Kyle Claunch

Disciple of Christ. Theology Prof @SBTS Husband to Ashley, Father to 4 vibrant boys and 2 beautiful little ladies. Elder @KenwoodBC

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

Just now catching up on the day's events.
Did Garth Brooks really show up in boots at someone's black tie affair?

[𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨 ⛪︎ 🌲 @MichaelCarlino]

✅@WillyRice elected as SBC president

✅@albertmohler Truth & Unity Amendment received 75% support

✅ Resolution 9 on Pastor/Elder/Overseer approved overwhelmingly

What an encouraging SBC meeting!

Praise the Lord.

#SBC26

[Desiring God @desiringGod]

“The common root of the various waves of feminism is the rejection of God’s good design for properly ordered relations between men and women in the world.”

In a new feature article, Kyle Claunch traces the feminist movement back to the fall of mankind. https://t.co/pnJz4Sdbxj

[T. S. Sinclair @_TSSinclair]

“We need a man who obeys on our behalf, who can impute his righteousness to us.” @kdclaunch @KenwoodInst

https://t.co/7DUieaYFVx

[Kenwood Institute @KenwoodInst]

Don’t miss Kenwood’s @kdclaunch’s latest on feminism at @desiringGod.

https://t.co/suwi10hIB2

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

@jonwoodyard Thanks for sharing! Timely that they published this today, right? #SBC

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

https://t.co/i56mY4IGtN

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

I wrote an article on feminism, the fall, and disordered desire. Grateful to Desiring God for asking me to write this and for publishing it. Tolle Lege!

Link 🔗 in first comment. ⬇️

[Denny Burk @DennyBurk]

SBC messengers,

Be there at 8am tomorrow morning to vote for the Truth & Unity Amendment.

See you there!

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

I posted this two years ago and ended the thread expressing hope that the Law Amendment’s practical equivalent would pass in years to come. Praying we see the beginning of this in Orlando tomorrow!

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

Over 90% voted on Tuesday morning to unseat messengers of FBC, Alexandria, VA. for women pastors. Only 61% voted for Law Amendment.

This tells me that the rank and file in the SBC are solidly complementarian. However,

1/

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

I can’t explain how much I love this!

[Andrew T. Walker @AndrewTWalker]

A moment of beauty at the #SBC26: A deaf brother was impaired from being able to make a motion about extending ministry to deaf populations. @pastorclint noticed the oversight and gave him the opportunity through an interpreter. Motion strongly seconded. Human dignity is a beautiful thing.

[Doug Ponder @dougponder]

Some insider baseball for my SBC followers, especially those at the annual meeting:

Jeff Iorg’s statement that “the mission matters most” is, of course, quite true.

But the way he contrasted that with “other issues, which matter much less” should not delude anyone into thinking that focusing on issues like women pastors are “distractions” from the mission.

Don’t take the bait, brothers and sisters. “The mission that matters most” is God’s mission, but we must undertake that on God’s terms. This means we cannot pit doctrine against evangelism or missions.

The former fuels the latter. As Willy Rice rightly said yesterday, “Faithfulness today means fruitfulness tomorrow.”

Remember this when the time comes to vote for Mohler’s truth and unity amendment.

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

Thankful to be a part of the Kenwood Institute and be sharpened by brothers like Tom Sculthorpe and @DrJimHamilton

Check out this conversation on the Trinity and classical theism and many other great episodes. 👇🏻

[T. S. Sinclair @_TSSinclair]

“If the real question is tradition versus scripture, then it's scripture every time. There's no contest, sola scriptura all the way. But that's not the real dichotomy.

When we look to tradition, when we do retrieval, for example, as Protestants, as reform people, we're not looking to a traditional heritage as in itself right because it's traditional. We're looking to interpreters of Holy Scripture who have been interpreting the text for many, many centuries. We don't pretend like we're the first people to have read the Bible.

So we look to the past to see how did they interpret the text. And as Protestants, we don't have the burden to make everybody in history agree or to have this sort of unbroken line of continuity. We look at the interpretations and we look which interpreters were reading the scriptures faithfully and which were not.

And so when it comes to Sola Scriptura, there's one kind of mindset that can say, I don't care what the tradition says. I care what the Bible says. But another way to think about it is to say, I care what the tradition says because I care what the Bible says.” @kdclaunch @KenwoodInst

https://t.co/4OAaLEqyL1

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

Praying that the messengers in Orlando vote to get this done today and tomorrow. The amendment does indeed bring clarity on the truth and one of the factors about which our convention has agreed to be unified.

[Protestia @Protestia]

Albert Mohler introduces his motion for the Truth and Unity Amendment at #sbc26

[Colin J. Smothers @colinsmo]

Progressives are all gas and no brakes when it comes to the sexual revolution.

There literally is no limiting principle.

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

Good stuff. Insights from previous generations can (& should) be retrieved without need to embrace an entire system whole cloth.

But to be historically & theologically responsible, I must understand the system from which ideas are being drawn and how my use of the idea differs.

[Brandon Smith @brandon_d_smith]

Some thoughts on retrieval and its place in academia/scholarship:

(For reference, in Taught By God, I defined retrieval as “the act of reading and understanding figures and ideas from the past as a way to apply encouragement and/or correction for renewal in today’s church.”)

1. Retrieval doesn’t fit neatly into a discipline. Since premodern Christians generally didn’t work within clear-cut disciplinary distinctions like we do, it’s hard to nail down who retrieval “belongs” to.

It’s not historical studies or historical theology formally, but needs to be responsibly historical. If systematic theology is about overarching patterns of thought/teaching and their coherence with an eye toward context and the church, then it fits there in many ways. Those interested in biblical theology or hermeneutics can learn a ton from those who have come before us and apply their insights too.

So retrieval at its best probably requires facility in and engagement with multiple disciplines.

2. The lack of philosophical and linguistic rigor for what retrieval “is” is a problem for sure, but retrieval is always a bit of exegetically/theologically-critical diversity and even (a positive version of) cherry-picking. Even when the early church retrieved their close forebears, it was critical and not always in line with all logic and coherence from the past, or at least was a creative contextual expansion of it.

3. I need to find a better word than cherry-picking—maybe it’s just being selective—but everybody does this at some level. Literally every discipline who engages with other disciplines or even ideas within their own discipline, doesn’t swallow the camel hole. I think we need to just own it, and then try to have good conceptual tools and arguments to make our case without trying to uncritically make them in our image.

Using retrieval as a blunt force object to attack your theological “opponents” really is a huge issue right now. Some are still in the 2016 Trinity debate cage stage, for example.

4. Retrieval is a community effort and requires a lot of collaboration and hard work. It’s also a semi-subjective sensibility or habitus, a way of thinking along the grain of early authors without trying to repristinate them or just stare longingly at antiques. That’s probably the hardest part!

5. So, if you’re thinking about doing retrieval work, you need to have epistemic humility, a genuine interest in multiple disciplines, and the grit to become somewhat of a generalist, even if you have a specialty.

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

Some helpful clarifiers from Denny on the amendment.

[Denny Burk @DennyBurk]

The Authoritative Interpretation of the "Truth and Unity Amendment"
--
By Denny Burk
https://t.co/hIIdId8S86

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

This is murder. I know the difficulties of caring for a child with serious genetic abnormalities. I know the joys as well. Fear is understandable and leads us to look to the LORD for help. But this…

This is murder.

May God lead them to repentance and forgiveness in Christ.

[Jesse Ridgway @McJuggerNuggets]

This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.

The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.

I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.

She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.

Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.

When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.

Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):

50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.

I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.

The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.

We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.

This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.

You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.

To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.

As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.

It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.

Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

💯 🎯

[𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨 ⛪︎ 🌲 @MichaelCarlino]

A fundamental divergence exists between natural or patriarchal complementarians and their ideological complementarian or egalitarian counterparts.

The former seek alignment with the grain of creation order, applying the logical entailments of nature—understood as a teleological reality rather than mere biology—across the domains of church, family, and society.

The latter tends to regulate practice primarily through explicit biblical injunctions, often reducing nature to biology and thereby encouraging the spirit of maximal freedom within the letter of scriptural prohibitions. This produces a minimalist ethic that asks how closely one may approach the boundary of explicit commands, rather than how one might most fully embody God’s design and joyfully live in accord with it. Ultimately, this approach tends to erode the boundary itself or circumvent it through appeals to cultural context or the latest proposals of textual criticism.

This distinction becomes especially significant when one recognizes that key biblical texts on gender and authority presuppose, promote, and defend a deeper “logic of creation”—what C. S. Lewis termed “deep magic”—rooted in natural/moral law. Rather than searching for the broadest possible array of non-ordained roles for men and women in the church (an impulse more reflective of contemporary cultural pressures than scriptural precedent), the operative question shifts to: How does one live most faithfully in accordance with the gendered existence God has ordained?

When biblical texts concerning gender, roles, authority, and relationships are read against the backdrop of created order, they cease to function merely as regulatory fences or outmoded remnants of a bygone era, and instead illuminate a positive vision of gendered existence. The governing concern thus becomes the embodiment of one’s divinely given purpose rather than the negotiation of permissible exceptions.

The sad reality is that, over time, the minimalist posture tends to erode the boundary lines of created order itself. What begins as an effort to maximize freedom within the letter of explicit commands eventually normalizes that which is unnatural, so that what was formerly pursued as a possible exception comes to be regarded as an inalienable right—which in actuality kicks against the goads of Nature and Scripture.

[𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨 ⛪︎ 🌲 @MichaelCarlino]

🎯

"Male pastoral headship/leadership/ministry in the church aligns with God's creation design, and it also applies in the family, and in the society in general."
—Tom Sculthorpe (@KenwoodInst)

@kdclaunch and I have argued similarly here: https://t.co/TkosHkAPNQ

[Kyle Claunch @kdclaunch]

One need not choose between Scripture’s teaching on the ecclesial office of pastor/elder being reserved for qualified men and Scripture’s teaching regarding the glorious truths of the triune God and the incarnate Son.

Be careful that you seek to keep the whole counsel of God.

[Malcolm Yarnell @MusingsOnChrist]

Be careful that you don’t strain at the gnat of an ecclesiological locus while swallowing the camel of Trinitarian and Christological heresy.