By: Thomas F. Booher
Today, being a white Christian man in the United States and holding to properly ordered loves (a good definition of which is given here: https://americanreformer.org/2024/12/rightly-ordered-love/) consistently and publicly will get you labeled as a "racist" or "white supremacist" or something similar soon enough.
In fact, you do not even have to be white or a man to be labeled something like a "white supremacist". But there's a rule out there today that if you can't find a minority to say it first, then what you are saying is bigoted, racist, etc.
I like the phrase/terminology of "properly ordered loves" because it is harder to slander/bear false witness against. It is harder to reduce down to some sort of scary word like "racist" or "kinist" or "supremacist" or "nazi" or whatever. I would say I also like the notion of "family first", but apparently some have even tried to attack those who would prioritize the family -- recognizing our own household as something God has called us to love most and be fiercely loyal to over many other things including other families (hence properly ordered loves, 1 Timothy 5:8, etc.) -- by saying we are "familial-ists"! Oh no, watch out, the "familial-ists" are coming! Look at how strongly they love their families and devote themselves to them to the glory of God! Arrggggh!
The maneuver used again and again by many is to strike you down simply by labeling you some scary sounding but never clearly defined term/word, like "familial-ist, kinist, racist, nationalist, supremacist, patriarchal, etc." If you believe God made men and women different, with men created to lead and rule, and women to be helpmeets to the men leading and ruling for God's glory, you are a big bad "patriarchal-ist".
In this case, the sinister goal, whether such persons who do this fully realize what they are doing or not, is to evoke imagery of a blustering, angry, abusive man that beats his wife and children mercilessly, thinking God blesses him as he does so. That's the same magic spell cast over many who are labeled a supremacist, racist, or other words today. "Oh, you think you should love your own family and country over others? You sound like a wicked nationalist, just like the national socialists, the Nazi's, and you must be Hitler. And you must hate other peoples and nations as well. Enjoy the flames of hell, you bigot!"
Now, there are some who are so worn out with this, they have tried to "flip the script" as it were, and simply embrace these labels as good things. "So, you say loving my own people first and most makes me a supremacist? So be it then, I am a supremacist. In fact, our European forbears who settled this land are, after all, supreme to the natives that were here and others who have failed to take dominion. Supremacist is actually an excellent label, thank you very much." Of course, that becomes absolute proof positive for those who throw such labels around with the goal of demonizing decent people who are simply noticing reality and history that such persons actually are demonic "supremacists".
Satan loves to twist words, confuse the truth by doing so. This is why bearing false witness is a sin, after all. The struggle is when Satan takes terms that can be good and reasonable, and twists them so that if you believe in rightly ordered loves at all, you get labeled with a term that is supposed to send a chill up everyone's spine.
What makes this "spell" so effective and powerful today? It is sad but expected when progressives and leftists do this and get away with it. It is revealing when those who claim to be conservative and on the "right" do this and destroy those who are much closer to them and should be allies, or at least co-belligerents. It shows that we have been blinded by many things. Perhaps the root term and all-encompassing ideology that allows the spell to continue over our minds, even sincere and Bible-believing Christians, is "Egalitarianism". That word doesn't send a chill up our spines. The way it is being wielded though, frankly should. Merriam Webster online defines this as the image shows:
By the surface definition, today we would say we of course would wish to be "Egalitarian". Don't we all believe in equality? But as usual, it all depends on what we mean by "equality". Are all human beings made in the image of God by God Himself? Yes, of course. But does that mean all human beings are identical and equal in every sense of that word? Of course not. But that is where we start getting very queasy, if not angry already. After all, doesn't the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence plainly say, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Well, 1776 comes before 1790, but is only 14 years apart, and the Naturalization Act of 1790 essentially said that only free white persons/Europeans of good character could be considered for citizenship in the United States of America. Today we have redefined this portion of the Declaration of Independence along modern liberal, Egalitarian lines, such that 1790 would have to somehow be racist, bigoted, evil, etc. But imagine you, an American with white/European lineage, going to Japan and demanding they allow you to become a citizen, and further, regard you as Japanese! Do you see how absurd this is? What duty does any country have to grant you citizenship, and then lie and tell you that you are now "one of them"? You are not. We should not have to do this here in America either.
Further, our founders did not believe, for instance, that slavery had to be banished in every sense of the word, in order for all men to be created equal and have certain unalienable Rights. Evidently, they believed, with a straight face, that being created equal and being born a slave was no injustice or sinful inequality in itself, nor did being a slave inherently prevent one from obtaining "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
What does Scripture say on this point? Is slavery in itself evil? No. God Himself commanded His people to enslave pagan, enemy, wicked nations. Imprisonment is certainly a form of slavery, where freedom is stripped and labor is mandated. Children have much freedom limited while in their homes, and are "imprisoned/enslaved" to some great degree to the will of their parents, and the 5th commandment and all Scripture commands that children are to obey their parents in the Lord.
Paul and Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this down in Scripture, say with a straight face that bondservants/slaves are to obey their Masters, and that Masters are to treat their slaves well, Eph. 6:5-9, 1 Pet. 2:18-25. In fact in 1 Pet. 2, slaves are even to bear up under harsh masters that beat them, not because Masters had a right to cruelly treat their slaves, but rather because Christ Himself also suffered unjustly, and at times we may be called to do the same, knowing the Lord will reward us for suffering unjustly just as He did His Son Jesus Christ.
But the point is this -- today we often import modern Egalitarianism into the Scriptures, such that we have to explain away things like slavery in the Bible, including the New Testament. Paul regulates slavery, he doesn't abolish it. He speaks to the Christian household, and lists Masters and Slaves in the household right alongside husband and wife, and children and parents. We dare not rebuke God and the Holy Spirit! We dare not say the Lord was wrong when He permitted slavery, and even sanctioned slave-owning (in certain forms at least) where the Master treated his slaves well.
This is not at all to say that slavery is the ideal, or that we should be striving for slavery. Paul also says in I Corinthians 7:21-24, "Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called."
If you can acquire freedom in a righteous and reasonable way, and use that to further serve God, praise God! Do so. But, note also, the slave in Christ is freed in Christ, freed to serve the Lord in his station in life. So then, "do not be concerned about it...let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called."
Already we are having a detailed discussion about something unconscionable to the modern mind -- slavery and its relative utility. Treating anyone like wild beasts, locked up in a cage to suffer and die, such as the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, is morally evil and reprehensible. It is not treating human beings well. It is being an awful Master. Such treatment would only be fitting, perhaps, for severe criminals.
But is slave-owning, in itself sinful? No. If one bought a slave and treated that slave well, and did not have a hand in causing that slave to be shipped over in wicked conditions, etc., the slave owner would be commended by Christ, by Paul, by the early Church, received into membership, given communion, could even serve as a Minister of the Gospel, provided he treated his slaves well.
So return to the first definition listed above for egalitarianism, "a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs." Then add to it the second definition, "a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people."
Is this righteous? The women's liberation movement, demanding their right to vote, was done in the name of "equality". Women today who demand they are allowed to preach in churches do so in the name of "equality" and removing inequalities among people. Women in the workforce, doing every job a man can do, including combat roles in the military, etc., are done in the name of removing boundaries, also known as "equality" today.
The second definition shows that those who hold to this philosophy believe that most all inequalities are evil, that we must overcome differences, strengths and weaknesses, hierarchy, particular callings and roles, in order to achieve the greatest good and righteousness. Indeed, only by doing so can we have, they would say, true "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Well, how is all that "equality" working out for us today in the good ol' USA? Now men are demanding equality by being called women so that they can play in women's sports! Children are having their privates removed at their parent's urging so that they can truly be "equal", so that they can truly be the desired sex/gender they were meant to be, that they "desire" to be. This, of course, will set them free, and give them their true, inalienable rights.
Things have gotten so far off the rails we have finally began to see the root cause of Satan's deceptions all along -- the myth of equality. This was, in many ways, Satan's original temptation, going back to the Garden and the Fall of man. He promised Eve, and derivatively Adam, "equality" with God, knowing good and evil, by partaking of the forbidden fruit. Such equality, such privilege and blessing, was deserved, demanded, and God was the true demon to withhold it! That, at least, is the lie Satan has been telling from the beginning, and the tale he continues to weave throughout history and today.
So let us be honest. Individuals are not all equal. Some, by nature and nurture, are superior to others. Others are inferior, and some are equal. Now, we can say this in a very simplistic and rather stupid way. One person may be superior in this or that gifting or area, but not so in another. Bob may think with his mind better than Bill, naturally a better critical thinker and problem solver, but Bill may be better at working with his hands, visualizing how to build things, or intuitively getting something done in the real world. Then there are gifts of speech, memory, strength, and the like. But even here, we tend to try to soften the differences by saying something like, "well, sure, there are inequalities, but they all balance out in the end. So there's still really an equality/balancing despite relative strengths and weaknesses." But is this true? No, it is not.
Further, we should recognize that the Westminster Larger Catechism, compiled by many famed Puritans of old, the "Westminster Divines" as they are called, codified the language of Superiors, Inferiors, and Equals in Q&A 124-133,
Q. 124. Who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment?
A. By father and mother, in the fifth commandment, are meant, not only natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts; and especially such as, by God’s ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth. Prov. 23:22, 25: Eph. 6:1-2; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; Gen. 4:20-22; Gen. 45:8; 2 Kings 5:13; 2 Kings 2:12; 2 Kings 13:14; Gal. 4:19; Isa. 49:23.
To use an innocuous, sports analogy: A fullback in football, which is a dying breed in today's game, is usually good at only one thing, unless he is Mike Alstott. He is big, burly, and good at blocking. He might be able to get you two yards and a cloud of dust, or punch it in at the goal line. He might be able to catch a pass out of the backfield, but don't hold your breath. His job is to be a mauler, to pave the path for the half-back to run through with the football in his hands. The fullback basically has one strength, and so even the best blocking fullbacks in NFL history, the Lorenzo Neal's of the world, aren't going to be paid as well as even mediocre backup Quarterbacks. Is this unjust? Of course not. But does it reveal an inequality? Of course it does, and that's perfectly fine. It's reality. It is what it is. Further, it doesn't erase the value or worth of Neal's contributions as a fullback. Ladainian Tomlinson, the half-back that Neal blocked for for many years, was an MVP and is now in the NFL hall of fame.
In 2007, Lorenzo Neal became the highest paid running back, signing a 3 year deal/extension worth 5.1 million dollars. Tomlinson way back in 2001 signed a rookie contract that paid him over 6 million every season, for a total of almost 40 million dollars over those 6 seasons. He went on to sign another large contract that paid him 7.5 million dollars per season. Neal was a far better blocker than Tomlinson, but Tomlinson got far more money, because he could do many more valuable things than what Neal could accomplish.
Nobody has a panic attack when we say these obviously true things in the world of sports. But what about in the world of real life? Some people, by God's good pleasure and kindness, have greater giftings and aptitudes than others, of body and mind. Further, we have to recognize that certain families/dynasties/lineages have been superior to others. And yes, some peoples/nations are superior to others at times, as the Lord blesses, raising up one and putting down another. All these inequalities are ultimately from God's hand, often blessing the righteous and casting down the wicked. But Scripture also tells us time and again that sometimes the righteous must suffer unjustly for a season, while the wicked seemingly enjoy all the blessings. Such are the complexities of life.
Now, we are never excused to claim there are inequalities when they aren't actually present, nor to exaggerate them. Recognizing there is a ranking and ordering to loyalties and loves, doesn't mean we are all ordering them rightly. We must judge with righteous judgment. I have seen some online so glamorizing their own ancestors that they basically venerate their paganism and try to argue it was infused with so much light that the Gospel coming to European shores was simply Christ revealing Himself in full form, such that their pagan gods were akin to types and shadows of Christ! This type of thinking and teaching is foolish and heretical.
Others have gone to an extreme overcorrection regarding missions work. While I heartily agree, for example, that taking a bunch of teenagers overseas to "evangelize" foreign nations is foolhardy, a large waste of money, and more of an excuse to have a vacation, nevertheless meaningful missions work can be done by ordained ministers. Our nation is in decline and the vast bulk of our church resources and ministerial labors should focus on local missions, reviving our own people here, but that does not mean there is never a situation where raising modest funds to send our pastors short term to help other foreign ministers is somehow a "betraying of your own people/race". If you have time for a hobby without sinning against your wife and children and church, you surely can help other ministers in these sorts of ways without sin. We need to avoid obtuse overcorrections.
But Egalitarianism has a stranglehold on the minds of most persons in our nation today, including Evangelical and Reformed Churches. It is the main threat, and is a deception of Satan that undercuts our very vision and ability and thought process to judge with righteous judgment from the outset.
So while we cannot say that Bob, simply because he comes from a good stock and line and nation and education, is automatically going to be more gifted than Bill who came from some dark jungle of Africa steeped in paganism, at the same time, we must recognize that with such extreme inequalities from the start, "Bob" is going to ordinarily be more gifted naturally, and turn out more cultured, learned, and achieve more than the other. This should not lead to boasting, but humility, in those who are more gifted by nature and nurture. For to whom much is given, much is required. Those who have superior gifting by nature, and nurture, will be held responsible by God all the more strictly for how they use that. But denying these "inequalities" exist, or even worse, saying they do exist but are unjust, unfair, and evil, and trying to erase them by elevating inferiors over superiors, is wicked inversion of God's order, distorts ordered loves, and denies God's gracious gifts given to some and not others, in whatever measure he sees fit, whether these are natural or supernatural giftings/aptitudes/cultivations, etc.
It should go without saying that natural giftedness/advantages as well as growing up in a superior culture and better economic class and education, etc., does not save/redeem a person, nor predispose God to redeem such a person, for God is no "respecter of persons" (Rom. 2:11, Acts 10:34-35). At the same time, we must recognize these advantages are owing to God's kindness to begin with, and God is often pleased to use these temporal blessings as means to receive Gospel/salvific blessings -- to hear the Gospel, be regenerated by the Spirit, repent and believe in Christ, and then use these natural, God-given advantages to be a faithful and well-equipped Christian, to humbly serve and help others. God often uses the weak to shame the wise. But those who have been taught and trained well, such as the Apostle Paul, once regenerated, will be able to use their learning and other aptitudes and advantages for much glorious work for the sake of God's kingdom.
In the parable of the 10 talents, remember the proportions. True, while this is a parable about the Kingdom of God, it has application to all mankind, whether redeemed or not, whether within God's kingdom/covenant or not. In fact, the text itself notes that the giving of "talents" is in proportion to the variance of "abilities" of each individual, Matt. 25:14ff.:
Reformed Preacher, Theologian and well known Bible Commentator Matthew Poole ( (1624–1679) concisely strikes the death knell to the wicked Egalitarianism of our day, from his commentary on this passage, Matthew 25:15,
"'to one five talents, to another two, to another one, to every man according to his several ability',
it signifieth only God’s unequal distribution of his gifts to the sons of men, according to his own good pleasure; which is true both concerning natural parts, as wit, understanding, judgment, memory, as concerning those which the heathens call good things of fortune, as riches, honours, aud dignities; Christians call them the good things of Providence; under which notion also come all acquired habits, or endowments, such as learning, knowledge, moral habits, &c., which though acquired are yet gifts, because it is the same God who gives us power to get wealth, as Moses speaks, Deu 8:18, who also gives men power to get knowledge, and upon study and meditation to comprehend the natures and causes of things, and also to govern and bridle our appetites: or the gifts of more special providence, or distinguishing grace. I take all those powers given to men, by which they are enabled to do good, or to excel others, to come under the notion of the goods here mentioned, which God distributeth unequally according to his own good pleasure, and as seemeth best to his heavenly wisdom, for the government of the world, and the ordering of the affairs of his church; of all which God will have all account one day, and reward men according to the improvement, or no improvement, which they have made of them in their several stations."
Inequalities are real among individuals, indeed even writ large among families, communities, and nations. The Bible after all does speak of tribes, tongues, and nations, and causes some to fall and others to rise. And we are called to show piety to our own family and household first, indeed, a godly father lays up an inheritance for his children's children, Proverbs 13:22. Nations with people doing this are going to excel over other nations over time. If we look back at history, in God's natural gifting and supernatural grace, we have seen in His kindness many European lands be richly blessed, even to help spread the Gospel far and wide, after it reached their shores in the ministry of the Apostles. Our forefathers settled the land that became the United States, when people who rightly can be characterized as savages did not do so for hundreds if not thousands of years. We did not do that in a perfectly righteous or sinless way, but it was a Christian European people who came over, took dominion, and evangelized the more savage tribes as well. Despite the sins and warts that were in there, the Lord mightily used these Pilgrims and those who came after, for His glory and the good of millions of peoples. Now, with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and others demanding we allow highly talented foreigners come in and take American jobs, we need to be able, without guilt, to assert our historic and present superiority, possible only by God's kindness, and further our right to our own land, which is for us and our children in this nation, and not for the foreigner. Indeed, to bring in foreigners and exalt them to high places is suicide and wickedness, a judgment of God per Deut. 28:43-44,
“The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
We must judge with righteous judgment, which begins with rejecting wicked, Satanic "Egalitarianism" and embrace the inequalities that God has ordained in this world, including among peoples. We must do that in a loving and holy way, and in all humility, knowing our superiorities are from God at root, whether superiorities of nature or nurture. And also where we are inferior, we thank God for those who are our superiors and for their kindness to help us. We must seek to do good to all, but in the proper order, with rightly ordered loves and loyalties, to our own family and friends first.
Let them call us what names they must, we will stand on God's Word and Truth, and multiply our talents as he enables us, for His glory and our good. When some overreact or overcorrect, saying Bill is only a one talent man that is burying his talent, when in fact he might even be a 5 talent man doing well, we should rebuke such obvious errors and slanders, even if Bill is a native of the jungles of Africa and yet was well-endowed far beyond what we would have imagined possible. Also, if the United States and our Heritage has had a long line of 5 talent families flowing from Europe, and we are rapidly squandering it and God is giving us over, we shouldn't lie about this either. We should not deny our blessed past, nor deny our faltering present, but seek to revive the flames of godliness and glory once again, with God's help and strength.
A good article on generosity and hospitality, which really gets into properly ordered loves, can be found here: https://americanreformer.org/2023/06/the-virtue-of-hospitality/
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