I do the same thing.
I used to follow Amir routinely. My discernment may be immature, I’m sure it is. Knowing that makes me totally avoid Barry Stagner. He lost his son and teaches that the dead can visit us, claiming many visits with his son.
Thanks Hol. I did not know that...lol. Like i have no idea who that guy is. But thanks for complimenting my points. In general, i consider Amir/Hibbs generally too Hollywood for me. I live right down the street from Jack's Church. Lovely body of believers there. I am no stranger to the celeb world. Jmacs...etc. I would not go to Jack for crucial info. But he holds a barameter of sorts in a socialogical sector of inform that I do see as crucial. Jack Hibbs/Amir represent a segment of Evangelicalism that would carry much weight in the sense of God demonstrating something about His relation to the church through that population.
I kind of see evangelical sectors kind of like we might view the 7 letters in Rev. But not trying to match names. Just saying that maybe seeing a composite of what we notice in churches today can help inform us of some things about our Father's interaction, vibe, and orientation toward us and the world events today. That may sound odd. But an example would be something like this.
1. American Reformed -- A camp I am very familiar with
This camp has a moniker placed on it, to me, by literal scholar Carl Trueman -- Orthodoxy as Performing Art
The irony there would be that they see themselves as the purest non-commonner type church alive. However, as the moniker suggests, closer to a church run on opinion (and worse, opinion of itself).
2. Calvary Chapel -- A camp I am marginally familiar with
Here you have varying views on scripture. Jack Hibbs is borderline Lordship Salvationist -- a covenient baby sitter from the pulpit tool. The good side of Jack is he is the only pastor I recall hearing that does not know the future prophetically (where even John Macarthur, cessationist, predicts America destruction psuedo-like prophetically). Not that he (Jack) does not know prophecy. But that he is careful to be open to how God might channel direction today. Will we be blessed? Hope so. Will we be destroyed? Hope not -- God please give us more time. I see his desire in politics as mostly healthy. But good he is balancing it more now without Trump so much, amen. But still weary of Jerry Boykin like connections (ecumenicalism).
When JD Farag represented Calvery Chapel he represented more of the free Grace side. Encouraging Abba Father like ideas from the pulpit. So very different styles. And there are many others. But in general Calvery Chapel just came out of a season under the American Reformed suspicion of being too permissive with wild sided Charismatic/Pentecostal views and scolded by John Marcarthur for not disciplining the Jesus People. Of which Harvest side Greg Laurie lauds in the recent movie. So there is that view. Which also has its set of endorsements to other not so safe Christian (presumed) voices.
We also have the watcher community with the vast conference circuit connections. And varying Jan Markel views. I think Jan does a great job, but to me the template used for end times, again--to me, is way too Revelation heavy...for the age of grace.
3. Baptist / Fundementalists -- There are varying degrees and levels (Southern Baptists, Independent etc). There are some harsh trends there. And really control freakish cult like themes that can come out of this batch. There are also some very profound ones like Leighton Flowers. And great commentary overviews in general by Jon Harris like camp. There is Al Mohler and the leanings of wokedom a bit. And of course the Gospel Coalition. And the woke themes there seen in such ways like Alister Begg. And all that theme park variety of what is going on in the body dynamic from that perspective.
So just looking at those 3 general arenas we get a sense of the range in which God is seen as in the body of Christ. But this also helps to distinguish themes in our lives that would have to, if we were honest, have some good and some bad in each. So when we line up like terms and concepts of the bad next to the like term concepts of the good by contrast, we can sort of see the playing field in how Christianity is seen in America today. And there are other countries. Etc. To the degree we get a sense of where these factions are at. The struggles each have. The good in each. We get a sense.
For example one general overall theme that comes to mind is Christian Nationalism and Christian culture. What theatrics are in that theme park? We see we can make things about Christian Nationalism vs. being spiritual "This is not our home." Or we can see nuances of why some Christians would want to push back against the government, and parlay the greater schematic of Providence shifting about the world stage (the glabalism vs. nationalism struggle). We can see those who make Christian Nationalism a thing. And those who make anti-Christian nationalism "not" a thing -- or a thing to not be (which I actually side more with). But these all make up themes I believe God would want us to be aware of. Because if we are not aware of our own body, how can we possibly tell what time it is? The world condition IS NOT our tribal views. That would merely be our tunnel vision of events views, actually.. I believe. So to the extent we try to understand the thinking in some of these camps (the good and bad), is the best shot we have at understanding the lay of the land. And how God might move given those conditions amidst current providential events also unfolding. That sounds like a lot. But when we see that for what it is, when say America becomes super powerful and makes Israel strong (against a backdrop of everyone saying the opposite kind of), its just because when we take the time, I believe, to weather where others are coming from. What is bunk or what is biased etc. We get a chance at seeing soberly because we spent varying time weighing things out.
But I don't think its about being an expert in any one thing. Just a child like heart toward understanding. Or having a heart to understand outside our core general leanings out of considering how to best be for ones from any of those groups, I reckon. Not to judge. Although judgement sometimes is needed. But to understand (the golden rule). So if there was one huge rubric hermeneutic for end times -- i'd say it would be the golden rule (John 15:15). To the extent we take honest interest to see the hearts of others: wrong, right, or indifferent. And try to see it soberly and maturely...we practice in the spirit the golden rule. And that golden goose lays the golden egg of maybe seeing what the Father is doing. He told us, "Do it unto me to the least of these..." is what? Doing it to honor the Father is to be seen in Him loving one another. And to know what He is doing is to in common biblical sense, I believe though love one another. Out of that sphere of living I believe "tells on itself." And seeing things for how they are is not necessarily rocket science. But I bit is if we stay too long with the bottle of strong drink bias and tribal thinking, it can tend to cloud perspective. If there were one thing that would be an antibody to what God is doing today, it would be being tribal, I think. Unfortunately that is kind of "in" today. Kind of manly and big bad bob like. But understanding what the Father is doing as at least a marginal composite of his body persepctive...eh...probably not so much. Yet after loving one another from that in the spirit place, wisdom in what the Father is doing is just like there handing out on all the walls like paintings to kind of plainly see. THIS IS MY VIEW and as a cessationist I am not meaning for this to sound like be prophetic. I just mean it to be like reading street graffiti with spirit tinted glasses, perhaps. Kinda my take. But probably sounds cookoo...lol. .
So if America gets stronger and stronger (what if we peg the value of gold to Bitcoin?). Just a sample of what could happen). But if we see the golden age as Trump worship deception, and not as a likely posture to help Israel...i just think in general that I don't think that is holistically looking at what, in what way, and how things are occuring can likely or possibly further inform us, me thinks. It's not rocket science. But if it goes that way...it would not be because I'm psychic. it would be because I was watching. The body with care. And outside of His spirit, I am sickly selfish. So just saying.
How that all relates to Amir is just that there are some concerns with him, but for whatever reason the Lord has, he seems to have found in part, a good place to speak from that is rather edifying to the body. But in other capacities I would not consider them. But this one, in spades, yes, I would. Amen. His takes even seem to transcend a camp of Jan Markell's where Amir seems to be bringing in far more Ez 38 bacon for breakfast. I love bacon. Blessings.
www.youtube.com
It would be great if Amir had timestamp locations of each subject covered. I think Amir is a good example of kind of how maybe to look in general at the state of the church and how to understand ebb and flow in our very biased heavy, distorted, and tribal times.
Blessings.
