When it comes to ethics, the ministry of Scott Brown rests on
a foundation of sand – a denial of Scriptural Sufficiency. When Brown and
company talk about finances, patriotism, history, ethics, and certainly their
concepts of manhood and the like, the Scriptures play little part in their
thinking.
I received this email in the lead up to the Memorial Day
weekend. From pronoun confusion (conflating America with the Church) to
promoting and defending evil wars and the lies they were grounded in, Brown
sees himself as a unique voice within the Evangelical spectrum, part of a small
community of serious minded men and families devoted to the Sufficiency of Scripture.
But instead we find in many respects he's a run of the mill Evangelical and
sufficiency means no more to him than it does other Evangelicals.
And once again it must be stated in clear terms – a claim of
Sola Scriptura that denies Sufficiency (de facto or de jure) is an empty,
meaningless, and ultimately false claim. Many who claim Sola Scriptura as their
guiding authority are with little examination revealed as holding to something
more akin to the Anglican-Methodist credo of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition.
And in that triad you can be sure that Scripture is consistently subjugated and
relegated to the bottom of the pile. And it must be also said that Tradition is
a concept much broader than simply ecclesiastical practice and polity. It is
intimately related to and in some cases inseparable from the culture and it
doesn't take much for this angle to become the trump card that governs all and
dominates doctrine, epistemology, and ethics.
Years ago Brown was associated with Doug Phillips of Vision
Forum. When that Theonomic charlatan went down in flames and an adultery
scandal, his associates quickly scattered and while Brown has never abandoned
his Dominionism he has downplayed it somewhat – though it seems (to me) that it
has experienced a recent up-tick in light of current events and the growing
angst within the Evangelical community.
I have been most distressed to see that Jeff Pollard of Mt.
Zion Bible Church in Pensacola Florida and the head of Chapel Library is now
starting to promote Brown. I view this largely quiet but increasingly vocal Dominionism
on the part of Pollard as an unfortunate departure from the teachings and ethos
of his predecessor LR Shelton who founded the church and publishing ministry. And
unlike most ministries, Chapel Library is an actual ministry. They're not in it
for the money. And yet Pollard is of a different mind and the more he
associates with the likes of Brown and some of the others of that larger circle
– the less I'm interested in anything he has to say or anything his ministry is
producing.
As far as the email, it's simply an attempt to sell books –
but what books! Vision Forum used to sell war toys and their catalogue depicted
young boys dressed up in battle gear with guns and the like – all equated with
Christian manhood. How this kind of trivialising and romanticism is Christian
is beyond me. None of it as cheap either. Vision Forum was not a catalogue for working
class Christianity. These folks are cut from a different cloth and everything
costs.
What kind of passion does he want his young people to have?
Militarism it would seem – at least that's what these books promote, works he's
clearly proud of and views as integral to his Christian faith. Would he deny
it? What else are we to think when such statements are made in connection with a
militarist book catalogue that promotes and glorifies war? – and his statement
goes well beyond World War II. But even the narratives around that war need to
be challenged and its clear Brown is nowhere near that point.
It's ironic that the Iwo Jima book depicts the raising of the
flag on Mt. Suribachi. Anyone who knows something of that story knows that many
have argued that it was something of a farce, a photo-up, and deliberate
propaganda. Iconic to be sure but not exactly true (as presented for the
public) and while the Japanese had certainly fallen under the spell of evil,
the lead up to the war is more complicated than conventional US narratives
allow and everyone seems to forget that many of the lands the Japanese took
were lands that had largely been stolen and conquered by Western imperialist
powers – Indochina by the French, Indonesia by the Dutch, Burma and the Malay
lands by the British, and the Philippines by the United States – and China by
multiple powers and proxies. It wasn't innocent lands but lands controlled by
rival empires that brutally conquered and ruled these lands. This doesn't
justify the Japanese (especially when it comes to China) but it shifts the
understanding and belies Western narratives concerning 'liberation'. Some of
the conduct after the Japanese surrender further emphasizes this point.
One is puzzled how gospel messages are tied in with the
combat on Iwo Jima? In fact I daresay that such a suggestion demonstrates a
paucity of understanding on the part of the author and promoter of such works,
a clear confusion when it comes to the gospel and its imperatives. Some will
argue the war had to be fought. Maybe. That's of no consequence to me. However,
I will say this. No American who fought in the war should be proud. Americans
conducted themselves terribly. It was mass murder, rape, and much else. Did the
Japanese do the same? Yes, but so what? They're not claiming their actions were
Christian or gospel related as Evangelicals like Brown seem to. The conclusion
of the war with the dropping of the atomic bombs and the deceit surrounding
their use should be enough to make any real 'Christian man' hang his head in
shame.
Poems for hardship, sacrifice, and dominion may glorify
warrior culture but apparently Brown has failed to understand something very
basic – the weapons of our warfare are not carnal and the good Christian
soldier (unlike Brown's sacralist warrior ideal) does not entangle himself in
the affairs of this life. Brown proclaims the sufficiency of Scripture. The
truth is that he's at war with Scripture. Let that wash over you. In a case of
tortured exegesis and bizarre self-deception he even twists Paul's words in 2
Timothy to promote the virtues of soldiery (related once more to his propaganda
rot regarding Iwo Jima) when in fact Paul is saying the very opposite!
Look at the confusion and conflation of ideologies – Jonathan
Edwards and George Washington are presented seamlessly even though Washington's
Enlightenment-Masonic Christianity is highly dubious at best and while Edwards
gave his life to proclaiming Scripture, Washington gave his life to butchery
and the acquisition of wealth and power. It's further ironic to me that
Washington is the untouchable figure, the true American saint and yet many of
these Right-wing folks lambast Hamilton and the Federalists. They apparently
are unaware that Washington shared their opinions and even many contemporaries
felt grievously betrayed and were stunned by Washington's actions with regard
to the Whiskey Rebellion.
Contrary to Brown, I pray that no Christian would purchase or
make use of any of these resources and in rejecting them and the false values
and Scripture-rejection they teach – such persons will be blessed.
What a shame and disgrace this is.
The body of the email is embedded below. The books for sale
are hyperlinks that I removed but I can't get the book covers (or cover art) to
post on blogger. They're unnecessary. You can still see the titles and
descriptions which are sufficient to prove the point or click the Mailchimp link. The cover art of these
works is little more than flags and saluting soldiers.
These days everyone wants to play this game of getting your
email address in order for you to read something on their websites. It's a
deceitful practice that we're all familiar with. Some even after
'unsubscribing' will still regularly bombard you with their material. This is a
public email that's available to anyone who 'signs up' to their website. In
many cases I do so with such organisations because over time their emails will
reveal a great deal about who they are and what they're about. That's certainly
the case here. So much for 'Proclaiming the Sufficiency of Scripture'.
On Memorial Day, we
commemorate those who died to preserve freedom in America. My father, Bill
Brown, fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, he flew a P-51 Mustang on bombing
raids, and was ultimately shot down in enemy waters on May 29, 1945. Many brave
young men sacrificed much and exemplified unheard-of bravery in the midst of
intense fighting.
The freedoms we've
enjoyed have been hard-won - from the Revolutionary War to the present. The
question is, will we take the time to raise a generation of young people who
not only understand but who have a passion for preserving the freedoms that
were passed down.
In the new hardcover version of "Preparing Boys for Battle", You will
help you teach the next generation of sons what it means to walk in the power
of God. Each chapter tells a story from history and is filled with scripture
explaining critical matters for boys.
Train your sons for battle now. These books will help. We are offering 40% off
three of our books. If you order all three, we will ship them priority mail for
free. This sale is on now through the end of Memorial Day.
Take 40% Off the
Following Resources:
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Moment of Courage is a compilation of accounts from Iwo Jima’s Medal of
Honor recipients. Boys need to read stories about real men who went before
them and demonstrated true courage. On Iwo Jima, boys became men in the
crucible of pain, suffering, and enormous sacrifice. Buy Moment of Courage |
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In the book Preparing
Boys for Battle, I share 12 lessons
about manhood from the Battle of Iwo Jima. This new hardcover edition is
filled with photos from the Battle of Iwo Jima and remarkable true stories
that contain Gospel messages that each father needs to communicate with their
sons. You can even listen
to my father read each of the chapters here for free! |
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The book, It
Can Be Done, is a compilation
of poems. These poems are about real life. They will make you smile, square
your jaw, lighten your load, heighten your step, and grow rebar in your
spine. They will lift you up and help you see the smallness of your problems.
They will help you think bigger, feel better, laugh harder, and eat your
problems for breakfast. Buy It Here |
Also check out these
free online resources:
Are you looking for more resources? Here is a free are a few
FREE items that we have available. You can also find hundreds of other resources here.
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The apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to set an example for all
young men to follow: ''therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ'' (II Tim. 2:3). Bible
Lessons from the Battlefield of My Father's Youth is a discipleship tool for dads and
their sons. Filled with biblical lessons of real-life manhood that arise from
the World War II battle for Iwo Jima, these messages tell the story of
fighter planes, amphibious assaults, foxholes, cave warfare, and
flamethrowers -- elements that helped forge one man's mission of
father-to-son discipleship. |
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PREPARING BOYS FOR BATTLE AUDIOBOOK Learn about the
Battle for Iwo Jima from eyewitnesses. The Preparing
Boys for Battle Audiobook is
filled with remarkable true stories from the Battle for Iwo Jima and the
ensuing air war over Japan. My father was a P51 Mustang pilot who arrived on
Iwo Jima during the early days of the battle. I spent hours interviewing him
and his friends. I also visited the island itself to see where it all
happened. These are their stories. |
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YOUNG
MEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD These two young people were exemplary in their deportment, outstanding
for their use of time and able to communicate the principles that made them
great. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), a powerful role model as a husband,
father, and pastor, wrote his “Resolutions” at age 16. George Washington
(1732-1799), a man who was fearless in battle, wrote his “Rules of Civility”
at age 14. |
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I pray that these resources will be a blessing to you and your family and that your sons will be equipped to fight the battles which are upon us now.
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