https://julieroys.com/how-battle-christian-nationalism-often-starts-with-homeschooling/
This is the kind of frustrating article that has almost
become the norm. Everything about it is off. We are thankful that our kids are
all past the time of schooling but some of the anxieties and fears being raised
today were with us twenty years ago when we started. These tensions are not
new. They've just gotten worse.
In 1998, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) released a statement on moral character and public officials. Many will recall this was at the height of tensions between the Clinton administration and the GOP. The Culture Wars were raging and many Evangelicals were in a state of apoplectic rage, convinced that Clinton was a communist determined to bring America down. They and their allies were doing all they could to combat his administration.
Anthony Cordesman has received some unsought coverage lately for comments he made on the war in Ukraine. This along with a thirty year old paper I discovered, provide substantial and significant reasons to question key points of the media narrative surrounding the war.
This article doesn't reveal anything that I haven't already
read in numerous books and articles that have appeared over the past twenty
years. Every few years reports emerge of some new conference or gathering that
reveals the direction that these political movements are headed. They represent
the nexus of Christian-Right activism, academia, and the political order. It's always
changing but always the same.
There are a few noteworthy exceptions and points worth
highlighting in the case of this article.
In contrast to the claims made in the article, one could wish
that anything associated with Billy Graham and his legacy actually involved a
clear gospel presentation. Instead, what the audience received was undoubtedly the
Finneyite Altar Call message – the cheap grace gospel of the Evangelical
movement and it's affirmation of worldliness in the form of watered down faith,
tepid repentance, and its Dominionist imperative.
Croatia was quick to sign up to America's suggestion of
creating an LNG infrastructure, and now in this new deal with Austria and
Bavaria, that capacity is set to double. Croatia is set to become an energy hub
for southern and central Europe as LNG can be brought in via the Adriatic.
Have you noticed the shift in coverage regarding China? For months Western media outlets have voiced criticism regarding Beijing's Zero-Covid policy. They referred to it as draconian and despite the fact that only a few thousand people have died within a country over a billion people – as ineffective.
It seems that about every other military and weapons story is
related to drone development. As many things in the world are changing, so is
the way of waging war.
And a follow-up:
I've had these links in my backlog for a few months now. The
stories appeared on the same day. The combined reporting could be described as
both lies and attacking liars – covering up and exposing at the same time. It's
enough to make your head spin.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/finland-and-germany-starting-lng-imports
It has been nothing less than impressive to witness the rapid
development of this new LNG infrastructure. No doubt everything has been
categorized as a 'rush order'. And even with the red hot production
time-tables, their coming 'on line' isn't soon enough as ships are already piling
up in the Atlantic and we read of other nations eager to export LNG – and get a
piece of the lucrative European market and its high demand.
God be praised, we've made more progress. After just about fifteen weeks in a brace, my son is finally getting to take it off. Not all at once of course, but we've started the process of weaning him from it. He has a new lease on life. He's able to lie on his side in bed and yes, take a shower. Needless to say he's in good spirits.
https://julieroys.com/ohio-church-refuses-embrace-partisan-politics-shrinks/
The article was good and even refreshing to a degree, but it
was not elaborated enough. It felt like there should have been a lot more
explanation as to why these positions (what some take to be non-positions) are
taken.
The confusion is demonstrated in the comments after the
article.
If you read the article carefully, the argument can be made
that the headline is guilty of sensationalism. America is clearly in the
position of supremacy but that margin of domination is not what it was thirty
years ago. This I think is probably self-evident and hardly surprising to
anyone.
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=107221718125272
Matt Slick antedates the rise of New Calvinism – I remember
him from the 1990's, but in many respects he's one of several figures that
anticipated the movement and even now can and should be identified as a member
of that camp.
I'm not referring to gender confusion but to the conflation
of pronouns when it comes to the Church and the world. All things considered,
it's far more concerning than the sodomite rot that now dominates mainstream
airwaves.
I am fully aware that many consider John Stonestreet to be
something of a lightweight and yet, when I find his commentaries appearing on
Calvinistic websites like The Aquila Report, it indicates a growing
appreciation for him. As such, I feel compelled to respond, since no one else
seems willing to do so. There is much to be learned from his Evangelical-Kuyperian
(or Colsonite) errors and the convoluted thinking his commentaries represent.
I'm not sure what that says about the likes of The Aquila
Report.
As missiles fall on Poland, and there are talks of escalation and retaliation, it's a good moment pause.
Recently, I received a message from AFR. Their longtime morning host is retiring – yet another Right-wing liar and deceiver who promotes mammon, war, and nationalism.
But who is replacing her? Another Christian feminist of an even
worse stripe: Jenna Ellis
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-death-of-christian-pacifism.html
Tooley's powers of
perception must immediately be questioned when he asserts that Neo-Anabaptist
Christian Pacifism was so prevalent in 2015. The position has always been (since the fourth century) an
almost inconsequential minority at best.
Lately I've been encountering some articles concerning homeschooling in Hungary. To the surprise of many in the American Right and within the Christian Right – Viktor Orban of Hungary and his government have actually moved to restrict homeschooling.
Aside from the numerous articles and testimonials in local newspapers, I happened to overhear a conversation in which two grandparents were discussing the Veterans Day assembly at the local school. As to be expected they were quite proud of their grandchild's participation in it.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/27/life-surge-conference-evangelical-money-finance
American Evangelicalism has created a fusion of capitalism
and Christian piety. Sacralism and Evangelical Dominionism place great stock in
power and status, the middle class values of respectability and security. Those
that understand this are not surprised by the so-called Prosperity Gospel. It
is but an exaggerated expression of an impulse that already exists. It may be
tacky, working class, philistine, and grossly overdone which certain cultural
contexts tend to fuel – but in the end it's the same Cultural Christianity that
produced ostentatious palaces, cathedrals in one generation and capitalist
empires in another.
I've touched before on how many American based missions organisations cannot be fully trusted when it comes to reporting the news. They often echo US State Department lines and when it comes to certain countries (such as China) there is a tendency to utilise talking points and narratives provided by the American Right.
An Associated Press story ran in Friday's paper on 'Contrasts in faith' in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. The article echoed a point that many others have already made – that Doug Mastriano's political rallies are being blended with what must be described as an Evangelical-style worship service.
Ken Starr has died and while his name will be forever associated with the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, he remained a well-known and active figure in Right-wing circles, even into the Trump era.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-62980394
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-unionist-nightmare-in-ulster.html
This represents a rather noteworthy change in the
demographics of Northern Ireland – and at a particularly interesting time. Sinn
Fein now holds power which in some respects is the outward expression of this
now verified demographic reality.
I had to drive down into AFR world today – that is I had to drive within range of the American Family Radio signal. This station, considered a titan in the Evangelical world is to put it simply a disgrace. Every time I listen to it I have to shake my head in disbelief. The programming is appalling. Clearly the Wildmon clan exist to serve the interests of the GOP and the various monied interests of the American Right.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/09/16/germany-military-best-equipped/
This story appeared last month. To be honest, I'm surprised
it didn't get more attention. Scholz's statements are a more than subtle
indicator regarding German militarisation and its true goals. This isn't about
Ukraine, this about German leadership in Europe and it tacitly suggests that
Berlin is thinking in terms beyond NATO.
In light of battlefield defeats, the Putin regime has turned to punitive attacks, and a form of total warfare. Using airstrikes and drones, he's now targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, primarily hitting water and power stations. The goal is to generate suffering, break morale, and degrade Ukrainian society's will and ability to continue the war. He wants to force them to the negotiating table – all the more as Putin is desperate for a way out of the conflict. NATO can keep pouring weapons into the country but if Ukrainian society is falling apart the will to continue will fail.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/9/turkey-resumes-gas-exploration-in-the-eastern-mediterranean
Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey continues to carve out what
can only be described as an independent geopolitical course. Long viewed as an
essential member of NATO, due to its unique cultural and geographical position,
under Erdogan's AKP the Eurasian nation continues to anger its longtime allies
and sponsors by reaching out to Western rivals and adversaries and in pursuing
policies that the EU and NATO would describe as reckless, defiant, and even
treacherous.
It's very sad to read of this couple that has been seemingly
kidnapped by Russian soldiers. Being in Eastern Ukraine, their congregation has
undoubtedly suffered from schism, the horrors and violence of war – and now
this.
This episode of Fresh Air encouraged a deluge of thoughts and
considerations. Listening to the account by the former US Attorney and his reports
of the corruption in the Trump administration and specifically of former
Attorney General Bill Barr, I could not help but immediately think of LPR's
Issues Etc.
The US for its part is returning to the George Bush posture of post 9/11 – you're either with us or against us. In other words if you're not on board with Washington's global design, you're being relegated to the enemy column. And yet the Bush threat of 2001 carried more weight than it does under Biden in 2022. This is not because Biden is weak per se, but rather he presides over a nation that is undergoing social disintegration and even while it flexes its international muscle – domestically it faces deep systemic problems and is even now living under the shadow of civil conflict. And as things presently stand it looks like there's a good chance Trump could be president again in a couple of years which will effectively dash America's standing on the world stage.
One feels as if the propaganda has reached a new level, and with it the stakes and danger have become even greater. At the end of September a series of explosions heavily damaged the Nordstream pipelines which bring natural gas across the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. The two Nordstream 1 lines were rendered inoperable and apparently despite the explosions one of the two Nordstream 2 lines remains viable. In other words, three of the four pipelines have sustained serious damage.
https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/dont-expect-pakistan-to-host-us-military-bases/
In some respects this is a small story and received little
attention but it deserves a second look. The Taliban has protested regarding US
drone strikes in Afghanistan and particularly the targeted killing of al Qaeda
leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. They are of course upset with Washington but the real
target of their accusations and perhaps their ire is Pakistan. The Taliban
accuses Islamabad of hosting US drones or at the very least allowing them to
strike from its airspace.
https://theworld.org/stories/2022-07-29/brazil-s-evangelicals-work-us-political-mission
https://theworld.org/stories/2022-07-29/brazil-s-evangelicals-stand-president-bolsonaro
I have visited this topic more than once but with today's
election in Brazil it once more comes to mind. The rise of Bolsonaro isn't that
surprising as we see Right-wing and fascistic movements waxing everywhere. But
it is the Evangelical support for Bolsonaro that is particularly of interest
and the fact that like Trump he has all but announced that if he loses the
election he will not accept the results – and has indicated he's willing to
entertain extreme measures to reverse the result.
People seem shocked that Vladimir Putin is making aggressive moves to silence dissent and punish social nonconformity. They shouldn't be and I'm not just saying that because it's Vladimir Putin. All states, whether already authoritarian-leaning entities such as Russia and China or even so-called liberal democracies like the United States, resort to some form of internal clampdown whenever the war machine is running under full steam.
Until now the US has been keen to drag this war out and wear down Moscow but it would seem that the Kharkiv Offensive marks the moment that they've decided to initiate its endgame. It's a dangerous moment as Putin is also desperate and escalating the stakes by his mobilisation and his recent appeals to Beijing at the SCO meeting in Uzbekistan. If China begins to aid Russia, this war could swing the other direction and again the threat of a global war only intensifies. These are all factors explaining why the West is beginning to push hard and break the stalemate.
There has been an escalation. This is a point on which I think all parties would agree. But as to the nature of that escalation, there are sharp divisions based on one's understanding of events.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/8/30/keeping-up-disappearances-in-el-salvador
The El Salvador Civil War (1979-1992) was in some respects
ignored even while it was taking place. It received some coverage, and there
were some flashpoints and massacres, namely the raped and murdered nuns, and
most famously the dramatic assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero in 1980.
The longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has flared up and dozens are dead as a result of skirmishes. The evidence suggests this latest round of violence was instigated by Baku as Armenia is all but broken and still recovering from its serious defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. It is highly unlikely that they would pick a fight at this time – a point even Western academics and commentators are willing to concede.
First, I wish to thank all of those who have prayed and those who have been kind enough to drop a personal note to me. God has been good. Our son is doing well – all things considered. The main thing is that he is stable.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62726954
This article reveals (perhaps without meaning to) the nature
of NATO relations with ISIS during the movement's first phase. ISIS was rightly
presented as a horrific apocalyptic Salafist organisation and its terror was
channeled by Western media to reinvigorate support for Western intervention in
the Middle East – the so-called War on Terror, even as figures like Obama were
attempting to disentangle Western interests from it and 'Pivot to China'.
Ostensibly arriving in Kyiv on 8 September 2022 to offer aid,
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was there to further promote the war.
Visiting with the injured and afflicted was a photo op – fodder for the media
to continue its propaganda campaign directed at the American public. The images
and statements are meant to promote outrage and yet in other contexts (where
the victims are the result of American operations) these same images and
realities are covered up.
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/15/1117605626/a-reservation-in-south-dakota-bans-outside-missionaries
I caught this NPR story a few weeks ago while driving home
and it made me groan inwardly – yet another compelling story, but one in which
I find myself disagreeing with all involved.
One has to be blind to not see that the world is at the very least creeping toward a global war scenario. And the pace is intensifying.
It's a point already made but one that bears re-stating – the larger story and context of the Ukraine War is moving well beyond the immediate setting of Eastern Europe and the Black Sea littoral. Its impact and ramifications are increasingly global and so are the consequences and dangers.
While sitting in the Emergency Room with my son I was privy to many nearby conversations and happenings – whether I wanted to overhear them or not. Some were tragic, some sad, some semi-comical, and then of course there was the obligatory mental case – a screaming woman in one of the special locking rooms with a camera.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/07/28/iran-israel-agents-kurdish-rebels/
The Mossad will deny that they're working with these Kurds
but in fact Israel has been working with various Kurdish paramilitaries for
some time. This was not always the case but the Turkish realignment under
Erdogan has made it so.
https://currentpub.com/2022/05/19/where-does-doug-mastriano-go-to-church/
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/doug-mastriano-governor-christian-nationalism-qanon-20220504.html
Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate and GOP nominee Doug Mastriano
represents the extreme edge of the Trumpite spectrum. A Christian Nationalist –
or in terms used here, a Dominionist and Christo-American, Mastriano promotes
the many lies of the Far Right and even the myths and delusions of QAnon. His
ties range from the Far Right fringe to sections of the Neo-fascist militia
movement.
My apology to readers. We've had a family catastrophe. My son broke his back on Saturday in a bicycle accident. It's been touch and go with him and as the hospital is over two hours away there's been lots of driving and little sleep, accompanied by anguish and considerable stress. I hope to return to posting soon. In the meantime, for the few readers that are left (my readership has plunged about 70% over the last year) your prayers are greatly appreciated. We give thanks that he's alive and so far has avoided paralysis, but it's touch and go. Either way, God be praised.
Thanks,
John (Protoprotestant)
It would probably be in my interest to avoid the BreakPoint website or listening to its radio commentaries. I'm afraid I could work full time simply refuting and deconstructing Stonestreet and company. Like his mentor Charles Colson he's almost always wrong, stunningly so – and even when he's right on something, it's for the wrong reasons and often the given justifications are confused and ultimately undermine his position.
Sometimes it's too much, day after day. That's how it was in
late May when I encountered these three commentaries.
Given the magnitude of the Dobbs v. Jackson abortion decision,
the Kennedy v. Bremerton ruling regarding the religious liberty of a football coach
was in many ways under reported. It's getting some attention but if Roe v. Wade
had not been overturned, this ruling would be front and center. Its
implications are potentially vast.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/roofing-scams-florida-property-insurance-hurricane-rcna29649
This article exposes the inherent immorality of the American tort
system. When individual Right-wing people go after institutions by means of
shake-down lawyers, then it's just fine. It's the American way. In fact there
are large numbers of so-called Christian lawyers engaged in this very practice.
But when insurance companies are being taken advantage of by means of a coordinated
effort, then it's a problem that even GOP governors want to address.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/05/27/an-appeal-to-russia-haters/
This article raises several excellent points. The Ukraine War
is being utilized by various interests as a means of distraction. The media
could make quite a bit of hay out of an analogy with the Yemen War but has
instead chosen to ignore it. And while the Ukraine War is highly destructive,
the Yemen War has been far worse.
https://julieroys.com/j-d-hall-removed-church-failure-demonstrate-repentance/
As sad and pathetic as the JD Hall episode is, this follow-up
article only further demonstrates how askew this congregation is. We already
know that JD Hall is unqualified to lead a congregation and this was evident even
before the recent revelations. They simply confirmed this to be the case. He is
not Biblically rooted in his thinking and now his conduct and response to
exposure simply shine a light on this.
This only about eight weeks late but it doesn't really matter. As much as I might enjoy doing so I'm not running a news site or current events blog. If it were up to me I would publish a couple of articles a day along with other essays and what I'd really like to do – more doctrinal and Scriptural studies. But work and other obligations means that's not possible. And as this year is proving to be one of the most difficult I've had in almost a decade, there's less time than usual as I'm putting in extra hours in an attempt to make ends meet. And in terms of writing, I'm playing catch up.
While visiting the BreakPoint website I made another discovery which I must say initially startled me but upon reflection it wasn't too surprising. I noticed the website was promoting Eventide Mutual Funds as a form of Christian investment. That name was familiar to me. I clicked on the link and within a few seconds I had the answer.
Finally after many years it sounds like Russia and the US may cut a deal to release Viktor Bout. Back in 2013, I honestly thought Putin might trade Snowden for him but it turned out that Snowden was a bigger deal than initially thought.
https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/jun/02/star-parker-this-country-is-going-through-a/
What a mess. I filed this commentary away over a month ago.
To be candid it's pretty worthless but reading it I had to laugh at the total
incongruity and dissonance on display in the argument.
On the one hand the manipulations that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have proven very successful. NATO dissent has been largely quashed and the EU has been brought into a kind of subservience to the US. NATO is set to expand, and the US has forced Europe to shift its energy policy, in ways largely favourable to US interests.
https://off-guardian.org/2022/03/25/two-weeks-to-flatten-the-world/
Over the past year I've encountered in person and via
websites expressions of frustration and disgust from many Christians arguing
that they tried to obey the government protocols regarding Covid in good faith.
They were promised 'two weeks' to flatten the curve and it didn't happen. As
such many of these church leaders have shifted over to the Covid-sceptic
position and remain bitter that they're open to criticism and in some cases
attack from those who questioned it from the beginning.
https://g3min.org/on-baby-grands-and-expensive-hymnals/
This would have to be reckoned as a sequel to a previous post
responding to G3 on the issue of pianos. Apparently this ministry website
excels at missing the point.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/05/27/apologist-for-tucker-carlsons-racism-glenn-greenwald/
I wasn't surprised to see this article. In some respects I'm
surprised more people aren't commenting on this. I was glad to see Greenwald
leave The Guardian in the aftermath of the Snowden revelations. The founding of
The Intercept looked promising but that too began to degenerate. And then in
2020, Greenwald went out on his own – it was real display of integrity, or at
least so I thought.
https://issuesetc.org/2022/06/21/1721-the-restoration-of-citizenship-dr-victor-davis-hanson-6-21-22/
Listening to this exchange with the Hoover Institute's Victor
Davis Hanson it was hard not to be struck by the fundamentally non-Christian
approach of the interview, which is a strange thing because supposedly I was
listening to a Confessional Lutheran radio programme.
Millions of their people were killed during World War II, and as a result this country believes that they are exempt from the normative rules of conduct in terms of international affairs. The crisis engendered by the war was of such a nature, such an existential threat to their existence that the only imperative is this – never again.
When it comes to ethics, the ministry of Scott Brown rests on
a foundation of sand – a denial of Scriptural Sufficiency. When Brown and
company talk about finances, patriotism, history, ethics, and certainly their
concepts of manhood and the like, the Scriptures play little part in their
thinking.
You can't make this stuff up. This has happened multiple times and in connection with different media and news outlets. Today while driving home NPR reported that Biden was giving Medals of Honor to Vietnam veterans – men that for whatever reason had been neglected for the past fifty years. Now they're getting their recognition for their bravery and service – or at least that's the official narrative.
I clicked on a CNN video the other night and gave up after just a few minutes. It was ridiculous. It wasn't news. It was just a juvenile editorial and misleading at that. Even if I agreed (for the most part) with what was being said, the presentation was disgraceful – the very sort of thing that is par for the course on FOX. The two channels are increasingly cut from the same cloth. Deceit reigns as the interests of mammon dominate the airwaves and both channels (in service to the Wall Street Establishment) are on a mission to blur and ignore context and the true nature of the problems that dominate this society and the larger world. Ratings, advertising, and thus entertainment are paramount and increasingly rage and fear are the tools to keep people energized.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx8tsompfiM
This disturbing video was released in late May and yet just a
month later the context has dramatically changed. The Supreme Court has
overturned Roe v. Wade, ruled in favour of tax money being used for private and
thus religious schools, thrown out gun restrictions, ruled in favour of the
coal industry and restricted the EPA, and now the court has ruled in favour of
an Evangelical football coach praying in connection to school events. More than
ever the Christian-Right is energized and they believe their 'victories' are
due to Donald Trump.
First there was the failed summit in Los Angeles. This was the Ninth such meeting for the Organization of American States (OAS) which has long been a tool for US imperialism in the region. More than once it has given cover to US policies and machinations.
A friend and I frequently exchange notes regarding the text
of the New Testament and some of the controversies surrounding it. We're both
committed to the now minority position regarding the so-called Byzantine Text
and the Textus Receptus and we both reject the Critical Text which has been
widely embraced even by many who would otherwise claim to be conservatives
and/or Confessionalists.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/05/30/memorial-day-salute-to-a-repentant-ex-marine/
The article cites the new book – Gangsters
of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, The Marines, and the Making and Breaking of
America’s Empire
by Jonathan Katz (St. Martin's Press 2022).
This is a book that I want to read. Butler is a fascinating
character and one soldier that I too would salute. He was a true hero, not for
his soldiering but for his courage and willingness to tell the truth about it –
something that actually took more courage and exacted a heavier price than all his
battlefield exploits.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/usps-can-require-christian-to-work-on-sundays-court-rules.html
This is a case of worldly thinking
being passed off as Christianity applied. It's more rights-based ethics – file
a lawsuit and call on the state to compel your employer to give you what you
want. It's an abnegation of gospel testimony, an attempt to wed Christianity to
the power of the state. And this thinking is the result of Dominionism, the
utter confusion of the True Kingdom that calls us to take up the cross with a counterfeit
kingdom that seeks to sanctify the world and its hallmarks – the sword and the
coin. Bow to its ethic and its fallen prince will grant you the kingdoms of the
earth. This is how far removed from the New Testament this doctrinal and
ethical system is.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/5/22/george-w-bush-is-not-funny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEg6Ht2pNH0
For
several years – but certainly for the past few months we have been subjected to
media expressions of moral outrage and disgust over Putin's actions and his invasion
of Ukraine. And it goes beyond the media – celebrities, the public sector,
corporations and the like have all jumped on this bandwagon. Even a regional
Russian Festival was canceled as it was deemed inappropriate to celebrate
Russian culture at this time – which ironically it must be noted that about
half of the music and dances in the event were... you guessed it, Ukrainian.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/sri-lanka-is-open-buying-russian-oil-pm-tells-ap-2022-06-12/
As a country in a state of turmoil and caught between
political and financial forces based both in China and the West, Colombo is
looking for other options. And for obvious reasons Moscow is also looking for
new markets. While the Russian oil industry has jumped through numerous hoops
and played games with pricing to keep their markets open, the possibility of
new markets must be appealing for those in Russia.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61488976
This story sure caught my eye. I don't believe such a
narrative would fly in Western coverage. Whether the story is true or not, the
propaganda campaign against China has reached a point that any and every story
that can be used or spun is posted – anything to cast a shadow over the
character of the Chinese people and state.
https://www.news10.com/news/rensselaer-county/police-deescalate-hostage-situation-at-troy-stewarts/
You don't read about mass killings by knife too often do you?
I've written about this before, as have many others. Here's another recent
case, pertinent in light of the recent wave of mass shootings in the United
States.
We already knew Jordan 'JD' Hall was far afield in terms of New Testament Christianity. For him Christianity is a confused construct of America, guns, and some kind of truncated cowboy cheap-grace gospel. To practice one's piety you spread spin and lies and do so by means of creating a click-bait factory. When I see the posters promoting filth like 'God, Guns, and Trump', I think of JD Hall and the poor lost souls that follow him.
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100533342/australia-scott-morrison-concedes-election
I wanted to comment on this a couple of weeks ago but like
many readers I'm getting pretty beat up right now financially and work is consuming
a lot of my time. At present a forecast of rain means a loss of income for the
day but it gives me some time write and catch up on things.
Evangelicals were thrilled when several Tampa Bay baseball players refused to wear the 'rainbow' patches on their uniform for some kind of Sodomite pride day – something their team wishes to promote. As Sodomy is all the rage we are subjected to rainbow-washing in all sectors of society. Not saying something is to say something and so many companies and institutions that probably don't care all that much about the issue are keen to make a statement even if it's just a token one.
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/23/1094444837/opinion-the-failed-promise-of-never-again
I've been listening to
NPR on and off for a long time, although much less so in recent years. The
network has changed and I increasingly find it to be a waste of time.
Thankfully my regional public radio station (WPSU) has some other programming that's
worth while and so I still tune in from time to time.
I already knew that I disagreed with the premise of the show.
I don't believe that academia is something that can be recaptured because I
don't believe it was ever the province of the Church to begin with.
The Great Replacement theory appears in various forms and has undergone numerous permutations. For some it's about race, for others it's race on one level, but primarily it's a question of culture.
https://afr.net/podcasts/it-s-my-turn/2022/may/to-be-a-visionary/
In some respects I grow weary of writing these critiques and
yet will no one call these people out? Will no one expose their false teachings
and blatant deceit?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/3/russia-says-israel-supports-neo-nazis-in-row-over-ukraine
I'm not sure why this is a controversy. Israel has a long
history of collaborating with fascistic elements – especially when its own
fascist party 'Likud' entered mainstream politics. Likud forged close ties with
Apartheid South Africa and the nations found a kind of camaraderie in their
pariah status, alliance with the United States, and their racial problems and
perspectives.
https://justandsinner.libsyn.com/a-response-to-an-sspx-priest-on-luther
In this podcast Cooper provides a capable defense of Luther
and his legacy and offers some helpful critiques of Roman Catholicism and the
Protestant Reformation's opposition to it.
Some coverage was given to Laurie's recent evangelical crusade in Idaho. It is claimed that over 3,000 people were saved. Laurie, a court Evangelical within Trumpite circles utilises the 'Invitation System' methodology popularised in the twentieth century by Billy Graham. It was built upon earlier models developed by the likes of Moody and Finney.
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/why-military-and-missions-make-a-good-match/
The editorial at Mission Network News argues that military
and missions make a good match. The author is sadly mistaken. Apart from being
accustomed to a life overseas, they have nothing in common.
https://www.politico.eu/article/blame-germany-russia-policy/
This represents an attack serving the interests of two factions.
On the one hand it's a hit piece targeting elements within the German political
spectrum that oppose Atlanticism and have (in some cases for years) pursued an
independent agenda. First of all, it must be remembered that Politico is owned
by Axel Springer SE – a company formally committed to Capitalism and the EU and
will not allow even its employees to dissent on these points. In other words
Politico is wed to the Atlanticist and EU Establishments, as well as long being
rumoured of having ties to US intelligence.
For months the media gave voice to Western governments and
health authorities as they decried the social resistance and the lackluster
measures being taken to curtail the spread of Covid. The rules and protocols
were flouted and the disease was spreading. And yet even during the period of
lockdowns, it was apparent there was always a less than fully committed element
to Western intervention. From the beginning until the present, the primary
concern for many has been economic. Large segments of society have been more
than happy for people die in order for profits to be maintained.
It's a point that needs to be reiterated. By failing to provide any kind of context to the war, the reporting on Russia and the responses of Putin to the sanctions regime are effectively spin-jobs. His threats to cut off Eastern European gas are not cases of blackmail, but the result of him being painted into a corner. The sanctions are basically an attempt to blackmail Russia into bowing to NATO. Any resistance on his part is ironically couched as 'blackmail'.
Putin's threats regarding a
quick response to outside intervention are presented as menacing and aggressive
but once again he finds himself in a serious quandary. He's fighting a war
against NATO and losing. He has certainly lost the propaganda war in much of
the world. By means of proxy war, economic sanctions, and various other
measures his regime is under severe strain and increasingly isolated. They're
fighting him but he's not allowed to respond. In fact if Foreign Minister
Lavrov or anyone for that matter within the context of US politics or media
declares this to be a proxy war between the US/NATO and Russia, they're decried
and even mocked by the mainstream media.
And yet the US Secretary of
Defense has openly declared the US is in a fight with Russia and military aid
to Ukraine is meant to weaken Moscow's military might. That sounds like a proxy
war to me.
Hydrogen is in the news again. This in itself is an
interesting development as two major world economies are pledging to work
together. As the infrastructure is in the early stages, such agreements are
going to generate a boom in shipping, ports, and possibly pipelines. The
hydrogen can be transported by being converted and there are various options
for this. These new technologies are opening up a new energy economy – and if
it develops it's going to change the world and the world order.
https://www.politico.eu/article/pope-francis-nato-cause-ukraine-invasion-russia/
The comments of Pope Francis on Ukraine are certain to raise
eyebrows. He's not following the dominant (and in many cases mandatory)
narrative that the Western Establishment continues to promote. Initially a darling of the Left, the tenure of
Francis has proven to be complicated and he has alienated many. One wonders if
his ambiguity on the question of Ukraine and his tacit condemnation of US-led
NATO machinations in the region will not turn more of his former allies against
him.
https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-to-travel-to-belfast-amid-brexit-protocol-crisis/
It's the nightmare scenario the Ulster Unionists long feared.
With the recent Sinn Fein victory in the Northern Ireland elections, the
unionists face the real prospect of a vote for Irish Reunification. Long feared
but a distant prospect, the campaign has picked up momentum in light of the 2016
Brexit vote and now seems within the realm of possibility.
https://calthomas.com/2022/02/bad-state-of-the-union/
John Calvin Thomas turns eighty later this year. Thankfully our
regional Evangelical radio station dropped his commentaries some years ago.
They had taken on a kind of deranged character that I think went too far for
the erstwhile moderate posture of the network. Since then the radio station has
changed. I almost expect that they would pick him up again but in their case
the pendulum has swung so hard to the Right, that for the Trump era – Thomas is
probably a little on the tepid side.
https://www.newsweek.com/oligarchs-murder-suicide-1699766
These could have been Putin ordered hits but the larger story
is one of a smashed machine – of fissures become chasms. The sanctions regime
is pushing the Russian economy to the limits and while fortunes are made in
some cases and lost in others, many actors are forced to make rash decisions.
Debts are called in – sometimes they can't be paid because money was lost,
squandered, or used for other means. Such trying times expose these realities
and powerful men are quickly toppled.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/04/10/indonesia-us-war-games/
Even as the War in Ukraine rages on and the eye of the world
is focused on the NATO frontier, there are storm clouds forming over Asia and
signs that US militarism is preparing to assert itself on the Chinese frontier
as well. Far from being passive, the Biden administration has been at the
forefront of the re-assertion of the US Empire.
This represents the latest
installment of blind Evangelical leaders leading the blind. It was reposted at The
Aquila Report whose editors apparently thought it profound. And yet it
represents the kind of fatally flawed thinking that is not just misleading but
is becoming destructive.
Some people embrace these
new technologies and some don't. Some are concerned with the role they're
playing in our lives and are afraid of what they're doing to society. Others
are optimistic and filled with hope and even revel in their potential.
One has to chuckle when one considers that the author of this
G3 article considers himself to be a 'hardcore' or die-hard Calvinist – a real
old school type.
And yet as the article makes clear his thinking is in fact
terribly divorced from Church history and the historical theology surrounding
the larger Calvinist movement and in particular its views on the issues of
worship.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/is-the-spirit-of-1776-imperiled.html
In this editorial from
The Christian Post, the reprobate militarist and Southern Baptist leader Richard
Land continues to beat the drums of war. Land has produced many truly terrible
and anti-Christian commentaries over the years. This ranks among the worst. I'm
not sure what counterfeit Zion he inhabits but in his idolatrous pseudo-kingdom,
the great Christian concern of the hour is whether or not enough young people
are going to be willing to take up weapons and kill for the state.
By demanding Russian rubles as the means of payment, Putin is attempting to 'blackmail' the European nations that still rely upon Russian gas. At least this is the argument we've been presented with by the mainstream media in the West. This is not only an unfair charge, it's incoherent.
https://julieroys.com/james-dobson-calls-for-assassination-vladimir-putin/
Some of us have long known James Dobson to be something of a
fool, a would-be politico who envisions himself as not only the Christian
Right's stalwart and wise leader, but the great moral discerner of our times – even
the Evangelical elder statesman, their version of Winston Churchill. And yet at
times the real evil and rot of his heart comes to the surface. This was seen
with his recent call for the assassination of Vladimir Putin.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/03/22/us-soviet-air-defense-ukraine/
Though largely unknown to most of the American public, the US
began to purchase large quantities of Warsaw Pact weaponry in the 1970's and
would continue to do so until the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the
Soviet alliance. It is therefore not too surprising that some of the weapons
are now being funneled into Ukraine where they will be able to integrate easily
enough with the extant arms in Kyiv's possession.
Universally praised by the Western Establishment and viewed as a vigilant defender of the weak in the face of authoritarian regimes, the narrative concerning Madeleine Albright is little more than a packaged lie.
With Biden's open call for regime change in Russia, he has played his hand. Though framed as 'controversial' by the media, Biden was simply expressing what has been US policy for almost twenty years.
https://hslda.org/post/as-homeschooling-grows-in-romania-government-cracks-down
As mentioned in previous posts, I'm not a fan of HSLDA and
its Dominionist approach to homeschooling and larger questions concerning the
law. Confusing Christianity (its doctrines and ethics) with the Western (and
more often the American) cultural tradition, their overall approach theology,
ethics, and jurisprudence are (to me) seriously misguided.
As many readers will already know Paivi Rasanen is the
Finnish MP who has been brought up on charges regarding her anti-homosexual stand
and public statements she has made to that end. Her trial is complete and if
found guilty she faces jail time. It signals a real warning to Christians in
the West that the Sodomite factions that have come to dominate large sections
of Western capitalist society intend to prosecute dissidents.
It's evident to all in the West that Russian media twists and distorts the Ukraine War narrative. The state obfuscates the extent of the war, downplays its intensity, ignores and spins civilian deaths and in general misleads its public as to the nature, cause, and goals of its policies.
In addition to this and to the outrage of many, Vladimir
Putin the Russian president quotes Scripture and draws parallels, even
blasphemous comparisons between the 'sacrifices' made by Russian soldiers and
the death of Christ. He presents a picture in which the Russian public is led
to believe that God is with them and their cause. He stands by their troops and
their cause is just and righteous.
Indeed it is sickening and could even be described as evil.
https://www.breakpoint.org/is-it-biblical-to-honor-our-nation/
Evoking the memory of the apostate Richard John Neuhaus, BreakPoint commentator and Colson protégé John Stonestreet attempts to address the dangers of idolatry regarding nationalism, and yet in keeping with patterns often seen in his commentaries he misses the central point and falls into error.
Rather than seriously seek to limit or warn concerning the
dangers of nationalism, he in fact encourages it and blurs the lines that
already cloud contemporary Evangelical thought.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been placed into a difficult position by recent events and yet he hardly deserves sympathy. As he has specifically sought to exploit Turkey's Eurasian identity and potential role as a kind mediating power – then he should have expected this, being in a situation where he has the power to deal but few friends. His recent diplomatic attempt to bring the forces of the Ukraine War together has been interesting. It was also noteworthy that his recent summit attempt had little support from the United States which clearly (and despite its official rhetoric) doesn't want the war to end.
Energy Independence. The words are inescapable if you turn the news on. It has become a battle-cry for the Right in 2022. Representing the interests of the petroleum industry they have used the present crisis as a means to bolster the interests of that economic sector and yet at a most basic level it's misleading.
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/russian-invasion-brings-threat-of-persecution-to-ukraine/
The warning that a Russian occupation of Ukraine will
potentially invite forms of persecution is true enough but at the same time it
must be noted that Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Mission Network News (MNN), and
many other missions and Evangelical organisations like Door of Hope
International (DOHI) are not to be fully trusted. Some radio programs spread
more false information than anything else especially when it comes to politics
and certainly international relations.
https://biblebased.wordpress.com/2022/03/07/should-reformed-christians-be-supporting-putin/
In this essay Andrew Webb continually begs the question. He
falsely assumes that Christians should be 'supporting' either side. Christians
certainly should not support Vladimir Putin. Some have been captivated by a
very misguided narrative that he somehow supports a re-establishment of
Christendom or that he stands for anti-liberalism (itself a confused term and
concept). Rather than muddy the waters as to whether or not Russia is a
'Christian' country, the concept itself needs to be exposed as intrinsically
false. The entire framework for the discussion needs to be re-tooled.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/03/09/lockheed-military-manufacturing-saudi/
Biden and others in the American
Establishment have sought to cast the new Cold War in terms of the Liberal
Democracies versus the Authoritarian States. This claim is as farcical as the
Capitalist Free World versus the Communist Bloc of the first Cold War. The
truth is always far more complicated.
In something of a cultural watershed the US government is openly allowing for and promoting crowd-funding for the Ukrainian army. Viewed as a just cause, once again it's clear Washington has no desire for this conflict to end in the near term.
For Christians there should be no doubt about books like
Harry Potter and the Twilight series. They're rubbish and they're not the type
of books I would encourage my children to read.
That said, burning the books is little more than a political
stunt. It would be one thing if there was a genuine Spirit-wrought outpouring
and people did this as a form of repentance and renunciation (as seen in
Ephesus) but that's not what's happening here.
I wish to extend a 'thank you' to Terry Mattingly for
publishing this. I don't always agree with him but I appreciate his
thoughtfulness and in this case he's one of the few voices that's pleading for
a bit of reflection – perhaps before some very terrible lines are crossed.
Putin fell for a geopolitical trap in the invasion of Ukraine, and US president Joe Biden has fallen for a series of traps set by his domestic political opposition.
The US wanted to send fighter aircraft to Ukraine but finally someone realised that Ukrainian pilots are trained on Soviet and Russian models – Sukhoi's and MiG's. And so sending them F-16's and the like will do little good. I'm sure they could fly them but they won't be proficient without training.
The NPR story – but one of an endless stream – attacks Russia
for its alleged use of cluster bombs. The weapon has long been condemned
because of the high percentage of 'bomblets' that don't actually explode and left
exposed on the ground, they lead to future injuries in the months and years
following the conclusion of the war. People are maimed and killed long after
the fighting has stopped.
Listening to the chants on the radio of 'USA Help Ukraine', I wondered if it ever occurred to any of these people that it was America's 'help', its meddling in Eastern Europe and Ukraine in particular that led to the current crisis? Had the United States remained in its own hemisphere, and had Washington avoided sponsoring a militaristic eastern expansion on the part of NATO, then perhaps the world wouldn't face this crisis. Are they aware of America's 'help' for Ukraine in the 2004 and 2014?
After several vicious rounds of advance and retreat, it would
seem the Tigray War may be stabilising. At present there is a cease fire and we
can hope that it holds. Everyone is tired of fighting and both sides have
suffered considerably – not to mention the vast number of civilians who have
been brutalised.
While there's a ceasefire, the situation is by no means
resolved. The Tigray region is basically (at this point) autonomous and they've
proven that they can hold their own against the Abiy government in Addis Ababa
– which is now a government in crisis.
As the military campaign rages, the lies continue to multiply on all sides as do the dangers. It is evident that Ukraine presented no security threat to Moscow in itself. That's not why Russia invaded. This conflict is over Ukraine's use as a staging point and its symbolism in the larger NATO-Moscow struggle. For the unfortunate people of Ukraine, their land is once again a battlefield – it's been a recurring motif for the peoples of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Western and Southern Russia throughout their histories – a region Timothy Snyder referred to as the Bloodlands.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opinion/evangelicalism-division-renewal.html
David Brooks is not a Christian and I know of Right-wing folk
who laugh at the notion that he's a conservative. This represents part of the
divide that I've been highlighting for years – the difference between elements
of the now almost defunct American Conservatism and the Right-wing Libertarian movement
that has largely supplanted it. There's overlap to be sure and people don't fit
into neat boxes but there's an ethos about the New Right and now Trumpism that's
remarkably different from what American Conservatism was a generation ago.
I often disagree with Brooks and sometimes strongly so, but I
will at least listen to what he has to say. Disagreement does not mean that his
commentary is utterly lacking any value.
An old friend (from my shameful Air Force days) shared a link with me:
https://unherd.com/2022/02/putins-spiritual-destiny/
It's a problematic
article on many levels and in terms of theology it's highly dubious. But it
touches on a lot of things I've been writing about on these sites for the past
twelve years.
I wrote to my friend
the following (slightly edited) as a response:
Without a doubt the US Energy sector (as a component of Wall
Street) is one of the driving factors in the US attempt to pull Russia into a
war with Ukraine. The US has been sabre rattling for months though this has
been ignored by Western media. It's clear the US wanted to break Nordstream 2,
and at this point it would seem they've been successful.
Recently I've had the opportunity at work to listen to the radio during the noon hour, something that has largely eluded me for the past year. The Family Life Network (FLN) based in Bath NY continues to expand its listening area and unfortunately this includes the region of Pennsylvania where I live. A typically Evangelical organisation, its theology is light and is mostly geared toward therapy and entertainment-based 'ministries' complimented with copious amounts of trite and terrible Christian pop music.
Usually the only thing I bother with is their news show. And yet having listened very little over the past year (I only occasionally listen to their teaching programmes and I cannot stomach the music), I was struck by how much the organisation has shifted to the Right.
Both sides of the political aisle attempt to manipulate crime statistics. When the Democrats are in power and making noise about gun violence, the Right will downplay it. And yet more typically the Right will scream about law and order and the Democrat's inability to rein in the chaos.
https://www.newsweek.com/call-duty-modern-warfare-highway-death-russia-gulf-war-1468207
I quit reading Newsweek years ago and as a consequence missed
this 2019 story. The video game industry is already replete with pro-military
propaganda and yet in this case it's worse than insidious, a blatant attempt to
lie and manipulate history.
While a formal bloc has not yet been created, a unified
agenda is coming together. This represents an early phase, a kind of proto-fascist
bloc beginning to form within the EU.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/president-mattarella-reluctant-hero-in-italys-crisis/
Akin to similar developments in other Western democracies,
the polarity within Italian politics has reached an extreme – to the point that
change itself is feared. Elected to his second term as president, Sergio
Matarella is 80 years old and he is the stabilizing factor, the shepherd of an
inherently unstable situation – that of Italy's National Unity government which
was formed last year.
Maybe you caught it, maybe you didn't. In some circles it was barely a headline and in other contexts the weight of this news was softened or outright spun. Days after the fact it would seem that the mainstream media has simply chosen to ignore it.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/mark-levin-american-marxism/
The Nation is a well-established liberal magazine with deep
roots in the American political order.
As connected as it is with the power centres of the Democratic Party,
the publisher (Katrina vanden Heuvel) is (ironically) widow to the recently
deceased Stephen Cohen – the renowned but controversial Russian studies scholar
who rejected and decried the Anti-Russia campaign being led by the US
Establishment and particularly the DNC. I'm sure there were some interesting
conversations that took place in their home.
