Charles M. Phipps

Political and technology watcher. Annoyer of liberals.

[Megan Basham @megbasham]

You see this kind of thing consistently coming out of Oklahoma – – a red state dominated by Republicans who are constantly pushing amnesty policies and goodies for illegal immigrants. What’s the matter with Oklahoma??

[WWUTT? @WWUTTcom]

I just don’t understand why the people murdering over a million unborn children per year keep trying to kill their political opponents.

[Ambassador Mike Huckabee @GovMikeHuckabee]

Tucker never lets the facts get in the way of his hate for Israel.

[David Limbaugh @DavidLimbaugh]

The following comment is not intended to cause further strife between evangelicals and Catholics, but the opposite: I think there's been an effort to smear Israel-supporting evangelicals by flippantly calling them "Dispensationalists," meaning, essentially, that they are knuckle-dragging heretics.

Certain people use the label pejoratively to suggest that we Israel-supporting evangelicals are Dispensationalists who want to hasten the End Times and so are willing to support policies aimed at doing so, even if against the interests of the US.

A couple of points on that. Not all people who believe that the Abrahamic Covenant land promise was Israel-specific and is eternal (and still in force) are Dispensationalists. I, for one, firmly believe the land promise portion of the Abrahamic Covenant is Israel specific and still in force. But I don't consider myself a Dispensaitonalist, which involves more issues.

In fact, the late, revered John MacArthur was not a dispensationalist but did believe the land promise is to Israel specifically and for that purpose the church did not replace Israel. If I remember correctly, he said that sound, intellectually honest exegesis doesn't lead to that conclusion.

But a more important point is this: I would wager that the overwhelming majority of Bible-believing evangelicals do not believe we should try to pro-actively hasten the End Times. We are not to know the time of the Great Tribulation, etc. We are not to concern ourselves with the "when."

Because we believe in God's sovereignty (which is not incompatible with free will, in my opinion) and because we believe it is not for us to know when the End Times will occur, we should definitely not proactively try to usher it in. I am sure there are some who believe we should but I would think they are quite on the fringe.

I admit that I support Israel for theological reasons. I believe God's Covenant with Israel as to the land is permanent and I believe He meant what He said that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. I also support Israel as a strong ally for a host of other reasons.

My theological support for Israel does not mean I would subordinate the interests of the US to those of Israel and it does not exempt Israel or immunize it from criticism.

I also don't expect others to share my belief or support Israel because of my theological beliefs about it. But I have a right to allow my theological beliefs and my overall Christian worldview to inform my policy positions, just like everyone has a right to do the same with their own worldview.

So please don't fall for the notion that all evangelical supporters of Israel are Dispensationlists and especially that they want to hasten the End Times. None in my orbit want to do that. They may say, "I hope Jesus returns soon," but they don't go further and say, "So let's do everything we can to facilitate that." That would be such a presumptuous and biblically disobedient posture.

I think history and scripture support my view that Israel is the apple of God's eye. As I and others have written, no nation in history has been dispersed for more than 5 or so generations and retained its ethnic identity and language, but Israel did. It not only retained it but in 1948, some 1900 years after it was routed by Rome in 70 AD it came back, miraculously, to the land. God had his hand in that. Then Israel, against all odds, won two wars against multiple surrounding nations committed to its destruction and extinction. We can go on and on-looking at the amazing things the Jewish people have done in that little nation and how advanced they are -- and how sophisticated they are and how amazing their intelligence and military forces are -- consider the beepers (otherworldly). Their success has by no means been all because the US has supported her, though our support has been very important.

So, bottom line, believe what you want about Israel. Believe the church replaced Israel for all purposes, but I don't. I believe the Bible is clear that when God promised Abraham He would bless all nations through him he meant Jews and Gentiles alike and he was referring to the Gospel -- way back in Genesis. So yes, certain promises in the Abrahamic Covenant do extend to Gentiles. But not the land promise. And from a Christian standpoint (again in my view, because by no means do I speak for all evangelicals) God isn't done with the Jewish people in any way. Read Romans 11. They are the vine and we are the branches grafted in.

You can believe if you wish that we Israel-supporting evangelicals are all sitting around reading the Scofield Bible. I've never read it. Don't let the trouble-makers scare you into thinking Israel-supporting evangelicals are up to no good and would ever subordinate the interests of the US for Israel. Don't believe they would hasten the End Times. The trouble-makers just want to make you think we're crazy and reckless to further alienate us against Israel, and to divide us for other reasons. Not true. Do with this what you will, but I'm trying to lay this out as honestly as I can. The entire field of dispensationalism is more complex and I see no reason to go into that, especially since I don't consider myself one.

Thank me for my attention to these matters.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

That's odd; the book I have says one can become a Christian right now.

[Tucker Carlson @TuckerCarlson]

We're proud to announce the launch of our new bookstore with Russell Brand's "How to Become a Christian in 7 Days". It is the message this country needs most right now. Find it today on https://t.co/lEr6seLLOj.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

@gmk_julie The guys at @The_DailyWire clearly don’t understand Christian redemption. That speaks volumes about them and everyone who shares their opinions.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

My X subscription will now go from $8 a month to $0 per month. Definitely a solid move, @elonmusk!

[Max Burns @themaxburns]

X Pro is a great tool, but it isn't worth a roughly 400% price increase (to $40/mo) to keep using it. Since X Pro was the only thing keeping me on a paid subscription, it's great motivation to unsubscribe. Solid move, @elonmusk!

[Abby Libby @abbythelibb_]

Michael Knowles can't seem to call out Candace by name for her horrific attacks against Erika, but he can use his large platform to call a Christian wife and mother a whore, insisting that this slur, which denotes prostitution, means the exact same thing as "formerly promiscuous." Michael is much too smart to pretend he actually believes something so asinine, but even when this redeemed woman's husband called him out, he doubled down, insisting the husband spoke of his wife inappropriately, and Michael was just repeating the ugly sentiment, which the husband had already clearly refuted. Michael feels justified using such denigrating language and scolding a man for his word choice who isn't in any way a public figure or professional communicator, but can't find it in himself to oppose Candace for her infinitely worse statements against Erika from her massive platform. Shame on you, Michael.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

Matt Walsh was right about Kristi Noem.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

I guess that's one way to get Mullin to leave Congress like he promised he would do after three terms in the House, but then didn't.

[toddstarnes @toddstarnes]

If you don't attack ICE agents with a weapon they won't shoot you. It's really that simple.

[sᴄᴏᴛᴛ ᴀɴɪᴏʟ @ScottAniol]

I'm teaching a class on hermeneutics in our church this semester, and two weeks ago I used the illustration of a man who defends polygamy since "the Bible never explicitly forbids it," as an example of why we need sound principles of hermeneutics.

Let the reader understand.

[Joel Berry @JoelWBerry]

The irony that we're liberating Venezuela from a communist lunatic while at the same time electing one in New York

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

Democrats today...

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

@DavidLimbaugh

[Doug Powers @ThePowersThatBe]

Marco Rubio at the press conference finding out he's going to be running Venezuela indefinitely.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

People don't history and it isn't taught in schools anymore. I'd wager the vast majority of the country doesn't even know that JFK's Catholicism was an issue because there were many voters who were concerned that he would take orders from the Pope while acting as president.

JFK felt he needed to address this issue and did so in a September 1960 speech he gave to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association.

He said in his speech, "I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me."

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

Notre Dame football is a bunch of crybabies. Try joining a conference. You're not that special.

[Chris Rosebrough @piratechristian]

The stupidest fairytale of all time, told in only one minute. This isn't science, this is a religion!

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

I'm also disappointed that the website for my favorite theological podcast still links to and sells a book written by one of these people.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

It's really sad to see the rapid journey into utter insanity, shocking hatefulness, and outright bigotry from a few who seem to be chasing followers as they fall deeper into the abyss.

[Charles M. Phipps @cmpokc]

I will not name names so as not to become a target of their supporters, but everyone knows who they are.