college and get a degree to better himself? NO! He blames whitey and says systemic institutionalized racism is holding him back and the cause of all his problems in life. This type of thinking is absolutely Satanic. Groups like BLM have made literally billions of dollars by demonizing white people, men in particular, and blaming us for every single problem that people of color in America face!

    And if you want to bring up police brutality I can count on both hands the number of cases of outright racist police brutality against black men, yet groups like BLM would have us believe this is a widespread and systemic problem. If you want to talk about brutality and violence lets discuss the tens of thousands of innocent white victims who are murdered by black men EVERY SINGLE YEAR in America! It is outrageous to frame blacks as the innocent victimized race and whites as the aggressors and oppressors. The harsh reality is that whites experience far more violence and anti-white hatred and racism than blacks by a very wide margin.

    I went to black majority middle and high schools. I saw white students being bullied and brutalized by blacks, I heard anti-white racial pejoratives such as honkey, cracker, white devil, whitey etc. on a daily basis! Yet in my entire life I only once heard a white person use the N-word to insult a person of color.

    The ridiculous double standard and gross hypocrisy needs to end.

    The saddest thing is when black Christians are accusers of their white brethren and attack them and label them as racists when they in fact are not racist. And it’s sadder still when white Christians become woke and accuse their fellow whites of being racist.

    I don’t care what anyone says in my personal experience growing up in Pittsburgh black people are the most racist racial group I’ve ever come across. Some anti-black racism still exists, but we’ve made a lot of progress. The way BLM talks and whines you’d think it was 1823 not 2023! Black people don’t have to hide their anti-white racism, they seem to relish it. Virtually every time I rode the bus for the past 30 years nearly 90% of the rides black teenagers would hurl racist insults at me. People who were complete strangers to me. Why would blacks feel comfortable exhibiting anti-white racism in a city where they are just 9% of the population and whites are 70%? It’s because the popular culture which is profane and degenerate and anti-Christian is on their side and shields, protects and encourages them to act racist towards whites.

    Literally my entire life I hear how blacks are encouraged to take pride in their race, to laud their ancestors accomplishments, yet hypocritically when whites do the EXACT same thing we are suddenly labeled racists and white supremacists and even classified as domestic terrorists and hate groups by the FBI! It’s absurd and deeply wicked.

    The thing about my recent Facebook post on race which seemed to drive the woke crowd over the edge was my assertion that the white Christian males achieved and built more in history, and accomplished inventing classical and modern society, than any other race. I don’t know if these people suffer from race envy, jealousy, or an inferiority complex, but it is objectively and demonstrably true that by virtually ANY metric you choose the white Christian men are responsible for achieving more than any other race by a large margin. And white Christian men did the most in missionary work and spreading the Gospel to heathen continents like Africa and South America. They should thank God every single day for those white Christian men who brought them the Gospel, who established hospitals and schools and universities, who invested in infrastructure and industry. These men literally brought these primitive societies that had virtually no technology or knowledge, and built them into thriving and successful economies and thus brought them into the modern age! No instead of thanks all you find is ungratefulness, scorn, hatred, bitterness and resentment. They idealize living in Africa or South America as their ancestors did. But if modern blacks had to live in those ancient primitive heathen societies they would be appalled!!

    I am race realist, not a racist. I talk about race openly and honestly in frank terms. If you wish to classify me as a racist please do me a favor and unfriend me on Facebook!

    As I said, so far I’ve been called a fool, a racist, a white supremacist and I’ve even been called an unbeliever. This is simply unacceptable! I am being maligned and misrepresented. This slander and hate mongering and character assassination will not stand. It is not Christ-like. I am not a racist. I am not a fool. I am not a white supremacist. I don’t believe I or any white person is superior to any other race. We all stand uniformly guilty and dead in our sins until God regenerates us by His sovereign will. I do believe one can make a very strong case that historically God has blessed the white race for being faithful to the Gospel and advancing God’s Kingdom. And further that the white race achieved a staggering amount of achievements in virtually every single field of endeavor, and no other race even comes close to the level of achievements.

    If I look at the past 1,000 years the white race had the great geniuses, the great theologians, the great royalty, the great scholars, the great minds who achieved the most in every single intellectual field of study, as well as responsible for building the modern world almost single handedly in comparison to other races. I should be able to state these OBJECTIVE HISTORICAL AND INTELLECTUAL FACTS without being slandered, attacked, demonized, vilified and dismissed as a racist honky. I challenge anyone to show me how what I said is false. By virtually any metric you choose to analyze and study the issue, the end result will confirm and validate what I said. The vast majority of Americans cannot have open and honest frank discussion of race issues without getting hyper emotional and without falling into a woke politically correct leftist narrative.

    I stand by what I said and believe it is factually correct so help me God. If God reveals to me a flaw in my argumentation I will be happy to share that knowledge publicly on my Facebook timeline. It is a serious and very ugly and Satanic thing to label a man a racist. You better have rock solid irrefutable proof. But in our modern culture the word racist is thrown around with impunity and is used carelessly and undeservedly. I am no racist!

    White people continue to be censored, marginalized, ostracized and demonized in American society, and when they do try to defend themselves and expose the false narrative they face near universal condemnation. It’s a very sad time in America to be a white person. Where is all that white privilege I hear groups like BLM speak about? I live on approximately on a very low income. White so-called privilege never helped me one bit in my life. In fact by being white I’ve faced additional hardships.

    We need to encourage people of color to stop believing the false race narrative they’re being spoon fed in school and sadly often in church!

  • Darwinian Evolution Debunked: A Critique of the So-Called Evolution of the Species

    Macro evolution (one species through adaptation in nature developing into a whole new species) was the biggest scam to come out of the 19th century.

    Darwin was Satanically inspired to create his theory of evolution. He was greatly deceived as are any Christians that believe in evolution of the species, even so-called theistic evolution where God directs the evolutionary process is utterly false.

    Darwin’s theory posits that in the struggle in nature, those who are most fit, the strongest, the fastest, the most brutal, will survive and flourish by passing on traits via gene which ensure their survival over other species which will die off.

    To posit that simple naturalistic forces of nature alone determines the survival of the species is a huge error based on false presuppositions.

    Man, unlike the animals in the natural kingdom, is unique. He alone possesses God give intellect and the ability to reason on a high level. This sets him apart from other animals who are in brute competition.

    Man is able to override genetic advantages or weaknesses. And, in fact, technology has progressed so far that scientists can know even edit genes and manipulate the human genome.

    Evolutionists will argue that human and chimpanzee DNA is so similar it must thus provided causal evidence of evolution in the distant past millions of years ago.

    The fact that humans and chimpanzees share so much DNA in common is explainable in the simple fact that God is a very efficient and clever Designer. Also man shares a lot of common DNA with insects, it doesn’t logically imply we descended from some insect-man hybrid!

    But like I said, the most important factor in the survival of the so-called fittest, as Darwin characterizes it, is not brute strength, speed, or specific adaptive skills. The single largest determining factor, by a huge degree, is our rational minds and our ability to reason and create and self-direct our progress or decline.

    Another huge problem that evolutionists and theistic evolutionists have is the glaring lack of evidence of transitional forms in the fossil record. If millions of species over the course of millions of times adapted and changed transitional forms there would be literally hundreds of millions, if not billions, of transitional fossils documenting this directed process. But that is not what archaeologists and anthropologists find. They will take a skull from a human from 200,000 years ago and compare it to a modern human skull and notice differences which they offer as proof of evolution. The answer is simple, God created different species of mankind and some of them died off and some of them survived. It had nothing to do with evolution. And they were distinct species descended from Adam and Eve whom God created ex nihilo (out of nothing).

    Further let us consider specified complexity. If one examines DNA and sees the staggering complexity of the human mind, our vision (eyes), and the whole wonderful structure of the body, consider that all of this complexity is encoded in our DNA. There is simply no way that something as complex as DNA could evolve from some biochemical soup. Mathematically it is impossible. The inescapable conclusion is that man was designed by an Intelligent Designer.

    As you can see evolution is a scam and has been used by different bad actors as the basis for genocide and the death of millions of people. Darwin’s ideas on human evolution fueled a specific kind of racism, influencing generations to believe there were higher and lower (primitive and advanced) races (with so-called Caucasians at the top of the evolutionary hierarchy). Darwin’s views influenced a wide variety of evil people, including perhaps the most infamous of all: Adolf Hitler.

    The bloodstained legacy of Darwin is highlighted in a new book from historian Richard Weikart, “Darwinian Racism: How Darwinism Influenced Hitler, Nazism, and White Nationalism”. It explores Darwinian racism in the past and present. According to a write-up about the book:

    “The work reveals how Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution shaped the views of Hitler and the Nazis, and how the Nazis championed Darwinism during the Third Reich. Guided by Darwin’s Descent of Man and by early Darwinists such as Ernst Haeckel, the Nazis viewed the “Nordic race” as superior to other races. Worse, they concluded that the Nordic Germans should advance human evolution by ridding the world of “inferior” individuals and races, and claiming more living space for themselves and their offspring. The results were forced euthanasia programs for “unfit” Germans, the Holocaust, and World War II.”

    Here is an excellent 20-page article by Professor Weikart which covers the issues of Nazis and Darwinian evolution.

    I also highly recommend reading Professor Weikart’s earlier book “From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany”.

    As these books demonstrate Darwinian Evolution was Satanically inspired. It was used as the justification for all types of atrocities. The Chinese and Soviet regimes were strictly atheistic and also taught the principles of evolution. Think of the 100+ million victims who were murdered on the basis of this wicked system of evolution.

    It pains me to see an increasing number of deceived Christians affirming theistic evolution. May God open their eyes.

  • Altered States Don’t Define Me

    I am quite insane
    I have a corrupted brain
    My neurotransmitters
    Are out of sync
    It affects
    The way I think
    Some days I’m in
    A dark malaise
    Yet, in despair
    Like hymn writer
    William Cowper
    Christ – I do praise
    Some days I’m on
    A manic high
    I need sanity
    To come nigh
    At times I have
    Terrifying psychosis
    Yet my mind
    Remains precocious
    Sometimes I’m delusional
    That is quite unusual
    I may meow like a cat
    Or bark like a dog
    But thankfully
    I never
    Croak like a frog
    I have found order
    In chaos
    And peace
    Amidst conflict
    Christ’s love
    Is never derelict
    I shall take my meds
    And weather
    The mental storms
    I may not meet
    The psychiatric norms
    But I have a mighty
    Lord and Savior
    Who can help me
    To alter my behavior
    Pray for me please
    And help as you can
    Such is the effects
    Of sin
    On fallen man

    by Zachary Uram
    (c) 2023

  • Who rules the Earth right now?

    Satan. Illustration by Gustave Dore – Paradise Lost by John Milton

    The Issue

    Who currently rules the earth: Satan or Christ? I will argue in this article that in fact Satan is master of the earth until Jesus returns at His Second Coming to claim the Davidic Throne and rule from Jerusalem for a millennium (1,000 years).

    Context

    Consider the following Scriptures:

    When Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, the devil came to Him and said this: “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6).

    First John 5:19 says, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

    Galatians 1:4 says that Jesus “gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age.”

    The Bible clearly teaches that Satan is not bound and has dominion here. The world has been handed over to him, so for the present time he has control over it.

    Sovereignty

    Christ is sovereign over everything, but delegates local sovereignty to kings and lords and presidents, and yes, even the devil who currently roams the earth.

    Those who oppose the idea of Satan being ruler of this world assert that such an arrangement would nullify God’s sovereignty. This is a false dichotomy.

    God is absolutely sovereign. Satan only has any degree of control because God allowed him to. He’s like a ferocious dog on a leash. God is the ultimate Master who controls all things for His glory and man’s good.

    The notion of Satan being lord of the earth does not in any way impugn God’s sovereign character and power.

    It should be noted that Satan’s time as ruler of the earth is limited by God. When Christ returns in glory and with all power and authority at His Second Coming (in the upcoming future), He shall assert Himself as ruler of this world and ascend to the Davidic Throne as prophesied.

    Christ is Lord

    Since I affirm Lordship Salvation (one must obey Christ’s commands if one is a true believer, and thus Christ is both Savior and Lord of your life) I am dismayed by Christians who have told me I can’t have Christ as Lord if I maintain that Satan rules the earth currently. This is, sadly, another false dichotomy. I fully affirm that Jesus is Lord and the absolute Master of the universe. Satan is only able to operate because he’s on a short. Christ holds that leash. Satan can only act within the constraints of God’s permissive will.

    Some Additional Scriptures

    “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4

    “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

    “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” – Ephesians 2:1-3

    Conclusion

    We’ve demonstrated that Scripture clearly teaches the following:

    • Satan was appointed lord of the earth, for a limited time, by God.
    • God remains absolutely sovereign.
    • Satan is on a leash, and Christ holds that leash.
    • Jesus will reclaim authority over the earth at His Second Coming in the future.
  • Freedom in Christ

    In the dawn
    Of the new millennium
    I lost my sanity
    Chaos reigned
    In my mind
    Disconnected thoughts
    Voices in my head
    My eyes deceived me
    Hallucinations abounded
    I slowly
    Became very depressed
    Almost lost
    The will to live
    But at my lowest
    With a fractured
    Mind
    I found Christ
    Waiting for me
    Choosing me
    To save
    To adopt
    He is now
    And forever shall be
    My God
    My Lord
    And my Savior
    Glory to God

    By Zachary Uram
    (c) 2023

  • God’s children: Natural Birth or New Birth

    We’ve all heard the popular assertion, “We are all God’s children.”, but is this slogan really a true statement of fact according to Scripture?

    In this article we shall examine that question and see what Scripture has to say about it.

    If we carefully study and exegete Scripture relating to this topic, four things stand out in stark contrast:

    1. Scripture is clear, only regenerated, born again believers are God’s children.
      At the time one is saved, they are adopted into God’s family. The context is we are spiritual children, not physical. The story of the Bible is the story of adoption. We Elect are adopted into God’s spiritual family as a chosen child of God. The logical inference we can make from these truth propositions from Scripture is that if only the Elect are God’s children, then all the non-Elect are not God’s children! So we are not God’s children by virtue of our natural birth (when we were born), but rather it is determined on the basis of our new birth in Christ. This makes some people uncomfortable. Nevertheless, as Christians we have a duty to stand on God’s Word.
    2. Scripture is also clear that Satan is the father of the unregenerate.
      For the totally depraved unregenerate, all their thoughts, ways, and inclinations are according to their nature. Thus they are wholly evil, all the time, and they are truly Satan’s children. They are God’s enemies, and they do his will, not God’s will. We can only do God’s will when we have been spiritually brought to life from being spiritually dead.
    3. Scripture is clear that the unregenerate do not possess the image of God.
      The number one rejoinder I hear, from people who believe every single person ever born are God’s children, is that we are made in the image of God; thus that proves we are God’s children. That is totally wrong. First being made in God’s image means we are created above mere animals (evolution is false and Satanic) and have self-perception and sentience. We can reason. We can create and destroy. However, as I argue in one of my blog posts (you can find it linked to below), I believe, as well as many of the leading Reformed thinkers, we lost this image in the Fall. The unregenerate do not have God’s image. This image is restored to us when we are regenerated. Certainly the unregenerate can reason. But they absolutely cannot reason and discern spiritual truths.
    4. We can have absolute assurance we are God’s children.
      Scripture says that the Holy Spirit communicates with our spirit that we are God’s children. This inner witness will be there for every regenerate person.


    The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

    Romans 8:16

    This Scripture relates to point 4 above.

    The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

    1 Corinthians 2:14

    This Scripture relates to point 3 above.

    The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

    2 Corinthians 4:4

    This Scripture relates to point 3 above. This amazing Scripture informs us that God Himself has blinded the unbeliever’s (unregenerate) minds so that they cannot repent and have faith. Only when the Holy Spirit quickens their soul from a dead state to an alive state, and He imparts the gifts of repentance and faith, do they become regenerate and able to discern spiritual matters.

    “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

    John 1:12

    This Scripture relates to point 1 above.

    Speaking to a group of Jews, Jesus says:

    “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

    John 8:44

    This Scripture relates to point 2 above. Jesus was speaking to the Jewish Pharisees, but the truth He conveys to us is applicable to all unbelievers.

    “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.”

    Ephesians 1:5

    This Scripture relates to point 1 above.

    By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

    ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭10

    This Scripture relates to point 2 above.

  • A Rejoinder to Reformed Presbyterians and Reformed Baptists

    Saints, for 20 years I’ve had only Presbyterians giving me hate, denigrating me, belittling me, ridiculing me, mocking me, being dismissive and haughty and insisting I am not Reformed. I finally got so sick of the abuse. I reached a breaking point, and that was the catalyst for my recent blog article on being Reformed.

    When I shared my article, “A Response to Reformed Presbyterians: Semper Reformanda”, which you can view below at the link, on my Facebook timeline. It created a firestorm of controversy. I was mocked, insulted, belittled, my sanity was questioned, and my arguments were totally dismissed without being addressed. I’d say 95% of those Christians who responded failed to grasp the nuance of my arguments, and it went totally over their heads.

    Despite literally dozens of people asserting that my article was garbage and that I was not Reformed, not a single one of them refuted a single argument I made. One person referenced the article, and was in error in what they said the article asserted.

    I honestly believe the vast majority of people on Facebook who commented never read my article. Is it so much to ask for 20 minutes of their time to read it?

    This blog post represents my final rejoinder to my critics and adversaries.

    I’m getting tired of repeating myself, but I affirm a Reformed confession – the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. I affirm 95% of it, I differ only on eschatology and covenant theology. I AM REFORMED! In fact, not only am I truly Reformed, but I’m more Reformed than Presbyterians because I adhere 100% to Sola Scriptura and I have a reformed eschatology (premillennialism), a truly reformed hermeneutic (a dispensational hermeneutic – historical-grammatic contextual literalism), and I agree with Scripture on the Church-Israel distinction. Also because I reject the unbiblical practice of infant baptism.

    I had many people on Facebook assert I don’t hold to the 1689 LBCF when in fact I do, I just differ on eschatology and covenant theology. So it seems ridiculous and intellectually dishonest to assert I must have 100% conformance to the confession when I agree with virtually all of it (95%). It seems some people are so bigoted they must deny me what is my rightful and proper designation to describe my theological beliefs. How sad and pathetic.

    By the way, I’m chided for holding to dispensational views (I’m actually a leaky dispensationalist like Dr. John MacArthur), yet covenant theology is less than a hundred years older than dispensationalism (in it’s fully realized and codified state – major tenets of dispensationalism date back to the Early Church period). In fact, not a single Magisterial Reformer, such as Luther or Calvin, held to covenant theology! Yet Presbyterians and some Reformed Baptists act as if covenant theology is the sine qua non of Reformed theology. It isn’t.

    We should keep in mind that the Reformed Confessions, as useful as they may be, like the 1689 LBCF, or the Westminster Confession, are in fact secondary documents subordinate to Scripture. They are not perfect. They are not God-breathed. Secondary documents, like confessions, theological books, sermons, and commentaries, are profitable tools that we can utilize in understanding the Scriptures, as well as honing in on what we believe and sharpening our doctrine, but only to the extent that they accurately and faithfully represent the Scriptures. We must always be Sola Scriptura Bereans in our study of Scripture and in our formulation of doctrine whether it be confessions or creeds.

    As I briefly mentioned earlier in this post, asserting that I must have 100% conformance with the 1689 confession in order to affirm it ,when in fact I do affirm 95% of it and differ only on eschatology and covenant theology, is akin to saying if I eat 95% of an apple I didn’t really eat an apple! If you assume one must have 100% conformity to a confession that is just stupid. I will repeat myself ONE MORE TIME: I AFFIRM 95% OF THE LBCF! If you keep insisting that I am not Reformed or that I don’t affirm the LBCF I will have nothing further to say to you. I’m not going to spend hours arguing in circles with any of you anymore. Life is too short. If you reject all my arguments in my blog article on being Reformed that’s your right, but my article is my fullest and final exposition on my reasoning and my position!!!!

    I am FULLY and truly Reformed and FULLY and truly a Reformed Baptist. If you disagree, that’s your problem. Nothing you can say or do will convince me otherwise. The truth is on my side!

    In conclusion, let me say that despite the massive amount of hate I’ve received, I forgive them and do not hate them. I pray the Lord would open their eyes and show them how they’ve wronged me – a faithful brother in Christ. I pray they would keep reforming and come fully into line with biblical truth.

    Semper Reformanda!

  • A Doxology

    Now praise the Father
    And the Son
    With the Holy Spirit
    Three in One

    We give to You
    Our highest praise
    We shall worship You
    All our days

    Christ ransomed us
    From eternal perdition
    You cannot be saved
    By your own volition

    We are saved by
    Grace alone
    It was Christ
    Who did atone

    God chose His elect
    Before the world’s foundation
    It was totally by His good pleasure
    This act alone saved us from damnation

    We Reformed affirm
    The doctrines of grace
    Otherwise known as Calvinism
    We run the good race

    Spread the gospel
    To friend and foe
    We plant the seed
    The Holy Spirit lets it grow

    One must hear the gospel
    And sincerely repent
    They must then believe the gospel
    This is a one time event

    We are justified
    On the basis of faith alone
    Works play no part
    Christ is our cornerstone

    Totally unmerited is
    Sovereign grace
    It alone can save
    The human race

    by Zachary Uram
    (c) 2023

  • A Response to Reformed Presbyterians: Semper Reformanda

    Background

    The sine qua non of Reformed theology is soteriology. Covenant theology and certain types of eschatology are not essential core distinctives.

    Sadly, the majority of Reformed Presbyterians seem to be so bigoted and locked into their infantile theological cliques that they look down upon and refuse to recognize believers such as Reformed Baptists as being worthy of the Reformed label. The arrogance and lack of charity is both astounding and nauseating.

    Like the Pharisees, who Christ rebuked, they sat in the chair of Moses and demanded everyone obey them. The truth is that they were following man made traditions, rather than the Scripture alone.

    These self-appointed haughty and smug gatekeepers of all things Reformed seem to take pleasure in informing other believers that they’re not Reformed! They need to humble themselves and repent!

    Their argument for excluding folks like me is akin to arguing that only Germany is a European country!!

    I have taken enough abuse from these myopic Presbyterians! I AM REFORMED!!!

    Reforming What?

    The principle of reforming comes directly from Scripture. The Reformers didn’t invent this concept, they recognized it and applied it. We should be continually reforming our doctrine to conform and match what Scripture teaches. Is there any Christians who are so arrogant they believe their interpretation of Scripture is perfect and infallible? I think not. If they did they’d be heretical and likely cultists.

    For a detailed treatment of what it means to be Reformed please see my blog post referenced below, “What Does It Mean to Be Reformed?”.

    Magisterial Reformers

    Do the Reformers get to define what being Reformed means? No! They were a catalyst for theological discussion and rediscovery of doctrine, but they did not discover anything novel or new. The Reformation was a return to biblical orthodoxy. We should not confuse the non-essential distinctives the Reformers held, such as ecclesiology, the regulated principle of worship, eschatology such as amillennialism and postmillennialism, and covenant theology, with the essential core distinctives of Reformed theology which are defined by Scripture alone! Being good Bereans and Sola Scriptura adherents we know that ALL doctrine comes from careful study of the Scriptures.

    Maybe being amillennial (a vestige left over from Roman Catholicism – seems in some areas the Reformers didn’t reform enough), and adhering to covenant theology was a popular position in the 16th and 17th centuries. However that doesn’t imply we modern believers must hold to it as if they are essential distinctives!

    Confessions

    These non-essential views made their way into Reformed confessions and once that happened the majority of Reformed believers became convinced that because a certain theological proposition was codified in a confession it must be both unchallengeable as well as an essential distinctive. This was a grave and tragic mistake.

    Dispensational and Reformed?

    As I argue in one of my blog posts, “Covenant Theology vs Dispensationalism: Towards a Definition of Reformed Essentials”, referenced below, one can be fully Reformed while holding to a dispensational premillennial eschatology. It is true that for some dispensationalists they have 2 different paths to salvation and a non-Reformed soteriology, but that is not so in my case. I consider myself to be a Reformed Baptist who agrees with 95% of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, and who holds to a premillennial eschatology.

    So Much Hate

    Such is the hatred and bigotry of many Reformed Presbyterians that they even refuse to allow the label of Reformed to be used by 1689 Reformed Baptists who DO hold to covenant theology!

    Some Reformed Presbyterians seem to hold to infant baptism (paedobaptism) as an essential core distinctive, but if one is a careful student of Scripture they will see that is wrong, and that the credobaptist position (believer’s baptism) is correct.

    Observations

    In my interactions with hundreds of Reformed Presbyterians online I’ve noticed the following:

    • Some will deny you the Reformed label if you do not hold to infant baptism.
    • Some will deny you the Reformed label if you hold to a dispensational understanding of eschatology.
    • Some will deny you the Reformed label if you don’t hold to one of the historic Reformed Confessions 100% with no disagreement.

    I will continue to be Reformed and carefully examine my doctrinal beliefs and compare them with what the Holy Spirit shows me in Scripture.

    Just Who Is Truly Reformed?

    I maintain that those Reformed like me, who haven’t turned off their minds and hitched themselves to 100% adherence to a Reformed confession without any possible variance, are stuck in the 16th century and have sadly never advanced past the non-essentials held by the Magisterial Reformers, such as Luther and Calvin, which they conflate with essentials, are the truly Reformed. I have Reformed beyond their static and anachronistic theology in the areas of eschatology and baptism.

    Sola Scriptura

    Sadly, many of these Reformed Presbyterians are guilty of the Appeal to Authority logical fallacy. I think for myself, I hold to Sola Scriptura and get my doctrinal beliefs SOLELY from Scripture. At the end of the day every Reformed confession, and every theological opinion of Reformers is subordinate to the authority of Scripture. But Reformed Presbyterians know this, so it’s odd that they have painted themselves into a corner doctrinally and cannot further reform. Sadly this is precisely what the Roman Catholic church did, and what the Magisterial Reformers rightly protested and challenged, even at the risk of their own lives.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, let me say that I love my Presbyterian brothers and sisters. And it’s my fervent desire that they will reform further. This post was a long time coming and reflects over 20 years of animosity and bigotry directed at me by Reformed Presbyterians for holding to what I believe are biblical theological positions. And intentionally excluding me from their club. So this post may be a bit strident and reactionary. If I have offended you please forgive me. I will keep contending for the truth as God leads me into all truth! Soli Deo Gloria.

    My closing advice: Semper Reformanda (Always [Be] Reforming) saints! Don’t let Presbyterians or any Christian bully, denigrate, belittle, or be dismissive towards you for being truly Reformed!

  • Untitled poem by my sister Vi

    When I visited,
    my Gramma
    always
    smiled
    at me
    and
    I always yelled,
    “Hi Gramma!”
    My Dad
    would be
    sitting on
    the flowered couch,
    bothered by
    the hot weather,
    the Pirates
    were on,
    the overhead fan
    whirred
    but
    it was
    so hot
    it really
    didn’t help
    much
    and
    after I sat there
    for a while,
    my dear Gramma
    would yell (because the TV was so loud),
    “Hey Vi – go to the cellar
    and get a pop!”
    my Dad
    protested,
    and Gramma
    always said,
    “Aww, Joey,
    let Vi
    get a pop! It’s hot out
    there today!”
    so I walked down
    the narrow steps
    and
    I opened the big Fridgedaire
    fridge (from the 1940s)
    and a blast of cold air hit me,
    and I say there, on the
    beat up old couch,
    listening to my Dad

    by Violet Uram