Scattershooting

5/29/08 - 5th Day - Mid-Morning. Ok, both of the "The Biblical Case for the Beard" sermons are now available in both print and audio versions:

The Biblical Case for the Beard, Part 1 (audio) (Sermon Notes)
The Biblical Case for the Beard, Part 2 (audio) (Sermon Notes)

I'd have to say that, combined with the two sermons on the womans headcovering, I've never had a series of sermons go out and receive less attention and feedback. It's very interesting. My overall hits and visits on this blog have really been going up, but the amount of feedback here and on BiblicalAgrarianism.com has really plummeted. I'm not sure what to make of that. Either I am really making some people think, and they do not know what to say about it, or (as I suspect) discussion about actual obedience and what the Bible says about things makes people nervous. For the most part, we receive almost NO feedback or comments any more on BA, and here it is getting pretty sparse - strange when you consider the increased traffic. Maybe it is as I have said for many years. Maybe the time for teaching and exhorting is past, and maybe it is time that I consider eliminating the online portion of the ministry? Something to consider, anyway.

Ok, here at the ranch we have been working pretty hard on trying to get the roof of the office finished. Today, the men are all over here and we are putting up the metal roofing. Also, later today we will be raising the walls on Brother Deacon David Sifford's shed building that he is building over his root cellar.

It seems to have been killing time for me. The other night I shot a coon that was busy eating my pig feed. We had set a trap for him, but he was bypassing the trap and pulling the lid off of the feed and going to town. I caught him and he tried to run up into the pasture and hunker down, hoping I would go away. All I could see were eyes shining back at me, and I didn't want to accidentally shoot one of the cats (at least not one of the good cats - some cats need shooting), so I crept up on him and finally took him out. The next day happened to be the day my oldest daughter (Tracy) turned 15. To celebrate (since we do not celebrate birthdays) she chose to butcher three of her rabbits. So I helped her kill a rabbit, and then she did the other two. She did a great job. Then she smoked them, and today she is going to can the meat. Today, while I was working down at the office, Danielle came down and told me that there was a coon in the coon trap. So I had to go shoot that coon. Hopefully, if we can limit the coon population a bit, then I can eventually catch a hog or two in our hog trap. It seems, right now, like the coons have been getting the bait corn before the hogs can get to it.

Still no rain here. A huge storm came down on Tuesday night and completely surrounded us in three directions. Then it just disappeared. We're taking that personally. Elder David and I will be calling for a day of repentance, prayer, and reflection here in the community. If you would like to join us, I will be posting information in the next day or so.

Sometimes God gives you an immediate and unequivocal rebuke. Last friday, Jennifer was goofing around with Robert and Robert stole her shoes. She went chasing Robert without her shoes and she stubbed her toe on a rock. Well, she ripped her big toenail completely off. Quite painful, as you can imagine. I talked to her about it and I told her about God's love in how He rebukes us. Sometimes, He lets us know immediately that we have done something wrong. She was doing something very silly and dangerous, and she got an immediate rebuke for it. "Spiritual Physics" we call it around here. Well, on Tuesday I was down feeding the pigs. One of the big gilts was being ornery, and she made me mad so I gave her an ill-advised kick to the snout. I didn't have my steel-toed boots on, so guess what happened? Yep, ripped my toenail on my big toe all the way back. It didn't come completely off... yet, but it probably will. So I have been hobbling around a bit, and learning my lessons. It's funny to see the children look at me with such a mature, knowing (maybe mocking) glance...

Updates:

The ham that I cured myself was very good. It was very salty, as I expected, but we used some Ajarita berry sauce with it and it was quite tasty. If you wanted to have it taste more like commercial ham, you would have to soak it probably for 48 hours or so, and then maybe honey glaze it and bake it. But it was very good.

I am still making plans for Super-Ranchfest in October, and I will be sending out an update to my personal email list either today or tomorrow. I am also working on a Q&A Friday to send out tomorrow.

Sarah's arm is healing up really well. She no longer has the cast on it, and has almost complete flexibility with just an ACE bandage on it. Thank you all for your prayers.

We also got the brakes fixed. Brother Chris was able to do the job for me, for much, much less than it would have cost otherwise. I still have some other problems that need addressing, but for now the truck is operable and we are glad for that.

Well, I have to hobble back down to the office. Hope all is well with you all.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Hams and Heat

5/25/08 - The Lord's Day - Late Morning. Greetings y'all. We're in the midst of a very nice Lord's Day here. The temps have been unseasonably hot - so we are getting prepared for a hot summer. It still hasn't rained, so we are really looking forward to some moisture.

Things are going well here. Today, for fellowship dinner, we are having one of my homegrown/homemade/home-cured hams. This is the first one from a pig that was born here and that was raised here and that we butchered right here. I prepared the hams the old, old-fashioned way, and in fact I double cured it, doing a wet cure for a month and then a dry cure for a month. I had Danielle cube up the other ham for canning, but both of these hams could have been hung and stored in our root cellar for at least 6 more months, I am certain. So this will be our first example of a beginning to end, old-timey meal. Everything was done the old-fashioned way, and I look forward to enjoying the fruit of all of that labor.

The gardens are going good, but it has been very, very hot - and everything is showing the wear and tear from the heat. Yesterday I spent most of the Sabbath in the cool of the root cellar reading books. During the week we continued some work on the roof of the office, and we hope to get some more work done on it today after fellowship. We'll see.

Well, I hope to get back to some regular blocking this coming week.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

The Biblical Case for the Beard, Part 1

Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. (Lev 19:27)

When we want to understand the root of any modern practice, it is important that we go to the Bible and to history first. By reading the Bible, and by understanding history, we will be able to see the root and foundation of most modern heresies and abominations. You can be sure that if God would have things to be one way, that modern man (and modern religion) would have it to be another. If God would have purity, modern man and modern religion would have depravity. If God would have obedience, modern man and modern religion would deify freedom. If God would have submission, man will elevate self and the will.

In Israel there was no bigger shame, no greater humiliation, than for a man to be shaved. This point is inarguable. We can prove it from the Bible, we can prove it from history, and we can prove it from art. A shaved face was a sign to one and all that a man was unclean, impure, and shameful. People would cross the street to avoid being near, or having contact with, a shaved man. The commandment that a man was not to shave was so blatant and plain in the Torah, that no decent or honorable man would dare challenge God or the social order in such a way purposely. Not only that, but it was considered the ultimate in humiliation to be shaved or to be beardless. If you wanted to insult or humiliate an Israelite, you didn't kill him or threaten him. If you wanted to humble, frighten, or embarrass an Israelite you didn't rape his wife, kill his son, steal his cattle, or make him a slave. To ultimately humiliate an Israelite, you plucked out or shaved his beard.

Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return (2Sa 10:4-5). About the beards of David's servants, John Gill said Hanun “ordered them to be shaved off; than which a greater indignity could not have been well done to them and to David, whom they represented, since the Israelites shaved not their beards, and were very careful of preserving them; for had it been the custom to shave, they might have shaved off the other half, and then they would not have appeared so ridiculous; and with other people it has been reckoned a very great punishment as well could be inflicted, and as great an affront as could well be offered, to mar a man's beard, or shave it off in whole or in part”.

The shaving off of the beard of one's enemies, or of a messenger, would be a greater affront than to kill him or to send the head of the messenger back to his master. To shave off the beard was to say “you are not a man, and thus not worthy of a beard, or of killing”. Jesus, speaking to us out of the Old Testament said:

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed (Isa 50:6-7).

Lev. 14:9: The shaving of the hair and beard was a sign of one who had not yet been purified from leprosy (sin), and it was preparatory to him receiving the purification necessary, and a sacrifice was to be made for him. The shaving of the beard was to be a sign of complete humiliation and shame, and a sign that a ritual sacrifice was needed. A lamb was to be slain and the blood was put on the extremities of the subject (the tip of the right ear, and the tip of the right thumb, and the great toe of the right foot), and oil was then also put on these extremities – these represented the sacrifice of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The balance of the oil was to be taken by the priest and poured on the shaved head, which was sign of such an act of repentance, and the need for it (the sin) having been covered by the work of God.

The sign of the beard being plucked out, then, was a sign of humiliation and shame:

Ezra 9:1-6 – Ezra plucks out his beard because he said “I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to” God.

God utilized the shaving of the face as a prophetic sign that absolute annihilation was coming:

In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard. (Isa 7:20)

The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. (Isa 15:1-2). This is also stated in Jeremiah 48:37 that Moab shall be so humiliated that every head would be shaved and every beard would be clipped.

God even used the head and the beard as a type of Jerusalem and of the countryside round about it:

And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them (Eze 5:1-6).

So the shaved man (and a shaved culture) was the sign of a nation that had refused the judgments and statutes of God. We ought not be surprised, then, to find ourselves in the midst of a nation of shaved men. Men today are taught to shave as youths, and are expected to shave throughout their lives. The beard today is an anomaly, and not a sign of submission to God. A man with a beard today is usually considered either lazy or a kook. Growing a beard for religious reasons is considered cultish and weird. Obedience to the command for a man to have a beard, and to not shave it, is considered either quaint, or outright scary. Once again we find that the world's largest cult – the cult of modernism – requires syncretism and assimilation when it comes to the man's beard.

So where did this cultish act of shaving originate? Apparently, according to the Bible in our principle text here in Leviticus, it was the practice of the pagan cults to shave all or part of the head and face, especially in honor or in remembrance of the dead. According to the Geneva Bible notes, the Gentiles shaved the head and/or face as a sign of mourning for the dead. Deuteronomy 14:1 also bans the practice of cutting oneself, or of shaving or plucking out the eyebrows (between the eyes) for the worship of the dead. Soon, the Gnostic cults, some within Israel and some without, began shaving patterns or shapes into or around the face and beard in order to differentiate themselves from the orthodox in Israel. Some would shave around the circumference of the head, above the ears, leaving the top portion of the hair longer – and some of the early commentators say that it is from this practice that early artists derived the “halo” around the head. Barnes claims that this practice was derived from the Arabs who cut their hair in this manner to show worship to their deity “Orotal”, who was the same with the false “god” named Dionysus of Greeks. Later, some religious monks began shaving the top of the head, leaving the hair around the circumference to grow long, as we can see all the way up to the present day among those in the Romish cult. Most of the best commentators mention that it was the practice of the Egyptians, especially of Egyptian royalty, to shave the face and the body, as can be seen in the likenesses of Egyptian kings, and in the mummies they left behind. Moses, then, would have had a vested interest in making sure that the Israelites did not bring such Egyptian practices and abominations into the land of Israel.

Here is a quick perusal of the history of shaving:

From the most ancient of times, man plucked and pulled hair from his face, head, and body for religious rituals. He would also cut himself, mar and mark the skin, and paint himself in the areas that had been shaved.

Around 3000 B.C. we find that the the first permanent razors are developed due to the advent of metalworking. According to the apocryphal book of Enoch, metallurgy (the working of metal) was given to man by fallen angels in order to help man corrupt his way upon the earth. Copper razors are used in India and in Egypt.

About 1500 B.C., shaving utensils are found in the Scandinavian countries, and were connected with mythology and death.

Around 500 B.C., shaving becomes popularized by Alexander the Great, who it is said was bi-sexual and a complete sexual deviant.

Around 300 B.C., shaving becomes the popular rage in Rome when a Greek businessman brings barbers to Rome. At this time a law is put in place that requires that all men at the age of 21 be shaved. Only military men and philosophers are exempted from the law.

Between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D., the Roman Caesars are the biggest advocates of shaving the face and the body. Particularly Julius Caesar and Nero are said to have been obsessed with being hairless.

It is important that we know that the common practice of shaving the whole beard and the body originated as a cultural practice with the Romans, who – when it came to sex – were not very particular as to the gender of their partners. As homosexuality and bisexuality became a greater force in Rome and in the Roman territories, the men began to shave off the facial and the body hair in order to make themselves look more effeminate and attractive to other men. A man, no matter how perverted, depraved, and reprobated he was, generally by nature was not attracted to a hairy man. Shaving, then, became a way for the sexually deviant to draw attention and to attract one another. This practice also was common among the Greeks, who in their notorious homosexual baths were perfumed and shaved and sought out shaved young boys for sexual purposes. The shaved man, however, became the model for all modern men with the advent and triumph of Roman art during the Renaissance. Michaelangelo's famous statue of David, a pagan monstrosity that looks nothing like the David of the Bible, is said by Francis Schaeffer to be Michaelangelo's concept of the Romanized/idealized man. This idea of the perfect Roman superman, hairless and effeminate, would become the model for men to emulate in the generations that were to come, to the point that being “well-shaved” would be considered the very sign of the gentleman:

“The general rule for the gentleman’s facial hair is that he should have none. A gentleman’s face is always clean-shaven. An hirsute countenance befits only ruffians and Stone Age men, neither of which a gentleman is” - (The Art of Shaving, A Gentleman's Guide, by Ted Nichols).

We should not be surprised at all that what was once a sign of shame, and that became a sign of Sodomy, is now the sign of a modern gentleman.

In western civilized Europe from about 1000 A.D. through the time of the Reformation, a shaved man was automatically considered to be a priest, since it was the practice of the Roman Catholic priesthood to shave in order to indicate their pretended celibacy. It is speculated that the Saxons were surprised and defeated by the Normans at Hastings in 1066 because the Normans spies and leaders first appeared having shaved faces. The Saxon guards assumed that the men were priests and were not alerted. During the Reformation, when a priest (or any man) was converted to the Doctrines of Grace, and when he became convinced that the Papacy was indeed the Antichrist, he allowed his facial hair to grow in order to show that he had rejected the traditions of the Romish Church, and to show separation between himself and his former religion.

We have gone through all of this history, and we have yet to address our principle text. I have designed the argument in this way in order to show you the proper context so that we might properly understand what it is we see in the world today. Once again, obedience is not something that is open to debate, and the Word of God is not simply another lifestyle choice. Even what can be considered the lightest or the most unimportant things can have very significant importance in spiritual reality, and the spiritual health of a man or of a society can be made evident by how he looks, and by how seriously he takes the Word of God. The mind of man is so colonized that what was once expected and normal is now highly revolutionary. It is for this reason that I make the following claim: For a man today who is grounded properly in the Word of God and who holds to right and Biblical doctrines – for him to grow a beard is nothing less than a revolutionary act. It is a sign to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly realms that we have bowed ourselves to the sovereign God of heaven, and have given over our will to Him.

In the second part, we will examine what all of this means, and we will answer the common objections to the commandment that Godly men not shave their beards.

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

editor (at) lazarusunbound.com

Scattershooting: Heat, Water, and Women's Clothing

5/20/08 - 3rd Day - Late Afternoon. The heat has descended on us this week, and, as has been our experience this spring, we have had some very cool mornings followed in turn by very hot days. Yesterday and today we have had mornings in the mid-50s followed by days over 100. As you might expect, this is not really good for the gardens. Right now, the plants ought to be learning to cope with the heat, instead of having to cope with the 50 degree swings in temps. I was able, though, to get most of my sweet potatoes in the ground, although they are looking pretty weakly right now.

Yesterday Danielle and I had to go to the city (Brownwood) to get the parts for the brakes on my truck. Brother Chris has graciously offered to do the work on the brakes, so we went to town to purchase all the parts. Well, the parts shop gave us a wrong part, so we had to take it back today to exchange it. Two trips to the city in two days... I don't like it.

We also officially ran dry in our catchwater cistern on Sunday due to lack of rain. The Ante's brought by some drinking water, and Brother Chris Woods brought us 100 gallons of other (washing, etc.) water. Elder David Sifford offered to give us drinking water from his cistern too, when we need it, so we should be alright for a while. The prognosticators have put a small opportunity for rain on the menu for this weekend, so we will be praying for that. On Sunday the whole community got together and we drove the cattle back to to my front pasture, because there is a large tank (pond) there for water. We also roped two of the younger cattle (one heifer and one bull) and removed their halters since we will not be using them as pulling or riding animals. We have also been almost daily carrying water from my back pond to the pigs, chickens, and to my other two cattle, and to water the garden. This is the first time our cistern has been dry in about 18 months, so we are really praying that we are not entering into another drought summer. The Lord continuously teaches us to prize and highly esteem water, just as we prize and highly esteem the spiritual water from on high.

Last week I finished and posted the second and final part to the Headcovering series, and today I will continue on with the first part (of 2) on The Beard. When I get the opportunity I will post links to all of those parts, and I highly recommend you all listen to (or read) those sermons.

Sarah's arm seems to be doing well, and we ought to be able to remove the half-cast in a week or so. She will probably have to have the bandages and sling for some time until the soreness and pain goes away.

If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend the Sifford's Sojournal blog. Susan Sifford recently wrote a piece on modesty in women's apparel, and I think it was wonderful. I have tried to teach on the subject before, but I think she did a great job explaining some concepts that I have had difficulty explaining; particularly on the need for truly Christian women (all women, of any body style) not to wear clothes that emphasize the figure. I have held up some shirts and tops to show what I am talking about to my wife and daughters - how the clothes are designed by the designer to emphasize the female shape and to highlight the chest and to de-emphasize the waist - but I don't think I have done as good a job as Susan has in getting to the heart of the matter. The excuses I have heard from all kinds of women over the years are very interesting... Smaller women exclaim that that they are not "well endowed" so it doesn't matter what type of top they wear. Larger women exclaim that they "can't help it", because they are big by nature and are unable to dress as modesty requires. Both, however, generally choose clothes that are specifically designed to emphasize the figure, and that puts the "lie" to the arguments. To me, the only thing worse than being disobedient to God and disregarding the health of the community and the obligation to the brethren, is to lie to oneself about it. I have made the point that both of my grandmothers were VERY large women. I mean very large. But both (one Yankee and one Southern) were able to dress very modestly. When I have been asked by even right thinking, separated, agrarian Christian women whether I think that their dress is appropriate and modest, I have generally replied "On a scale of 1 to 10, even now, we are probably at a 3 or 4 - in some cases a 2". I know that I have been trying to emphasize this same thing to the men, and I think that we are moving in the right direction, but, as always, dealing with the issue with women is a very difficult road.

So much for that.

I hope all is well with you all out there.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Some Tips and Some Pics

5/18/08 - The Lord's Day - After Breakfast. A friend has notified me that one of my books - Swarms of Locusts - has been discounted 10% on Amazon.com, and there are also some actual discounted used copies available as well - which is very, very rare.

Ok, here is the hog trap we procured. Elder David Sifford and I went in together and bought this trap from our local feed store. We have placed it back behind our pond, and we are baiting it now to get the boars used to coming around it for food, and we will actually set it sometime today or tomorrow.


Here is a picture of my partial onion harvest. I picked 114 onions this morning and will be preparing them for preserving later today or tomorrow. I still have about 300 or so onions still in the ground:


Here is a picture of one of my rows of tomatoes here in May:


Here is an angled shot of most of the garden this May morning:


I have been reading a great book, the classic book on Longhorns by J. Frank Dobie entitled: The Longhorns. I haven't finished it yet in order to do a review on it, but I wanted to link to it here in case anyone wanted to get a jump start on the book. It is a fabulous example of old-time story telling.

Well, I have to go get prepared for our Lord's Day Fellowship.

Thanks for stopping by!

Michael Bunker

Slow Sarah and Speed Racer

5/15/08 - 5th Day - After Breakfast. Here is Sarah hamming it up, except for the partial cast on her arm. The nurse at the hospital gave her the pink pig with a cast on its arm. On Friday she will have to go back to see the doctor and will probably have a full cast put on her arm. They suspect that she has a fractured ulna, but we won't know for sure until Friday. Coleman is a small town, and the hospital is more of a large clinic, and they did not have a radiologist on staff, so the X-Rays have to be sent away for analysis and we'll find out what is up on Friday, Lord Willing.

No word yet on the pig, either.

David and I went and bought a hog trap from Coleman yesterday. We considered building one, and may do it some day, but we have "now" problem, and we do not yet know how to weld, etc. We haven't trapped hogs before, so I am reading up on it and will be experimenting some over the next week or so. I'll try to get a picture of the hog trap later today and may post it tomorrow.

Speed Racer

I promised a review of the new live-action Speed Racer movie, so here it goes. If you do not watch movies, I understand. Feel free to skip this part. We do not have a television, and generally only watch a very limited amount of "electrical entertainments", but I had been looking forward to the Speed Racer movie for some time. I was a huge fan as a young boy, and I remember being completely wrapped up in the story line. Speed Racer was a cartoon way ahead of its time. It was somewhat serialized, so there was a continuing story line - which was really unheard of at the time. There was an overarching mythology to the show with great drama, much like today's prime time dramas like LOST. Speed Racer also had the coolest mysterious "hero" character ever (Racer X).

So, I was very interested in seeing the new Speed Racer. Now, there were certain things that I was very wary about. First of all, I hate CGI (computer generated graphics). I especially hate CGI when it pretends to be real. I have always told people that IF movie makers are going to use CGI, then they might as well go all the way with it and make a TRON like cartoon movie. Well, finally someone did. For those of you who were blown away by TRON in 1982 (I was 15), you will absolutely love Speed Racer. Ok, so I hate CGI, and second of all... I hate Anime. I always have. I guess I even hated anime on Speed Racer. I always wondered why the characters had these huge round eyes, and why they spoke in such a fast, broken style. Well, I didn't learn until later that the English was dubbed onto a Japanese anime style rendering of what the Japanese thought white people looked like. You know, big round eyes that are approximately 1/4 of the size of the whole head. So, I was probably the last candidate to be considered a Speed Racer fan. But I was.

Ok, so here I am... I am an Agrarian separatist without a TV, who hates industrialism, hates speed, hates artificial electrical entertainment, who hates movie makers and Hollywood, hates CGI, and hates Anime. So, why would I like Speed Racer? At first I liked it because it is just a great film, great family fun, and a great story. I also liked it because it was extremely faithful to the original source material, and that it was groundbreaking movie making. THEN... after I got home, I liked it even more because the corporate movie critics hated it.

Eight of us went to the theatre. We don't go to the theatre often. It is quite a spectacle when we do go, what with a whole load of Amish looking folks (the men with long beards and the women with headcoverings) standing in line and buying tickets for a movie. People stare... a lot. You should have seen it when the whole community went to see The Bourne Ultimatum! The theatre was pretty empty. This was opening day, and a matinée, so I expected as much. Speed Racer is over 2 hours long, so you would expect we would all be anxious to leave after the flick, but we all stayed there glued to our seats all the way through the credits. In fact, we all would have sat through the movie again. It was that good.

When I returned home I looked up the reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, and I was shocked to see that it was getting horrible reviews. In fact, how was it already getting so many reviews by professional critics? Had they all seen an advance copy? Then, how did it happen that they all were saying the exact same thing? How is it possible that almost all of them called the movie "anti-capitalist"? Had someone sent out a memo? I was pretty sure after reading the professional critics reviews that they had not seen the same movie I had seen. First of all, how corrupt do you have to be to consider a movie that is ANTI-CORRUPTION to be anti-capitalist? I mean, if a movie showed a horse trainer ruthlessly abusing a horse, would the horse trainers consider the movie to be "anti-horse training"? Or would they rightly see that the movie was against the abuse of horses? Speed Racer is certainly anti-corruption, but it is hardly anti-capitalist. After reading review after review, I was pretty convinced that there was something going on. On Rotten Tomatoes the editors have reviews divided into three categories. The first is the "T-meter critics", which I suppose is a handpicked group that is supposed to be representative of the larger body of professional critics. The T-meter rating for Speed Racer is 35%. The next category is "Top Critics", which I suppose is the most famous critics. The original Top Critic rating was around 21%, which was shocking, but it has since climbed up to 31%. So the next category is "RT Community", which is the average Joe movie-goer. The original RT Community rating on the first day the movie opened was about 69% - a shocking difference between the professional/corporate movie critic and the average movie-goer. I read a bunch of the RT Community reviews, and I noticed something interesting. A bunch of the really negative reviews had been posted before any one was supposed to have seen it! Some of the reviews were obviously from people that either had not seen the movie, or who had never watched the original Speed Racer TV series. Some of the comments in those reviews were just laughable. One man said, "I took my two young boys.. we walked out after an hour it was so bad". Well, I can tell you for a fact that unless his two young boys were completely retarded from sitting in front of a video game for 25 hours a day, those boys didn't walk out of Speed Racer willfully. My children would watch grass grow on a big screen in a theatre for two hours, but then my children aren't mind-numbed by constant input like most children are. Still, I highly doubt that any father with young boys has walked out of Speed Racer in the middle of it. I would have had to pry Robert out of his seat with a crowbar to get him out of the theatre in the middle of Speed Racer. So, I sensed a conspiracy. One reviewer claimed that the "new Speed Racer was nothing like the original", and that he had watched "the original in the mid 70's" when he was a boy. Well, the "original" began airing in 1967, not the mid 70's. I told Danielle that I supposed the RT Community rating would go way up over the next week as real people began to go see the movie. Lo and behold, this morning the RT Community rating is up near 80%, and if you discount the hundreds of early-negatives, the rating would probably be up near 90%. Yahoo movies has it rated as a solid "B" after over 2600 reviews. Other big rating sites also have the movie reviewed as a solid 80% or a "B" rating. What is shocking about these ratings is that there is a great gulf in the ratings. For example, on Box Office Mojo, the movie has received 175 "A's" (43%), and 89 "F's" (22%). As you can imagine, there were very few "C's" and "D's". People either hated this movie, or they loved it. I suspect that the haters either a) never saw the movie, or went in planning to hate it; b) never saw or enjoyed the original; c) were paid or motivated by some corporate interest to hate it; or d) were right-wing fascists who look at any hint that corporations can be evil and that the love of money corrupts people, as some type of communist propaganda.

Ok, enough of my rant. Speed Racer is a great movie. There is no sex in the movie. There is no implied sex in the movie. There is only one kiss in the movie and it is interrupted by a "cootie alert". There are a very few curse words, and in one scene the little boy makes an obscene gesture to the evil villain. The violence is cartoonish and not real. This is really contrary to the original TV series which was considered to be so violent that the show was canceled in Europe in the early 70's. In the TV show, there were horrible fiery crashes where people died, while the crowds cheered the victor. This is a much more mild and gentle Speed Racer. This is a great family movie. The overall theme is that winning isn't everything, and that family trumps money and greed. The Racer family tries to stay independent in a sport dominated by big companies who lie, cheat, steal, and even kill to fix races. My favorite lines are those spoken by the Racer family (or by Trixie) when they comment that life is not about winning. Trixie says to Speed, "When did this become about winning?". Ma Racer makes a great speech to Speed about how what he does is art, and it doesn't have anything to do with winning. Anyway, in a culture where winning is everything, and people seem to be perfectly fine with corruption and cheating in sports, Speed Racer is a breath of fresh air. The bad guys are really bad, the good guys are really good, and the movie never for a minute takes itself seriously. There are some funny scenes with Chim-Chim the chip and Spritle, Speeds younger brother. Pa Racer is brilliantly played by John Goodman, who nails it. By the way, who would name their three sons "Rex, Speed, and.... Spritle?" I would hate to be named Spritle when my two older brothers got the cool names. Anyway, go see the movie - and if possible DO NOT wait until it comes out on DVD. You really want to see this movie on the big screen.

So in conclusion, YES I think there is a conspiracy to stop people from seeing the movie, and YES, I think you should see it just to spite the corrupt capitalists who are doing so.

Now, I must return to my Amish life. Go, Speed Racer, Go!

Michael

Some Reviews

5/13/08 - 3rd Day - Midday. Ok boys and girls, time for some reviews. The first thing I want to review is My Homemade Wild Perennial Vegetable Dish AKA Itchweed Greens with Agarito Berry Sauce. I wanted to make a dish for the Lord's Day fellowship and I wanted to make it almost completely from wild edibles. So I spent several hours on Sunday morning harvesting Itchweed (Stinging Nettles). I first learned that Itchweed was edible when Judy (TableTop Homestead) came to visit. As we walked the land she pointed out several edible plants. I should have taken better notes (actually ANY notes). Anyway, when I got my Perennial Vegetables book, it sang the praises of Stinging Nettles as one of the most nutritious and tasty perennial vegetables. We have quite a bit of it on the land, so I had no problem harvesting enough for a good sized meal. I would say in about 2 hours I harvested three large bowls, probably enough for two large meals for my family of 6. At the same time, I had the children picking the Agarito Berries (or as I call them to Brother Kelly Sustaire, who first pointed them out to me.. Aunt Jemima Berries). They picked probably a quart or so of berries. So here is my recipe, though I don't measure anything, so trying to cook what I cook may be difficult.

You cut the leaves off of the Itchweed with scissors. Make sure to wear gloves while harvesting and while preparing them. I took about 90% of the berries and I chopped them pretty good in our little hand blender with a little water. Then I put them through a sieve thing (don't know what it is called, but this is one in the pic to the left) and smooshed them real good to get all the juice out of the berries. This yielded probably 4 to 6 ounces of juice. I put this in a small pot on the stove to thicken. When it thickened down in about half, I added about 2-3 big dollops of some peach jam that we made last year (for sweetness). Mainly I just added the peach jam juice, not much fruit at all. In a frying pan I fried up maybe 8 ounces of bacon ends that we bought from the Siffords a week ago. I forgot to say that I sent Danielle down to a nearby creek to pick some wild onions that turned out to be like Rosy Garlic. There is a ton of it growing near that creek. So I chopped that up, with a couple of small onions from my garden and added them to the bacon ends/grease. Meanwhile, I put the Itchweed in boiling water, and boiled it for about 4-5 minutes (about 1 minute destroys the toxins). I added the Agarito Berry syrup mix to the bacon/onion pan and turned the heat down. Then I took the 10% of the berries that were left and put them through the hand mixer. Then I crushed them in the strainer/sieve thingy, but this time I kept the mashed up seeds and skins and not the juice. I scraped the seeds and skins into the pan with the bacon/onions/berry mix and stirred it up really good. It tasted incredible. This made a really nice sauce (almost Teriyaki like), which I poured over the greens after I had strained them. The result was purely heavenly, and I was glad to take it to the fellowship to share it with everyone. I think everyone liked it, and I got a lot of good comments, but I guess I was a bit disappointed that more people weren't excited about the notion of getting such a wonderful meal - and almost all of it growing wild on the land. Even the bacon, etc. came from the land. Oh well, maybe I haven't been preaching on the value of this kind of thing enough.

Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables

This book is considered the "Bible" of Root Cellaring. I hate it when something is considered the "Bible" of anything, but it is really the only book of its kind out there. For what it is, it is a great book, and I highly recommend it. However, for my situation - and for all of you who live in the deep South, there are some shortcomings to the book. For the most part, the book is written for Yankees, by Yankees. The overall gist? How to keep your veggies from freezing and being destroyed during the winter. I know that this is why people have Root Cellars up north, but that is usually not why we have them down here. We could keep most root vegetables and storage food in an above ground insulated shed most of the time during the winter. Though it does freeze here, it has only once or twice gotten cold enough to freeze anything in our cabin, which is insulated. We have Root Cellars down here to keep things from freezing in the winter, yea, but mainly to keep things from melting, rotting, or cooking during the rest of the year. In fact, we have quite a few days in the 70's and 80's during the winter when it would not be good to have some veggies above ground. The book has great advice on storing individual types of vegetables, and some great plans for building root cellars. Believe me, the book is worth the money. What would have made it perfect would have been a section on Root Cellars for the South, and some comments in the vegetable sections on growing, picking, and storing root crops in the South. For you wannabe writers out there, here is a book that would sell, and would sell good... just write a good book on Root Cellaring for Southerners. Anyway, do buy this book. It's a good one with good info, and I've already used it quite a bit.

Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation

This book with the really long name, is one of those books that I demanded be written (in my head) and then I found it. I was sooooo frustrated after months and years of reading books on preserving food, etc. Let me tell you what is wrong with almost every book, every website, or every blog EVERYWHERE when it comes to preserving food...

Every one assumes (nay demands) that you have access to electricity - freezers, refrigerators, etc. The whole idea of food preservation came from people who did not have modern/industrial electrical appliances. Why can't someone (ANYONE!) think about that when they comment or teach about preserving food. I mean, I decide... "Hey, I don't have grid electricity, and I want to store pork, and I've read where bacon and ham were invented as ways for long-term storage of pork by those who did not have freezers/refrigerators, etc.... so I'll make bacon and ham!". Then I find that 100% (YES) of the people who teach or write about making bacon and ham, insist that you use freezers and refrigerators. They say, "This process will allow you to store hams for up to 2 YEARS without refrigeration". I say, "Cool". Then they say, "After you apply the cure, put it in the refrigerator for 2 months". What? That is the way it is with almost every bit of preservation information out there. So I was busy inventing this book in my mind, when I found it online. This book is about preserving all types of food WITHOUT freezing or canning. What is wrong with canning? Nothing really, but canning is a relatively new thing, and it is expensive, and it uses fuel, and it kills many of the good bacteria and vitamins that are in the food. Canning has its place, but in our plans - we are moving away from it as a main type of food preservation. So, long story short, get this book today. Don't wait. I've already read mine through twice, and I will be using it regularly.

Alright, I have a review to write for the movie Speed Racer... but I don't want to overload you today. Maybe I'll post it tomorrow. If you might go tonight.. GO! see Speed Racer, GO!

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

A Prayer for Rain

5/13/08 - 3rd Day - After Breakfast. The prognosticators are calling for some rain maybe tonight. We pray it will be so. We really need it because our catchwater cistern is very near empty. Y'all pray that we'll get rain.

You are eternally mighty, Jehovah. We ask you to give us that portion of your rain that will make our land fruitful and verdant when it is now dry and barren. You have used the image of water in your scripture to symbolize your might and power. You have used the rain or lack thereof to bless and to chastise your people. It is your power that caused the rain to fall that brought the flood upon a wicked world that perished.

It is your power that caused Elijah the Tishbite to prophecy that there would be no rain upon the land for years according to thy Word. You are our God and the God of our forefathers. We petition thee to provide sufficient rain to us in the merit of your great faithful ones, our forefathers of Israel. Remember the righteous Abraham, who was drawn after You like water. For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember Isaac who digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember Jacob, our Agrarian model who dwelt in tents, watered his herds and his gardens, and to whom Isaac said, "God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine". For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember Moses drawn forth from the water. He helped the seven daughters of the priest of Midian by drawing water for their flocks. For his sake, we petition thee for rain.

Remember thy Son Jesus, in whose name we come to thee Lord. He turned water into wine and stilled the waters of the tempest that frightened His disciples. He was pierced for our iniquities and water and blood ran from His side. For His sake, we petition thee for rain.

Father we know that we have not perfectly kept your commandments or obeyed your statutes, and you have said "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" (Lev 26:3-4). More than rain we desire to keep thy commandments and to do them and to walk in thy statutes. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Cause us to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do we trust: cause us to know the way wherein we should walk; for we lift up our souls unto thee. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. We know that you have said "if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full" (Deu 11:13-15); so we pray Lord that you will cause us to hearken diligently unto your commandments, because we know that the hearing ear, and the seeing eye, YOU LORD hath made even both of them.

You are our God who makes the wind blow and the rain descend, and we come to you by Jesus Christ the righteous one and petition that for his righteousness sake you will send us rain, Father.

Nevertheless thy will be done.

Y'all have a great day. I'll be posting some book reviews here in a couple of hours, if the Lord wills.

Michael

Turnips and other things Turn Up

5/12/08 - 2nd Day - Midday. Today I went out to the garden to check things out, and I noticed that a bunch of the turnips were looking really big. I don't really know anything about turnips, never grew them before, so I got online to see if I should pick them. The guide I read said "between 2 and 4 inches" and many of mine were definitely pushing up on 4 inches, so I went out and picked a bunch. Here is my pile. Like I said, I don't know anything about turnips, so I read up a bit and decided to can this bunch. I got three quarts of cubed up turnips out of this pile, and Danielle is canning them right now. Ok, so somebody tell me how to make a delicious meal out of these. I did take the greens and I divided them up between the rabbits, chickens, and pigs. The pigs loved them. I probably have another two or three times this many turnips still in the garden that didn't seem big enough to pick. So what I have learned is this... Turnips grow great here. I planted these as seeds, and they came right up quickly and they were ready to pick in only a bit over 50 days. Since we have a long growing season here, this means that a couple of beds could be planted in these, they could be harvested, and then the beds can be reused for another spring crop as early as mid-May. I will be considering what else to plant in that bed over the next few days. I would think if a whole double-dug raised bed were planted in turnips (I only planted about 1/2 of one bed), then about 20-25 quarts of turnips could be preserved, and still the bed could be used for a spring planting.

Well, time for some bad news. As usually happens for some reason after Ranchfest, we get a string of hard hits all in a row. Our favorite ranch animal, the blind goat "Helen", got killed by some wild boars (we believe). This picture is of our youngest girl Sarah with Helen back in 2006. We have had several wild pig sightings, and there were many signs on the land, especially back by the creek and by the back pond. Well, the other night helen got off her leash and, being blind, she ended up back by the pond. Danielle found her body the next day and she had been pretty well devoured, so we believe it was the hogs that got her. We plan on trapping them soon, and if you are on my private email list I will be emailing you about that. Then, we had just gotten Danielle's van out of the shop (which cost $317) and got it inspected and state-approved, etc. (another $100+) when my truck's brakes cratered on me. They had been leaking for some time, then all of a sudden they locked up and brake fluid started gushing from one of the rear wheels. This will likely be a very expensive fix. Now, we had planned on taking our time to replace the tires on Danielle's van since we had the truck, but now we have a van with shot tires, and a truck with shot brakes.

Did I tell you I got turnips?

More later.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Psalm Singing, First Wednesday

5/08/08 - 5th Day - After Breakfast. O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psa 95:1-3) Some of you enjoyed our past fellowship singing that I posted about a year ago, so here is the latest one we recorded:

Psalm Singing - May '08

We have been learning to sing the Psalms for the last year, and we have gotten to the 12th Psalm I believe. So we hope you enjoy the singing. If you want to join us in the singing, or if you want to learn the Psalms for your own family, here is the Psalter we use:

The Book of Psalms for Singing, from Crown and Covenant Publications.

We want to thank David and Susan Sifford for leading us in singing and teaching us the Psalms - we hope our singing is a joyful noise to the Lord.

Yesterday was our First Wednesday community work day here at the Ranch. We had a great time of work and fellowship. The men continued the work that we started during Ranchfest. Three of us worked on the office rafters, while the other two worked on pulling fence. Here are some pics of the office:



After the work, we gathered up at the Sifford's barn for PIZZA! Believe me, we don't get Pizza often, but some of the ladies drove down to Bangs to pick up some Pizza for the crew. Then we watched a great documentary about Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

Hey, Hope y'all are all doing well. We need your prayers for rain here at the Ranch.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Some Rain, and Some Pictures

5/06/08 - 3rd Day - After Breakfast. We've been really behind in rain around here. Yesterday was supposed to be 50% probability, but we only got a few sprinkles. It seems the last few times the rain probabilities have been in the 70-80% range, we haven't gotten anything. Well, this morning a line of rain is going through, which is nice. I just listened to the NOAA radio and they said that this line would be it for most of the day, but that more rain would likely develop tonight - so we'll see. This is a pretty good rain right here, and it should do wonders for my garden. We're not anywhere near where we were last year in rainfall at this time. It was around this time last year when we had received 8 inches of rain in 11 days. It's good to have this rain though, because we really, really need it.

Well, this past week our special order wood for the office finally arrived, so Robert and I got to work installing the floor. On Friday, we got about half of the floor put on before Danielle and little Sarah walked down to check things out. Here is me showing Sarah how the floor works:


I hoped to have most of the floor put on before the Lord's Day because all of the men were planning on coming down after our Lord's Day fellowship dinner to help out. Well, we didn't get more than half the floor up, so on Sunday we (the men) split into two groups. Kelly and Joseph went back to work on the Ranchfest fences - to try to get them ready to pull wrapped wire on Wednesday (which is our community "first wednesday" work day), and the other three of us (myself, Chris Woods, and Elder Sifford) went to work on the roof rafters of the office. In the next picture, we were on a break, and I was suffering from a major toothache - which had also caused a major headache. I need to go to the dentist because I have a tooth that has broken in half. Anyway, it hurt pretty good at that time, and Danielle captured me musing about it. I'd like to say I was just thinking very deep thoughts, but I wasn't:

While I was self-medicating, David and Chris hung the last of the floor joists:


Here are the roof rafters going up. We will (if the Lord wills) be going to work on this roof in earnest on First Wednesday (tomorrow), that is, IF it isn't too wet to work, which we pray it is.


The rain has started to die down, and the radio says we shouldn't be getting more until this evening. What we received will be really good for the gardens and trees, so we are very grateful to God for it.

Jordan Irby has determined to have a picture blog called "The Ranch Weekly" which will be a place to see more pictures of our group and fellowship. Here is the link if you are interested:

The Ranch Weekly

I hope all is well with you all.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Q&A Fridays, Issue #41

Welcome to Issue #41 of Q&A Friday for Friday the 2nd of May, 2008. I want to thank you all for your great emails and questions. I want to remind everyone of the rules by which I will be playing: Not all questions will be answered, and not all those that are submitted can be fitted into one issue. Those that did not make this issue (for length reasons) might be included in a future one. Questions might not be answered or included in the Q&A for the following reasons:

The scope may be too broad, or it may involve a topic on which I have taught at length... ex: “Can you explain the whole Creation?”. The question might need to be asked more specifically, or with fewer presuppositions that I would have to handle before actually getting to the question (I do reserve the right to rewrite questions to make them more clear and understandable or to make them more amenable to the format here). Answering the question might drag me off of “message” or into an area on which I am currently teaching, but at a point where I haven’t gotten to yet. If the question is answered in an upcoming teaching, or would involve getting into a topic I have planned for the future, then I will likely choose not to answer it yet.

The question might be considered rhetorical, or might involve me bearing witness against myself... such as “How do I unsubscribe?”

As always, send your questions to Q&A Fridays:

editor(at)lazarusunbound.com

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Dear Michael,

I love to read your blog and you have a lot of helpful information. I get the feeling, though, that you are saying that anyone who is not where you are (in the journey, not geographically) are not Christians. I disagree with that, but I just wanted to address that and see if, maybe, I was reading you wrong.

Thank you.

Thank you for your question. I want to address the topic in general, and it happens that it is very appropriate to do it now since I do receive this question (or statement) quite often; it also happens that the next question also deals with some of the same basic foundation, so I ask the reader to read both questions and both answers knowing that I will be including pertinent information to the foundation of the questions in both answers. Also, please know that I take no offense at all at the question, nor is my answer directed at any individual questioner. This is a natural question, and it comes up a lot, so I have just chosen to answer it here (and in concert with the next question) because it will be a good venue in which to answer it, and in the future I can just direct people to this answer. I also may include this section in our FAQ section on BiblicalAgrarianism.com. Ok, so back to the question…

This is going to be a long answer, but please be patient with me. It is certainly not true that I believe that people who are not where I am in the journey are not Christians - which is to say, I do believe there are Christians all along the Pilgrim’s Progress journey, including some who are still in the City of Destruction. I do hope that there is nothing in particular that I have said that leads anyone to believe that I believe that someone has to be where I am in order to be considered a Christian. That said, I do intentionally (as any teacher/evangelist/preacher/exhorter) should, apply immense pressure on those who claim to be Christians, so that they will begin to live their lives as Christians to the glory of God. Which is to say that there are likely Christians who are living their lives in grave error, just as there are false Christians and abject worldlings (false professors) who claim to be Christians, but who do not live their lives as Christians at all. I will never be found soothing or comforting those who are living their lives contrary to what the Bible teaches. I think the number one exhortation in all of scripture (to professing Christians) is that we constantly examine ourselves that we be in the faith. Now, there are some points I need to make clear… and please pay attention to these, because they are very important:

1. I do not believe that all (or even most) of those who profess to be Christians are actually Christians. The Bible teaches plainly that the “broad” way, which most professing Christians travel, is the way to destruction, and not the way (Jesus Christ) to salvation. Therefore it would be highly dangerous of me to re-define Christianity downward (away from the way the Bible defines it) so that more people feel comfortable about their station. Christianity is not a rubber nose that can be molded to the feelings of those (any) who would like to wear it. Christianity is a very concrete and objective belief system, and there are those who claim it, who (according to scripture) cannot be Christians.

2. I believe that Agrarianism is not a “lifestyle choice” or a “good ideal” for Christians. I believe the Bible commands it (see Gen. 2:15, 3:23) and that the entire book (Old and New Testaments) is written in Agrarian terms to an Agrarian people. Many (most people) do not understand the Bible, because they are living worldly lives contrary to it. This doesn’t mean that I expect everyone to live like I do, or to immediately put on a camel-hair coat and go sit in the desert, or to start plowing fields and raising carrots; this is why I have carefully defined what Agrarianism is, and why Christian Separatism is so critical a principle for Agrarianism. Just as the Amish and many Mennonites believe that Christian Separatism and Agrarianism are fundamental to the very core of their Christianity, our fellowship believes the very same thing. Most Amish and Mennonites are kind of idealized for their way of life and for their separatism, precisely because they aren’t on the internet blogging about it. Be sure that if they were, many people would feel condemned by what they actually believe - which is why many people feel somewhat condemned by what I write. I write what I believe and everyone is free to read and heed it, or to reject and ridicule it. Some do the former, and most do the latter. Let me paint a quick picture for you. If you were riding through Amish country and you saw an Amish man plowing his field, you might say to yourself, “There is something I can appreciate. There is a man living separately according to the dictates of his conscience. There is a lifestyle that is admirable, and there is a man who puts God, faith, and family above the love of the world”. Then let us say you stopped your vehicle and made conversation with this man. You might be shocked to learn that he considers you “English” (meaning a worldling and a persecutor), and that he believes that the English are lost and reprobated and that most of them will be damned. Well, there goes the pretty postcard picture of the Agrarian Separatist, don’t you think? The difference between me and the Amish man is that you know what I think.

3. And this is very important… just as we do not believe that all professing Christians are actually Christians, neither do we accept all people as “sisters and brothers”. On a good friend’s Agrarian blog, a commenter recently said to a Mormon woman “we are all brothers and sisters”… well, neither the Mormon belief system nor traditional orthodox Christianity allows for this sentiment. One is true, and the other is false. Believing a lie (from either side) is a sign of reprobation and not of salvation. We do not, then, accept unorthodox religions or cults as “Christianity”, just as we do not expect or demand they accept us. In fact I would have no respect at all for any professing believer of any stripe who believes contrarily to me, but yet accepts me as a believer. That would just be foolishness. That would be to say that there is no objective truth, and no way to know that truth. The Bible gives us two ways to identify true Christians, and we are not permitted to add to them or take away from them. Doctrine (a mark in the forehead) is the primary way of knowing who belongs to God according to the scripture, and we are commanded not to receive or even bid Godspeed to those who carry or bring any other doctrine than that which we have received from God via the Holy Bible. The other mark (in the right hand) is fruit and works. While none of these things save us, the Bible teaches that these are inevitable marks of them who believe. We believe that God gives us His true and pure doctrines (the Doctrines of Grace), and an intense desire to keep and honor His commandments and statutes as a free gift of electing Grace.

4. None of this, however, prevents us from doing good to all men. What any person finds as noteworthy or valuable in my teaching, preaching, or writing - it is theirs to take freely. What they reject, they may reject freely. And we may disagree agreeably. We do desire the best for all men, and we do desire that they freely (by God’s grace alone) receive true Christianity and the real Jesus Christ of scripture. We are evangelists in that we believe that our lives lived according to what we see in the Bible is the best witness for the supernatural and spiritual power of God. We do not go out and knock on doors, but we do preach the Gospel (as well in word as in our lives and lifestyles) to those who knock on ours.

5. My blog (and our websites, such as BiblicalAgrarianism.com and LazarusUnbound.com) are public sites, but they are not spam or unsolicited materials. In fact, they are quite hard to find, and we make certain that we do not troll other sites or advertise for readers. I like to think of the sites as small rooms attached to the back of my cabin. In order to find them you have to have sought them out, and you have to have winded your way down my long drive, exited your means of transportation, etc. and have seated yourself in my little corner of the world. Everyone is free to come and leave, and no one is forced to consume any food that they don’t choose to eat. We are not, however, seeker sensitive. We do not “recruit”. I can tell you it is much harder to get onto my private email list (and to stay on it) than it is to get a private invitation to a restaurant grand opening. So I look at it like this… One day I am plowing my field and a car comes down my drive. The curious driver gets out and we start up a conversation. He asks me what I think about certain things, including Christianity, Agrarianism, Separation, etc. - and I tell him what I think. It wouldn’t be very polite for him to demand that I stop believing what I believe, or that I stop saying it, would it? I mean, I do appreciate honest criticism, honest questions (like those that I include in these Q&A’s, including this one), etc., but I tell you that much of what I get is really just dictatorial, offensive, and even tyrannical almost. Funny. It is like trying to stop and tell that Amish man to stop believing what he believes.

6. Last point, and this is one I mention a lot, and I will always really emphasize it. Most people are very highly deceived having been colonized by the industrial/satanic world system for all of their lives. I know this, because I am exhibit A. I know what lies I believed, and I know how hard I defended them, and I know how and why I rationalized disobedience for so long, and I know exactly what arguments I used to defend what is really indefensible. So, (I believe) God has chosen me (somewhat like He did Paul) to argue against the arguments that I had so perfected. I do not accept the notion that separation (which is a plain and inarguable command of God) is “situational” or “generational”. When people say, “I am doing my best, but this is going to take generations to accomplish”, or, “I am living in the world so my children and grandchildren can live as Agrarians”, I know that they are lying to themselves and they are just rationalizing a love of the world and a reliance on earthly things - as opposed to a reliance on God, to give us the strength, will, and means to obey Him. As I said, I believe Agrarianism is more than a philosophy or just a good way of life. I believe Biblical Agrarianism is the philosophy and way of life that God has commanded for His people. I believe it is the only (and best) seedbed for true Christianity, and I believe it is the good ground where Christians ought to be planted. That said, since I do not believe in “situational” obedience, I must reject arguments (like those I myself perfected) which allow us to minimize obedience because of our situation or condition.

Ok, so I hope that answers the question! I am pleased to embrace and assist many, many types of Christians, in many different places on the Pilgrim’s Progress. Some are just starting out, some are in the Slough of Despond, some are stuck for a time in Vanity Fair, and some are just now being shed of the burden of their sins at the Cross. However, I know of no true Christians who are comfortable and happy in the City of Destruction, or who have rejected the truth completely and feel happy and safe in the world. Which means that most of modern Christianity fails the fruit test, and that probably shows forth in my writing.

Thanks again for the question.

Michael,

I am 17 years old, and several people in my family read your writings and your teachings quite a bit. My father said you are a better role model than most I could find out there, and the more I thought of it, the more I agree. So, how does a young man grow up to be like you?

Thank you for the question. Well, first of all, I would hope that the part of me you would like to emulate is the part that is the most like Christ. The Bible says we are to follow the faith of them who faithfully speak the Word of God (Heb. 13:7); we should follow that which is good (3John 1:11); we should follow after (or emulate) those who do good, and work with their hands rather than those who live as parasites (2 Thess. 3:7-12). God has given us teachers and elders, not to draw men away after themselves, but that they might lead the sheep to good food and water, and that they might teach the sheep to rightly hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. The good role model, then, is one who is constantly pointing to God and His Word, and who emphasizes the commandments and requirements of God, and who does his best to reflect that light which he receives from on high.

Now, to the question, how does one get to be like me. Well, I used to say, just go out and make a lot of mistakes and one day you’ll get there, but that is a foolish joke and a really bad answer. There is one thing, however, that I think separates me from some others - and I hope that you find this point truly valuable to you. When I was really searching around and trying to find the truth, I heard many, many, people say things like “I just want the truth, Lord! Just give me the truth!”. I heard people pray that over and over again. I heard them say, “I just want to follow the Lord”, and, “I follow no man, just the Lord Jesus Christ”. So I watched these people, and lo and behold when they did bump up against the truth, or when some truth was blatantly before them, or when the Lord made evident what His will and commandment was, they didn’t obey Him. They didn’t do what He said. They always had an excuse or a rationalization or a situation that prevented them from obeying God. So in a word picture it would go something like this:

Man: “Oh Lord, thou art Holy and Mighty. I desire to obey you, and to follow after you, and to serve and worship you. Show me your will and I will do as you say!”

God: “Ok, sell all your junk, get out of debt, separate from ungodliness and from the corrupt world system, obey my commandments (all of them, not just a few of them), and follow me”.

Man: “Well, there is going to be a problem with all that… You see… blah, blah, blah”.

So you see, I was very observant. I came to the understanding that most people didn’t want to obey God, they wanted to obey what THEY THINK God would want for them according to their own carnal hearts. They say, “If I were God, I would want me to stay in my job and put away money for the future”, or “If I were God I would understand that my circumstances don’t allow for immediate obedience”. You see, people want what they want, and they try to put Christian words on it or Christian garb on it, but when it gets down to it they want to live exactly like the world around them. They think God is just fine with that.

So, for some reason (and I can only attribute it to the Grace of God) I determined that I would do what I believe the Bible says we should do. This doesn’t mean that I was never wrong… I was wrong a bunch, but if I was wrong it was because I was obeying what I believed God to be saying. Now, even my greatest enemies of the past have had this to say about me. They say, “No matter what you think of Michael Bunker, no matter how wrong, prideful, arrogant, or mean you think he is, you cannot challenge the fact that he lives exactly how he says he believes.” Now, even from some who hate me I take this as high praise. None of us have perfect knowledge of God’s will, but it is obvious that the lives of most professing Christians are contradictory and they challenge the things that those people say they believe. Most have eradicated the tension by creating a “mystical” Christianity where obedience is just a feeling or is “in the heart” and it has no temporal reality. So, since Jesus said that if you look after a woman to lust after her, you have committed adultery in your heart, in effect the modern Christian says, “Well, so long as my heart is pure, it doesn’t matter what my body is doing. I can commit actual adultery, so long as my heart isn’t lusting”. Well this is just a huge self-lie, and it is fundamentally anti-christian. Ok, so once you have determined what God says, then you have to harmonize all of the scripture and all of your life to that truth. Take things to their inevitable conclusion. If God says we aren’t allowed to murder, and in the same breath says “Keep the Sabbath” - then why are we allowed to say that “do no murder” is still a commandment, while “keep the Sabbath” is done away in Christ? I mean, I agree that Christ is the true Sabbath, but Christ is also the true “don’t murder”. I mean, if I am angry with a man without cause I have murdered him, according to Christ, so don’t I want His blood to cover both “mind” sins? And then, logically aren’t I compelled to obey both commandments? That is all an aside to say that in my mind true obedience is like a long line of dominoes. Once they start falling you just get out of the way. Once I determined in my heart and mind, according to scripture, that the Doctrines of Grace were true, I became determined to preach them and live them. Likewise, once I found separation so obviously taught throughout all of the Bible, I determined to live it to the best of my ability. When I saw Christ and the Apostles condemning the world, and encouraging the children of God to “come out of her” and to abandon false religion and false social and cultural systems, I felt compelled to obey them. It has been easier for me to do hard things that I feel God requires, than to live a life of contradiction with a seared conscience.

So here is my advice to you. Find out what you believe and live it completely without fear of consequences. Don’t ever let your comfort, your lifestyle, your perceived duties to your wife, children, or family, the culture and society, or your circumstances stop you from immediately obeying God without regard to consequence. That is how I hope and pray to live, and if all men would live this way, most of the gray areas and confusions of life would disappear. My religion teaches me that God is absolutely and completely sovereign, and that He has ordained all things concerning me for my good from the foundation of the world, and that He absolutely controls everything from the flying of dust, to the rotation of the earth, to the rains, to the wing beats of a fly. He who made all things is powerful and mighty and no man (or men) can resist Him. Therefore I need not fear temporal realities (so called), circumstances, hindrances, or challenges. I need not be concerned with the welfare of my family or my children, because God has promised that of all of those who are His, He will not lose one of them. He loves them more than I do, and He knows what is best for them, and as for me - I find that my obedience is best for my family, no matter how uncomfortable it makes them today. Do not fear death, or life, or any thing in this world - but fear God and obey His commandments. Recognize yourself as a liar, as a rationalizer, and as a world lover - and pray to God to give you a love for the Truth, that you might obey Him. Repent quickly when you come upon your own error, and seek and run just as hard in the other direction as you did when you ran after your error.

Know this. If you heed my words and live your life this way, your very life will serve as a reproof and rebuke to every single man, woman, and child who lives their lives contrarily to the truth. If you separate from ungodliness and from the world, this means that you are separating from a whole bunch of folks who think they are just fine and dandy. If you condemn sin or injustice or unrighteousness, know that all who live in those things will despise you and despitefully use you. That is a promise you can take to the bank. Every one of them will recall your past sins, or find your imperfections, or will harp on your perceived hypocrisies… you cannot let this stop you. Their problem is not with you, it is with God. You keep on being obedient and being perfected and they will find in your life an ample condemnation of theirs.