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The Doctrine of Balaam
For decades the Church of Jesus Christ has been tossed to and fro during our abortion holocaust. For a variety of reasons her pulpits have largely been silent. The lack of biblical instruction, discipleship and discipline has weakened the understanding of professing Christian congregations with catastrophic effects. Nearly all of the education, training, and work done in this area has been outsourced to the secular prolife establishment. We are now at a point when pastors and leadership and average professing Christians assume that the secular prolife establishment doctrine and practice is the Christian position. The Doctrine of Balaam seeks to examine these doctrines that have crept into the church against scripture and the light of nature and will ask the Christian to stand with their Lord, regardless of circumstance and with His mind, say with Him “Thus says the Lord.”
86 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 23, 2020
everthing was great except his scattered defenses of "nAtuRaL lAw"
May 1, 2021
I encourage everyone to read is the Doctrine of Balaam by Pastor CR Cali. In this book, Pastor Cali cuts right into the bone of the secular pro-life industry and why Christians should have nothing to do with this. In this short book Pastor Cali provides a buffet of reasons why Christians should focus on what God has said rather than what the culture has said. With the grievous sin of abortion binding on the United States, we must have a response to this treacherous evil, this book provides the tools necessary. Every Christian needs to read with an open mind and an open heart.
April 2, 2020
Pro-life incrementalist laws are unconstitutional, unbiblical, unnecessary, unjust. Abortion must be abolished. This book makes a powerful case. "Secular" pro-life arguments are decimated. How many millions more babies will be murdered before the church decides to put a stop to it?
Some editing and formatting issues, but this appears to be the best available book on the subject, and sorely needed, so such can be forgiven.
This is the epitome of an eye-opening book on a subject. I formerly ate up the secular pro-life movement's rhetoric just like everyone else, instead of allowing the Bible to dictate my worldview. No longer! May God use this book to bring about repentance and revival among his people.
Some editing and formatting issues, but this appears to be the best available book on the subject, and sorely needed, so such can be forgiven.
This is the epitome of an eye-opening book on a subject. I formerly ate up the secular pro-life movement's rhetoric just like everyone else, instead of allowing the Bible to dictate my worldview. No longer! May God use this book to bring about repentance and revival among his people.
June 24, 2019
Excellent read! C. R. Cali gives an irrefutable biblical defense for the true Christian position against the atrocious and heinous sin of abortion, with a call to the Christian back to holiness. He reminds the true bride of Christ that we are clothed in the righteousness of our Lord and as His holy priest we are able to boldly proclaim “THUS SAYS THE LORD” and deny with the power of holy writ that ancient sin of “did God really say.” I pray this book is as edifying to the body as a whole as it was to me, one small piece.
November 12, 2019
This book is a must read for Gods people who walk in obedience to the commands given to us in a culture that hates God and sheds innocent blood. The Doctrine Of Balaam has swept in the church as it has embraced the secular Pro-life agenda and this takes their own words and lines them up with Scripture. The lie of the serpent " Did God really say" With Biblical truth of "Thus saith the Lord!". Definitely one of the best books Ive read and takes every point and aligns it with scripture.
July 2, 2019
A great book on the duty of Christians to follow the Lord in how they respond to the abortion holocaust. This book breaks down the unbiblical and unsuccessful methods of the pro-life movement while showing a providential way which glorifies the Lord. The Church has really dropped the ball here but this book can get her back on track.
December 16, 2019
This book is fabulous. It is deeply theological and profoundly impacts the practical. I loved the polemics of the book that pushes back on the secular pro-life establishment, and I pray every Christian reads this book, repents of their apathy, and engages in pushing back the fates of hell by being involved in Christian abortion ministry.
September 15, 2019
A worthwhile read for what you get out of the middle chapters - a framework for cultural/political engagement, especially where abortion is concerned. Wrath and Grace Publishing needs to hire a proofreader.
October 19, 2020
My 2 stars isn’t that I disagree with him all the time, but that the book simply wasn’t that well argued, put together, nor written (the later two being less important).
In terms of it being put together, the title and cover just aren’t helpful. It right away gets across this grunge, anti-establishment haughtiness. Unnecessary and unhelpful.
In terms of how it was written, it’s not that his grammar was bad nor that it’s terrible to read, but rather that you can tell it just wasn’t edited down much. For example, he sometimes just goes on and on, belaboring a point. And often he does this with gospel things (like in the first chapter), which is good to rehear the gospel, but it doesn’t further his thesis of the book.
But again, these two things are much less important compared to the weakness in the arguments of the book.
Take for example his long chapter “Second Victim or Equal Justice” on why women should be charged with murder for abortion. Now, I understand this is a key argument for people like him. But his argument is unfortunately weak. He basically says: 1) in other laws, killing of a baby in the womb is murder, 2) therefore, a woman should be charged with murder. Then he says that not connecting 1) and 2) is going against the Bible, because God says there should be equal laws.
The reason this argument is weak is because there are many things different that need to be taken into account when determining the criminality of the abortion for the mother—things he addresses, but I don’t think convincingly. Moreover, his argument connecting not charging the mother with “Thus says the Lord” about equal laws only holds if the government, on one hand, was criminalizing some mothers, and then, on the other hand, not criminalizing some mothers in equal instances. But that’s not happening. That would be unequal.
As a result, he simply never makes the case that these are exactly the same thing. For example, this is why intent really matters in terms of murders, even in the Bible. If someone kills unintentionally, it is much different than if they do it willingly. Both are murder, yes, but the morality and penalty is different. So here: The killing of a woman’s baby by someone else intentionally is considered murder, yes, and so should abortion. But to criminalize them equally needs to be argued well, which Cali doesn’t do. Instead, he shallowly just says, “Both are murder. Both need to be fully criminalized equally.” That’s weak and not convincing. (And to be clear, even if he’s right that women should be more strongly penalized, which I might even agree with, he doesn’t argue it well in the book.)
Similar critiques could be made for his chapter on disobeying the magistrates. Again, he’s right that there are times when Christians disobey the government in the Bible. He goes through these in intense detail. But then his arguments and practicalities for how we disobey the Supreme Court were weak—only like a couple pages of a long chapter. What would it look like to disobey? And is it similar here when Christians themselves aren’t murdering their babies (or at least they shouldn’t be)? Did Daniel fight against the law of Nebuchadnezzar, or did he just personally not obey? These are things Cali needs to go deeper on. Again, his treatment is more: 1) a long biblical defense of something (in the chapter above, about equal laws, here, about civil disobedience), and then 2) a shallow connection of that biblical case to his argument. The connections are the issue.
In terms of what was good, I do think that just thinking about how to handle the issue of abortion better is helpful. And on that, this book would’ve been helpful if it was presented better and written with more clear argumentation. Moreover, I think he’s right that the Republican hope in the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe is probably not well founded. And I think he’s also right in that many pro-life platforms do not go far enough. Finally, I think his chapter on the church just obeying and then trusting in God’s providence is spot on.
But overall, not great—unfortunately. The presentation, writing, and especially argumentation I think will only convince people who already have that bent.
Finally, let me say: If Cali or anybody in this camp read this review, I beg you as a fellow Reformed, Bible-cherishing, baby-loving Christian to re-present your views in a more humble, gracious, loving way. Books like this will only persuade a small amount of people, and then will only make your radical followers more radical, and less helpful and practical. I’m thankful for your thoughts and efforts, but I think reconsidering your approach would be well served for the kingdom.
Would I recommend it? Unfortunately, no. I of course pray that abortion will end, and I think there are some ideas in here to consider. But overall, not a helpful book.
In terms of it being put together, the title and cover just aren’t helpful. It right away gets across this grunge, anti-establishment haughtiness. Unnecessary and unhelpful.
In terms of how it was written, it’s not that his grammar was bad nor that it’s terrible to read, but rather that you can tell it just wasn’t edited down much. For example, he sometimes just goes on and on, belaboring a point. And often he does this with gospel things (like in the first chapter), which is good to rehear the gospel, but it doesn’t further his thesis of the book.
But again, these two things are much less important compared to the weakness in the arguments of the book.
Take for example his long chapter “Second Victim or Equal Justice” on why women should be charged with murder for abortion. Now, I understand this is a key argument for people like him. But his argument is unfortunately weak. He basically says: 1) in other laws, killing of a baby in the womb is murder, 2) therefore, a woman should be charged with murder. Then he says that not connecting 1) and 2) is going against the Bible, because God says there should be equal laws.
The reason this argument is weak is because there are many things different that need to be taken into account when determining the criminality of the abortion for the mother—things he addresses, but I don’t think convincingly. Moreover, his argument connecting not charging the mother with “Thus says the Lord” about equal laws only holds if the government, on one hand, was criminalizing some mothers, and then, on the other hand, not criminalizing some mothers in equal instances. But that’s not happening. That would be unequal.
As a result, he simply never makes the case that these are exactly the same thing. For example, this is why intent really matters in terms of murders, even in the Bible. If someone kills unintentionally, it is much different than if they do it willingly. Both are murder, yes, but the morality and penalty is different. So here: The killing of a woman’s baby by someone else intentionally is considered murder, yes, and so should abortion. But to criminalize them equally needs to be argued well, which Cali doesn’t do. Instead, he shallowly just says, “Both are murder. Both need to be fully criminalized equally.” That’s weak and not convincing. (And to be clear, even if he’s right that women should be more strongly penalized, which I might even agree with, he doesn’t argue it well in the book.)
Similar critiques could be made for his chapter on disobeying the magistrates. Again, he’s right that there are times when Christians disobey the government in the Bible. He goes through these in intense detail. But then his arguments and practicalities for how we disobey the Supreme Court were weak—only like a couple pages of a long chapter. What would it look like to disobey? And is it similar here when Christians themselves aren’t murdering their babies (or at least they shouldn’t be)? Did Daniel fight against the law of Nebuchadnezzar, or did he just personally not obey? These are things Cali needs to go deeper on. Again, his treatment is more: 1) a long biblical defense of something (in the chapter above, about equal laws, here, about civil disobedience), and then 2) a shallow connection of that biblical case to his argument. The connections are the issue.
In terms of what was good, I do think that just thinking about how to handle the issue of abortion better is helpful. And on that, this book would’ve been helpful if it was presented better and written with more clear argumentation. Moreover, I think he’s right that the Republican hope in the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe is probably not well founded. And I think he’s also right in that many pro-life platforms do not go far enough. Finally, I think his chapter on the church just obeying and then trusting in God’s providence is spot on.
But overall, not great—unfortunately. The presentation, writing, and especially argumentation I think will only convince people who already have that bent.
Finally, let me say: If Cali or anybody in this camp read this review, I beg you as a fellow Reformed, Bible-cherishing, baby-loving Christian to re-present your views in a more humble, gracious, loving way. Books like this will only persuade a small amount of people, and then will only make your radical followers more radical, and less helpful and practical. I’m thankful for your thoughts and efforts, but I think reconsidering your approach would be well served for the kingdom.
Would I recommend it? Unfortunately, no. I of course pray that abortion will end, and I think there are some ideas in here to consider. But overall, not a helpful book.
January 17, 2022
Mainstream evangelicalism assumes that voting and donating pro-life is synonymous with fulfilling our Christian duty, and in the process has seared our conscience to the plight of the pre-born. Our Lord has ordained one institution for the expansion of the Kingdom of God and the discipling of nations, and that is the Church; not a secular organization. Time to get in the fight Christians. Must read.
October 29, 2021
Convicting. CR Cali demonstrates clearly the strategic errors and moral failings of pro life “incrementalism”, and the sin of Christians who support it. The North American church has a responsibility to put an end to any and all legally sanctioned baby-killing.
Read
December 28, 2021Amazing book
April 7, 2023
So good! Full of powerful truth and admonitions! Definitely recommend to any Christian serious about what true justice (here in reference to handling Abortion) looks like.
June 10, 2026
A Particular Baptist Pastor shows the failures of the secular pro life movement and advises for the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. Good.
June 1, 2021
If the middle weren't so strong, I'd be giving this one star. It is absolute torture to read because of the way it's written. It's very preachy, and I mean that literally: it reads like a sermon instead of an essay. It's also strongly Calvinist. You might be asking, "So? What does that have to do with a book on abortion?" which is exactly my point; it's unnecessarily divisive and distracts from the main point. Overall though, the arguments for the condemnation of the secular Pro-Life movement and its ineffectiveness makes this a worthwhile read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews