Wars of Aggression Are Inherently Progressive

 

What is the goal of war? A war of defence is designed to defend the homeland and to punish the evil doer who would seek to take your lands, wealth and women. You could argue that the goal of a defensive war is to conserve or preserve the nation, its people and their way of life. A defensive war is an inherently just war, because self defense is a justified reason to use force against another nation.

A war of aggression on the other hand is about attacking and changing the status quo, or the way of the world, especially in the region or nation under attack. A war of aggression, therefore, is inherently transformative and therefore not conservative. It is also much less likely to be a just war, because one nation is not given inherent authority over another nation. Therefore, a war of aggression is both the antithesis of conservatism and very likely, you might even be able to argue inherently, unjust.

While I am not a conservative, this topic is interesting, because right now America is engaged in a war of aggression and many conservatives are publicly supporting it. In fact, the predominant support for this war is coming from the conservative camp. Which is just another reason why I don’t consider myself a conservative, it is really a meaningless posture rather than a coherent ideology or philosophy of life. What is the purpose in saying, “I am a conservative?” Why would you do that? There are things we should preserve or conserve, and there are things we should progress and change, and there are things we should transform and restore. Nailing yourself to only one of these options, ideologically, is irrational, and the significant amount of ways that conservatives often display they are not really seeking to conserve illustrates this.

This is important to understand, a war of aggression, which is what the US has engaged in, is inherently progressive or transformational. The type of change that is being sought is different depending on the war. For some it is regime change, for others it is outright subjugation, for others it is annihilation and chaos. But the goal of a war of aggression is to change, not to conserve. In this case, the justification for this war has changed from moment to moment. It was claimed at one point it was to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons, at another it was claimed it was because Israel was going to attack so the US had to attack first to protect is assets in the region, and at another point is was claimed that Iran was about to attack and so the US got in first. So, the story has changed, as is often the case in these sorts of wars, but whatever the justification offered, this war was an act of aggression and the decapitation strikes show that the US wanted to change the Iranian regime.

Jereth Kok has some interesting things to say about this,

“Violently overthrowing the government of a foreign country has got to be one of the least conservative things that someone can do.

Let’s work this through. What does it mean to be “conservative”?

To be “conservative” means to prefer stability. To act with caution. To take things slowly. To be wary of quick fixes. To distrust shiny new objects. To reject radical change.

Russell Kirk (1918 – 1994) was a noted American conservative thinker who wrote a piece called Ten Conservative Principles. I think this is a pretty useful summary of what it means to be politically “conservative”.

Kirk argued that “conservatives are champions of custom, convention and continuity because they prefer the devil they know to the devil they don’t know.” “The continuity, the lifeblood, of a society must not be interrupted.” If things must change in a society, this change “ought to be gradual and discriminatory, never unfixing old interests at once.”

In other words, don’t go upsetting the apple cart. A system may be flawed; it may even have very serious, deeply embedded injustices. But rushing in and trying to fix everything at once in a society is almost guaranteed to make things even worse. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know—a new devil that you will create in your grand attempt to kill the old devil. Flawed systems should be worked on gradually and with great care; it is reckless to dive in with a jackhammer and blowtorch.

Kirk criticises “liberals and radicals” as “imprudent” men who “dash at their objectives without giving much heed to the risk of new abuses worse than the evils they hope to sweep away … Providence moves slowly, but the devil always hurries. Human society being complex, remedies cannot be simple if they are to be efficacious. The conservative declares that he acts only after sufficient reflection, having weighed the consequences. Sudden and slashing reforms are as perilous as sudden and slashing surgery.”

Social and political systems that serve millions of people aren’t created overnight; they cannot be created overnight. They are not like Ikea flatpack furniture that you can put together in an afternoon with an Allen key. According to Kirk, establishing working institutions is a process that is invariably “painful and slow”.

The polar opposite of conservatism is revolution. Revolution is the complete overthrow of a governing system, with the aim of replacing it with something wholly different. The problem with revolution is that it seeks to achieve the impossible—creating a healthy, functioning polity and society in an instant.[1]

In other words, Kok is correctly arguing that regime change is a form of revolution, and revolution is the bread and butter of the progressive worldview. He gives examples of progressive revolutions in his article that demonstrate this. Progressives believe in overturning and changing society. They want to transform and change, and if they can do so radically they will, no institution or element of society is safe from the transformative gaze. From marriage, to government, to the church, to education to every aspect of society you will observe that progressives are on an endless journey to change things as much as possible.

When you recognize this, then you can see that regime change is simply the progressive worldview applied to foreign policy. Regime change wars show this in every way: the goal is to replace one regime with another, the goal is to stir up the people to turn on their own government to bring change, often colour revolutions (that is revolutions equipped and aided by foreign agencies) are an integral part of the process, usually instability is fostered, and sanctions are used to break the economy and build in people a desire for change. In every way regime changes wars are a version of the progressive passion project. Which is fascinating, because this shows how conservatives have been overcome by progressive impulses, even if it is mainly in relation to foreign policy.

What it also shows though, is that the conservative worldview, at least as maintained by many of its proponents, is not a coherent and consistent perspective. They are conservatives in some ways, but they will throw those principles out the door when their favoured political leader decides to go to war with their preferred enemy. Trump, who I would argue is not a conservative and never was, is the head of the nominal conservative party in the US, and so many conservatives will reflexively support his efforts, and many progressives will reflectively oppose them. This is just the way of things.

Now, a sophisticated response that some might give to my piece here is that they know that this war is not meant to conserve anything, it is meant to bring change. In fact, I would agree with them. This war is an example of the process of creative destruction. Creative destruction is when systems are shaken by new events or new technology which forces rapid change, and which benefits those who are ready for that change. Whether or not this leads to a better world is a moot point, it will lead to a better world for some and not for others. And it will bring change overall.

Creative destruction is an economic term,

“Creative destruction is a concept introduced by the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter in the early 20th century. It refers to the process by which innovation and technological progress lead to the continual transformation of the economic structure, resulting in the destruction of old industries and the creation of new ones. This dynamic process is considered a key driver of economic growth and development.

Innovation serves as the spark that ignites change, whether through the introduction of cutting-edge technologies, the creation of novel products and services, or the daring initiatives of entrepreneurs challenging conventional norms. This constant pursuit of improvement and adaptation creates a competitive environment where the old must yield to the new, a phenomenon encapsulated by Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction.”[2]

In other words, the point of creative destruction is to shake things up so that you have an opportunity to bring some of the changes that you want to bring in any given system. In a stable system from which many benefit, the desire for change is relatively low, however, if you can create instability, you can create the motivation for change in many people in that system.

Therefore, I concur with those who are argue that President Trump is seeking to not conserve, but to actively bring change through this war. In fact, his real goals and the level of change he really wants, might not have even been publicly stated. That being said, this does not justify a war of aggression, nor does it mean that his choice was a wise one. When you unleash a war of this magnitude on the world, you risk creating a situation which you cannot control, that can escalate very quickly. I would argue we have already seen this happen. This would explain why the President has made many claims about the war ending quickly that have not come to pass, because even though he was intending to bring about change, that rate of change is now out of his hands, and hence the war is dragging on.

This is a useful opportunity to again observe that conservatism is not a coherent perspective. Nor really is being a progressive. Rather you need an objective marker for your reality, for instance, being a Christian that holds to the teachings of Jesus and the Church throughout history, and you need to evaluate things in society on a case by case basis to determine what should progress, what should be conserved, and what needs to be restored.

Hence, Kok is right that regime change wars are not conservative. However, we should not be surprised that conservatives are not holding their ideology coherently or consistently, because it is not a coherent or consistent ideology in the first place. This is why I do not call myself a conservative and have not for some time.  

List of References

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[1] Jereth Kok, 2025, https://substack.com/home/post/p-192661407

[2] Stefan Mitzkus, 2024, https://digitalleadership.com/blog/creative-destruction/

God is at Work

 

My resurrection Sunday this past weekend included Preaching on Matthew 28, to conclude our several years long series on the gospel of Matthew. I actually preached through the entirety of chapters 26 and 27 on Good Friday, then the Great Commission on Sunday. I started this series in May or June in 2023, and did not plan to be at these chapters at this time of the year, but it lined up that way. That is just something that is cool.

Then after church I went to our church’s local homeless outreach, to spend time talking with various poor people about Jesus. A couple of ladies at the group committed to coming to church. Please pray that they do. People in their situation often have grand ideas about how they will improve their lives and situation, but the pressures of their situation can get on top of them, and so can their patterns of behaviour, so please pray that they stay the good course. We have already had people come from that outreach to church, and we know other churches are reaching out to the same people, as well, which is awesome.

After that I then I got to do some baptisms.

It was a massive day and I was very tired after that. But it was a good day.

I also saw that a church in western Australia did around 1000 baptisms at the beach on Easter Sunday. So cool.

God is at work people. In so many ways he is at work.

Prophecy Fulfilled

 

Today is Good Friday. One of the remarkable things about this event is how specifically it was prophesied in Psalm 22, among other passages in the Old Testament. Here is just one example,

“16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:16-18).

This is an incredible Psalm, that recounts what Jesus would experience on the cross, and it was written around 1000 years before it occurred.

So, in this video I give a reading of this Psalm, and after that is a song I recently published (yes with AI) that is based on this Psalm.

This song is perfect for reflecting on Jesus' sacrifice on Good Friday and remembering what he did for us.

It also has an incredible guitar solo in it.

Here are some of the lyrics:

Verse 4

Poured out like water on the ground,

My bones are out, my strength unbound.

My tongue is dry, my heart like wax,

They pierce my hands, my garments tax.

They stare, they scoff, divide my robe—

Yet You, O Lord, my hope and globe.

Bridge

Deliver me from sword and flame,

From lions' mouths and bulls untame.

I’ll sing Your praise before the crowd,

Declare Your name both clear and loud.

All ends of earth shall bow and say:

"The Lord is King! His reign holds sway!"

Why Are There No Good Men?

 

Why are there so few good men around, able to lead and take their place of authority in society?? The answer to this is multifaceted, but there is one large foundation for this phenomenon which we see in a Bible passage that is often misunderstood and misapplied. That passage is Proverbs 31. In fact, this passage explains this phenomenon very well, at least a significant part of it.

This is a famous passage, and if you go to any Christian bookstore you will find all sorts of trinkets and items that husbands can by for their wives that describe her as the Proverbs 31 woman. Many have been taught today that Proverbs 31 shows that the Bible encourages women to work outside the home.

But that is not what the passage is describing, nor is it describing the average Christian woman. It is describing the kind of woman a leading man needs: he needs a woman so focused on the home, so focused on getting the best deals at the marketplace, and so focused on directing the household affairs, that he does not even have to worry about it.

The modern working woman is the opposite of this. She leaves her husband a list of chores and household duties every day, because she is too busy to manage the home. What time does he have to lead in society in a significant way?

Hence, the dearth of Proverbs 31 women is directly connected to the male leadership crisis. Let’s go through the passage so I can show that this is what the Bible is teaching in Proverbs 31.

Firstly, we need to recognize the context. At the start of the chapter we see that a King called Lemuel is recounting an oracle that his mother taught. She warns him not to give his strength to women (v.3), not to give himself to win or strong drink (v.4), and not to allow justice to be perverted (vv.5-9). This chapter is giving advice to a powerful man about how he can be a leading man. So, immediately we should recognize that this passage is giving advice to the elite men about how they should live an elite life. 

Then in the context of this Lemuel’s mother gives him advice about the kind of women he needs so that he can rule properly. We know this, because it is advice recounted by a king from his mother, but also because of verse 23, “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” The rulers of cities in this era would sit at the gates among the elders to hear peoples cases of justice. This was the custom. So this passage is unequivocally about advice that a royal mother gave to her son, so that he would not be a foolish ruler but a wise and judicious ruler. The kind of ruler that will be honoured and respected by his people, because he does what is just, prudent and right. If he wants to do this well, he needs a woman who will rule his household well.

Firstly, she is trustworthy (vv.11-12). This is vital. A dishonest woman will bring down even a good ruler. She will engage in conspiracy, in slander, and will seek to direct her husband towards evil. Think Jezebel. He needs the antithesis of Jezebel. 

Secondly, she is a good steward of his finances,

“13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar 15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. 16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard” (vv.13-16).

It is these verses and other similar ones that people like to use to argue that she has her own career. But this is simply not the case. She goes to the markets, as was the custom in that day, and she trades for good deals. She is not going out into the world to live under another man and seek to advance his business through her trade. That would be anathema to a leading man. No, she goes out into the market to make sure that her household is well looked after. She makes sure that her own husband's property is fruitful.

He can even trust her to spend his money well, because she will use it diligently, rather than foolishly. How frustrating would it be for a man to provide his income to his wife, and find out that she has gotten him into debt, or drained his savings on some unnecessary extravagance? This would be even worse for a ruler.  No, this woman is both wise enough to use his money well, and trustworthy enough that the husband does not need to micromanage how she stewards the home. He goes out to the gates and manages the affairs of the city, knowing he will come home to see his property and wealth multiplied by the wisdom of his excellent wife.

Thirdly, she is hard working, “17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle… 24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant” (vv.17-19, 24). She does not spend her day in idleness. She is able to take what she got from the market and turn some profit with it. She can make a dress, create a pot, grow excess food to be sold at the markets. She is industrious. The home is not her prison, nor does she live in a permanent vacation. She is making sure that her household is well managed and productive.

Fourthly, she is generous (v.20). This is the mark of a righteous woman. But she is not giving away her husbands wealth against his will. She is giving out of the excess that she has brought to table. She is such a productive woman that his wealth is increased by her stewardship. Therefore, what she gives is truly his and hers, in every meaning of the word. Both the husband and the wife have brought their best to the table, and because he can trust her, he knows that she will give out of her excess, because she makes sure that there is clothing for her family, even fine clothing (v. 21-22) and that there is food for the entire household prepared and ready to go (v.15).

She is a woman of wisdom and diligence, “26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (vv. 26-27). She knows what to say and when to say it, and who to say it too. Her husband and her children consider themselves to be blessed because of the quality of this woman, “28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently; but you surpass them all.” (vv.28-29).

Don’t miss what Lemuel said in verse 27 either, “she looks well to the ways of her household…” This woman’s focus is not career centric, her family home is not a port of call where she passes her diminished and working husband like passing ships in the night. She is focused on her household, and all her industriousness is focused on increasing the home's status, wealth, comfort and productivity. A beautiful woman might be nice to look at, however beauty fades, “but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised…” (v.30).

Those who twist this passage to say that women should work out of the home, are actually missing the whole point of this passage. The point is men if you want to lead, your wife needs to be focused on the home. She needs to make it so that you do not have to worry about how it is being run. This is especially true for a king, whose home would be a place of controversy and intrigue if he had a wicked wife.

This is one of the important reasons why there are less and less leading men in our world today in every sector of life. Women go to work, just like their husbands, and then they split the home duties. This diminishes the man’s ability to “sit at the gate” and be a leading man. If he has to worry about picking up the kids, getting the shopping, doing errands, on a regular basis, then he is going to have little time for the self-improvement necessary to help him stand out amongst other men, and he is going to have little time for contributing beyond his work and the home. This is the bind modern society is in today. Women want leading men, but they don’t realize how they are contributing to the dearth of leading men.

But men, this is where I challenge you. I must ask, are you asking too much of your wife? Peter warns us not to do this, “7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7). This passage is well known, but it is often reduced down to a warning to men not to abuse their wives. Of course, it does apply to this, but it applies much more broadly too. You see your wife will likely be incredibly intelligent, incredibly capable, willing to work hard, willing to contribute financially and more, and you might fall into the trap of asking her to do too much, and then wear her down.

There would be more Proverbs 31 women if less men were asking too much from their wives. I see a growing trend in society of older women leaving their husbands. My observation is that many of these women were at one point stay-at-home wives who went back into the work force to help pay the mortgage and the other bills. But men don’t realize that even though their wife is capable of doing this, that does not mean she was intended to do this, and they run the risk of this woman over-extending herself, and if she does that, you will likely be the one she comes to resent. Aussie men are known for asking too much of their wives. Some do it because they have been taught an incorrect reading of this passage in Proverbs.

In short:

A man cannot be the leader in the home, church or wider society that he is called to be, if he is forced to manage the home as well.

A woman is the weaker vessel, and therefore when she is asked to do too much, you are running the risk of burning her out and this will come back to bite you.

God delineates male and female roles for a reason. Just one look at the state of society today should be enough to convince us that we are foolish to not listen to him.  

 

 

Often a Lie

 

Often the official story is a lie concocted by corrupt officials to cover up some kind of crime or evil on their part,

"11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day" (Matt. 28:11-15).

This is a major lesson in the Bible. The Bible is full of active conspiracies and the authors of the Bible go into a lot of detail describing the means and methods of conspirators. It is in fact, a central theme in Scriptures and how it talks about evil. It is also central to the narratives of both King David, and the Davidic King Jesus.

This is a major lesson in history. Any student of history knows this.

Yet this truth about our world is very much denied by many Christians. Even though our own Lord was killed in an evil conspiracy, and they attempted to deny his resurrection with an extension of that conspiracy. Still many people refuse to accept that this is a major part of our world.

This does not mean that any given conspiracy is true. But it does mean we live in a world of lies, and that often those in charge of anything from a business, an organization, a church, or even society up to the top levels of government, will lie to cover up their real intentions. We should not automatically trust.

Coincidentally, sociopaths are much more highly represented in leadership positions than general society. Just an interesting fact...

There is a chapter on this in my book Like a Roaring Lion, at Lockepress.com

Trump, the Pharisee?

 

When I saw that Trump said that I immediately recognized that he was doing the same thing that the Pharisees continually are seen doing in the gospels. They continually are finding ways to ignore or nullify the law, so they can do that which is immoral, but claim to still be moral. Jesus challenges them on this in Mark 7:1-13 and Matthew 15:1-9. This is a common game that people play. There are so many versions of this sort of thing.

"If you dedicate the gift to God, you don't need to use it to honour you parents."

"If the pastor’s wife says she can preach, it is not assuming authority and is therefore ok."

"If your husband isn’t loving you well enough, then you don't need to be a wife to him."

"If you say it's not really an idol, it is just a picture of a Saint to help you pray it is not breaking the first two commandments."

"If you divorce your wife first to marry your hot secretary, then it is not really adultery."

Same logic, different situation. The yeast of the Pharisees is really the human spirit to avoid good laws with rationalisation.

Lawyers do this all the same. In fact, they do it so much many people joke that this is the job of lawyers, to find ways to get around the law. I was fascinating to see Trump say this so openly and brashly.

When you see someone say something like this, it is an indication that they know what they are doing is not right. But they also probably do not care.

So, Trump is not literally a Pharisee, and this sort of behaviour is not unique to the Pharisees. This is the way that people behave when they want to do something they know is not moral.

In A Sane World

 

In a sane world America's greatest ally would be Australia.

In a sane world they would surround our country with the most advanced military assets they had. Both countries would strengthen each other.

In a sane world US and Australian leaders would visit each other's countries regularly every year.

In a sane world the US would share its most advanced tech with Australia and Australia with America.

In a sane world, no too countries should be closer.

Why is this the case?

Think about it. Australia has fought in every war of the US's, even in this one we sent troops and defensive missiles to the Middle East. Australians and Americans are cousin kin. The majority of both of our populations come out of Great Britain. We share Lockean political philosophies, that is we both share separation of powers political systems, that draw from the wealth of English tradition. We share a language (mostly). We share our dominant faiths, both countries are strongly Christian, especially historically. We share cultural norms. Not exactly anymore, but overall. Australian actors thrive in the US. Australians and Americans are more alike than different. These two countries drawing together would be powerful.

We also share resource wealth. Australia and the US both are abundant in every resource both countries need. Both in the intellect of their people and in the ground. We share technological levels, though the US is ahead of us militarily, that is because of population size and focus, rather than inherent differences of ability. We share institutional depth. A degree in either country carries the same weight. The combined resource wealth of these two countries could literally rule the world, economically speaking, and make both countries richer and more powerful than either has ever been before. We would be a combined economic force the world had never before seen.

In fact, if you look at the relationship of both countries since World War 2 until about the seventies this exact relationship was taking shape. But it has faded away? Why?

Why are we a minor priority to the US and the two nations are growing apart? When together we could achieve great things?

Well, because since the 1970's, for theological, ideological, and misguided imperial reasons the US has tied itself to various Middle Eastern countries (Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates etc, etc,) all of which have demanded increasing military aid, military help, military protection and military action. It has tied its economic destiny, and military might to countries that are alien in culture, to varying degrees at least, alien in religion, alien in philosophy and constantly in need of help. It is like an unequally yoked marriage, everyone can see will end up in divorce court, after it has been rough for years.

In other words the has US tied itself to a series of constantly at war nations, that have drained it, weakened it, and are now isolating it from nations more like itself in religion, philosophy and history. Consider the insanity of this. From about the 1970's the US drew closer to unstable partners, and has increasingly de-emphasized stable partners, like Australia.

Paul said that Christians should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. We are seeing this principle actually have a real and tangible effect on a national level, not just an individual level. Bringing powerful countries to disaster.

This should not surprise us. Paul knew that God judged King Jehosaphat (a believer) for allying with Ahab and his son (both unbelievers) (2 Chronicles 19-22).

In other words, Paul drew this principle in part from the leaders of nations allying with unbelieving countries. Most American presidents openly claimed to be Christians, but have drawn increasingly close to non-Christian nations, and look at the result.

The Australian-American resource alliance was a no-brainer. Two Christian, Anglo-Saxon nations in lockstep. It would have been beautiful. Instead, we got clown world.

A Quarrelsome Wife

 

Proverbs 21:9 - "It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife."

This is why some guys work long hours and come home late.

This is why some guys spend a lot of money on their sheds and basically live in them.

This is why some guys spend hours at the pub after work.

Nothing is to be cherished like a wife who can make the home a more pleasant place than anywhere else.

But don't pity the man with a quarrelsome wife, more often than not he has empowered her, and refused to challenge her, making her emboldened. She will spread her quarrelsome nature far beyond the home. Men who can't reign in their quarrelsome wives do a lot of damage to society. 

Now, on those men that it is not necessarily their fault? I will come back to that in a future piece. 

 

Can We Survive Sanctions?

 

This picture above is a bit exaggerated, but also still incredibly true. Across the globe countries are crying out from the stress of the war which is being waged in the epicentre of one of the most important trade routes in the world. The strait of Hormuz.

The global economy has, foolishly, become too interlinked. Too many countries, including ours, are too reliant on foreign services and products just to do basic things like transport food. We rely on foreign imported diesel to run our food chain! That is insane. It is not just insane but actually genuinely dangerous. Whoever is responsible for this either hates this country or simply lacks all wisdom and sense.  

Of course, some countries have no choice but to rely on the global supply chain for the vast majority of what they need. Small countries with little or no resources need to be globally interconnected just to remain viable states. But we do not need to act like that here in Australia. It is not our problem that there are small countries that do not have much natural wealth to draw on. Historically, countries like that would find themselves subsumed into larger countries over time anyway. But even if they are not, that is a problem for them to sort out.

I have written and talked about this for years. If you set up your economy to be reliant on foreign tech, foreign oil, foreign military aid, foreign food chains, then you don't really have a sovereign country. You simply live in an economic zone, a trade nexus. You might technically have borders, but they are truly meaningless. And I mean truly. Borders in countries like this are treated as outdated lines on a map.

Have you noticed that the Australian people, the population, have zero say over who comes here? Have you noticed that we have zero say over our economic direction? Have you noticed that while most Australians would like us to be an energy superpower, no government leader ever even considers this? (Except arguably Kevin Rudd, but they rolled him when he tried to make Australians the major benefactors of our mining sector, remember. Look it up if you don't).

Why are Australians never consulted on the most significant policies which effect us? Because when your country is made to be reliant on foreign nations for virtually everything, you lose your sovereignty, in practicality if not officially. And your national leadership is replaced by loyal servants of that foreign trade nexus who will make sure the reliance on foreigner products, and militaries keeps happening. Because too many foreign powers make too much money off of us to let it stop.

This is why our politicians never listen to us on immigration, energy policy, or economic direction. This is why our government ramps up immigration in a housing crisis, and makes sure you are likely outbid for a home to buy or rent by a cashed-up foreigner. Their primary motivation is to keep the economic nexus humming, and if you can't keep up, you are no good for their primary purpose. They might buy your vote with welfare, but that is really just a way of keeping you from questioning their system, or pushing for another one. Making you have to compete with foreign buyers is an intentional economic selection process. To keep the economic nexus running it needs more and more people coming in and those with higher incomes will be favoured. This is a problem of so-called free-trade systems, they do not serve the people of their nations, but rather make people replaceable servants of economic interests.

I actually address this problem in my book Like a Roaring Lion, you can find it on Amazon or at Lockepress.com. There is a whole chapter in the book on how this happens. But I have a shorter version here on my blog, with a sermon video version if you would prefer to watch that.

Free trade was the heroin they used to get us hooked to the international supply. In a stable world you can get a lot richer as a nation from an interconnected system. But there are three major downsides: 1) You need to constantly replace your people, to keep the economic nexus going. 2) We don't live in a stable world. We live in an unstable world with temporary mirages of stability coupled with complacency. 3) The massive movement of peoples required to make anything like free trade possible, fractures virtually ever institution in your society, especially the family.

As I said small, resource poor countries need this kind of system. But how is that our problem? We are a massive resource rich country. We never needed any resources from overseas for a food supply chain. Every car in Australia could run on cheap LPG (gas). And our not inconsiderable oil supplies could supply our entire truck network. Taxes on foreign countries buying our gas could subsidize our diesel so that it was very cheap. Or you could balance out the costs internally with slightly higher LPG for cars that helps subsidize diesel for the transportation network. There are many options for a country as resource rich as ours.

Nations that can resist sanctions are only those that are self-reliant. Countries that got self-reliant, did it by stripping apart the foreign tech they had and learning how it works, and improving on it. We could learn to make most of the tech we need, pretty quickly. This is how Japan got good at making cars. Limited trade could be used to fill in gaps in our own industry. This is not isolationism. It is wisdom. Instability is the global norm. Not being dependent on foreign nations for most of what you need is a national security issue. Finally, people are seeing this now. But that's because they had to be smacked with reality in the face.

We have a highly educated nation. We had a serious industry sector, it is not too long gone that it cannot come back. There are two major roadblocks though. Firstly, can our national leadership give up its privileges of promotions to international boards after they have faithfully served the foreign economic nexus? That reality needs to change, otherwise our nation is in real trouble.

Secondly, can people get off their addiction to maximising their lifestyles on credit? What would Dave Ramsey say?

 

This post is funny.

But it also insightful.

We are a country that could save up for hard times, at the national level.

But at the leadership and voter levels our nation is addicted to consumption and debt.

We can't blame our government entirely for this. Our leadership is a product of our culture. A culture where dropping $150,000 on a 4wd, including mods, all on credit is the norm. A culture where living in a house you bought with maxxed out credit, is the norm. A culture where a pay rise means you buy a bigger house or newer car is the norm. A culture where holidays on the credit card are the norm. A culture where debt is a way of life. A culture that will be rudely shocked in hard times.

This meme is funny and incredibly insightful. Because it shows that our country could not stand up under sanctions not just because of poor leadership, but because of the quality of our population. We lack wisdom as a nation.

The South Australian Election

 

The SA election* is indicating that Australia is following European trends.

-        Right of centre parties have failed.

-        Entrenched slightly more right ring parties fail to capture the populations interest in any meaningful way.

-        In the meantime the left gets giddy on unquestioned power and proceeds to remind everyone why progressivism is the reason they keep moving out of cities and states.

-        This creates genuine right-wing sentiment. But it takes time to build.

But as it builds the pendulums starts to shift in the right direction.  

This means we have likely a couple more election cycles of leftwing dominance. So we have some time to go before the devastating nature of these leftwing policies starts to finally effect enough inner city elites so much (aka their taxes are too high and their gated compounds feel more like forts in a sea of chaos than affluent communities) that they stomach their pride, and vote for, and even more importantly, financially fund actual right wing politics.

This would indicate that the right is entering its wilderness years. Many will try to spin this as an Orange wave, that One Nation is surging. But I do not think that is going to happen. We have observed a similar trend across the West that conservatism needs to utterly collapse before people realize that those of us who said we despise conservatism said it for a good reason: because it truly does not even fulfill its primary function of conserving your society. Many conservatives still cannot accept this. They refuse to accept it.   

The next stage of this trend is conservatism pretending its right wing. We are in that stage. Do not get me wrong, there are some true shining lights in the One Nation Party. Some of them have a solid understanding of the issues plaguing Australia. But I am old enough to remember many election cycles going back to the beginning of this party, where it surged in primary vote, but this was always curtailed by preferences. It is likely that this party could do some things better than the current centre right party. But many of us are waiting for the true Christian surge. When we get politicians who are leading political parties saying it is time to restore the Christian nature of our country, then we will know that we are on the right track.

Christless conservatism cannot preserve this nation. All is can do is fall into the same patterns of previously conservative or centre right entities. 

*exact numbers still TBC.

Stop the Fear, Christian Men

 

There are a lot of Christians on my feed who are failing at very basic wisdom.

You don't just go to war because you hate the people that are on one side. You don't just go to war because an ally asks you too. You don't just go to war because you have always gone to war for that nation asking you to go to war. Nor to do you go to war because you are afraid that your large ally might not defend you in some hypothetical future you have convinced yourself is going to happen.

You go to war because you have to, or because it is just. Neither of those conditions is fulfilled in this conflict. It is not necessary, and our ally started it. More than that, you only go to war willingly if you believe you can win. Even Jesus counselled about this, though he did in the context of an illustration, still his words are relevant here,

"31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace" (Luke 14:31-32).

You need to make an accounting of what you have, what your capabilities are, what your enemies capabilities are, and whether or not you can actually go the distance. All of this needs to be accounted for before you even consider going to war. You don’t just go to war and then hope things will work out.

A country that cannot secure its own fuel supply cannot go to war. It is that simple. A country of less than 30 million would be foolish to go to war with a country of nearly 90 million. A country without aircraft carriers would be foolish to go to war when their largest ally has already had to withdraw two aircraft carriers because of danger (one retreated because of a reported mutiny that is being investigated). You certainly don't go to war with an entrenched enemy, that has had decades to prepare and believes that dying for their god is a reward.

I get it. You are emotional. You are fearful of a world where the US cannot protect us. You are propagandized to believe this war is designed to defeat an enemy you want defeated. But this is no excuse to throw wisdom out the window. Australia does not have the capacity for a major war. We might not even have fertilizer for our crops soon. Also, you don't go to war because of a fear of possible future event, that is actually evil. That is how the cowardly live, you should be ashamed to even think like that. Shame on you if you do.

We could spend every cent a war would cost on bolstering our economy and energy sector. If you say, but we get energy from that region? Well, then hot diggity brothers and sisters, now is our chance to stop buying energy that originally comes from the most unstable region in the world. We have the most stable country in the world, by a long shot. Now is our chance to become an energy superpower. And you want to take our tiny military to war against a country that is an armed mountain fortress that can project for hundreds of miles. That is dumb, plain dumb.

But the worst part of this is the fear from these people. "If we don't fight for America, they won't defend us in the future." It is shameful for Christians to act so fearful. SHAMEFUL.

Victory does not come from fighter jets or missiles, but from the Lord.

How To Have Assurance of Salvation

 

I have been meditating on this topic for a while, because this is a constant thing on the mind of some Christians and I have had a few ask me about this recently. Some Christians really struggle with having assurance in their faith. I especially see this come up in the context of the Calvinist and Arminian debate.

A common question the Calvinist will ask the Arminian is this, “If you can lose your salvation, how can you have any assurance? I believe if I could lose it I would.” This is a question I have been asked many, many times. The Calvinist will often find assurance in the idea that they were chosen before the foundation of the world, and therefore their assurance is out of their hands. The idea that you can lose your salvation is anathema to them, and does not fit in with this divine plan. I simply answer by saying, you don’t look at yourself, you look to Jesus, your hope is in him not yourself.

The Arminian on the other hand can simply ask the Calvinist this one question, “How do you know you are among the elect who were chosen before the foundation of the world?” If the Arminian’s assurance is potentially rocked by the idea that they can lose their salvation, then the Calvinist’s assurance is potentially rocked by not knowing if they are truly among the elect. I simply answer this one also by saying, you don’t look at yourself, you look to Jesus, your hope is in him not yourself. What is interesting is that both theological systems fall into different versions of the same kind of problem, that is created by their system’s internal claims.

So, can Christians never have assurance? Of course not. Assurance is not only biblical, the Bible clearly outlines how we can have assurance that we have eternal life. Martin Luther himself notes this in his commentary on Galatians,

“St. Augustine observed that "every man is certain of his faith, if he has faith." This the Romanists deny. "God forbid," they exclaim piously, "that I should ever be so arrogant as to think that I stand in grace, that I am holy, or that I have the Holy Ghost." We ought to feel sure that we stand in the grace of God, not in view of our own worthiness, but through the good services of Christ. As certain as we are that Christ pleases God, so sure ought we to be that we also please God, because Christ is in us. And although we daily offend God by our sins, yet as often as we sin, God's mercy bends over us. Therefore sin cannot get us to doubt the grace of God. Our certainty is of Christ, that mighty Hero who overcame the Law, sin, death, and all evils. So long as He sits at the right hand of God to intercede for us, we have nothing to fear from the anger of God.

This inner assurance of the grace of God is accompanied by outward indications such as gladly to hear, preach, praise, and to confess Christ, to do one's duty in the station in which God has placed us, to aid the needy, and to comfort the sorrowing. These are the affidavits of the Holy Spirit testifying to our favorable standing with God.

If we could be fully persuaded that we are in the good grace of God, that our sins are forgiven, that we have the Spirit of Christ, that we are the beloved children of God, we would be ever so happy and grateful to God. But because we often feel fear and doubt we cannot come to that happy certainty.

Train your conscience to believe that God approves of you. Fight it out with doubt. Gain assurance through the Word of God. Say: "I am all right with God. I have the Holy Ghost. Christ, in whom I do believe, makes me worthy. I gladly hear, read, sing, and write of Him. I would like nothing better than that Christ's Gospel be known throughout the world and that many, many be brought to faith in Him."[1]

Luther encourages Christians to train their “conscience to believe that God approves of you.” I want to show you how to do this biblically in this short piece. Hopefully, this will help many people fight the doubt about their standing before God, and recognize that you can have assurance. My argument it is neither dependent on whether you hold to an Arminian or Calvinist perspective, it is entirely dependent on whether your faith is in Christ and his word. And applying what his word says about this exact issue.

Turn with me to 1 John 5. In verse 13 John says this, “13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” The Apostle John tells us that he wrote this letter to help the Christians under his tutelage have assurance of their salvation. Hence, we now know conclusively that we can have assurance of eternal life. So, what is John’s argument? Let’s summarize it.

First, that we should walk in the light. By that John means that you walk in openness with God and in fellowship with other believers, and you confess your sins,

“5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:5-10).

Verse 9 is especially important here. Note what the verse does not say, it does not say, if you confess your sins to God. It simply says, “If we confess our sins…”. The context here is walking in fellowship with God and others, in fact verse 7 is a parallelism with verse 9. Hence, John’s point is that if we walk in confession of sins, both to God and to fellow believers, then you can have assurance that your sins are forgiven.

Secondly, that we do abstain from sin and keep his commands. This one might make some people anxious, because we all sin. However, read carefully what John says here,

“1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:1-6).

The trajectory of the Christian life is a battle against sin. John writes so he can encourage those under his authority to avoid sin. But he also recognizes that we will sin and encourages us that the Son of God himself is advocating on our behalf. So, John is not talking about perfection here, he is talking about the desire in the true believer to be free of sin.

If you are truly a believer the commands of Jesus Christ are precious to you, and will dominate how you live your life. So, if Jesus’ commands are precious to you, and you have confessed your sins, you can have assurance.

Thirdly, you love your brethren. As John says,

“7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:7-11).

Love for each other in the Church, even in disagreement, is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in your life. John comes back to this in 1 John 3:11-24. If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus and love your brothers and sisters in the faith you can have assurance.

Fourthly, you are not allied with the world,

“15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love your brethren in Christ, and are not allied with the world, you can have assurance of your eternal life.

Fifthly, you do not deny Jesus is the Messiah,

“22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life” (1 John 2:22-25).

This is obviously key. You need to affirm that Jesus is the Lord and Messiah, and you need to align your life with that perspective. If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love the brethren and do not align with the world, and you affirm Jesus is the Lord and Messiah, you can have assurance.

Sixthly, you are a child of God and you know it,

“1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3).

If you have truly come to know Jesus and you trust in him, you will know inside yourself that you are a child of God. As Paul says in Romans 8 and Galatians 4, your heart will cry out “Abba, Father.” This is John’s way of saying the same thing. And if you truly have this hope you will seek to emulate your father by purifying yourself. Which is a process. As the rest of John 3 goes on to say, you will not make a practice of sinning. This means not that you will be sinless, but you will live a life of repentance that resists temptation rather than pursues a life of sin,

“9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 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 3:9-10).

“By this it is evident who are children of God…” John is adamant that we can have assurance. But that assurance is based on a cumulative case of the evidence that God is at work in your life. If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love the brethren and do not align with the world, and you affirm Jesus is the Lord and Messiah, and you want to be like your heavenly father, you can have assurance.

Seven, you know the spirit of evil when you see it,

“9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 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 4:4-6).

Part of knowing you are of God is that you know what is not of God. The writer of Hebrews makes this same point in Hebrews 6:11-14. Part of knowing you are on God’s team is being able “…to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 6:14).

If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love the brethren and do not align with the world, you affirm Jesus is the Lord and Messiah, you want to be like your heavenly father, and you can distinguish good from evil, you can have assurance.

Eight, you love like God loves,

“7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:7-15).

Of course, you will not do so perfectly, but remember we have the advocate, Jesus Christ, who is literally like our defense lawyer making our case before the throne of God our Father. If you have come to know God you will feel his love expanding in your life.

If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love the brethren and do not align with the world, and you affirm that Jesus is the Lord and Christ, and you want to be like your heavenly father, you can distinguish good from evil, and you love like God does, you can have assurance.

Nine, you love God, “1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments” (1 John 5:1-2). To the unbeliever God’s commands will be interesting, but often hateful. To the believer they are like precious gold and taste like honey. Because we know they come from a heart of love for us. As a believer you will grow in this appreciation of the commands of God.

If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love the brethren and do not align with the world, and you affirm Jesus is the Lord and Messiah, and you want to be like your heavenly father, you can distinguish good from evil, you love like God does, and you love God and his commands, you can have assurance.

Ten, you just know, because God has testified to your heart, and you know that you know in a way that others cannot take from you,

“6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself” (1 John 5:6-10).

There is nothing anyone could say to me to make me believe God is not real, or that Jesus is not my Lord and Saviour. Why? Because the Spirit, the water and the blood testify to his work. The Spirit that has made me new, the water represents my new life in him, and the blood that has sprinkled my conscience. Boy that last one means so much when you think about how God settles our consciences and removes our burden of sin.

If you have truly come to know God you know what I am talking about. God makes us new and we know it. For the person with a soft conscience who is not saved, all their sins pile up in their hearts and minds. Why do you think so many people are in therapy or on medication to help them sleep?[2] But for the believer we know that God has forgiven us and he puts our spirit at rest. And we also know that he has been at work in our lives. We know it, we simply know it.

If you have confessed your sins, love the commands of Jesus, love the brethren and do not align with the world, and you affirm Jesus is the Lord and Christ, you want to be like your heavenly father, you can distinguish good from evil, you love like God does, you love God and his commands, and you know in your heart that he has changed you, then you can have assurance,

“13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:13-15).

And because of this we know we can confidently pray to him, seek him and know that he hears us.

The Bible does not teach us to find our assurance of faith in the idea of election. The Bible does not teach us that if we can lose our salvation we cannot have assurance. These are debates we will have as believers who read the Bible differently. But a whole book of the Bible was written to show how we can have assurance. I encourage you to meditate on the book of 1 John and pursue God, his Son and their commandments over all other things. Do this in faith and rest in the knowledge that if you have confessed your sins he is faithful and just to forgive your sins.

List of References

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[1] Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (pp. 112-113). Kindle Edition.

[2] I am not saying those on medication are not saved. I am simply noting that a lot of people are struggling because they are not walking in forgiveness. Both Christians and non-Christians live like this.