Five Hundred Years Since the Reformation - Part 4
IDENTITY IDEALS
by Jim Jester
November 4, 2018
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Heb. 1:1-4 KJV).
This is part 4, concluding my series on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. This week we have entered into the 501st year of the anniversary, Oct 31, 2018.
According to Philip Melanchthon, 31 October 1517 was the day German monk Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire. Historians and other experts on the subject argue that Luther may have chosen All Hallows’ Eve on purpose to get the attention of common people, although this has never been proven. This became known as the start of the Protestant Reformation.
Christian Identity shares many of the doctrines of the Protestant Reformation. However, our principles and ideals go just a bit deeper than what has transpired in Christendom since that time, 500 years ago.
The Son – God’s Supreme Revelation
In our scripture reading, I have always noticed that in verse two, it says, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Thus, ever since the writing of the N. T., we have been in the last days. From this, we can see that “the last days” is not just a concept of recent development. And, we are getting closer to the kingdom of God as we speak.
Focusing on verse four of our scripture reading, it says, He (the Son) is “better than the angels” (messengers, prophets). This could be translated “superior to the angels” (so it is in the ISV). Also, “a more excellent name” could be translated, “better than theirs” (ISV). Thus, the ISV continuing from verse three states, “and became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is better than theirs.”
“Better,” in Hebrews, refers to what is effective in obtaining our salvation or to the eternal blessings promised to us. Throughout this chapter, the words of the O. T. (Ps., Sam., Deut., Isa.) are applied to Jesus Christ, describing His exalted (supreme) nature and position.
Israel – God’s Anointed People
How can we identify Adam’s descendants? Biblical scholar James Strong states that Adam is defined as “ruddy” (Strong’s Dictionary, word #H120). This word aw-dawm comes from aw-dam’ (word #H119) which means: “To show blood (in the face), that is, flush or turn rosy: be (dyed, made) red (ruddy).” The New Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon confirms that this is true by defining Adam: “be red… ruddy… redden, grow or look red… emit redness.” This is a perfect description of the White race.
Adam was given dominion (to subdue) over all the Earth by God (Gen. 1:26). Later, God calls one of Adam’s descendants, Abram (Gen. 12), to work out a plan for His people. Later, as Abram slept, God made a Covenant with him and his descendants (Gen. 15). God married his Covenant people at Mt. Sinai in the giving of the Ten Commandments. Eventually, His people Israel broke their marriage covenant and God had to divorce them. In order to marry them again, God’s Son came as an atonement for their sin, and thus re-uniting with His people, once again, in the New Covenant made with Christ’s blood.
Paul refers to Yahweh’s anointed people (God’s Bride): ‘Now to Abraham the promises have been spoken, and to his offspring. It does not say, “and to offsprings,” as of many; but as of one: “and to your offspring,” which are anointed.’ – Gal. 3:16 CNT
Nearly all the translations (and commentaries) make this verse universal by interpreting the word anointed as “Christ” attempting to make it refer to the person of Jesus Christ. Some have even capitalized the word “One” to refer to Jesus. However, the word “Christ” means, “anointed one.” It is not a name, but a title. The same is true of the word “Lord,” which also is a title.
Also, dropping down to verse 19, “‘til the seed should come to whom the promise was made.” It is the same “seed” spoken of here, as above (v. 16). It is not Jesus. It is a line of descendants.
Other scriptures concur with Paul: “In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” – Rom. 9:7, Heb. 11:18. Isaac is the one seedline. Yes, Jesus the Christ is from this line, but so are all the Covenant people. This is the context of the verse – it is not talking about Jesus.
1 + 1 = 2
Therefore, when we put these two concepts (ideals) together: the Supremacy of the Son and White Adamkind (the anointed Covenant race), we have White Supremacy. Furthermore, White Christians will be the only inheritors of the kingdom of God. This is what Jesus meant by “the gospel of the kingdom” (phrase found 5 times). The phrase “the kingdom of God” is found 76 times and “the kingdom of heaven” is found 33 times in the N.T. (which is quite significant).
News
A couple weeks ago, I heard an ad on a local Christian radio station about a new church starting in Cincinnati. They spoke of being invincible. From their website, “Invictus is a Latin adjective meaning unconquered, unsubdued, invincible, unconquerable. “We are completely victorious through God who showed his love for us. Romans 8:37 (NCV)” The headline at their site reads, “Invictus Church is a new church launching this Sunday, October 7, 2018, in Cincinnati, Ohio.”
This certainly piqued my interest; of course, I had suspicions. So I sent them an email asking if they were a 501c3 tax exempt organization. Their response, “Yes, we are!” They seemed proud of their status. So I wrote back saying, “Then you are already conquered as a church.”
I found out that this church was not on its own. They are part of a larger Methodist sect called Pillar Ministries. They also have churches in Colorado, California and New Jersey. They have radio stations in these locations as well (WAKW, Cincinnati). They also have missions in Liberia, Africa and India. So it is a typical judeo church.
My Background
Brother Don has told us about his religious background, so I will take this opportunity to reveal some of mine.
I grew up (teens) in the Church of the Nazarene. But I associated with smaller and more fundamental churches by attending their camp-meetings and revivals. I once visited Pillar Ministries at their location in Zarephath, N. J. in the early 80’s. The original name of this church is the “Pillar of Fire.” And they still use this name in N. J.
So I looked it up. From Wikipedia [My comments bolded]:
Founding
In 1901, the Church was founded by Alma Bridwell White [no relation to Ellen G. White] in Denver, Colorado. The Pillar of Fire was originally incorporated as the Pentecostal Union, but changed its name to distance itself from Pentecostalism in 1915. [Same with the Church of the Nazarene started by Phineas Bresee, 1908. The word “Pentecostal” was dropped in 1919. They never practiced or approved of “speaking in tongues.”] While the Pillar of Fire is Methodist in doctrine, Alma White and her followers believed that the Methodist Church had become corrupt. Alma White and the members of the Pillar of Fire dedicated themselves to the holiness movement in the Wesleyan tradition. Adherents were referred to as "Holy Rollers" and "holy jumpers" because of their religious frenzy. White was noted for her association with the Ku Klux Klan, her feminism, anti-Catholicism, antisemitism, anti-pentecostalism, racism, and nativism.
Zarephath, New Jersey location
Ku Klux Klan, Historical intolerant ideologies, and Ku Klux Klan repudiation
In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, the Pillar of Fire Church was vocal in its support of the Ku Klux Klan, to an extent which was unique for a religious denomination. Alma White spoke and wrote prolifically of her and the Pillar of Fire Church's support for the Klan and many of the Klan's principles including anti- Catholicism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, nativism, and temperance. In 1943, shortly before her death, she and the Pillar of Fire Church significantly but not completely distanced themselves from the then discredited and nearly bankrupt Klan organization, while continuing to promote many of the Klan's intolerant principles. In a 1920s sermon she republished in 1943, she said, “We have no connection with the Klan organization. We endorse them in the principles for which they stand. However there is no room in our hearts for racial prejudice.”
Yet White and the Pillar of Fire advocated for white supremacy in the same 1943 book-set which asserted distaste for racial prejudice. In her chapter titled "White Supremacy" she wrote,
“The slaveholder, in many instances, was as much to be pitied as the slaves. He, too, was a victim of the system... Where the slaves were well treated they were happy and contented... But some radicals could never see this side of the question. They dwelt continually on the cruelties of a few hard taskmasters and ignored the good people who had the welfare of their dependents at heart. No matter what the better class of slave owners might do, they had to bear the stigma of cruelty with the worst of tyrants... Where property rights are involved, supported by the government, the only safe and sane way to make wrongs right is by cool-headed procedure.” [Agree]
She also said to the New Brunswick Daily Home News,
"My people are not members of the Klan, but we agree with some of the things that they stand for to assert our American right of free speech. We have always stood for one hundred percent Americanism and so does the Klan, so naturally we agree there."
Yet the Pillar of Fire's pulpit and the Pillar of Fire's printing operation were used extensively to advocate for many of the most intolerant of Klan values. In 1922, Bishop Alma White preached a sermon promoting the Klan at the Pillar of Fire Church in Brooklyn, New York (which coincidentally was incinerated by the 1960 New York air disaster) and published that sermon in The Good Citizen. The speech was titled "Ku Klux Klan and Woman's Causes" and one section was subtitled "White Supremacy."
“The Klansmen stand for the supremacy of the white race, which is perfectly legitimate and in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Writ, and anything that has been decreed by the Almighty should not work a hardship on the colored race... It is within the rights of civilization for the white race to hold the supremacy; and no injustice to the colored man to stay in the environment where he was placed by the Creator... When the black man was liberated, it was time for women to be enfranchised, without which the colored man with his newly-acquired rank became her political master. ...The white women bore the sting of humiliation for more than half a century in being placed in an inferior position to the black men in the use of the ballot and the rights of citizenship... To whom shall we look to champion the cause and to protect the rights of women? Is there not evidence that the Knights of the Klu Klux Klan are the prophets of a new and better age?” [The blacks could vote but the women could not]
The Pillar of Fire Church strongly argued against social and political equality for Blacks and advocated for racial segration and repeal of the fifteenth amendment. The Pillar allowed the Klan to hold meetings or cross burnings on at least several of the church's numerous properties including numerous documented Klan gatherings in Zarephath, New Jersey; Brooklyn, New York; Bound Brook, New Jersey; Longmont, Colorado; and Westminster, Colorado. White participated directly in many of these meetings. During this time, the Pillar of Fire Church published The Good Citizen, a monthly 16 page political magazine and three books, The Ku Klux Klan In Prophecy, Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty, and Heroes of the Fiery Cross, all of which heavily promoted the Klan and its agenda from 1921 until 1933. Ideologically, in these publications, the Pillar of Fire Church promoted anti-Catholicism, antisemitism, nativism, and white supremacy, all primarily under the guise of patriotism. [I think we would agree with most positions of the old Pillar of Fire.]
The organization has since repudiated its historical relationship with the KKK at its website in 2009:
“Much talk has also arisen over her brief but significant association with the KKK, which has also been publicly condemned and repented of by the POF leadership with a request for full forgiveness. Despite these and other errors in its history, the Lord in His grace and mercy has chosen to bless the ministry.”
And in the local paper in 1997:
“We regret, repudiate and repent, and ask for full forgiveness for anything in our past that is short of Christian standards based on God's Word, following Jesus' model prayer that teaches us to ever pray and forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. (Luke 11:4) We specifically regret mistakes and bad judgment by previous generations or anyone in our membership of the past.” [Thus, they have followed the path of the Southern Baptists.]
While the Pillar of Fire's repudiation characterized its association with the Klan as brief, it continued for at least several decades to promote its ideologies of intolerance for religious and racial minorities and of equality for white Protestant women. In 1943, 22 years after the church began publicly working with the Klan, it republished Alma White's pro-KKK books as a three-volume set under the title Guardians of Liberty, reaffirming its positions in support of anti-Semitism, white supremacy, nativism and most notably, anti-Catholicism. Volumes II and III of Guardians had introductions by Arthur White, affirming his support for his mother's intolerant ideologies, primarily but not exclusively in regard to anti-Catholicism. After his mother died in 1946, he was the Pillar of Fire's general superintendent until 1981. [I met Arthur White; and one of his books is in our church library.]
1950s – Present
Following the death of the founder, under the leadership of her son, Arthur Kent White, the religious fervor declined and the emphasis on outreach evangelization and church planting ended; the organization branches in America fell from a high of around 52 to the current six. [End of Wiki quote.]
As I said earlier, I once visited this church when I lived in New Jersey. I met Bishop Arlene White Lawrence (the daughter of Arthur K. White), who was the third president and General Superintendent of the Pillar of Fire Church. She died in 1990. We have a book in our library by Arthur K. White called “Protestant Ideals” – hence the title of this sermon, “Identity Ideals.” His book is a criticism of Roman Catholic doctrine written for young people.
The Bible verse for the Pillar of Fire church is:
“The LORD went in front of them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel both day and night.” (Ex. 13:21).
But now, the Pillar of Fire church is becoming known as “Pillar Ministries.” They have lost the fire.
Just this week, I heard another ad for Invictus Church (and they didn’t sound very victorious). The pastor spoke how Jesus died for our sins, and how that many times during the day we fall into sin (And doesn’t “fall” sound like an accident?). He spoke lightly of sin as if it were a part of the normal Christian experience. However, the old Pillar of Fire church never spoke this way. They came down hard and heavily on the sins and practices of the world. I know, I was in the holiness church. Sin is serious matter; it is not just an accident – it is a deliberate choice. Sin is not a part of the normal Christian life – it is the exception not the rule! The new, Invictus Church is spiritually anemic; they are weak, and weakness is close to death. They have no fire!
Fire is symbolic of the spiritual:
It provides literal light to see and understand our environment. But likewise, Holy Spirit “fire” provides spiritual “light” (enlightenment, understanding).
“Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own accord, but will speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come.” – John 16:13, ISV
It provides literal heat, as in the smelting process, where intense fire separates the impurities (dross) from the pure metal so that it can be made strong. But likewise, Holy Spirit “fire” provides the “heat” of conviction to cause us to cry out for cleansing from sin (dross); enabling us to serve Him. The hymn writer, Charles Wesley, expressed it like this:
“Refining fire, go through my heart,
Illuminate my soul; Scatter Thy life through every part,
And sanctify the whole.
Oh that in me the sacred fire
Might now begin to glow;
Burn up the dross of base desire
And make the mountains flow!
Oh, that it now from heav’n might fall,
And all my sins consume!
Come Holy Ghost, for Thee I call;
Spirit of burning, come!”
The fire of the Holy Spirit also provides spiritual gifts:
“And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:1-4, MKJV
The festival of Pentecost commemorated the giving of the law at Sinai to Israel in the third month after they had been delivered from Egypt. It was a fitting season, therefore, for the sending of the Spirit, whereby the words of ancient prophecy were fulfilled, “I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” – Jer. 31:33
After the ascension of their Lord, the disciples simply waited for Pentecost. They prayed together, as it seems, and they likely hammered out differences; but exactly what the subject of their prayers were, would be very hard to tell. They probably did not pray for a baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had not been instructed to pray for it, but to “tarry” until it came. One thing is certain, they were submissive to their Lord.
However, there is a “fire” that represents the destruction of the wicked (the chaff – the tares. Chaff can also represent things that should not be in your life).
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:11-12).
“I’ve come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already ablaze!” – Jesus (Luke 12:49 ISV)
In One Accord
Let us go back to our text in Acts chapter two. It is unfortunate that many of the more modern translations leave out the idea of Christians being in “one accord.” These simply say, “they were all together in one place.” But our King James related translations correctly include the sense of unity. So I want to share this quote:
‘With one accord’ expresses the inward disposition of the disciples on that eventful morning when the Holy Ghost for the first time fell upon them. Had they been otherwise—disunited in heart and mind, torn with jealousies and rivalries, broken up into hostile factions or unfriendly cliques—does any one believe the Spirit would have fallen on them—that Spirit, who, if anything, is a Spirit of concord and unity (Eph. 4:3)? What a rebuke to the Church of today, which is not only marred by divisions and separations, but too often also actuated by mutual antipathies, cut up into sects and animated by a spirit of proselytism rather than of co-operation, a spirit of reciprocal opposition rather than of mutual affection! And what an explanation of the comparatively slow progress of the Church in past ages, as well as of its spiritual deadness at the present time! If the Church is to awake from her lethargy and clothe herself with energy, if she is to shake herself from the dust and put on her beautiful garments she must receive a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost, and before that can take place there must be a laying aside of hostilities and a cessation of animosities on the part of rival denominations and congregations, there must be a healing of broaches in the walls of God’s Spiritual Zion, there must be a gathering into one of the tribes of the New Testament Israel. – Preacher’s Homilitical
I wholeheartedly agree that the disciples’ unity, humbleness, and submissiveness to their Lord had something to do with it.
Fire – Symbol of God’s Word
Isaiah 30:27, Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
Jeremiah 23:29, Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Deuteronomy 4:36, Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
Jeremiah 5:14, Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Hebrews 1:7, And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Fire at Mt. Carmel
Elijah makes a deal with the people during a contest with Baal.
‘Elijah approached all the people and asked them, “How long will you keep hesitating between both sides? If the LORD is God, go after him. If Baal, go after him.” But the people didn’t say a word.’ –I Kings 18:21, ISV
This is how many judeos respond when confronted with an important biblical question they cannot answer. So, Elijah sets up the contest and has water poured all over the sacrifice and instructs them.
‘Then you can call on the name of your god, and I’ll call on the name of the LORD. Let the God who answers by fire be our God!” “That’s a good idea!” all the people shouted.’ – 1 Kings 18:24, ISV
People love a challenge; and they like fire. Elijah prayed, and of course, the fire fell, licked up the water and consumed the sacrifice. “For our God is an all-consuming fire.” –Heb. 12:29, ISV
Beware of Fake Fire
What do I mean by “fake fire?” The book of Isaiah is basically about Servanthood. With that in mind, we must submit to doing things God’s way, not our own way. Some churches like to use “selling points” to draw people into their fold. They want a popular gospel. They have a party spirit: ball games, rock music and other forms of entertainment. I call these things “fake fire;” it is counterfeit, not like the fire that God sent down for Elijah.
In chapter 50, Isaiah depicts our Lord Jesus Christ as the submissive Servant (v. 4-9). Then, starting in verse 10, he wants us to listen to the voice of the Servant:
“Who among you fears Jehovah, who obeys the voice of His servant, who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah and rest on his God.” – Isa. 50:10
Then follows this warning:
“Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who are surrounded with sparks (ISV: “torches”); walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks which you have kindled. This you shall have of My hand; you shall lie down in sorrow (ISV: “torment”).” – Isa. 50:11, MKJV
Notice, this is a fire that they created. It was not a fire sent down by Yahweh. Therefore, they will end up disappointed (putting it mildly). People can trust God and find their light in Him, or they must walk in their own fire and find torment.
We do not need the cold, dead, formalism and fancy rituals of certain denominations. Neither do we need the worked up fire, usually in the form of “wild fire” or entertainment. Judeo churches do not preach the whole truth. I am glad that we in Christian Identity have the fiery truth of the Covenant. Knowing who Israel is, is paramount in understanding the Word of Yahweh. Paul said, “Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.” – Romans 12:11, ISV
Then Isaiah continues the theme of listening to our Lord in the next chapter (or song). It is a great Identity passage:
“Listen to me, pursuers of righteousness; seekers of Jehovah: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” – Isa. 51:1-2, MKJV
Conclusion
The biggest problem that the judeo-Christians have is their belief that the “Jews” are the chosen people of the Old Testament. Therefore, they believe in Jewish supremacy. Although they will deny any form of supremacy, saying “we all are equal in Christ,” the jews admit they are not in Christ. Jews claim to be true Israel today (and Judeos believe them) but they do not bear the scriptural and historic evidence to the contrary. Isn’t it strange: they will accept the word of the jews, and jewish supremacy reigning throughout the world, but they will not accept a White person who claims to be of Israel. One cannot have it both ways; you must believe one or the other.
We have much in common with Protestant doctrines and practices, but these are not enough to bring us into the kingdom of God. Our first priority in doing our part to build the kingdom is found in the leading of the Holy Spirit within our lives. “Not by valor nor by strength, but only by my Spirit, says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies” (Zec. 4:6, ISV). Following this, our ideals in Christian Identity are:
- Lawful Living (Christlikeness)
- White Separatism
- White Nationalism
- White Supremacy
All four of these principles are found in the following verses (and many others throughout the Bible):
Deuteronomy 14:2, “For thou art an holy [separate, exclusive] people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar [special, chosen] people unto himself, above all the nations [Nationalism] that are upon the earth.”
The ISV translates this as, “precious possession from among all the peoples of the earth.” Why? Because Israel is the Bride of Christ. A bride is expected to be pure and clean in character. Colossians 3:8 (ISV) says, “But now you must also get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene speech, and all such sins.” All Christians should be known for their Christlikeness. “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thess. 5:22). Christian Identity should be known for this, as well as being known for their racial consciousness.
Deuteronomy 10:15, “Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above [Supremacy] all people, as it is this day.”
There will always be some version of Supremacy. The rise and fall of empires down through the ages prove this. There has always been one race pitted against another for dominance. These struggles have not always been fair and are laced with examples of abuse, torture and war; and even we are not innocent in this. But ask yourself, which of the races have been the most benevolent ruler demonstrating compassion and overall prosperous domination? Anyone who knows history will have to admit it is the White race.
This is Yahweh’s doing, not ours; and His kingdom will be supreme. We embrace what God has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ. We embrace the doctrines that grew out of the Reformation, as long as they are in accordance with the Word of God. We acknowledge the Reformers lacked a complete concept of the Covenant, i.e., racial exclusivity. Thus, their churches soon deteriorated in faith and doctrine, fell into formalism and worldliness, lost their exclusivity, became universal and split into many denominations and sects.
Christian Identity is here to pick up the shattered pieces of the fragmented Reformation, blend them with the Covenant, and let our God bring revival through the power of his Spirit.
“His Spirit is with us. He has already entered into the world. He is among us like a subtle atmosphere that crowds itself with a gentle intrusion into every space of our hearts and lives that is left open to its occupancy. He is like the sunshine, that fills with brightness and touches with colour every object of ground, sea, and sky that is bared to its silent impact. When we are not illumined, it is not because we have neglected to pray for the sun’s rise upon us, but because we have neglected to stand out in the sunshine.” – C. H. Parkhurst, D.D., Preacher’s Homilitical
We are neither Catholic nor Protestant – we are the Covenant people of Yahweh. May the Holy Spirit lead His dear children into the glorious kingdom of our Lord.
The End
