When is a person’s mental condition so severe that the law should not hold them criminally responsible for what they did?

Here’s what I am asking in this article: Are insanity pleas based on our current understanding and definition of “mental illness” and “mental insanity” actually compatible with a biblical understanding of sin, moral culpability for our actions, and the Bible’s understanding of anthropology?

Here’s what I am not asking or interested in: Are insanity pleas legal in a court of law? Obviously they are. But whether something is legal and whether it is ethical (aligned with scripture) are two different things. Abortion is legal. It is not ethical or biblically permissible.

The Christian needs to have moral clarity in this area because these types of cases are not going away, and we will unfortunately only see more of this plea being used the sicker our population gets - both physically and spiritually.

So, let us begin.

Who are you? | The mind-brain distinction

If I ask you, “Who are you?” can that question be answered and observed biologically on a scan or explained with imaging?

Sure, a doctor can tell us whether you are a male or female, your age, and your ethnicity. If he digs deep_, maybe he can tell us about your chromosomal abnormality or autoimmune disease. But can he tell us WHO you are? The immaterial part of you? The one who believes in Jesus and was saved at 8 years old at church camp?

Medical observation stops at the physical and what can be seen and measured through scientific observation. If you did a bunch of drugs in your youth or had a traumatic brain injury, the doctor could likely see evidence of that in the organ of your physical brain. But no CT scan can tell us your prayers, your wishes, or dreams. He could not see the part of you that is “being renewed” day by day as 2 Corinthians 4:16 says.

The question of who we are may seem superfluous and unrelated but it is actually foundational. Who we are at our most basic level matters because it allows us to understand man as God created him and why/how man is guilty for transgression of God’s law. So let’s go back.

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In the beginning

In Genesis 2:7, God formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. We are both immaterial and material, but one part of us is wasting away while the other is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Scripture teaches us that our outer man is deteriorating. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

This life isn’t just a matter of, “What if I get a brain disease?” or “What if I have a psychotic event?” - you are actually GUARANTEED by the word of God to deterioriate. That is the nature of living in a sin-stricken world. And yet somehow, even with the promise that we WILL deteriorate and our faculties and bodily function WILL waste away, we are still responsible before God.

But back to the dust and breath: man is both material and immaterial.

So then, you may be thinking, which part of us is responsible for making decisions?

The seat of our will — our mind — is our inner man. This is synonymous with our soul. This is the part of us in which we are transformed. It is the part of us that repents and believes. It is also the part that will live forever and either be judged in hell if we do not put our faith in Christ for salvation or live forever with God in eternity.

Yet, despite this dualistic nature of man, we can see a clear mind-brain connection. We are formed by our habits. When I wake up every day to work out instead of hitting snooze 4 times, it impacts the type of person I become. And at the same time, our outer man is clearly affected by the inner man’s transformation or lack thereof. We can become biologically addicted to a substance based on the choices our immaterial mind makes. Is there a biological reality at play? Yes. Are we still morally responsible before God for that sin? Also yes. Scripture does not offer an exception for sin. (1 Cor 6:18-20)

This is where the Christian must have absolute and utter moral clarity. If you don’t, the rest of the conversation will become convoluted and confusing.

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Psychiatric Problems Are Always Spiritual and Sometimes Physical

First, we need to be clear: brain disease is real. Neurological diseases are real. Physical issues with the brain such as Alzheimers disease or traumatic brain injury are observable on a scan. But psychiatric problems refer to the dozens of diagnostic terms currently sanctioned by the American Psychiatric Association. They include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, alcohol abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, anorexia and bulimia, dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder), and borderline personality disorder.

Ed Welch in Blame it on the Brain, says,

“Psychiatric problems are in a different class from traditional medical diseases. With most medical diseases, you can see physical evidence of what is wrong. For example, you can see a brain tumor on a CT scan, the tangled neurons of Alzheimer’s disease, and the damage to the brain caused by a violent accident. Each of these conditions makes the affected brain clearly distinguishable from a normal one. But brain function in psychiatric problems shows no consistent differences when compared with normal brain function.”

Because psychiatric problems are matters that involve our immaterial mind (as opposed to strictly our brain), Welch says we will never find one where biblical help—counsel directed to the heart—is unnecessary.

“At the very least, psychiatric problems usually indicate that the diagnosed person (and the family) is suffering in some way. And on the problem of suffering, Scripture is expert and needed. Through our hardships, God offers hope, compassion, and the power for us to grow in faith and obedience in the midst of the suffering. Most psychiatric problems are hybrids—a combination of spiritual problems and physical ones,” says Welch.

There is a prevailing myth in our culture today that psychiatric problems are strictly medical.

But in truth, they are problems of the whole person - both spiritual and physical - especially since they are all forms of suffering and many have their roots in fear and anxiety.

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Many Medications are Missing the Root Cause

I have seen medication seem to improve someone’s depression. You probably have, too. The logic goes: if medication can affect the symptoms, then the problem must be a chemical one.

But this is an intellectual leap we cannot confidently take.

Just because we see a physical change in someone does not mean the medication is addressing the root of the psychiatric issue they are dealing with.

Welch says, “Psychiatric medication is not treating a verifiable chemical imbalance in the brain. Contrary to public perception, psychiatric medications are not chemical bullets that target one particular brain chemical. They are more like chemical blitzkriegs, strafing chemical sites in the brain and hoping for the best. The brain is simply too complex and is sustained by too many chemicals for us to be able to pinpoint chemical imbalances with our current level of knowledge.

The fact that a medication affects someone’s mental state does not itself prove that the underlying condition was caused by a chemical imbalance or eliminate moral agency.

Chemicals in our brain are real. But when we medicalize the MIND, we misunderstand how man is made and what the underlying root of his psychological troubles *usually* is.

People DO need help. But when it comes to matters of the mind, the solution most often doesn’t lie in a prescription. These merely treat symptoms of mind-based issues, not brain-based disease.

Welch says, “Psychiatric descriptions begin to answer what a person is doing, not why. These descriptions can be helpful and highlight symptoms that were previously disconnected from one another. They can also help you to describe behaviors that are hard to describe, which can be valuable both for those who struggle and for those who want to help. However, the diagnosis simply is not equipped to explain why.”

Can an insane person be guilty?

Currently, insanity pleas are used in 1% of felony cases, and only about 25% of those are acquitted based on the plea, according to Mental Health America.

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PPD.

Hormones.

Psychosis.

Healthcare.

The providers.

An incorrect diagnosis.

Bipolar disorder.

The medications.

The broken system.

A husband’s “failure”…

Why is no one talking about the children?

For the last two weeks, the internet has been ablaze with conversations surrounding the Lindsay Clancy case, which is currently being heard by a jury in Massachusetts.

No one can stop talking about it, and for good reason. It’s not only disturbing in and of itself, but the response has also been beyond disgusting. In all our conversation, we are so focused on all the surrounding factors and circumstances and so very little on the children. How convenient for us, no? They aren’t here to trouble us with their existence anymore.

The same happens with abortion.

We talk about the mother’s plight, her mental health, how she was victimized by a man or the system or the narrative, whatever it was. We talk about her future and school and her dreams and aspirations. But we don’t talk about the child whose life she snuffed out with the pill or the saline solution or the surgical procedure. We don’t talk about their little body being ripped limb from limb by forceps so the mother can keep pursuing that degree. We don’t talk about their body being flushed down the toilet as the mother hemorrhages in her bathroom from an at-home abortion.

Of course we aren’t talking about the children. We never talk about them.

The children are the most important thing about this case because they are the ones who suffered and died.

Their blood is crying out from the ground, and we are arguing in the comments over an adult’s mental state and feelings. I can’t even believe I have to type that sentence.

Children were murdered strategically and intentionally by their own mom, but never mind. Let’s instead debate what her mental state was and whose fault it is. I am sickened and I am enraged.

We as a culture and society have allowed feelings to become god.

Mental health is our god.

Comfort is our god.

Our mental load is our god.

Entitlement is our god.

Being affirmed is our god.

Being exonerated of all guilt and wrongdoing is our god.

Love of self is our god.

Anything but God is our god.

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We are worshipping all our little baals with such commitment and determination while the blood of children cries out for justice. We lift high our asherah poles. We protect our high places where we go to worship our idols. All we can muster in the way of anger is offense at a conservative podcaster who suggests our sin nature might have something to do with the whole thing.

Shame. We should be ashamed.

My own audience - CHRISTIAN WOMEN - have been deeply offended that I would not empathize with Lindsay. I have lost over 800 followers in the last 7 days for refusing to bend on this matter and for saying she is guilty regardless of her mental state.

Women have told me I have a demon for not being willing to say Lindsay is a victim and deserves my empathy. They have urged and insisted for me to bow the knee.

“Say she deserves our sympathy.”

”Say we must empathize with her our of Christian duty.”

“Wow so hateful, why are you so judgmental?”

“What about the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery? Are YOU perfect?”

I won’t lie - I’m just short of utterly disgusted by women in general right now. I’ve become extremely disheartened by the depravity and all-out wickedness we’ve seen on display over this case. I’ve become dismayed to say the least at the theological weakness 95% (being generous) of women who call themselves Christians possess.

At this moment, nearly a MILLION dollars has been raised in her GoFundMe.

Yes, you read that right. At the moment of publishing, $910,000 has been raised for a woman who brutally strangled her three children to death in their own basement with exercise bands. (In the time it took me to write the article, over $3k was raised.) I will spare you the details I accidentally learned about the severity of their injuries. My own heart can’t even bear to write them.

And yet here we are - with millions of women chanting, “I AM LINDSAY CLANCY.”

There’s a hashtag. It’s a movement. Women are so bloodthirsty they are jumping at the chance to identify with a woman who murdered her children. Women are making reels with b-roll of them rocking their babies with worship music playing in the background talking about how we should have empathy, we should not cast judgment. My stomach drops just typing it. Jesus, come.

Lindsay may have been misdiagnosed. Lindsay may not have had the best care possible. She may have been overmedicated. She was for SURE playing doctor and taking her medications into her own hands. She was for SURE responsible for every single pill that went down her throat. And she was for SURE responsible for wrapping a band around her children’s throats until they died of asphyxiation.

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Lindsay was a lot of things, but she was not a victim.

Lindsay was a lot of things, but she was not a victim. Lindsay had access to more resources than the vast majority of people I know, even in high-income situations. She was an L&D nurse. Her husband’s own mother was a labor and delivery nurse. These were highly intelligent, upwardly mobile people with access to medical care and support, child care, maternity and paternity leave, support from friends and family, the ability to work from home, and have a nanny.

Lindsay doctor-shopped and went through multiple providers. She was dishonest. She was prescribed countless medications and then failed to take them as prescribed - or not at all. She lied about her symptoms to providers and in her own journal (which seems to indicate premeditation.)

How is the system supposed to help if the patient is lying to their doctor? Is there NO moral and ethical responsibility for the patient to be honest and forthright with their doctor? Are we going to blame “the system” like a vague conglomeration of doctors and psychiatrists and therapists collectively colluded to murder these three children? Are we so eager to place blame everywhere but at the feet of the one who actually deserves it?

We are a weak and spineless people. And worse, we are cowards.

Women are saying “#IAmLindsayClancy” because they are filled with hate and selfishness in their heart. Matt Walsh is exactly right. They are selfish and they want to be exonerated of guilt for hating motherhood, hating their children and thinking murderous thoughts.

James 4:2: You desire and do not have, so you murder.

No amount of improved healthcare system prevents another Lindsay Clancy if women will not be honest about the deepest root cause of the evil in their hearts. If we continue to make excuses for ourselves and others, more children will die. This will merely be the first in a flood of basement murders by mothers who desire and do not have.

This is an unspeakably evil day we live in. Our culture is sick. Our hearts are desperately wicked. We need the truth of the gospel now more than ever. But the gospel is not butterflies and rainbows. It is hard news before it is good.

Scripture tells us “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

Before we get the good news, there is bad news about our fallen estate. When we look at this through the lens of scripture, can we be surprised that a woman without the hope of Christ lived out James 4:2 to a T? She desired and wanted and did not have, so she murdered.

Even if she was in an impaired mental state, her responsibility began upstream when she shopped for one more doctor, swallowed one more pill, in an effort to find comfort and peace in a place it can’t be found.

The conversation on mental illness can be had. But it will fall completely flat if we continue ignoring the most real and pressing reality of this whole thing:

Children are dead and will continue to die if we do not WAKE UP.

I’m speaking to Christian women. Those of you who profess Christ must purge your hearts and minds of this poison. The people in your feed are encouraging you to blame everyone but yourself for your sin. The “wellness” influencers who encourage you to think more about your hormonal balance than the state of your soul. The people in your life who are encouraging you to speak poorly of motherhood or your children, or encouraging a victim mentality in you.

This is war, and there are little precious lives on the line.

Are you willing to enter into the battle?

It is for your very soul.

This past Fall, we took on more than we could handle daily, which burned us out by Spring and led us to skip a few more days than we should have or to skimp on book work.

This year, I am holding back, and my motto is “less is more.”

The girls do an enrichment co-op one day a week, which covers History, Science, Readers’ Theatre, PE, and some Art. This year I have also decided to enroll the oldest two in a biweekly writing class that is highly recommended by local moms. Writing has been an area I have felt the least certainty/confidence in and I am excited to see how this class develops their skills this year.

Loops

I do several books on a “loop.” A loop just means there are several books I pick from to read at a given time, but I only read one of them per day. For instance, I may have a book on hymns, a Shakespeare book, and a short devotional. I will rotate which book I read on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, hypothetically. So on Monday I read the hymns book, on Wednesday Shakespeare, and on Friday, the devotional. I love loops because it frees us up to explore a variety of books at one time and not feel “stuck” in a book or bored.

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Family Worship Time:

This happens in the evening for us. We aim for every night, which doesn’t always happen, but we get a solid 4-5 nights a week.

• Old Story New

• New City Catechism

Bible (loop):

We finished The Biggest Story Bible Curriculum which runs through major Bible stories. This year I wanted to focus more on reading some devotional style books and specific topical books. These are the ones on our list. Beautiful Girlhood we are almost done with, then we will continue on with the other two.

• Beautiful Girlhood

• Cold Case Christianity for Kids

• Note to Self

• Apologetics curriculum - I’m beta testing an apologetics curriculum by a friend I will share soon!

History:

Last year we started Mystery of History 2 but I got bored with the time period and with it being America’s 250th anniversary, changed course in the Spring. We will continue on with that theme this Fall doing A Child’s First Book of American History from Beautiful Feet Books

• A Child’s First Book of American History from Beautiful Feet Books

• American Tall Tales - We read through some of these last year and will continue til we finish the book, sprinkling them in when we have time.

Church History (loop):

• Then Sings My Soul

• Ten Girls Who Made History (not really church history but doing it on a loop with this because these are stories about Christian women)

Math:

Masterbooks Math

Everyone is continuing on with their Masterbooks Math. My 6th grader has some of her 5th grade book to finish, my 4th grader is already a quarter of the way through her 4th grade book (she started last year) and the 1st grader is nearly done with the 1st grade book already, so she’ll move to grade 2 this Fall. They all really enjoy it, and for non-Math loving girls, I have appreciated that math no longer causes us tears.

Grammar:

Fix-It Grammar

Easy Grammar

I don’t know why I’ve been straddling two grammar curriculums, but I have. My girls prefer Fix-it Grammar, though.

The 4th grader completed her level of Fix-it Grammar so she will do Easy Grammar, while the 6th grader still has her level to do.

As a maximalist, I struggle with FOMO that one curriculum has something we need compared to the other. It probably doesn’t, and is just a different presentation of the same info. But this is my ongoing struggle.

Worldview:

Foundation Worldview - Use code KINDLED10

We are still working through Comparative Worldview course and after that will begin Careful Thinking. This will be too advanced for the 1st grader but she can sit in and listen!

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Read Aloud:

These are the books on our list to read together this year.

• Thimble Summer

• The Lighthouse Family Collection: The storm, The Whale, The Eagle, The Turtle, The Octopus, The Otter, The Sea lion, The Bear

• A Cricket in Times Square

• Caddie Woodlawn

• I have a bookshelf FULL of other options if we need them!

Science:

The girls do this at their co-op

Home Skills:

The Girls Guide to Home Skills - I will do this as a read aloud a couple times a month.

Health

Ultimate Body Book - I’ll read this with my two oldest girls on a weekly basis.

Typing

I will have the girls practice their typing a couple times a week using typingclub.com

Weekly Checklist

This is a new weekly checklist I am implementing for each of my three girls. This way they know what each day holds and can hold themselves (and me) accountable.

I got this nice chart to keep us organized from Arrows & Applesauce on Etsy. Only $1.50 and saved me a ton of time!

I am certain we will make changes this year, as we always do, but there’s the plan!

Homeschool Schedule

Here is what our homeschool schedule looks like on a daily basis.

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How many activities their kid is committed to. How late they were out at the sporting event or doing the chauffeur life for multiple kids' events and activities. And while I am not someone who enjoys or seeks after being “busy” - this Fall will be our busiest yet, and frankly? I’m dreading it. BUT - we’re making changes to protect our time as a family because that is the MOST important thing to us - yes, more than sports and even relationships with church family; our time with our children is paramount.

This is a very personal topic to a lot of people, and our situations and families are all unique. No single life can or should be copied - so don’t read this as a manual for what to do in your life. It most certainly is not. Rather, it is an encouragement to fiercely guard and protect your time with your family in THIS season, whatever that looks like.

I remember what it felt like to regard “busy” as “winning.” I would drop the kids at preschool for the morning and afternoon, and rush around like a chicken with my head cut off to get as much done in those 5 hours as possible. Then the school years came, and busy became hustling out the door with one kid while the others stayed home or were shuffled to their preschool locations so I could hustle in my multiple businesses. I remember feeling this kind of “burnout” was a successful life.

Now, I know it is not. It is just the shell of what we are left with when we prioritize all the wrong things.

So this year, I’m remembering to be so thankful to God I am not in that place I once was, while trusting Him with the new year and challenges He’s allowed us to face, and seeking wisdom alongside my husband to steward our family as well as we can.

I want to share some particulars of how we have worked through these decisions as a couple to make this year not chaotic or more frantic than it needs to be.

The only reason I’m offering specifics of our particular situation is to help show how you might think through your own “busy” and dial it back or make adjustments. I’m sharing tangible examples because we often see the opposite reflected - all the particulars of what people say “yes” to that snatches their family’s time together away, and it can be hard to imagine or discern what “no” could look like.

We’re entering a new season in our family with one daughter doing a middle school sport. This means multiple practices a week and games in addition to youth group on Wednesday nights. We homeschool, and it feels like a lot to ME. Which begs the question - HOW are families in full-time school managing multiple kids in sports and multiple activities and still having family dinners and adequate family time during the week?

The answer? They most definitely aren’t.

We do a drop-off homeschool co-op which is one day a week and the two oldest girls are enrolled in a writing class that meets every other Wednesday for an hour. All of that to say - if this sounds like a lot to you too, congrats - we are similar and we love our home time.

Part of why we chose to homeschool is so that we could have the flexibility to do extra-curriculars without it taking our kids away from home even more after they were gone at school all day, so we are not anti-sports or activities, necessarily. But the balance of the family time cannot be so greatly injured by any one or the combination of activities that the family feels like it’s barely having time to sit around the table for dinner, linger afterwards for a round of Dutch Blitz or have that familiar “what now?” after we all clean the kitchen together and head to the living room for a dance party. THESE are the things I want to be “busy” with: Living life together as a family in all the mundane moments.

So how are we going to prioritize family time this year? Here are a few changes we are making to keep it central and primary in our evenings.

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I love learning this way and making the most of my time.

I will listen while doing dishes, making dinner, folding laundry, working out, going on walks, doing my makeup, etc. Really most times I’m not around my kids, I am probably listening to something.

Here are my go-to’s right now! And fair warning - I only listen to podcasts about theology, politics, cult religions and sometimes homeschooling. I do not typically have time for podcasts on health or personal development unless there is something specific I’m trying to learn about like keto diet etc.

I do not listen to EVERY single episode on each of these, obviously. But these are the ones I will search for which episodes interest me.

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THEOLOGY

Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis

I love Jonny’s preaching, so I also really enjoy his podcast. Lots of great, culturally relevant topics are covered from a pastoral perspective and with that tone. He’s awesome.

Bible Thinker with Mike Winger

Mike Winger is a wealth of knowledge on so many topics. I enjoy his deep dives on a variety of things - although I don’t always agree with where he lands. He presents various sides of a theological debate and explains each side thoroughly.

Just Thinking

Darrell and Virgil are the GOAT. They single-handedly got me through the Summer of love in 2020 with all the BLM garbage and helped me really grasp and understand just why social justice was unbiblical and I’ll never be able to thank them enough for that. They explore topics on their podcast from a scriptural, expositional perspective and you’ll feel like you’re listening to a sermon and a powerful speech when you listen. Love them.

APOLOGETICS

Alisa Childers

I have loved Alisa since her Zoegirl days! I love her podcast because she covers lots of apologetics topics and provides solid argumentation and evidence for biblical Christianity.

Apologia

I love this podcast for Jeff Durbin’s unapologetic approach to the topics he addresses as a pastor. He is an abortion abolitionist and is unafraid to debate this with a variety of people. I always learn from the podcast when I listen.

Theology Mom with Krista Bontrager

I enjoy Krista’s content because she covers current events that I’m usually thinking/learning about in real time. She has a finger on the pulse of what is happening/being talked about in Christianity and a very measured approach to breaking the topics she covers down. As with everyone, even when I don’t agree with Krista’s ultimate conclusion, she handles things in a gracious way.

RELIGIONS/CULTS

Cultish

As someone who thoroughly enjoys learning about false religions/cults, this podcast is a favorite!

POLITICAL COMMENTARY

Conversations That Matter

Jon Harris (though this also squarely fits in the theology section too!) Jon covers current events in Christendom and keeps me up to date on what people are talking about on Christian X, since I’m not on there much.

Steve Deace

Insightful political commentary. Steve used to work on Ted Cruz’s campaign. He is bold and unapologetic. Sometimes he is a bit crass, which I don’t love, but he says he is working on improving that. The man covers the most frustrating content ever, so I grant him grace in that. The worldview aspect to politics is unmatched.

Allie Stuckey

I love ABS podcast for the current events she covers and her thinking on a variety of issues aligns very closely with my own. She has way more patience to explain things than I do, as her audience is broader than mine.

Matt Walsh

Matt Walsh’s monologues are unmatched. He is sharp, witty and just right about almost every take he has. I disagree with him on Catholicism, but that rarely seems to come up or be addressed on his show.

Auron Macintyre

Auron has a show that discusses American political issues, especially lately as it relates to the immigration issue. He has on guests I’ve never heard of and I learn a lot from his content.

HOMESCHOOL

Nicki Truesdell Podcast

Love the topics Nicki covers on her show. Homeschool mom and history deep dives you don’t want to miss.

Homeschool Made Simple

For anyone navigating homeschool waters, check this one out!

Schole Sisters

I don’t listen often to this one, but when I do, I realize how much less smart I am than I think.

Literary Life Podcast

I don’t listen to this much either BUT they have in depth episodes on all kinds of books and bookish topics! Great resource for homeschool moms.

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I got a message today in which a reader/follower commented she was surprised I was reformed in my theology, because I don’t come off “that way” and was still so “down to earth.”

I replied to her that I think reformed theology, if rightly understood, should produce the utmost humility. It should not puff us up but humble us that God would elect us to salvation and reach into our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh.

It then made me think about what has happened in reformed theological world to give us such a bad name. I didn’t have to think long before having multiple examples fill my mind of exactly what she meant.

I, too, have been burned by people in this theological camp. To be clear: it’s not the theology that is the problem- it’s sin. And to be doubly clear - I could write a similar post about the arrogance and excesses in the charismatic or arminian world, too. But that is not this post.

Yes, sin is crouching at our doors all the time. The devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for whom he may destroy (1 Peter 5:8). And he is delighted to destroy you regardless of the correctness of your theology. So this isn’t an article about dogging on reformed theology adherents (of which I am one.)

But rather, it’s about the sin that can so easily ensnare.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Sin easily entangles us because it preys on our vulnerabilities. It appeals to our passions, or preferred methods. It is not an uphill climb but a downward slide. Sin, unlike righteousness, doesn’t usually take much effort on our part. It feels effortless. Easy. Natural. Right and justified, even.

Sin deceives us often most effectively by making us think we are immune to it. We couldn’t possibly be doing the thing we are accused of - the fault lies with the other party.

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I don’t know about you but even in my efforts to be good, right, true, helpful, I can fall into sin. I can think I am better than the one I am warning about. I can think they are far worse than myself and I am superior because I have learned the thing they clearly have not. And in so doing, I indict myself.

You can’t fight what you don’t recognize. The first step to overcoming sin is recognizing the perpetual threat it is to our spiritual growth and godliness. It is only after we are honest with ourselves and the Lord about where we are tempted to rely on self, turn our eyes off ourselves and onto others and deceive ourselves into thinking we are not sick that we can begin the work of actually being sanctified. Sanctification- being made more like Christ - doesn’t mean we need less and less of Christ because we are so much better than before. No. I believe it often produces a MORE humble and self-aware person who more clearly sees their sin in all its magnitude as their awareness of God’s glory and holiness grows in increasing clarity.

Have you ever heard of the cross chart?

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I started typing. “MEH. Average.”

“I’m sorry. Anyting in particular?” he asked.

I started typing a laundry list of all the things that had gone wrong.

We got a very late start on school and didn’t get group subjects done. I couldn’t get the chicken coop door open because it’s so full of their hardened poop that I have to squeeze through the door and get cobwebs all over my black shirt. LOVELY. I had to coax the hungry baby inside to eat a snack and then skillfully negotiate every bite just so she could get enough calories to think straight enough to feed herself and stop being irritable. One kid dropped her pencil twice (the nerve) and wasn’t paying attention. I was asked what felt like more questions than a single human should reasonably be expected to answer in a one-hour period. Then to top it all off, I dropped the glass canister of cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the counter, shattering it, cutting my hand and leaving an annoying mess on the counter and floor.

Before I hit send on my laundry list of complaining to my husband who was sitting in a client’s office, working hard for our family, I realized this was the lamest sounding list of reasons to be having a bad day. I deleted it and said “Lots of things but not worth typing.”

Then the Holy Spirit began to work.

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What’s most notable about my story is that even though I was pursuing Bible and seeking to grow, attending an expositional preaching church with reformed theology, involved in weekly Bible study through BSF, I was still captured by false teachers for a time because I couldn’t yet discern them on my own. I knew about false teaching. I knew false teachers existed. But I didn’t know I was being discipled by them.

From 2011 to 2020, we were members of a different church than the one we are members of now. That church did not believe in having a bunch of bible studies. They were self-proclaimed ‘minimalists’ on ministries within the church. This led my husband and I to seek Bible studies and discipleship outside the church. First we were led to BSF which was a great experience for both of us and some of our first in depth experiences studying the Bible in a group setting.

Next, I discovered podcasts. These were still the earlier years of podcasts when everyone and their mom didn’t have one, so the few big names that had built a decent following early on - many of us knew about. I discovered Jamie Ivey. Jamie was a sweet girl from Texas who loved George W. Bush and just having nice, honest, long conversations 1:1 with other women on her show.

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In a season of young motherhood when I was at a deficit for adult conversation PLUS hoping to grow in my faith and understanding, her show was both entertaining and insightful. I didn’t know what “studying theology” was yet and if I had, I likely would not have had a taste at all for Jamie’s show, but it was just fun and lighthearted. Jamie had all kinds of guests on the show; Christian authors, other podcasters, people with a story to tell.

I discovered many new people to follow from her show. It gave me a “lay of the land” or a “who’s who” in Christian ministry world. I then found myself listening to so many new podcasts and reading many books by authors I had discovered from Jamie’s show. I tend to deep dive whatever topic I’m interested in and that’s what I would do with any topic and many guests Jamie Ivey introduced me to. I found Ian Morgan Cron and read his book The Road Back to You and started studying the Enneagram in depth, spending hours upon hours buying books, consuming resources, listening to other podcasts about it. I found Suzanne Stabile, read her book on the Enneagram and listened to any podcast episode I could with her as a guest. I subscribed to their podcasts and followed their Instagram accounts.

I kept going.

I listened to an episode where Jamie interviewed a cultural commentary podcast host who supposedly commented on pop culture from a Christian worldview. I began following their show on my podcast app and found them on Instagram soon after. Followed and subscribed.

She interviewed a woman who had a book motherhood. I followed and subscribed.

If she had interviewed a woman who had a podcast on the environmental importance of slugs, I probably would have followed and subscribed.

Jamie had built my implicit trust in her wisdom as an “older woman of the faith.” Anyone she trusted - I trusted.

The pattern continued.

Listen to episode.

Discover new ‘teacher’ to learn from.

Like and Subscribe.

Repeat.

I didn’t have much of what I would now call and recognize to be *discernment.* I had zeal. I had passion. I had a love for the Lord and I had a desire to grow in my faith. But I severely lacked discernment for how to hold up anyone’s words/teachings to scripture and compare or contrast these things for myself to see if they were true.

I simply had a blind faith and trust in Jamie to lead me to good follows and authors, and I looked at her show as both entertainment and discipleship.

Which is why in June of 2018 I even went to her event in Texas and got a picture with her. I’m telling you - I was fan girl number 1.

Fast forward to 2019. I have been doing my own podcast, Kindled, for about a year and Jamie Ivey is my inspiration. I even have Jamie on my show and do an episode with her. I’m stoked.

Through having my own show, I am introduced to the reality that once a publisher realizes you have a Christian podcast, they will offer to send you free books from their stable of authors in the hopes you will invite those authors on your show for an interview to promote their book. This was the core substance of my podcast for the first couple years.

Every guest I had on would be some sort of author and I would follow the same pattern with them.

Except now it had morphed into:

Record episode with them.

Discover more ‘teachers’ to learn from via their instagrams

Like and Subscribe.

Repeat.

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As you can imagine, years of doing this led me to a very confused instagram feed that was curated mostly based on OTHER peoples’ beliefs, not necessarily my own. I was the woman described in 2 Timothy 3:7 “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

And I had been “captured” by exactly the types described in the verse right before: “For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions…”

I was that woman burdened with sins I was seeking discipleship from a podcast to fix. Led astray by “various passions” whether it be a rogue interest in the enneagram or just the desire to be entertained to death to escape the difficulty of three kids under five.

I did not exercise discernment because I did not possess it.

It was not until really 2020 happened - first Covid, then George Floyd - that I began learning from older, wiser Christians to gain the clarity and understanding I realized I desperately needed to make sense of what I was seeing in the social justice movement and BLM.

We ended up leaving that church we were at in May of 2020 and finding a much more solid, expositional biblical church, which we are members of today.

Do Associations Matter?

So when someone asks if associations matter, my answer is unequivocally: YES.

And especially so for the younger, more immature believers among you. Here’s why:

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I thought it would be fun to look back on how our actual school year measured up to what I thought we would do, since often our reality does not end up reflecting our expectations, especially as homeschool moms.

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Bible:

What we started with: The Biggest Story Bible Curriculum

What we ended with: We stick with it! We did this curriculum a few times a week and have been at it for a couple years. We are a few stories away from finishing it! I don’t know what we’ll do next year for Bible yet.

History:

What we started with: Mystery of History - We just read this aloud together, we don’t do any of the other materials

What we ended with: A Childs First Book of American History (PB)

We paused MoH a couple months ago and switched to American History in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. I wanted to focus on that with the girls since it’s a big milestone in our nation. We started with the book “This Country of Ours” which is very descriptive and in depth but a TAD “advanced” for my 9 and 6 year old, so after a few stories from that, we paused.

Then I bought this book from a friend who was done with it and it is the perfect reading level for all 3 girls to understand and enjoy! We will continue with that through the Summer here and there and keep going into the Fall with it as well.

Church History:

What we started with: Missionary Stories with the Millers

Courageous Christians

What we ended with:

Missionary Stories with the Millers - finished it!

Courageous Christians - We read one story several times a week. Use discernment with some of the stories - they can be intense/violent and you may need to skip some descriptions.

I’ve also intermixed some readings from Then Sings my Soul once in a while, which is a hymn study book.

Math:

What we started with: Masterbooks Math

What we ended with: No changes! My K is in level 1 and my 3rd grader is in level 4 and my 5th grader is still in her level 5 book from Masterbooks.

Grammar:

What we started with: Fix-It Grammar

What we ended with:

The girls are still using Fix-It Grammar and also the older two began Easy Grammar , which they love. I feel like doing both side by side has been good. Easy Grammar has a bit more “instruction” it feels whereas Fix-It is more about sentence editing/correcting grammar.

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Recently I’ve been covering and deep diving into Catholic theology as compared with protestant theology. Some have not appreciated that fact, as is to be expected. It was a contentious debate some 500 years ago... not much has changed. But there’s a personal motivator and drive behind my concern for this topic.

I did grow up in a Christian home and was catechized with the Westminster shorter catechism “since I still had baby teeth” as I said on Instagram in jest (though that’s completely true.) I was raised in a reformed theology church and taught TULIP as I was learning cursive. That’s true too. But it’s not a love of THEOLOGY that primarily drives me to want to discuss this. It’s a love of PEOPLE. People made in God’s image who have not heard the actual gospel.

Many of those people sit in pews at Mass every week.

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Now don’t get me wrong. Many sit in protestant churches too. We all KNOW there are many progressive churches and even just watered down mega-churches that aren’t preaching the gospel at all. I talk about ALL the time on my page! I even would say I major on that. By comparison, I almost NEVER talk about Catholicism, and given such a large portion of conservatism is Catholic, just simply because so many people are Roman Catholic, I really should.

Over my seven years of having a podcast and Instagram presence, I have done only ONE episode specifically on Catholicism (here with Mike Gendron) and only recently written a couple posts on IG. It’s not as though this has been a pet topic for me for a length of time. But it matters a lot, and here’s why: Because souls are on the line.

It’s very unpopular and not at all fun to talk about this topic when you’ve built an audience of “conservative Christians” because those conservative Christians are from all kinds of denominations and a large number of them are Catholic. I’ve had to step on lots of toes and offend lots of people to share the theological differences and it has not been pretty, by any means. But again, love for people, love for God and zeal for the truth compels me to keep speaking. I sometimes wish it didn’t. That sounds much easier.

One particular event cemented in my understanding just how lost many Catholics are and how FEW have actually been taught how to study their Bibles, encouraged to even read it for themselves and presented with the gospel. Here is that story…

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What We Learn by Studying Church History

Church History. What. A. Snooze.

That was my honest reaction when I reached the point in seminary where I could no longer postpone the required Church History courses. TWO SEMESTERS of Church History were required to graduate.

But my preconceived opinion was wrong. I LOVED Church History. It’s the story of real people who lived actual lives, most of whom were propelled by faith, and a desire to serve Jesus, but also others who were propelled by the love of empire and power. There was nothing boring about it.

What do we mean by Church History? It is the history of the Christian religious community as a whole. This encompasses the small groups of believers who met in first century homes, to the churches established by Constantine, from which both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches emerged. It includes the churches that came out of the Reformation, and your own Church today. Church History looks at all of this, and the past offers important lessons for the present.

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Church History helps us see where believers got things right, and where things went horribly wrong. It teaches us a great deal about human nature as well as the human propensity to repeat behaviors no matter what the culture.

Church History helps us fully comprehend the ongoing story of The Bride of Christ. It shows her glory moments as well as her missteps. As we learn about these, we are better able to avoid missteps in our modern churches. We also may more easily recognize the moments when we are called to step out in faith for Jesus and his Church.

Church History reveals the cost those who came before us paid to establish and steward the Church throughout history. A few months ago, a friend texted me a link to a book and an excited note: “You MUST read this! I had NO IDEA what early believers endured!” Church history fosters a deep appreciation for those who stood up for their faith despite the cost. It also creates a deep humility about the relative ease of our lives today compared to other believers in history. Church History reminds us that following Christ has a price.

Church History teaches us about the theology battles waged in the early Church to develop sound teaching and doctrine. Early in Church history, heated theological debates raged. The earliest Christian thinkers sought to define doctrinal statements that accurately represented the content of Scripture, and to fight off heretical ideas. There were actual winners and losers in the debates to ensure that the truth of God’s Word was interpreted accurately. Theology matters. Theologians who came before us thought deeply and pursued God’s guidance and give us a model today for modern theological debates.

Church History helps us better recognize errors in practice and missteps in orthodoxy today. The Church is not perfect, and neither is her historical track record. History reveals periods during which The Church strayed from her true calling as The Bride of Christ, and times when she was her best self. Learning about these enables us to better evaluate the churches we attend and steward them well in the present.

Church History reveals the complex, intricate relationship between the entity of The Church and governmental powers. When the Church came into being in the first century, the Roman Empire required all citizens to worship and sacrifice to Roman gods to ensure the health and stability of the empire. Believers of the early Church refused. The Church began as a rebel religion. Separated by 2000 years it is easy for us to lose sight of how radical Christianity was.

Later the Church’s relationship with ruling powers shifted entirely when Christianity became the state religion of the empire. Unfortunately, unspeakable acts occurred under the guise of spreading Christianity (at numerous points in history). The Church became a tool for power for kings and emperors.

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Living in the 21^st century, especially in Western culture, it is very hard to imagine Church and governmental power united as one ruling force. But for more than half of the history of The Church this was true. Studying that history brings a deep appreciation for the freedom to worship as we feel called that we have today.

Church History teaches us how The Church shaped history, and how history shaped The Church. Jesus frequently taught his followers about the Kingdom of God, which he came to inaugurate. Since its birth, The Church - the forefront of that Kingdom – has been in conflict with earthly kingdoms. Many of those kingdoms used the Church for their own means. At times The Church gained great power and shaped empires. Some in power persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed Believers, in the name of The Church! At other times powerful earthly kingdoms dominated and used the Church for their own ends.

And yet, The Church, faith in Jesus and belief in His coming Kingdom have survived and endured. This endurance gives us hope and strengthens our faith that God’s work in the world is alive and continues.

Finally, Church History gives us a glorious glimpse of who the Bride of Christ can be when she lives fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit and fully focused on the teachings of Jesus. Across the globe, The Church brought the words of eternal life to people who had no knowledge of God. Along with this it has made life immeasurably better for millions. Faithful believers, supported by churches, have brought education, medical aid, food, agricultural practices, access to healthy water and many other life-changing blessings to peoples and cultures worldwide. This is the Church at its best, The Bride in her glory.

Church History teaches us that though the Church has been led by fallen humans, it has been consistently guided by a gracious, patient, sovereign God. And that spurs us forward to continue God’s holy kingdom work.

© 2023 Briane Pittman Kearns All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

Want to learn more about church history?

I recommend starting here.

Ryan Reeves on YouTube

Top Reformed Church History Podcasts

• 5 Minutes in Church History (Ligonier Ministries): Hosted by Dr. Stephen Nichols, this podcast provides brief, engaging snapshots of people, places, and events in church history, from the ancient church to the modern era.

• The Reformation Podcast: Hosted by Gerhard Stübben and Jake Raabe, this show focuses specifically on the history and theology of the 16th and 17th-century Protestant Reformers.

• Historical Theology for Everyone: Often recommended alongside Ryan Reeves’ YouTube channel, providing in-depth, academic yet accessible, Reformed analysis of church history.

• Reformed Forum: Features in-depth theological discussions, often diving into the historical development of Reformed doctrines and key theologians.

• Church History and Theology (SermonAudio): Dr. Timothy Easley covers historical topics, including early church history, in a structured educational format.

• Drive By Church History (Wretched Radio): A fast-paced, entertaining, and brief summary of major church history events.

One thing I will caution is that most Bible studies marketed to women are watered down and fluffy. They’ll say a lot but communicate very little, they’ll make the scripture all about you or what you want to get out of it, rather than emphasize what God in His word wants us to know and understand. I would advise completely avoiding most Bible studies specifically targeted or marketed at women, just to be honest. There are VERY FEW that are worth your time. Nancy Guthrie is one of those and she’s listed below. Lydia Brownback and Susan Heck, as well! I’m sure there are others. These are just the ones I am certain are solid.

Generally, you’ll have an easier time finding solid studies authored by men than women.

Of course, hold everything up to scripture from any of the below listed teachers as man is fallible and only God’s word is inerrant!

Hopefully this list will get you started in the right direction. There are SO many more solid teachers than who is listed here. I’ll continue to update and add to this list. Feel free to message me if there’s someone you believe should be added!

John Macarthur

RC Sproul

Paul Washer

John Stott

Nancy Guthrie

Lydia Brownback

Susan Heck

Simeon Trust

Simeon Trust is a teaching organization that trains pastors to better teach God’s word. They have online courses for men and women to teach the Bible better. Their women’s course is for women who are teaching women and children. I have taken it and it is very helpful for learning how to study, write a talk/teaching but also in just assessing what sound Biblical interpretation is!

Precept upon Precept

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I was a bit shocked a few weeks ago when I shared something seemingly innocuous about the Trinity on Instagram. I received more than one message challenging the notion that the doctrine of the Trinity was necessary to “be a Christian.”

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These are things I thought self-proclaiming Christians understood, but discovered that no - these things do not actually go without saying anymore. It is naive to believe that Christians understand this today because so many churches have ceased to teach the importance of doctrine, have ceased to provide their attendees (for many of them are not actually even members) with scriptural backing for our beliefs and have ceased to provide definitions for many theological words really at all. (That is, if they even use such words from the pulpit, which is sadly less common than I’d like to know.)

The people who were offended that I said YES, you must believe in the trinity to be a Christian were offended because they held conservative VALUES but simply differed on a few key “doctrinal differences.” But those doctrinal differences ultimately mean we are actually speaking of and worshipping and praying to two DIFFERENT gods entirely.

The offense came when I asserted that if you change the definition of who Jesus is - you are in fact NOT praying to or speaking of the same Jesus that I worship, but rather a made-up Jesus of your imagination and your own creation. Members of the LDS church fall into this category as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses and several other cults. But many of them like to be identified as “Christian” if they have similar political or conservative beliefs.

It is tempting as a Christian in the “culture war” space to want to just give ground and say, “Yeah, you’re a Christian!” because they claim they believe in Jesus too. The question is: WHICH JESUS? And who do they say that he is?

In an age when a boy can be a girl, many are asking, “Why does a Christian need to have any firm ‘doctrines’ they hold to?” If you’re online, you’ve probably encountered it. “I share the same values as you, so I’m a Christian too.”

The problem is, being a Christian isn’t primarily about whether you know a boy is not a girl or are in favor of protecting our borders and enforcing just laws or protecting the unborn. Yes, those things should naturally flow OUT OF a biblically informed understanding of the current political conversations, but the pre-requisite for being a Christian is much more than just morals and ethical positions held. The requirement is repentance and belief in Christ. And not just a vague notion of a prophet or a good guy with nice words for humanity. Christ as scripture presents him: the second person of the trinity, the Son of God.

• John 3:16 (NIV): “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

• Matthew 16:16 (NKJV): “Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’”

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• 1 John 4:15 (NIV): “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God”.

• John 1:34 (NIV): “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s chosen One” (or “the Son of God” in some translations).

• Luke 1:35 (NIV): “...so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”.

Let me illustrate my point:

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Antique stores + Estate Sales

I love vintage pieces. I have a big old map in our school room I got at an estate sale, I have some old books I’ve displayed on easels as decor on our shelves. I love a good vintage find.

Canvas & Kind

I absolutely love Taylor’s aesthetic. She’s also a conservative Christian, which is a bonus getting to support someone with my values! But her art is so colorful and beautiful. I am so thankful I have 4 of her pieces in our home.

p.s. - She also has a floral painting subscription I HIGHLY recommend (Use code KINDLED to make your first month just $9!) My girls love doing it too! It’s so easy to follow. She also has a kid’s art subscription you should check out. I made the one below with the blue background from one of her tutorials.

Fine Art America

This is where I curated the print wall in our dining room/school room from. You can search fine classic art pieces and order prints. Their library is extensive. If you are looking for a classic art piece, check here.

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Printing your own photos

Printing photos of the girls makes up another segment of our art. I purchased these frames on Amazon. The quality is not great but the price for the unique size was good. I didn’t like the place I got the photos printed (quality was poor) but I’ve since been told Mpix.com quality is very good for photo printing. Trust me - don’t spend money at a cheap/low quality place on a budget. You’ll end up like me then having spent hundreds and now with photos you don’t love, needing to get them reprinted for even more $$.

Unique Art Prints

Another great place to hunt for prints is Etsy! There are THOUSANDS of downloadable files you can purchase and print yourself. Some sellers also sell prints, which is a bit pricier. If it’s a small enough format, Walgreens has same day photo printing. For larger prints, there are tons of websites online that offer prints of your uploaded digital files.

Inspiration from other decorators

I’m just going to say it. Sometimes you love a design so much you straight up copy it! Nesting with Grace is that designer for me. I loved the bedroom makeover she did for her daughter so much I ordered the same prints and wallpaper! Imitation is the finest form of flattery, or something like that? I don’t do that often but in this case I made an exception. It was just too good.

Wayfair

If you are looking for a specific piece, say a landscape painting, or an abstract piece, Wayfair is a good place to hunt for the perfect one!

Handpainted art by me, my kids or my mom!

A growing number of the pieces in my home are by me, my kids or my mom, who is an amazing painter. Think about mimicking pieces you like and using something that is way out of budget as inspiration to practice painting (Grab Canvas & Kind Painting tutorial subscription!). I have found giant canvases for my pieces at Thrift stores. Hobby Lobby also has a decent collection at a reasonable price - and they’re regularly on sale.

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Paint by Numbers

A growing number of pieces in our home are also paint by numbers the girls have done! Paint by numbers are a fun way to display kid art because they end up looking “cool” enough for display typically… as long as you choose a high quality/pretty design. I love the ones from ColourMost. This desert landscape is from there and me and my 11 year old both worked on it. She finished when I lost interest.

Frames

Home Goods and Target are my favorite place to buy frames. I don’t usually love their art pieces because they look so “big manufacturer” most of the time, but I have found a few good filler pieces here and there from Target and Home Goods over the years. Hobby Lobby has frames too, but I usually don’t like theirs as much as the other two stores.

When our kids were growing up and navigating friendship dynamics, we would often repeat a phrase to remind them of the importance of being wise about the people with whom they were spending the most time. “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”, we’d say, and this was usually met with a roll of the eyes but I think they would both now agree that there is a lot of truth in that advice. The book of Proverbs is filled with verses about friendship alongside warnings about what happens when we allow ourselves to be led astray by others. Proverbs 13:20 sums it up perfectly. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Another thing we made sure to teach our kids is that our reputations matter. I’m sure we can all remember times at school when a group of students (maybe you were one of them!) were pulled into the Principals’ office because of some kind of bad behavior. And, while perhaps not all of them were responsible, they were all suspected because of their close association. This can feel really unfair for the innocent party but it serves as a reminder of just how easily we can damage our own reputation by being continually affiliated with someone who is making poor choices.

The concept of guilt by association is usually thought of as a logical fallacy used to discredit people merely by a connection to something or someone. In fact, there’s a running joke that if Hitler ate apples and someone else likes to eat apples then Ipso Facto; that person is just like Hitler. This exaggeration of the principle is obviously absurd but it would be equally careless to deny the reality that we can learn a lot about someone by seeing who they admire, follow and align with. One of the most important things that we learn from a person’s associations is whether or not they have discernment and good judgement. Because, if they are lacking in those areas, should we allow them to influence or lead us in other areas?

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Recently, Christianity Today announced that Jen Wilkin and Russell Moore would be teaming up for a special event called, “How to Study the Bible Better.” This is not the first time they have done this specific event. It’s also not the only time that Jen has been featured on Moore’s show or published by Christianity Today. In fact, she has a long history of contributing to the publication and being hosted on Moore’s podcast. Now, if you haven’t been following the downward spiral of Christianity Today then I’ll just encapsulate it by sharing with you that at our home we refer to it as “Christianity Astray.” What was once a reputable magazine, trusted for being rooted in historic Christianity, has now become a bastion of progressivism. A cursory glance at their headlines will make it very clear where they stand on the issues of the day. In an article for The Daily Wire, Megan Basham outlines how under the leadership of Russell Moore, the magazine accepted over $1Million from a major funder of Planned Parenthood. “Since 2022, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has become a major patron of Christianity Today, donating well over $1,000,000 to the outlet, records show. Included in the contributions is $400,000 for general operating support, $75,000 to develop a mobile app, and $600,000 to cover U.S. elections. This makes Hewlett one of the magazine’s top disclosed donors, even though the NGO’s extensive abortion backing makes it a strange bedfellow for a Christian publication.” You can read more about this and similar such partnerships in Basham’s book ‘Shepherds for Sale’.

While I won’t be going into detail about the concerns that have been raised over the years about Jen Wilkin’s teaching, it’s important to note that there have been signs. But, even IF her books, Bible studies and messages consistently reflected an orthodox perspective, we must understand that there is a difference between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The easiest way to think of these terms is that orthodoxy has to do with beliefs while orthopraxy has to do with actions. Someone could actually say mostly theologically accurate things while also exhibiting choices and behaviors that don’t reflect that theology. Which is why we must be watching for the fruit in someone’s life. The leftward trajectory of Christianity Today is not new. So, this isn’t a matter of not knowing or recognizing the reality of the situation. This is a choice. An ongoing choice (Wilkin regularly contributes content to CT Magazine) to partner with a publication that has not only overtly aligned with progressive “Christianity” but has covertly aligned with those who are actively working against Christians on foundational issues such as abortion and gender.

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As in the Hitler example I gave earlier, the concept of guilt by association can be abused and taken to extremes. But, that doesn’t mean we should toss it out entirely. Guilt by association is something that humans have long relied upon to make assessments of others based on their connections. Throughout history, it was a necessary mechanism for survival. Knowing who or what to avoid often literally meant the difference between life and death. Today, it’s not only a tool that we use to help us make wise decisions but it’s actually embedded into our legal framework as well. In the criminal justice system, the concept of aiding and abetting means that you can be held liable for someone’s actions even without direct involvement. If you harbor a fugitive or drive the getaway car after a robbery, this association makes you complicit. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” The Biblical teachings on complicity make it very clear that it’s a serious moral failing to participate in, enable or approve of sin.

When the news of this recent partnership between Wilkin and Moore hit more conservative Christian circles on social media, I noticed two different patterns emerging. Some commented that they were not surprised by this because they had recognized errors or concerns in Wilkin’s teachings prior to this. Others commented that this did, in fact, surprise them and that they would be paying closer attention from now on. (A few praised the partnership because they are deluded and still revere CT/Moore and to them we simply say, “bless your hearts”.) Either way, observing someone’s associations provide us with evidence which will always aid us in becoming more discerning. And, once you see it, it’s very hard to un-see it. When our eyes are opened to error we become much more adept at recognizing it both in ourselves and in the teachers we’re following. And, because error never stays put but always progresses in a downward trajectory, the sooner you recognize it the better.

So, what are you to do if you are a woman who has enjoyed Jen Wilkin’s books, studies and conference messages but are troubled by this latest partnership? I’d like to recommend a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Will I always have to make a disclaimer now before I recommend her content to someone else? (“Just so you know she has ongoing partnerships with outlets who profess to be Christian but have become blatantly progressive and take funding from these places.”)

2. Because I’ve trusted her judgement in one area, am I at risk of trusting her judgement in other areas? Should I trust someone who appears to lack discernment in their associations?

3. Has she spoken boldly about the sanctity of life, the Biblical mandates on marriage and sexuality? If she hasn’t, why not? If she did, would she still be asked to partner with these outlets?

4. Would I want someone who is immature in the faith to look to her as an example of a leader who is solid in both orthodoxy AND orthopraxy?

Ultimately, our associations DO matter. Particularly when it comes to the associations of those who are considered leaders and teachers in the Church. They are held to a higher standard. “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1) We must exercise discernment and wisdom when determining whether someone’s ongoing associations and partnerships indicate an endorsement. At minimum, this should serve as a warning to be watching more closely.

It is becoming increasingly clear that many self-professing Christians - meaning those who claim the name “follower of Jesus” - do not know what His word teaches. And the few words they MAY know of it, they do not understand. You see, it’s one thing to be able to regurgitate the words. But another entirely to understand meaning.

Let’s say I tell my daughter to “break a leg” before her volleyball game. If she takes that literally and doesn’t understand it’s a figure of speech, the meaning behind the speech is entirely lost. If I tell my husband I’ll be upstairs “in a second” and he doesn’t understand that to mean “shortly” rather than an actual second, I’d seem like a liar or worry him with my delay.

These are silly examples because of COURSE everyone knows what a figure of speech is and of course we don’t take everything someone says literally. But by the same token, are we the least bit concerned with understanding what scripture actually means by what it says?

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What we are seeing happen online (especially on Christian woman instagram) is a million voices who are CONFIDENT they know exactly that Jesus for sure would abolish ICE, but are twisting His word to defend this position. In reality, this is nothing new. In Galatians, Paul writes to the Galatian church and says, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified” (ESV). To understand the meaning of the word bewitched, we must review the context of Galatians 3:1–9.

False teachers had persuaded the Galatians that Gentiles should practice circumcision and other ceremonies of the Mosaic Law to be justified before God (Galatians 5:2). This directly contradicted Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith (outlined in Romans 5:1–2; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:11–14). This is why Paul finds it necessary to remind the Galatians of the truth he had proclaimed to them.

There are similar false teachers operating today, working for their father the devil to obfuscate what scripture makes clear, to twist what God has made straight and to confuse what Christ has said in His word. The thing about false teachers is they always claim to be the REAL teachers of scripture. The TRUE Christians. The REAL ones who “love like Jesus.”

And so how can we know whether their claims are true or false? Hold it all up to scripture. There is but one standard by which we can know what God’s word means by what it says, and that is - ITSELF. Scripture interprets scripture.

This is a very trusty principle to employ when we aren’t sure what the text means. Often you will see progressives draw on ONE single verse to make their point.

“Rahab was an asylum seeker.”

“Jesus flipped tables in the temple and so he’d for sure abolish ICE”

“Open borders are loving because there are no illegal humans. We are all made in God’s image.”

Always with the out-of-context scripture. Always to serve their agenda. And always untethered from the whole of scripture. But our thread through the labyrinth of false unscriptural claims is letting scripture interpret itself.

When someone says, “Rahab was an asylum seeker” - meaning to insinuate that if this woman in the line of Jesus was counted righteous and saved for her acts of helping the spies escape, surely we should be for open borders. Only - HUH?

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I’ve noticed that the leftists and progressives who are arguing against deportations and fighting ICE operations seem to have bought into a number of logical fallacies and poor arguments that are easily destroyed.

This is a Christianly pursuit - to destroy any lofty arguments that raise themselves against the knowledge of God. As ICE is seeking to uphold good laws in our nation while progressives are seeking to destroy those laws and seek to abolish the God-instituted authority that Romans 13 makes clear is for our good and protection, I find it to be a worthy pursuit to address some of these arguments directly.

Many of you are facing these in conversations with family members, messaging me - stumped what to say. Maybe this will get the wheels turning in the right direction.

So - for argument number 1.

“ALL ARE WELCOME HERE”

Except you, Conservative Christian. My art/recipes/ideas aren’t for you

Artist Lindsay Letters took to her instagram yesterday to boldly proclaim, in case her audience had missed it, that EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE (meaning - in her corner of the internet) with the exception of a few types of people.

She then went on to describe a general “Conservative Christian” persona. Someone who says illegals don’t belong in our country (she specifically said you think there are illegal people - I’ll address that in another article)

She expounded upon her conviction that her art was not FOR people who believed things that conservative Christians believe, and then proceeded to additionally misrepresent what we actually believe.

I have several pieces of Lindsay’s art. I loved it years ago - before the entire world decided their political views belonged on their social media pages posturing how virtuous and good they are. I learned of her leanings in 2020 around the time the black square apologists came out of the woodwork.

I have two of her paintings hanging in my living room right now. And I will not be taking them down. Why? Because Lindsay’s political views do not dictate whether her art is beautiful. The art can be objectively beautiful insofar as it represents something true or lovely about God’s character or His creation.

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I read something Abby wrote a couple weeks ago in a casual Facebook post and it hit me in such a unique way that I reached out to her and encouraged her to write a whole article on it. And maybe even start a Substack. (She did that and you can subscribe to it here!)

Here is what she wrote:

I have watched Abby grow so much over the years in her homemaking and motherhood. I remember the years she writes about on her Substack where home was not a place of peace and joy for her. We were in small group together years ago and I recall the prayer requests she would bring to group and the desires of her heart to be a godly wife and mom, to steward her home well. It didn’t happen overnight as I know Abby would tell you - but she has, with God’s help, landed at a place of true peace in her home. And it’s contagious.

It’s an absolute joy to see how God transformed her heart for building and cultivating her home and more importantly the people in it. And now to see her share that with others? How cool. I am overjoyed to share her wisdom and perspective with you in this Substack article she was kind enough to let me publish here.

Before you read her full article, make sure you follow her on Substack!

Follow Abby in the Home

Picture this. You’re walking down a busy small town Main Street. You come across what looks like a charming coffee shop. You walk in and are instantly transported to a cozy, comfortable and perfect atmosphere. The lighting is low but at the perfect setting to bring a soft warmth to the room. The decor reminds you of a grandma’s house, but in a pretty and welcoming way. You feel your stress melt away, the tightness of your chest lifts, and you settle in for a coffee at one of the many tables.

How many of us are drawn to that cozy, aesthetically pleasing coffee shop? The breath of fresh air that greenhouses or plant stores have? The joy of eating yummy food with friends in the cutest little brunch corner. All the things that continue to pull us away from our own spaces. What if we took the aspects that we love in those spots and transferred them to our own homes? We have the longing that stems from somewhere, why wouldn’t we want to create that atmosphere in the very place we spend the majority of our time in? Unless you aren’t spending any time at home, but that’s another post for another time.

Every journey begins with taking that first step. Buying a seed packet and planting just one seed can spread to having an entire garden of produce, or even a flower garden. Learning how to bake yummy muffins to enjoy with a friend over a cup of tea at your kitchen table, painting living room walls, hanging pictures, and decorating in a way that brings you and your home joy! Making your home a place you want to be, in a way that glorifies the Lord and the talents He has blessed you with! Of course, this will look different for everyone, but starting by praying for what the Lord desires and asking Him to show you what gifts He has given to use in your home is such a sweet start.

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After going to the Lord, look within your church body and seek out women who are willing to teach some of these things to you. Find someone who hosts regularly, ask her to teach you her ways. Interested in learning how to garden? I’m sure there’s someone in your church community who would love to share their knowledge with you. Seek out the women living out Titus 2:3-5 and ask them to pour into you, or maybe you are the woman who can teach others. Be willing to reach out and ask if anyone is looking to learn what you have knowledge in. Gardening, canning, sewing, cooking, home keeping, so many options!

Let’s go back to the coffee shop/bookstore/greenhouse in your mind. What about it entices you? Is it the paint color/decor? The smells of coffee roasting or baked goods coming out of the oven? Or is it the cutest couch in the corner that has become your favorite seat in the place? I challenge you to think and figure out the “why” for these places, then turn around and see what you can change within your home to have a similar space. God has given us a sweet role in the home and part of that is making it feel like a home, one the entire family longs to be in. Not just for the years when children are growing inside the home, but also making your home a place where they can’t wait to return with their own families in the future. And if you don’t have children, having a welcoming place to host others is a cherished thing as well.

God has blessed us, as women especially, with a gifting of creativity. That can show up in a variety of ways, but it is a gifting from the Lord. The gift of cooking, artistry, photography, painting, cleaning, having an eye for coordination, and so much more. These are all things that often pull us into our own small businesses. While that’s not a bad thing, it often is at the sacrifice for our own home. We help others create their homes in beautiful ways, bake delicious food/baked goods for others to buy, clean homes professionally, whatever it may be. All at a cost - are our homes clean, organized, and aesthetically pleasing (for ourselves, not talking for socials)? Are our families being served first before a business takes over? Can we share our creativity and wisdom with others while not making it be for the sole purpose of profiting?

Titus 2:3b-5 “They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

I leave you with this challenge. Find what brings creative joy, and look around and see what you can do inside the home with those talents, instead of searching outside the home for that fulfillment. All for the glory of the Lord.

There’s so much to be angry at when you look at the headlines. Wicked regimes hurting their citizens. Mob justice that seems to rule and reign. The unborn are murdered and the masses celebrate. The guilty are murdered and the masses riot. It’s truly too much for a human soul to bear sometimes. Especially when we are not spending as much time in God’s word filling our minds with truth.

So today I decided to fast from both food (until dinner) and creating any content. For me, social media is not a huge temptation when it comes to scrolling, but it is when it comes to yapping. I checked in a few times but I didn’t post. Without food (and WITH a headcold to boot), it’s a lot harder to think clear thoughts. So I didn’t really have the mind for it anyways. My food fast was to experiment with autophagy fasting (17 hours+), recommended by Mindy Pelz for healing tendon injuries. I’m hoping that some consistent longer fasts might stimulate some cellular repair in my achilles injury from a year ago. Time will tell.

But one thought I had as I hopped back into DMs this evening and saw crazy/unbiblical/terrible post after crazy/unbiblical/terrible post sent to me with, “What are your thoughts on this?” was this: There is so much to discern. And while it’s true that yes, life would be a lot less confusing without social media in a lot of ways, if we have a strong discernment muscle, these small posts with images and words meant to make us think or feel a certain way - will not have the impact they are intended. They will roll off us like water off a duck’s back.

Here’s one of the posts that was sent to me that I want to address here.

First off, this is blasphemous. The comparison being made is that of Renee Nicole Good to Jesus Christ. The commentary is, “Jesus was killed for “disobeying the law” and so was Renee, so why do conservative Christians laud Jesus but condemn Nicole for her actions?

It’s hard to know where to begin with such warped thinking but here’s a start:

Renee Good is not a type of Christ. She wasn’t the Son of God or fully God and fully man. She wasn’t sacrificing herself for the sins of the world. She wasn’t even a Christian.

And important to this comparison, she was killed as a consequence of her choice to disobey a righteous law, whereas Jesus was killed EVEN THOUGH He broke no laws except the “manmade” and flawed interpretation of the Pharisees who believed he was lying about being the Son of God.

The Pharisees hated Jesus for a lot of reasons, a few of which are:

1. They were jealous of him

2. He exposed their hypocrisy

3. They feared his influence and power and that he would lead a revolt against the Romans, causing them to lose their positions of power.

He threatened their religious authority, challenged their interpretation of the Law, exposed their hypocrisy, and offered a different path to salvation (faith in Him, not strict rule-following) that undermined their power and social status.

Renee Good, by all accounts, is literally the opposite of Jesus. She isn’t hated by the religious elite, she is their poster child. She is living out the requirements set up for her. Protest ICE, protect illegals, indoctrinate your children, RESIST.

The religious zealots of our day aren’t conservative Christians, they’re progressives.

Think about it. They demand perfect adherence to their manmade laws, threaten to destroy anyone who challenges their interpretation of scripture and righteousness and will literally drive their car into anyone who undermines their right to do whatever they want with impunity.

Renee Good was not killed unjustly like Jesus. Her death was just.

Renee Good broke laws. Jesus didn’t.

Renee Good was the progressive “religious elite” like the pharisees were. Jesus was God.

Renee Good wasn’t a Christian. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Put more simply, posts like this are not only blasphemous, they are incredibly easy to pick apart once you look at what is being claimed and dissect it. Work those discernment muscles, they WILL get stronger. Social media is rotting our brains in lots of ways, but I hope when you come across stuff like this you’ll take some time to even take notes and break it down/think it through if it’s not immediately apparent. You CAN discern truth with God’s word at your side.

This is not another article telling you to regret the cookies and pies and mashed potatoes that might be sitting a little too thick on your midsection right now (just me?)

No. I refuse. I regret NOTHING. (Ok, maybe I took a couple too many bites of the chocolate bag I made tonight…)

This is not another January 1 challenge inviting you to drop the weight once and for all or set a bigger, badder goal that might maybe just this time finally work. I’m tired of all that. I’m doing the opposite of all the commercials and the advertising: I’m aiming much smaller this year.

I want to focus on my HABITS. Why?

Because my habits reveal my heart.

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Think about it. Habits form our lives. They form our every day. They therefore form the person we are and will become. Habits are powerful. Now I’m no tech bro and I haven’t read all the latest literature on habits and such (I know there’s lots of it) - I’ve simply realized the power of my own habits in my life, especially as a busy mom.

We don’t always intentionally CHOOSE a habit, but somehow over time, it forms. And suddenly we realize its been months of us doing the same thing every day, at that time of day, and we’ve begun to look forward to it.

Here’s an example. Last Winter/Spring, I discovered Built bars. I LOVED them. So I started having one as an after-lunch treat to up my protein and begin the second half of my day. I added an iced cold brew (my daily standard) and called it “built bar-o-clock.” I began enjoying this daily - looking forward to it even. It was delicious. It helped my protein get to 30g or over if my lunch was lighter, and it was a “treat” that I looked forward to.

Do I have to put “built-bar-o-clock” on my calendar and make myself do it? No. I just simply remember it because it’s built into my day and it’s become a habit. In fact, if I somehow accidentally miss that day’s built bar o’clock, I’m even a tad bit SAD about it!

So yes - habits often form somewhat seemingly naturally. But what we forget is that we are not STUCK with the habits we have if they are not good for us or glorifying to God. We can CHOOSE and CHANGE our habits.

Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business says this: “This is the real power of habit: the insight that your habits are what you choose them to be.”

As you think about the new year and things you may want to work toward, maybe instead of setting a big, looming goal that stresses you out and makes you feel like a failure if you don’t get there perfectly, the most powerful thing you could do in service of that goal is actually to form a new habit.

This year, I’m not “setting goals” in the traditional sense, but I am deciding to form some new habits.

But I can’t say much more on habits (the fruit) before addressing what I know is the ROOT behind my consistent struggle to reach any given goal I may have - be it physical, spiritual, financial or otherwise:

The consistency that comes with DISCIPLINE.

Discipline. A word we know we need to love and pursue but a word we hate.

Scripture says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it". Hebrews 12:11

Now I know the context is not talking about the discipline of not rewarding your brain with sugar every night but it could certainly apply, could it not?

There are so many things I know I need to do that are not pleasant and do not “spark joy” or “light me up inside” as the big successful influencers tell us. Now there are things we MUST do every day that are not quite the same as habits. But they are helpful in drilling down WHY we do what we do.

Unloading the dishwasher is a duty that must be done every day. It doesn’t spark joy. Switching the wet laundry to the dryer isn’t what “lights me up inside” but it is out of duty and love for my family that I regularly do these things to keep our home running and things operating smoothly.

A duty is something I MUST do and I can choose to do it out of a right heart or a sinful one.

A habit is something I choose to do based on what my heart loves.

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