Jim Lauerman

[Uriesou Brito @uribrito]

The Protestant Reformed vision is the most glorious, beautiful, and faithful of all traditions in Christendom!

[Uriesou Brito @uribrito]

Here are my own thoughts on the Tucker phenomenon as I have watched over these last couple of years. I genuinely don’t think Tucker Carlson is intentionally lying. That category is too easy and, frankly, lets the real issue slip by unnoticed.

What I see instead is a man who has trained himself to speak often and speak quickly, which means that he is rarely interested in speaking carefully. Over time, that kind of speech forms habits. So, what we see is his words coming out with force, sometimes even with insight, but without the discipline that preserves clarity and continuity.

He seems to be the kind of learner who does not labor to build stable categories. You can see this when he speaks of his Bible knowledge; consistency is not the driving concern for Tucker. There is a kind of elasticity to his thought, almost like an ability to adjust, to pivot, to develop politically in real time. And while that can give the appearance of freshness or boldness, it also means that what is said today may not sit comfortably with what was said yesterday.

So the issue is not first deception, but formation. Or, as I say, it's a matter of ritualizing speech. When a man is not committed to careful speech, he becomes difficult to follow. His rhetoric can stir people who are already angsty about the present. In other words, his use of uncareful language moves people to such and such conclusion, but it does not build them into a distinct interpretation of reality.

And that is where the concern rests, at least for me. Words are not neutral. They are a form of stewardship. If they are not governed or tethered to thoughtful, consistent categories, they may generate a lot of heat but will struggle to provide lasting light. And ultimately, that's where I think Tucker is today: heat, but little light.

[Ben Merkle @PresidentNSA]

Whoever is writing headlines at the Guardian is having a rough time. This one today got me – “White House journalists’ gala ended like many US events do: with gun violence.” It is like they are struggling to put a finger on the common thread linking all the assassination attempts and all they can come up with is events in America coming to an end. Apparently, this is just how Americans tend to signal that we are coming to the end of the evening and it is time for the guests to find their coats, their car keys, and their kids, and to start heading to the door. We whip out the AK and bust a few caps. That is the common signal.
The truth is that this is not an American thing. It is a progressive thing. The assassination attempts, the protests, the riots – this is what progressives do. But progressives refuse to see the violent world that they have created with their rhetoric.
Another headline from the Guardian on the same day – “Pete Hegseth’s Iran war messaging echoes sermons from his extremist church.” This was a story that was supposed to somehow connect a sermon that I preached in DC two weeks ago with the Secretary of War’s messaging on Iran. I could contest that tenuous connection. But the bit that gets me is that “extremist church” bit. Here is a link to the sermon I preached - https://t.co/4asHfhW6Cy Give it a listen to see what now counts as extremism.
When my wife and I left church that Sunday, we were greeted by the protestors that have now become a regular fixture at the DC church. They had two different bullhorns that morning. One was yelling at us that we were promoting violence, while the other just screamed over and over again “die, die, die.” I think that the bullhorn people really liked us (and be honest, who wouldn’t?) because they followed us down the road to the restaurant where we had lunch. And they waited outside throughout our meal to yell at us again when we left an hour later.
On the one hand, we found their harassment comic and mostly laughed it off. But the truth is, this is the rhetoric that has consistently led to countless acts of violence committed by the progressives against the right. I have no doubt, whatsoever, that the man chanting “die, die, die” at my wife and me as we left church absolutely meant it. He absolutely would like us dead. The circumstances at that moment prevented our murders. Too much daylight. Too many witnesses. But they want us dead. And everyone walking out of Christ Church DC on that Sunday morning was met with that same vivid threat. And, by the way, they get this every single Sunday. The Christians who worship at Christ Church in DC give new meaning to the term “the perseverance of the saints.”
But what really gets me is how the progressive press will behold all of this and will continue to scratch their heads trying to figure out where the violence is coming from. The bullhorn chants “die, die, die,” and the reporters look around haphazardly trying to connect the dots.
It is really important for Christians to stop giving a rip what the progressive media calls us. We love life. They love death. We walk in light. They walk in darkness. Just because they are clueless is no reason why we need to be confused about what is going on.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

I can't help but contrast the courage and competence of our recent rescue of a downed aviator with the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Thank you Lord for your graces and mercy.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@LennoxKal May the Lord richly bless you, your wife, and all of your family, especially Theoden.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@benzornes @SamaritanMin Pastor Zornes, thnak you for posting this. My wife and I paricipated in Samaritan Ministries for several years and also found them to be a “wonderful Christian alternative to health insurance”.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@Vicar1973 That is the clearest explanation of this issue that I have heard yet. Thank you Pastor Lusk.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@Vicar1973 Not only is this Christianity 101, but also the answer to the question underlying the Tucker Carlson/Mike Huckabee debate, i.e. “Who is Isreal?”

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@FFRF I’m curious. Have you folks actually read the first amendment?

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@JenniferEValent I would encourage you to actually LISTEN to Pastor Wilson’s remarks at the Pentagon.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@LennoxKal So true.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

Me, Hillary, and the War on Empathy https://t.co/WXCi11zBiE via @amreformer

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@Vicar1973 Thank you.

[Lennox Kalifungwa @LennoxKal]

It’s long overdue for more Christians to harness the boundless power of their faith and stop treating it like a well-meaning hobby. We ought to think grand thoughts and attempt great things, not for self-glory, but for the highest of ends—the advancement of Christ’s kingdom.
After all, we serve a great God who gave us a great mandate, gifted us a great redemption, secured us a great hope, granted us great promises, offered us a great inheritance, and guarantees the greatest of victories. To Him be the glory, now and forever.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@LennoxKal Amen.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@benzornes I never thought of that or heard it before, but it is so true.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

For Such a Time as This | New Saint Andrews College | Classical Christian College in Idaho https://t.co/p89C3aAaQm

[Lennox Kalifungwa @LennoxKal]

Over the years, I have been asked what I have against Social Justice. While I have numerous answers to this, perhaps the most important is this: Social Justice is fundamentally an expression of unbelief in the justice of God.

[Jim Lauerman @LauermanJim]

@joe_rigney This is a superb summary of where we are at and how we got here.