The Last Thing Standing - Robert Schmidt vs. Adam Smith

 

Recently, the Pastor of Grace Church in Sun Valley (91352) went on to his reward and eternal #Freedom on July 14th.  "The Last Thing standing is going to be the Church" -- John MacArthur (@ 2:30 mark):

https://youtu.be/ez20oh_x3Vg

The docudrama "Essential Church" is a prime example of speaking #Truth to power.

 

Here is my initial reaction to The Last Kingdom Standing by Robert Schmidt:  

https://bit.ly/45bBvrp

 

The Last Kingdom Standing - Hope for a World in Crisis by Robert Schmidt (Wipf & Stock, 2024):

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Kingdom-Standing-World-Crisis/dp/B0DFY512BR

The following page references will be from this work.

 

I learned a new word from reading this book, "utopistics," that is, creative ways of imagining the future (p. 137).  According to much scifi, AI, Big Brother and the Robots take over.  Our future may be grim.  Of course, Jesus promised that the #Remnant will be preserved (Mt. 16:18).  Will AI take over next month?  Could Skynet rule our future?  You may want to investigate Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era by James Barrat (2015): 

https://www.amazon.com/Our-Final-Invention-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1250058783

Schmidt seems to lean to the #Left in a # of ways.  I have been a Sojourners subscriber myself ages ago.  I have met actual Commies ... that is, individuals who the thought that Marx & Lenin, Engels, Castro and Che Guevara were right.  I love Cuban bread and music, but I say the Cuban Revolution was tragic (1956-1959).  Have the Hutterites found the #Road_to_Utopia ♫ ?  I agree with Brother Schmidt that we should help the poor and destitute (Mt 25:31-46).  I have been to the Philippines 7x and seen extreme poverty firsthand.  Earlier this year, I was a volunteer for World Vision @ a Toby Mac concert in Tampa.   

 

Dr. Schmidt is concerned about climate change (pp. 83,108,109,138).  The remedy for #Climate_Hysteria is Do Your Own Research #DYOR ... Several chapters in Sacred Cows in Science, edited by Norbert "Doc Gator" Smith (Ph.D. Zoology - Texas Tech), leads the Global Warming Movement to face the music ♫

https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Cows-Science-Objectivity-Allowed/dp/1456585169

 

My chapter in the same defends the historicity of Noah (and the real Global Catastrophe!), see this review:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3CX6P8VO718JJ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1456585169

            

After the Global Flood, God promised Noah,

 

As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease (Gen. 8:22).

 

This seems to run counter to the fanatical environmentalist doomsayers. The Ice Age, which occurred some years after the Flood, was a real example of Extreme Climate.  So we see that a key foundation for the Christian Worldview is the 7 C's of #History >>

          Creation-Curse-Catastrophe-Confusion-Christ-Cross-ComingAgain

Recall the trail of blood and destruction wrought by those leaders in the 20th Century who took Darwin as gospel.

 

From Lutheran authors, I would offer In the Beginning, God by Joel D. Heck:

https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-God-Creation-Gods-Perspective/dp/0758627386

... and In Search of the Genesis World by Erich A. Von Fange:

https://www.amazon.com/Search-Genesis-World-Debunking-Evolution/dp/0758611005

 

I had the privilege to spend some time with Walter Lang (d. 2004), Executive Director of the Bible-Science Association.  He graduated from Concordia Seminary (St. Louis) in 1937 and started a mission church among African-Americans in Houston in the 1940's.

https://adamslostdream.blogspot.com/2010/03/walter-lang-1913-2004-creationist.html

Former missionnaire Schmidt downgrades capitalism numerous times in his work (p. 140).  How can the poor improve their economics?  Adam Smith wrote the monumental Wealth of Nations:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3300

 

No, I have not read the entire work, but I am familiar with much of the contents.  Milton Friedman (Nobel Prize Winner) references Adam Smith often in his stunning PBS series Free to Choose:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt27lKoC5LS4wbD28Jkv95UUm9H7wbVO4

 

I have read the book Free to Choose:

https://www.amazon.com/Free-Choose-Statement-Milton-Friedman/dp/0156334607

 

Friedman reveals the Miracle of Pre-Communist Hong Kong here (@ 8:34 mark):

https://youtu.be/dngqR9gcDDw?list=PLt27lKoC5LS4wbD28Jkv95UUm9H7wbVO4

 

Before Red China took over there was great freedom and prosperity, "Along with free trade, limited government, low taxes, and sound money, the Hong Kong government has scrupulously kept out of private business and personal affairs. The playing field was level as the government gave no subsidies to particular firms, sectors, or individuals."

https://www.hoover.org/research/freedoms-fall-hong-kong

 

This is straight out of Adam Smith who said that the State should not favor the Manufacturers over the Farmers!  When you think of the Wealth of Nations you may recall the importance of the Division of Labor and Skilled Workers.  How can we stop the brain-drain from developing nations?  Let docs in Nigeria serve in their own country for a decade before they come to America.  Require that Maths Teachers in Manila push Calculus for 10 years prior to applying for U.S. citizenship.

 

Can the poor get out of the rut?  Steve Harvey used to sleep in his car!    

https://news.amomama.com/283362-steve-harvey-was-homeless-3-years-slept.html

 

Now, how do we define "poor" ... there is a "Poverty Line" on income level but that is an arbitrary dollar amount.  For 2009 to 2011, 31.6% of Americans fell below the poverty line for two months or more.  Yet only 3.5% were "poor" for the entire 3 year period.[1]

 

Often hindrances to Win-Win trade squash potential progress, "Across Sub-Saharan Africa, trade corridors meant to drive economic integration under the AfCFTA are being strangled - not by tariffs, but by a hidden web of checkpoints, bribes, and inefficient customs procedures."

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/confronting-menace-arbitrary-checkpoints-bribes-customs-evans-edebor-d84tf/

 

Schmidt recounts the Israelites' journey from the Exodus to the Wandering Years to the Conquest (pp. 13-17).  One would think that those who heard God's direct voice might be open to Utopia (Ex. 20:18-22).  The Seventy Elders "saw God" ... they knew for sure that YHWH was real (Ex. 24:9-11).  Thus, under the most ideal conditions the end result was a revolting development: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit" (Judges 17:6).

God gave Israel definite borders (Ex. 23:31).  Globalism vs. Nationalism - which is your credo?

http://adamslostdream.blogspot.com/2018/02/is-nationalism-right-christian-view-of.html

 

I did not realize until years later that my History text from my Community College ("Oh-Trip-C") was full-on Communist!  Our whole education system has been undermined by Leftist subversion.  No wonder homeschooling and Classical Schools are so popular (Mort Adler Any1?).  I met James Lindsay, the Fake Research Punkster, and witnessed to him a couple years ago.  His book The Marxification of Education is a smash!  424 reviews can't be wrong:    

https://www.amazon.com/Marxification-Education-Freires-Critical-Marxism/dp/B0BP89FPY9

 

Professor Schmidt rightly admits that as Matthew 26:11 states, "The poor you will always have with you ..." (p. 53).  This implies that the Ultimate Utopia will not arrive until we see the New Heavens and the New Earth (Rev. 21:1-4).  Man is Totally Depraved (Eccl. 7:29, Ps. 143:2, Mk. 7:21-23) and this Planet will always see travail.  For as wii all know, Everybody Wants To Rule The World:  https://youtu.be/aGCdLKXNF3w

Is "Robert the Utopicist" dissing Creationism when he says, "Why is it that the number of confessing Christians is declining in the West and growing elsewhere?  Some put the blame on the Enlightenment and  a more scientific understanding of the universe" (p. 80).  I would recommend my Trilogy >>>

 

My book "Biological Essentialism" deals with the Genesis Kinds (Gen. 1:12):

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/biological-essentialism-jay-hall/1140135320

 

I have also written 2 books defending the "young earth" view from History & Science:

https://www.amazon.com/Young-Earth-Possible-Science-Youthful/dp/1088860788/

https://www.amazon.com/YES-WorldView-Fallacies-Darwinism-2014-11-14/dp/B01K3RF10I

Last Kingdom Standing warns us of Repressive Government and Authoritarian Regimes (p. 101).  Can you say #Corona_Crisis ? ... Way back in 2014, Reason took up the question "Should Vaccines Be Mandatory?" According to Surgeon Jeffrey A. Singer, "Any mass immunization program that uses compulsion rather than persuasion will, on balance, do more harm to the well being of a free people than any good it was intended to convey."[2]  Furthermore, Sandy Reider, who has a Primary Care Practice in VT, points out,  

 

Current immunization policy relies on the oft-repeated assertion that vaccines are safe and effective. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine, and even the American Academy of Pediatrics have acknowledged that serious reactions, including seizures, progressive encephalopathy, and death, can and do occur. The federal vaccine injury court, which was established at the same time that vaccine manufacturers were exempted from liability, has to date paid $2.6 billion dollars in compensation for vaccine injuries. And there is ample reason to believe that the incidence of vaccine injury is strongly underreported.[3] 

 

If you want to help the poor, teach them a trade: plumbing, painting, electrical, HVAC, welding, mechanic, pipefitting, septic, water etc.  IT, networking, programming and Web Design may be swell options as well.  Mike Rowe's (Dirty Jobs) wisdom is spot on: "I get hundreds of letters a week from parents whose beautifully educated snowflakes are back home, sleeping on their sofa, but completely unqualified for any of the work that's available."[4]  Recall what Adam Smith said about Skilled Labor.

I was elated to see that Pastor Schmidt referenced D. James Kennedy, who left for Glory in 2007 (p. 131).  Many of the Christian Worldview priorities that Schmidt focuses on relate to the varied writings of Dr. Kennedy (from Better World Books):   

https://www.betterworldbooks.com/author/d-james-kennedy/6877269

 

Coral Ridge Ministries is continuing to make an impact on the World:

https://crm.tv/about/

 

There are many positive things that can be said about the House Church Movement (pp. 124,125).  Just go read 1 Cor. 14:26.

 

Schmidt's take on democracy:

 

Today, at a critical juncture in world history, people around the world are debating the merits of democracy versus authoritarian government. ... The conflict between democracy and authoritarian rule was also demonstrated in the assault on the US capital by people seeking to overthrow the election of the US president (p. 19).

 

Is America a seedbed for Democracy or a Representative Republic?

https://thisvsthat.io/democracy-vs-representative-republic

I would urge my Utopian brother to do some more homework on the Stop the Steal Rally.[5]  I would have gone to DC to join the Stop the Steal Rally in early 2021.  I was on the email list and received regular updates for the event.  If a large bus to DC were leaving from Dallas I would have joined them - I had the time off from work.  I was providentially spared (Is. 46:10, Eph. 1:11, Rom. 8:28).  Big Brother may have given me a seventeen year prison sentence!

Notes:

1) "Obama: Wrong About Income Inequality" by Ronald Bailey, Reason, April 2014, p. 16.

2) "Should Vaccines Be Mandatory?" by Bailey, Singer & Reider, Reason, April 2014, p. 24.

3) Ibid., p. 25.

4) "Diplomas vs. Dirty Jobs" - interview with Mike Rowe by Nick Gillespie, Reason, April 2014, p. 42.

5) The Gospel According to Alex Jones by Jay Hall & Jeff Sinclair (True Truth Productions, OKC, OK, 2023), pp. 20-22.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gospel-according-to-alex-jones-jay-hall/1144649066

 

my site: https://totalyouth.us

 

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith:

https://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html

 

** kudos - graphic sources:

https://chatgpt.com/c/687af503-66e8-8005-aca9-77abea8e55fd

https://cdn.britannica.com/13/60213-050-13F3DBA4/Adam-Smith-paste-medallion-James-Tassie-Scottish-1787.jpg

 

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Is Nationalism Right? - A Christian View of Nationalism

What is nationalism?  The goal to form a separate country is often based on language and culture.  It can also take the form of putting your country first.  For America, our foundations are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights within the Christian Worldview.  This does not imply that we worship the State.

Nationalism is the opposite of globalism and we might think of those who conquered large regions of the world:   Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Hitler.  We might take the analogy with a family.  We put our family first, but respect other families.  It's somewhat like the free market - if there are several countries we may have an opportunity to be part of the "best" one.  President Trump is pro-nationalism and contra-globalism.

Scholars have noticed a pattern in different civilizations that is very clear in the book of Judges:

Bondage => Liberty => Abundance => Apathy =>  Dependence => Bondage

As globalism threatens, we still have a sure hope.  Jesus said,  "... I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Mt. 16:38).

Borders are from God:

From one man [or "of one blood"] he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. (Acts 17:26) 

Remember the days of old,Consider the years of many generations.Ask your father, and he will show you;Your elders, and they will tell you:When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,When He separated the sons of Adam,He set the boundaries of the peoplesAccording to the number of the children of Israel.Deut. 32:7,8

This passage from Deuteronomy apparently refers to Babel.  One key lesson from the confusion at Babel is that when all the people of the earth get together and unite against the Lord, it will only lead to trouble.  Much later, God gave the Promised Land to Israel:

I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.  (Exodus 23:31)

What happened at Babel and why was it wrong?  The world leaders of the time refused to obey the Lord's clear command: 

Let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. (Gen 11:4) Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." (Gen. 9:1)

Globalism is one world government which might sound nice, but what if our philosopher king is evil?  In 1798,  Napoleon wrote to General Sheik El-Messiri and made this shocking statement:

I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran, which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness.

Was he being serious?  Was this just some political ploy? 

Should we follow the path of the European Union or Brexit?  In the European Union we see a downgrade of sovereign countries, the result is assaults, hygiene problems and terror attacks.  In addition, free speech has been squashed, homeschooling is banned in some places and Darwin is king.  The Brexit movement is a pushback to that.

In 2006, the Polish Deputy Minister of Education publicly rejected evolution.  In contrast, the European Union (EU)  backs Darwin all the way.  A 2007 non-binding EU statement pushes the molecules-to-man theory:

Evolution is not simply a matter of the evolution of humans and of populations.  Denying it could have serious consequences for the development of our societies.   Advances in medical research with the aim of effectively combating infectious diseases such as AIDS are impossible if every principle of evolution is denied.  One cannot be fully aware of the risks involved in the significant decline in biodiversity and climate change if the mechanisms of evolution are not understood.

The average age of great civilizations is around 200 years.  How long will America last?  Between 1789-1858, France had 16 constitutions, one from 1835 remained in force for only 21 days.

What are the global aspirations of the Muslim world?  The Ottoman Empire, in the late 1600's, almost reached to Vienna and controlled North Africa and the Middle East.   At one time, part of Spain was under Islamic control.  There were even raids into France.

Is nationalism always positive?  In the 1500's there were wars of religion with Protestant areas and Catholic regions.  Let us all urge the young people we know to look into the  Biblical basis for the U.S. Constitution and the Christian  heritage of America.  Here is a thought provoking article on the ethics of globalism vs. nationalism.

Poland and Hungary have relatively stricter immigration policies and as a result they have fewer terror incidents.   Without God, unity can merely become a despotic source of power that is abused.  Consider atheistic Communism and secular socialism.  Concentrated, centralized power can be a serious problem indeed, if God is not its center and source.

Israeli History Professor Yuval Noah Harari (Hebrew University, Jerusalem) gave an anti-Nationalist TED talk.   Last year he wrote Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.  The book description speaks of "our quest to upgrade humans into gods."  What does globalism have to offer?  We read this from the book blurb:

What then will replace famine, plague, and war at the top of the human agenda?  As the self-made gods of planet earth, what destinies will we set ourselves, and which quests will we undertake?  Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century - from overcoming death to creating artificial life.

"Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust." (Is. 40:15)