Tell Dr. Brown Where You Differ

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network.

Today, you get to tell me where we have some differences, and I'm going to reply as constructively as possible. It's time for the Line of Fire with your host, biblical scholar and cultural commentator, Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. Call 866-34-TRUTH to get on the Line of Fire. And now, here's your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Hey friends, this is Michael Brown. So glad to have this time together with you. So, today is a travel day for me coming back from Idaho via Washington State, because of which we are not taking phone calls. I have recorded this broadcast with questions. I solicit it on Twitter.

So, get back. I think you're going to find today's broadcast really, really interesting. Michael Brown, welcome to the broadcast. If you don't get my emails, oh, to stay informed, to be equipped, to be encouraged, they are absolutely essential. We update you on all the new articles I've written, normally five per week. The new videos we put out, in addition to the latest short videos, they can be three, four, five in a week, or a couple of really key cutting edge videos.

You'll get notification each week of latest videos. New resources that we have, discounted packages, if I'm coming to your area to speak, and many other things. So, sign up for our emails now, if you don't get them, askdartyoubrown.org, just sign up, and we'll put you in our welcome tour, which you will really, really enjoy. Okay, with that, I posted on Twitter, and I said, tell me where we differ, theologically, ideologically, politically, spiritually, tell me where we differ, and I'll respond on the broadcast.

So, this is my responding. So, again, friends, I think you're going to find today's show really, really interesting. Steven asked, can I come on your show?

Ooh-ee, that would be fun, and actually linked his website, which is Applied Philosophy, let us do this. Okay, Steven, here's the deal. I have very limited time on the broadcast for guests to come on, but that's why we have the phone lines open almost every single day. Why not call in on Friday, or another day where we're taking random calls on different subjects, and briefly tell me what point you have to make, or where we differ.

Obviously, it's on an interview where I'm going to say, okay, take five minutes, and open this up, but if you can concisely tell us why you think it's important that you and I have a dialogue, or where we differ, give a call like everyone else, and remind me of who you are when you call in. Rudy, Jews who believe in Jesus are called to observe the Torah to the best of their ability. Do you agree?

Rudy, no, I don't. Now, I have Messianic Jewish friends that on some level would agree with that. But number one, I find this statement as a whole way too general.

The Torah, it contains the laws of the Sinai Covenant along with history and other information about the people of Israel, theological information along with history, teachings about who God is, etc. So, no, I don't believe that to the best as possible, if we could, there was a temple standing, we'd be called to offer sacrifices. You might say, no, no, I don't mean that. I mean everything else.

Okay. No, I don't believe that we are called, for example, to observe the New Moons. I don't believe that we are called as Jewish believers in Jesus if we had the ability to stone adulterers or burn sorcerers or put to death consistently rebellious, disobedient children, teenagers who would not repent.

You say, no, no, no, but those, okay, so now once you say that many things have changed, so now everything has changed. Now, we can't just talk about, quote, observing the Torah to the best of our ability. We have to talk about is living out the New Covenant, right? Because we're not under the Sinai Covenant as Jewish believers in Yeshua. We are under and in the midst of the developing of, because it still has to grow to touch all of Israel and then to be a totally supernatural thing for the whole nation. But we are in the transition age where we are living out the New Covenant reality, Jeremiah 31 verses 31 to 34, then repeat it in Hebrews 8.

The whole passage, in fact, it is the longest single quote from Old Testament into the New and then repeat it in part in chapter 10 and Jesus at the Last Supper and Luke 23 references it as well, the New Covenant in his blood. So, we are under the New and Better Covenant and now we have to ask what does that mean? What does that include? Does it include Seventh-day Sabbaths? Does it include the Feast and Holidays? What does that include?

What is written on our heart? And every Jewish believer gets saved from a different background, some from a very religious background, some from a very secular background, and I believe that what God calls them to do in terms of Jewishness is going to vary from person to person. So, we're certainly under the New and Better Covenant. We can argue that all believers are, all followers of Jesus, Jew and Gentile alike.

No, I don't agree with that statement as stated there. All right, angry apologists, will you stand on Genesis 6? I understand Nephilim as genetic abominations between fallen angels and humans. So, Matthew 24, 37, one possibility is that transhumanism and its genetic abomination and coins bring about the end-of-days thoughts.

So, I've talked about Nephilim many times. Yes, I believe it's a genetic abomination between fallen angels and humans, but no, I do not expect to see an end-time manifestation of that. I'm not saying it's impossible, but according to my understanding of Scripture, there is no reference to this happening again at the end, nor do I know that there are angelic beings today that either could fall, if they already fell as far as I know, they are incarcerated now in a hellish prison awaiting the final day of judgment when they're cast into the lake of fire. And if they are not fallen, I don't believe they have the possibility of falling. I believe the choice has been made and things have been sealed. I can't prove that categorically.

I know everybody likes us to be more dogmatic, but no, I do not personally see a future scenario with again fallen angels taking on human form and somehow having the ability to copulate with human beings, so it's male, the angels is male, the human beings is female, producing these genetic abominations, Nephilim, and I do not expect that to happen at the end-of-days, nor do I see Jesus referring to that in Matthew 24. GxPx, you probably have answered this question several times throughout the years, but I'd still enjoy your answer. Why did God give the dietary laws to the Jews in the Old Testament only to be revoked by Jesus in the new? Jesus said he came not to abolish but to fulfill. Number one, I believe the primary reason God gave the dietary laws to the Jewish people was to keep them separate from the nations. If you can't eat together with other people, it's going to take away the ability to fellowship, the ability to develop relationships, so to keep away from the idolatry of the nations and to keep the children of Israel away from intermarriage, dietary laws were given.

Now, there may have also been some health reasons for it as well, but the biggest thing was to keep Israel separate from the nations. Now, Jesus came to abolish, not to fulfill, so your question would be why then did he abolish the dietary laws? I don't believe he did. I believe he gave a principle by which we understand that nothing that we eat defiles us, and therefore in that sense any food is clean. But Peter, years after the resurrection, as we see from Acts 10, still had not eaten anything unclean, didn't dawn on him to do it.

Why would he do it? So, the principle was that if you did eat something that is considered unclean, it actually doesn't defile you, right? So, someone gave you a sandwich, you thought it had kosher meat in it, it actually had pork that tasted like beef and you didn't know it.

Oh, what did I do? It didn't defile you spiritually. Or if that food had been offered to an idol or something like that, you didn't know it, now it's brought to you, it's just food. So, it doesn't defile you spiritually. That's the revelation that Jesus gives in Mark 7 and Matthew 15, but notice the context there. When he gives that revelation about nothing that you eat defiles you, right, because it goes through your system and exits, rather it's what comes out of your heart, not what goes through your mouth, but what comes out of your heart. That's what defiles you, the sin of the heart. But notice immediately after that teaching in Matthew 15 and Mark 7 in the context of eating with unwashed hands, Jesus then travels round trip of about 60 miles from where he was up to the Tyre and Sidon region, about 60, 6-0 miles, and he just ministers to one woman and tells her that she can have the children's bread for her daughter, namely healing for her daughter, a Gentile woman who would have been considered to be just a dog by others in her day, other Jews in her day. He goes all the way there immediately after teaching about the dietary laws or about eating with unwashed hands.

He goes immediately there and ministers to this woman's daughter and then turns around and goes back. Think of that, 60-mile round trip on foot and in God's sight just to heal that one Gentile woman's daughter, deliver her from demons. What a living out of the fact that these walls of partition are now taken down. Whether a Jewish believer today or a Christian in general feels convicted that if God gave the laws to Israel there must be a good reason for it or a Jewish person says, hey, it brings me in greater solidarity with my people even though I know it's not required or spiritually defiling, I choose to observe the dietary laws, wonderful, God bless you, you're free to eat, you're free not to eat. The key thing is the spiritual revelation, which does not abolish the law. So that comes back to your question. I don't believe Jesus abolished it, he gave us a principle. But even so, he is bringing it to its fulfillment, to its full purpose. Ultimately it wasn't about food but about separation.

Now that it's going to come and die at the cross, that wall of separation gets taken down. Let's see, Richard, after you wrote a book on LBGTQ that you have no experience in, God set me before you is the very last question of the night, when you came to IHOP in 2014, you diverted then, will you not again? Number one, I have no clue what you're talking about as far as diverting. Anyone that comes, especially in the public Q&A, I do my best to answer as forthrightly as I can and the whole event was videotaped, so that should still be online, that's number one. Number two, I've got tremendous experience in the LBGTQ area because first I'm a child of God and God created everyone. Second, he called me to reach out to the people and to study his word and to resist the cultural agenda, so I have a divine calling.

Thirdly, I've immersed myself for years in reading and listening and sitting with those who identify as LBGTQ, those who identify as gay Christians, I know many ex-gay, ex-trans, so listening to them, hearing their stories, their experience in those who have been transformed, those who confirm every word of can you be gay and Christian, I've got a lot of experience even though I myself did not come out of homosexuality or gender identity confusion, there's never been issues in my life, but just like a surgeon that does heart surgery day and night and is the top of his profession, even though he may never have had a heart attack or heart disease himself, hey, he certainly has something to say. I would say the same here. That being said, hey, you've had going on nine years, that was September 2014, call the show, phone lines are open, man, call and tell me where you think I'm wrong and I'll gladly respond to you, no diversions. This is Michael Ellison, founder of TriVita Wellness. I'm always thrilled to offer a new product from TriVita that is science supported with equivalent doses per serving that follows the science and that is true of our KSM 66 Ashwagandha with this protective process from farm to manufacturing plant. The KSM 66 has 24 published gold standard clinical trials in reducing stress, enhancing sleep and increased vitality. In a recent Harris Poll, 87% of Americans feel stressed. I know the effects of chronic stress.

It happened to me a number of years ago and I will never forget when the physician said, Michael, you must change the way you think about life and health or you will have no quality of life and you will die a premature death. Now I can assure you Ashwagandha KSM 66 is in my daily diet. TriVita has a special offer of Ashwagandha for you as listeners to the line of fire.

If you buy one at $19.99, you will get one free. Plus, you'll receive your free new digital book, A Healthy Church Starts with a Healthy You by Dr. Brown with your order. The message of Dr. Brown in this book, it rings clear in spiritual clarity. Dr. Michael Brown shares his own story of his journey to wellness along with his wife Nancy and they reveal 10 most important steps to a lasting life transformation. Whole body wellness is not a pipe dream. It is God's dream for you.

To order, call 1-800-771-5584, use promo code KSM66 and receive one bottle at $19.99 and get one free along with your free digital copy of Healthy You or go to TriVita.com. The Truth Network presents Life 101, the basic rules for getting by and moving ahead in life. Most counselors agree that anger is a strong emotion that can be destructive, but one of the most destructive places anger can rear its head is in conversation. Simply put, when anger rears its head in conversation, the outcome will not be good.

At that point, the hope for a constructive conversation is probably over. There are myriads of books that show how to have a constructive conversation, but what is overlooked is the emotion of anger. No matter how well-intentioned people are, as soon as one person starts getting angry in conversation, civil conversational rules are just ignored. So as soon as you find yourself getting angry in a conversation, immediately take a break and end the conversation. If it's the other person who's getting angry, then demand a break as well. You can revisit the conversation after you both are calmed down. Conversation and the emotion of anger mix about as well as gasoline and a lit match.

As the Bible says, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. You're locked into The Truth Network. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on a special edition of The Line of Fire today. Rather than taking your calls, I am responding to tweets from those who differ with me on various points, be it theological, political, ideological, spiritual. I think you'll find this show really, really enlightening. Oh, oh, a couple of things.

Have you taken advantage of this month's special offer? One of the most important books I've written in years, Has God Failed You? Finding faith when you're not even sure God is real.

I mean, it is a real eye-opener. It'll speak to so many people you know who've been hurt, who are struggling, who are wondering is God even there or how can I believe the God of the Bible or why did He let me down. It may be you in your own life.

It may be someone you love or care for. When you order the book this month, we're giving you free access to a digital video where I teach about why so many Christians have left the faith and then answer many questions. So you get the access to the video for free when you order the book. And as always, not only are you going to be blessed but you help us reach more people through the ministry. So here's the number to call if you'd like to take advantage of this. If you get us after hours, we will get right back to you. 800-538-5275.

That's 800-538-5275 to take advantage of this month's special offer, our August offer. I believe it's going to bless you and help many, many other people. Because God failed you.

Again, one of the most important books I have written in years. I wrote some of it literally on my knees saying, God, I don't have answers for these people. I've never been through this. I've never been bereaved of a child.

I haven't had to deal with debilitating pain and disease year in, year out. I haven't had some faith battles that others have had. How can I answer? How can I respond? I really felt God's grace.

I wrote literally, I saw faces in front of my eyes, in my mind's eye, people's faces hurting people, representing those I wanted to reach. So it's either for you or for someone you love. I heard this wonderful testimony from a pastor in Florida about a woman in his church. She and her husband had previous marriages. They were really hurt terribly in these marriages. Now they were together and they had each lost a child. If I remember the story, they had each lost a child before they were married to each other. And now as married they lost something horrific, I mean utterly horrific, painful story. And she just struggled with her faith, understandably. The pastor gave her, has God failed you?

And God restored her faith through it. So take advantage of this for yourself or for someone that you love. You can also go to the website, if that's easier for you, AskDr.Brown.org, ASKDRBrown.org.

Just click on store and you should be able to find this special offer right away. All right, I go back to Twitter. Fire and ice. As far as I know, I agree with you on everything. Does that make us a cult? No, no. As the leader, I'm telling you you're not in a cult. Okay, just a joke. A student had once asked me that years ago. He said, Dr. Bratton, is our school a cult? Someone asked him. And I said, if anybody asks you, tell them it's not a cult and how do you know because your leader says so.

So we were joking about that. But hey, listen, there are plenty of people I agree with deeply all around the world in the Lord, brothers and sisters in Jesus. I'm sure if we probe deep enough we'd find some areas of disagreement. But you're free to think for yourself, all right? I love when people challenge me. I love it.

Now some do it in the wrong spirit. But let's have dialogue. Let's talk about it. Do you know when I'm in the rare times when I'm invited on a college campus to speak, I ask those inviting me, can you do a debate instead where someone who differs me gets to present their position? Say, Dr. Brown, don't you want people to just hear your side? No, I want to hear both sides of a controversial issue. And then if they agree with my side, great.

Now we'll pour into even more. But by all means, let's have discussion and dialogue. Controversial Steven, what the gifts in the Bible throughout history seem to be so different than what's been practiced by charismatic churches in Sezuzah Street? What are the gifts that the charismatic church practice looks so much like pagan practices? Actually, I differ with you on both accounts.

Absolutely differ with you on both accounts. The tongues that are practiced were very much like the tongues in biblical days from what we can see after Acts, the second chapter where people are in foreign languages. Thereafter, when Paul talks about it, 1 Corinthians 14, he says that nobody understands what you're saying. You don't understand it. You're speaking mysteries in the Spirit to God. And if an outsider comes in, they'll think you're crazy. The King James says they'll think you're a barbarian. Barbarians? Like all the hordes, the Mongol hordes coming in and crushing people's skulls?

No, no. Barbarian in Greek first, it comes from bar-bar, that people are just going to think you're bar-bar. They're going to think you're speaking gibberish.

So what's the accusation we get? Now I've been overseas, and I'll hear someone speaking in tongues sometimes, and I think, is that their native language? Or is that tongues have to listen carefully? Because it's clearly a language that's being spoken. When I pray in tongues, it's clearly a language that's being spoken.

Having said that, yet if someone else doesn't understand it, it could just sound like gibberish. As far as prophecy, words of knowledge, revelation, healing, it's endless accounts of miracles, God glorifying miracles to this moment. I mean, just read, read Randy Clark's Eyewitness to Miracles, or Craig Keener's paperback volume, that's the two, unless you want to get into the two-volume hardcover, his book Miracles Today, or Lee Strobel's The Case for Miracles. I mean, there's so many books with detailed, documented accounts of miraculous healings.

And then when it comes to prophetic words and dreams, I mean, it's endless, endless, uncountable, happening as I'm speaking, I'm sure right now, in many places of the world. Gifts of the Spirit are being manifested, or glorifying Jesus, that are bringing someone healing, or bringing someone to salvation, or liberating someone spiritually, physically, from an addiction, something else. So God is at work, and so they're not different than what's been practiced in gifts in the Bible. You may have a misconception of what's out there and made negative attacks or seen some bad stuff for yourself, but you survey worldwide what's happening, we could write endless books supplementing the accounts in Acts, not as Bible, not as part of the Bible, that's finished, that's done, one Bible only, period.

But in terms of miraculous accounts, endless to this moment. As far as looking like pagan practices, well actually, the gifts in the Bible could have been accused of the very same thing. I mean, did Jesus not heal someone using spittle? Didn't he do that in John the ninth chapter, and in Mark the eighth chapter? And isn't it a fact that saved Marduk, the god of the Babylonians?

I'm going to research this in my doctoral dissertation in 83 to 85. Didn't he have, quote, the spittle of life? Didn't magicians use spittle? Wasn't Jesus accused of healing the sick and driving out demons by the power of Satan? And can't you find pagan parallels to many of the accounts in the Bible? Yeah, there are counterfeits. There are counterfeits.

Like C.S. Lewis said in the mythology, pagan mythology, if you found no parallels to what was in the Bible. Hey friends, Dr. Michael Brown here. Do you remember when people thought I was crazy? When I said it's not too late for America? That God can still do something in our country? That there is going to be a pushback, a gospel based moral and cultural revolution? And do you remember when people thought that you were crazy because you felt the same way?

Because you believed what I was saying and already felt it in your heart? Well friends, that pushback is here. The gospel based moral and cultural revolution we've been talking about for 25 years is unfolding. And we are right in the thick of it.

And the line of fire broadcast is divinely positioned for such a time as this. Friends, you would be so gratified and blessed as I hear, if you could hear what I hear, testimony after testimony as leaders, young people, old people, moms, dads, students, people from all backgrounds come up to me and say, Dr. Brown, you're providing a template for us. You're providing a blueprint for us. You're showing us how to do this, how to have hearts of compassion, backbones of steel. But friends, it's a joint effort.

We do this together. And with your support, we can amplify this broadcast around the nation and amplify this voice to shake the nation. On our support team today, become a torchbearer with a dollar or more per day. Here's the number to call to sign up, 800-538-5275. That's 800-538-5275. Or go to askdrbrown.org, A-S-K-D-R brown.org, and become a monthly supporter. Click on donate monthly support.

I want to immediately give you two classic books, Compassionate Father, or Consuming Fire, Who is the God of the Old Testament, and Revolution, which will really show you what it means to be a Jesus follower today. Plus, you get free access to our online classes and so much more. Sign up today, askdrbrown.org. It's the Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the Line of Fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

And welcome back to the Line of Fire. Michael Brown here with you. If you don't have our app, I'll remind you about emails later, but the app, this is where you take me with you in your pocket, wherever you go, on your cell phone.

It's Ask Dr. Brown Ministries, A-S-K Dear Brown Ministries. I was in the car the other day coming back from the airport, and I said to my colleague driving me, I said, hey, let's just check out the quality here on the radio broadcast. So, we listened on the radio, turned it on, and then I said, let's pull it up on the app and listen. So, we were listening. You don't have radio access where you are.

We're not on your station. Just use the app and listen there, or you miss a show. Just listen, and all the articles, thousands of searchable articles, videos are there.

So, take advantage of it. Our Jewish outreach site, tons of stuff for you. Ask Dear Brown, Ask Dr. Brown Ministries.

Put Ministries in, make sure you get the right app there. One other thing about Hell being a place of restoration, number one, nothing in scripture says it. Rob Bell wrongly argued in his book about Hell, Love Wins, that based on Matthew 25, that it speaks of the judgment to come, that it actually means pruning in Greek, that there's something restorative. No, the word is not a restorative word.

The word is not a pruning word. That's number one. Number two, in a place of punishment separated from God without the Holy Spirit, there, people are not going to be calling on God. And then thirdly, there's nothing in scripture about post-mortem salvation.

You get another chance. Now if you're a Catholic, for example, you believe in some type of purgatory, but that would still be different. In other words, that is someone that is heading in the right direction, but needs some purging before they finally make it in, as opposed to a God-rejecting blasphemer, sentenced to divine death by God, now having an opportunity to repent later on. It's just, it's not there in scripture.

Tiger, you may care about people, I don't doubt you do, but really go to God seriously about that, because you're giving people a false hope, and you're not living with the urgency with which you should live. And others would even say hell is a place of ultimate destruction, so you're not going to be around to call out later, but that's a separate issue. Wayne TV, there's one problem, this one's probably too basic, there's owe no one anything but love, meaning we shouldn't take out loans. Some argue that, Romans 13, some have made that argument, but I don't believe that's what Paul was saying. We should not set ourselves up as debtors as much as possible, and live in a state where every decision we make puts us in debt. There are other principles that would argue against that mindset, say in Proverbs, but no, I believe he's making a spiritual statement that we shouldn't be living in obligation to others and put ourselves in a sense of obligation by defaulting, I haven't given you the honor that is due to you.

I haven't, let's just say owe no man anything except the continuing debt of love, you can even argue if you're paying your debt just like you're paying your taxes, then you don't owe no one anything because you are current, right? But no, that's not the point that Paul's making, you just look at where his exhortation goes in Romans 13. Hollis, my question concerns the Hebrew word yom, day, in the Genesis account of creation, old earth creations such as you Ross advocated a period of time, Riz Ken Ham argues it's literal days, my question is how should we interpret it? Okay, so you're not differing with me and that's what we invited in today's show as opposed to taking phone calls and I've answered this question many, many times, so I'll be very brief here. I do not believe that reading Genesis 1 alone in the context of the Bible you can say whether it is a literal day or a period of time.

Why? Because I don't believe Genesis 1 is primarily there to teach us science, it's primarily there to teach us about the nature of God and how He works and how He set up this world and it's done so in a structured, ordered way. Now, is it literal six days of creation? Is it time periods? That's for scientists to argue.

On a literary level, I say it could go either way. Just as a Hebrew scholar or a student of Hebrew and a student of the Bible, my understanding is it's not there to teach us science. You say well there are other accounts that would point, what you Ross is saying when you read the poetic accounts that others said, the prophetic accounts of creation, it's clear, it's speaking about periods of time, others would say no, no, any time you have yom where it says day and night it's always referring to a 24 hour literal period. Well that's because thereafter it's outside of the creation account so of course it's a literal period wherever it occurs outside of that. But even within Genesis, yom has a few different meanings. In Genesis 1, yom can be day meaning daytime, that's one meaning. Yom can be day meaning a 24 hour period or a full cycle of morning, evening. So that's another meaning. And then when you get to the second chapter, the phrase beyom, literally in the day of, simply means when. So there's yet another meaning of it, even there. So to me the issue is why did God put it there, what are we to learn from it and I'll let the scientists have that debate between them and I respect Ken Ham and I respect you Ross and I've had young earth creationists on the show like Jonathan Sarfati, I've had you Ross on the show, old earth creationists and others from Reasons to Believe and they're all welcome to come and present their viewpoints and challenge my views and educate our listeners.

Let's see, yeah Brett call in, call in with your questions. Inferno Corps, why do you think the Tower of Babel was, was it just a big, what was it, was it an inter-dimensional portal, what in your view was it, no it was not an inter-dimensional portal, it was just a big tower. Probably what we refer to as a ziggurat the way it would be built. So not like a, like the Washington Monument, just this single structure shooting straight up but rather something that would, how can I describe it because I'm so bad with mechanical and engineering and architectural type descriptions. But just like a ziggurat, z-i-g-g-u-r-a-t and that's how most would conceive it.

So you've got kind of steps going around as the thing spirals up and then gets smaller. It's just a big tower with the idea of, in many parts of the world, different religions, they want to be at the highest location, even high places, Bamot in the Hebrew Scriptures. You get up higher you're like closer to the deity so this is the mindset, that's why you build these for worship. And here was a cooperative effort that God was dealing with.

Okay, same person there. Arnold, I'm curious what you think on theonomy. Okay, so theonomy comes from the two words theos, god, namos, law.

So theonomy best known probably in the last generation through the teachings of Rush journey is something that I differ with. This is the idea that the goal of Christians in a society and what would be best for the society would be to bring it under biblical law. Alright, now I believe the principles of biblical law are essential for us to understand. And yes, many of the early laws in America were drawn from biblical principles and from legal scholars who themselves drew a lot on scripture.

That's been well demonstrated in my book Saving a Sick America gives a lot of the documentation for that, Saving a Sick America. That being said, no I do not believe that for example any biblical law is considered a death penalty. And those things for which Israel would put someone to death should be reinstituted today. So then an adulterer would be put to death. Or as I gave an example earlier, a sorcerer, a witch would be burnt alive.

Obviously people who are unrepentant in particular. So I don't see that, so Rush journey is a deep thinker. And other theonomists like Gary North, maybe he was well known as well, maybe Rush journey a bit more widely. But these are brilliant thinkers with many excellent insights. But the conclusions of theonomy, no, no, no, I do not believe we should establish a theocracy.

I believe the governmental forum we have at Democratic Republic is wonderful, but people advocate for their views. So I'm going to strongly advocate for pro-life view. And because I do believe it's the taking of a human life, ideally I want to see it illegal around America. But I'm not calling for the death penalty, say for a mother who participated in her child's abortion.

And many other things I would not take hold of what is in Old Testament law and say that should be lived out today. And again, the theonomists would have their responses, but I personally reject it. In political seduction of the church, I lay out why. So a more recent book, Saving Sick America, a few years back, political seduction of the church, a couple of years back, I lay out why I differ with theocracy.

I quote, in fact, Rush journey and others at some length there and explain where I differ. So political seduction of the church will really get into that more. And I've got a book, I'm just probably finished today, probably finished the last chapter, the last few pages tonight, God willing. And that's due to come out March of next year on how to ignite a cultural awakening. So I get into some of that there as well.

Banjo Skeptic. Why do you think God wanted a New Testament collection of holy documents? Why do you think God wanted each of the 27 New Testament documents in the collection? How do you know the church picked the right ones? Please don't quote 2 Timothy 3.16. Very fair questions.

Very, very fair questions. Number one, in the same way I believe that we have the documents we're supposed to have for the Old Testament in the New, it's a matter of faith. In other words, why do we have 1 Chronicles with its genealogies?

Why do we have 2 Timothy where Paul's telling Timothy to bring the parchments for him and his cloak possible before winter because it's going to be cold in prison? Why do we have those details there? Ultimately I believe in the providence of God. This is why we are to have what we are to have. Why do I believe the church picked the right ones?

A totally fair question. It's a matter of faith for me. If I was Catholic or Greek Orthodox, then I would say that church tradition is also inspired by God, etc. In this case I believe in the providence of God, we have the right books. Now, in some cases we know why things were chosen. In other words, apocryphal gospels that were not attested among the early documents, like the synoptic gospels, they weren't attested there, they weren't put in collections with them. So it's clear these are later, be it the Gospel of Thomas or other things like that. So there are reasons why these were selected. But why didn't we have, for example, Paul's letter to the church in Laodicea which he references in Colossians.

Why wasn't that preserved? God knows. So I believe what we have is what we needed to equip us to do what God wants us to do as his people. It is simply for me a matter of faith. You say, why do I believe it? Because God supernaturally invaded my life with his love when I didn't want him and didn't believe in him, radically dramatically transformed me, and has made himself real to me for over 50 years, and has confirmed the truth of the Bible in endless different ways, even in terms of major historical prophecy about Israel, etc. So it is a matter of faith for me and not one where I'm going to try to persuade you intellectually. Are you stressed and searching for a natural way to restore balance in your life?

Look no further. Introducing Trivita's Ashwagandha KSM 66, nature's science-supported secret to inner harmony and well-being. I'm Dr. Paul Burnett, a board-certified doctor of holistic health and director of wellness services at Trivita. I want you to know that Trivita's Ashwagandha KSM 66 is not just Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha KSM 66 undergoes a rigorous formulation process and has 22 gold standard clinical trials. Trivita's Ashwagandha KSM 66 adaptogenic properties assist your body in adapting to stress, reducing fatigue, and restoring your natural balance.

Ashwagandha's KSM 66 is shown to support cognitive function, mental clarity, and focus, and is shown to promote deep and restful sleep, so you can wake up feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the day. Trivita has a special offer for you, the listeners of Dr. Brown's Line of Fire broadcast. By one 30-day supply of Trivita's Ashwagandha KSM 66, and you will receive an additional 30-day supply for free. Plus, you will receive a free digital copy of Dr. Brown's new book, A Healthy Church Starts with a Healthy You.

Don't wait any longer. Join countless others who have discovered the benefits of Trivita's Ashwagandha KSM 66. To order, call 1-800-771-5584, use promo code KSM66, and receive one bottle at $19.99 and get one free, along with your free digital copy of Healthy You.

Or go to trivita.com and use promo code KSM66. Call 1-800-771-5584, 800-771-5584. It's the Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the Line of Fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Welcome back, friends, to the Line of Fire. Thanks so much for joining us. As always, thanks to our co-sponsor, Trivita. Yeah, I have really enjoyed these wellness supplements.

Look at this. By God's grace, I am living a super healthy life. I mean, radical in terms of my diet, where I travel, wherever. I mean, as radical as you can imagine in so many ways, and I'm thriving.

At 68, I feel far younger, far more energized, far more full of life, far healthier than I did at 59 when God helped me to transform my life. So I'm thriving. Now yet in these wellness supplements, it's like, boom, I'm flying. So wherever you are, right, you may not be in a good health situation now, but maybe these will be a step in the right direction and help you in so many other ways.

So if you'd like to find out more, just go to trivita.com, T-R-I-V-I-T-A.com, and be sure to use the code BROWN25 to get a special discount. And when you do, know that 100% of your first order is donated to the ministry. So if that's something you're interested in, that's the place to go. Or you can call 800-771-5584.

If that's of interest to you, that is a number to call. Chris, I don't think biblical narratives can function on their own as moral mandates for all mankind. Can you explain how a story is in itself a moral mandate? So in Scripture, we have what is called prescriptive and descriptive accounts. So a prescriptive verse would be, don't do this, or do this.

So it's prescribing action, behavior. A descriptive is, so-and-so did this, and that we learned from it. So the first thing is, Chris, we learn in obvious ways. We learn about the folly and destruction of adultery. We learn about the folly and destruction of drunkenness. We learn about the power of unity and the destructive power of disunity. We learn about lots of things by reading accounts. We see that polygamy is bad by reading the accounts of what it produces and the marital strife and the family tensions and dynamics. So just reading those things, we learn from them.

That's number one. Number two, when they are reinforced with a prescriptive command, now we have the moral mandate. So we learn by example in much of Scripture. And then when we have it further reinforced, for example, we see the destructive nature of murder, but then we read don't murder. And that's reinforced in the Old Testament, New Testament. So there is our moral imperative which reinforces what is found in the narratives. And the narratives then reinforce the moral commands. But we make a dogmatic statement not just based on the historical account, but coupled with a moral imperative in Scripture.

That's when we make a dogmatic statement, it must be this, cannot be this, etc. The fantastic Mr. Fox, I respect you, love you as my brother in Christ, one you believe in continuation to your dispensationalist ultimately making two peoples of God. Actually not, but that's okay if you feel that way. Your eschatology, I'm cessationist, covenantal, post-mel. Hey, the point of your tweet though was that you respect me and love me as a brother in Christ despite our differences. So hey, I respect that spirit and even though I don't know you as a brother, express that same love back to you. So thank you.

Thank you for your post. No, this is a tough one. Oh, I've asked people where you differ with me. This one hurts. Oh, it stings. Stings. John, I prefer, I can't even get the words out. A full beard rather than a mustache. Man, that stings.

It cuts to the heart. Maybe though this will help. For those that don't know me, I'm just having a little fun, okay? Bless you for taking me so seriously and hanging on every word. I appreciate that, but I hope you notice sometimes just having a little fun here as John did in his tweet.

I ask people to tell me where they differ with me. Maybe this will help you. It's functional, man. It's totally functional. And the full beard is not functional.

What do I mean? I mean, I have a severe underbite. Which you wouldn't notice at all mainly because of the mustache. That's the biggest reason. So that mustache just makes everything look normal. Nancy's not into me having a mustache, but much prefers it to the look without it. Whatever that would look like.

So it's functional, man. I hope you can forgive me. All right.

Okay, someone you'd like me to interact with, if they contact us, maybe we'll do it. Tony, I'd love to hear what you think about Mullinism since that makes the most logical sense to me. It's the most consistent with scripture when compared to Calvinism or Arminianism.

So middle knowledge, I don't think about it at all. I had dinner. Where was I? What conference was I at?

And the apologist wanted to take me out. We had a meal together and he explained Mullinism and why he holds to it and this middle knowledge and was very enthusiastic and said, this explains it. I don't even think about it. I don't think philosophically. I have no problem with God's absolute foreknowledge and our free will within the parameters He's given it to us. I see no contradiction there. You say, well, it has to be one way or the other unless you believe in Mullinism.

Not to me. God inhabits eternity. Isaiah 57, 15 and Hebrew, Shochan Ad, there's two words, that's why I love to quote them. In fact, I still remember being at NYU in one of my classes with Professor Levine as we're studying some ancient Semitic texts and he was brilliant and massive amounts of material memorized and he just referenced, we were reading some text and it had the word odd and it meant eternity, you know, it's some ancient Semitic text. And he said, Shochan Ad, Isaiah 57, 15. And he looked at me like I was the walking Bible concordance. We laughed.

But yeah, so I'm going to love that little phrase there. So he inhabits eternity, so he dwells outside of time within his parameters. He's given us choices to make. I don't even think, honestly, I don't even give it a second thought.

I'm not saying others shouldn't. Just ask me. I don't.

Midnight Grizzly. Listen to a sermon you gave and you referenced Bill Johnson in a positive light. I have some concerns about his church and the hyper charismatic movement. I feel it may differ on our views of this movement. Other than that, I have much respect for your work.

Hey, thank you for having potential differences with me on this and respecting me. So I love Bill Johnson. I believe he's a genuine man of God. If you listen to his sermon that was preached, the sermon he preached after his wife, Benny died after a long battle with cancer and many, many people praying for healing. I'm sure Bill praying for healing day and night for years. Listen to that sermon and tell me if that's a man of God or not.

The sermon that he preached after his wife, Benny died of cancer. That being said, I'm sure there are practices I differ with at Bethel. I'm sure there are things that have been preached by folks who have been part of Bethel. I wish at times they had been quicker to clamp down on things and say, that's wrong. We don't believe this.

Or to discipline someone who was out of order to do it publicly instead of just privately. And I've communicated that. You know, Bill and I interact some by email.

Chris Fallatin and I more so interact. So I believe God's working there. I believe they're touching many in a positive way.

I believe they're falsely accused of a whole lot. And there are absolutely things I would differ with and do differently. For sure.

For sure. So, ultimately, understand this. I work with cessationists. To me, the continuous of the gifts of the Spirit today is a major biblical truth. I work with cessationists side by side.

I teach at schools that are a cessationist without hesitation. If someone said to me, Dr. Brown, what are your views on the gifts of the Spirit and prophecy? I'd say, well, the seminary holds to this view, and I'm not here to discuss that. In other words, I'm going to honor the seminary there. What are your own views? Well, you can read my books on that, but I'm not here to discuss that or debate it. Why? Because I'm under the auspices of that seminary.

I'm going to honor it. I work with people that differ with me on other points that I feel are very important, but they're not heaven and hell issues. So there are differences within the body. So if I can work with the cessationists, I work with Calvinists. You know, one of my dear friends, Dr. James White, a Calvinist and cessationist. The soft cessationist is not hard.

In other words, he believes miracles can still happen today. It's just not the norm. But in any case, we're dear friends, colleagues. We have each other's back in many ways, but he could freely get on the air and tell me to my face, Mike, I think you're wrong to do this interview or be on this show. And I think you're too soft on this one. And we'll listen to each other.

I think you're too harsh on this one. As brothers, right? So if I can work with James White, I can work with Bill Johnson, right? If you want to know specifics with Bill, then just search on our YouTube channel, Ask Dear Brown, AskDr.

Brown on YouTube. Just search there for my interview with Bill Johnson. And he came on the air to talk about his book on the goodness of God. And I said to the publisher, I said, as long as he's willing to answer some difficult questions, because I want to raise questions that others raised for him and Beth. He said, by all means. And I did.

What about the grave-sucking thing? He said, no, it was aberrant. It was wrong.

It never should have happened. We heard people were doing it, and here's why it's wrong. What about, you know, the Holy Spirit's like a blue genie. He said, yeah, that was my, I think my daughter that said it. The words were ill-chosen. We talked about it, you know, and she was trying to say, like it's an out-of-the-box thing, but his words were ill-chosen.

And then they put out a series of videos. I encouraged them to do it, rediscovering Bethel. Like, Bill, do you actually believe that at any point Jesus ceased to be God? No, I don't.

Here's how I've been misunderstood. Here's what we do believe. What do you believe about this and that?

So, I was really pleased that Bethel did it. So, find out. Where we differ, we differ. So, I believe they've been falsely accused, just like I believe James White's been falsely accused.

Okay? And these are brothers in the Lord, and I believe in eternity, that's what we're going to major on. So, the Spirit of your tweet, thank you very much. And if you want to know my views on, quote, hyper-charismatic things, get my book, Playing with Holy Fire. Wake up, call the Pentecostal Charismatic Church. I am unashamedly Pentecostal Charismatic. I love and believe in the gifts and power of the Spirit. I've seen the Spirit fall dramatically. I've prayed for thousands of people and seen the Spirit fall on them or they fall on their face, overcome by the Spirit.

Fall on their back, overcome by the Spirit. I speak in tongues daily, and I go on prayer retreats. I speak in tongues hours in a day. I believe in the gifts, and move in the Spirit of prophecy, etc. But I categorically reject the extremes and what you call, Charismatic. May the Lord be glorified. This is a program powered by the Truth Network.