https://evangelicalfocus.com/features/24413/reflection-on-the-election-of-milei
Hugo Marquez demonstrates in sometimes painful terms how the American Church has affected and shaped the thinking of Christians around the globe. His categories are not Biblical but rather imported from the agents of Evangelical Enlightenment Protestantism, their politics, and their mammonist worldview.
https://kuyperian.com/episode-101-r-c-sproul-and-his-legacy/
I recently stumbled across this podcast. Brito is known to me through his CREC connections and I noticed Federal Vision sat like an ignored elephant in the room during his interview with Pickowicz.
It can be among those who argue for it in universal terms, who insist on it for the nations this side of glory. Or to put it differently, they too are Transformationalists of a kind who believe the Kingdom is expressed in terms of worldly power, politics, and culture.
https://adfontesjournal.com/andrew-koperski/christians-in-the-employ-of-the-pagan-empire/
In many ways the linked article simply repeats and rehashes many of the same old arguments used against those who argue for Kingdom ethics in the Early Church – and the narrative of their subsequent corruption. The line of reasoning followed by Koperski is in keeping with the arguments and the muddying of the waters tactics used by the likes of Peter Leithart.
There's a small bit in this article that's pertinent. The pastor of the church in question was interviewed by Evangelical Focus in 2021 and in that exchange he was critical of Minsk and the Lukashenko government.
https://www.vcy.org/crosstalk/2023/12/05/what-meaneth-these-stones/
The linked episode represents another case of par for the course when it comes to CrossTalk, or more rightly John Birch Radio. Ironically in this episode they were unmasked by their own call-in audience who recognized the 'Communist Goals' being referred to by the host. Listeners picked up on the talking points and rhetoric associated with Cleon Skousen's The Naked Communist – a seminal JBS work.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/historical-dracula-was-actually-a-committed-christian.html
I've written on more than one occasion about the growth of Right-wing revisionism surrounding the Crusades. When I was growing up the Crusades were universally condemned within Evangelical and Fundamentalist circles. It was but another of the abominable episodes connected to the false Church of Rome.
I've enjoyed following some of the recent furor surrounding the so-called Bin Laden Letter which first emerged (I believe) in 2002.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B41Ux-2xP8
Generally speaking Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! is so hostile to Russia that she has been more than a little susceptible to the official narrative provided by the American government with regard to not just the invasion and the nature of the fighting – but its context as well.
One is left wondering if the decision by the White House to slack up a little on Venezuela sanctions is about foreign policy strategy or simply to help out Chevron – and thus the markets. It's probably a bit of both.
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1207962313
Last month, Romney: A Reckoning was published, a biography by McKay Coppins of The Atlantic. In connection with this, there were reports concerning the fact that Romney was warned beforehand about January 6 and tried to reach out to Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell – who refused to speak to him.
https://truthscript.com/church/the-surprising-fruit-of-cultural-christianity/
Harris is arguing that cultural Christianity is a gospel means – because in the Bible Belt, people go to church. This in turn led certain Right-wing folks that had left New York for Tennessee to also attend church and ultimately become Christians. It's almost a kind of soft peer pressure that he thinks is valid and helpful.
I've been asked about this before and it has actually been on my mind as of late. Having visited several churches lately, I keep encountering Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, a 'ministry' run by Samaritan's Purse – one of Franklin Graham's cash cows. Between Samaritan's Purse, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and his other endeavours, Mr. Graham pulls in well over a million dollars a year.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/09/22/bulgaria-us-funded-cyber-hub/
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/russian-oil-imports-to-eu-via-bulgaria-surge/
America maneuvers and manipulates the politics in other countries and then if need be it will even finance the build-up of their militaries. The US has many tools in its banking toolbox and a lot of them flow through the State Department and Pentagon.
With all eyes on Gaza and Southern Lebanon, there are other questions to consider. The US is still seething over its failure to oust Assad in Syria and it would seem US policy is to make the Syrian economy scream – once the policy of the US toward Allende's Chile.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/us/politics/jfk-assassination-witness-paul-landis.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66792977
On the sixty year anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, the
debate goes on and while many in the Establishment think the case is closed –
as Gerald Posner would have it, the truth is most of the public doesn't buy it,
and for good reason. While there are many misunderstandings and unfortunate
sidetracks, as time marches on, more and more evidence and testimony emerges
which casts the Warren Commission into doubt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmBOMK_-zcU
Responding to the 7 October attack on Israel, US president
Joe Biden condemned Hamas and rightly so. But then he proceeded to make some
rather astonishing remarks – remarks that should offend anyone who has followed
events for the past several decades, anyone in possession of a conscience.
The story has already faded from the news cycle but it struck me how vigorously the Right was going after the obviously corrupt New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez.
And yet how is Menendez any different from Clarence Thomas?
Or for that matter someone like Donald Trump?
Golden Dawn, Greece's Neo-Nazi Party has suffered significant
setbacks but it hasn't gone away. The Greek Right (as is the case in several
countries) is in a process of re-organizing, but Italy in particular has become
a rallying point with the current Right-wing coalition in power. Meloni's
Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia) represent Neo-fascism and with Lega's Salvini,
FDI also has informal ties to political movements like CasaPound and Forza
Nuova – the same folks that consider Golden Dawn to be compatriots and comrades
in arms.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/mayflower-church-pastor-urges-us-to-put-pressure-on-china.html
This is a topic I have revisited on multiple occasions but it
needs to be understood.
We can condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its
bestial and draconian policies that seek to subjugate all religions under the
aegis of the Chinese state. But it is also important to state that the reasons
for condemning China are not on the basis of a 'rights' regime. New Testament
Christianity knows nothing of Enlightenment 'rights' and it is a mistake to
fall into that framework of thinking and argument.
Recently I heard a sermon which I continue to think about. Based on a section of Psalm 119, the visiting speaker did a decent job moving through the passage verse by verse and exhorted the congregation to focus on Scripture, make it central to your life, meditate on it, and so forth. So far so good.
VCY's Crosstalk might as well be called John Birch Radio as figures associated with the far right-wing society regularly appear on the programme and in general terms what is passed off as Biblical Christianity and commentary is in reality little more than thinly veiled Bircher ideology.
And alongside this is just a lot incoherent rubbish. This
message recently sent out by VCY typifies this – the muddled thinking at the
heart of today's Evangelical movement and (in this case) what's left of
Fundamentalism. Consider the following:
The sources cited here are not above scrutiny, but given the
history of the Orthodox world, and the present tensions within Georgia and the
Caucasus in general, the intrigues and attempted assassinations are not
altogether surprising. In fact the Georgian Orthodox Church had a similar
incident in 2017.
As October 2023 winds down, there have been significant developments in the case against Trump et al. in the state of Georgia. After Sidney Powell flipped and took a plea deal, the Trumpian edifice began to crumble.
Anti-Semitism is alive and well to be sure and yet there elements within the media that are keen to spin these stories and obfuscate the real issues at hand.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/nfl-legend-jim-kelly-gets-baptized-god-changed-my-life.html
Alas, this story was troublesome on many points. A few things
can be gleaned from it.
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/30/1201065400/ukraine-russian-orthodox-church-tensions
Whenever these questions are addressed by Western news
outlets the stories are tainted by phony democratic and liberal assumptions
that are imposed on the discussion of the Church. This is true even when the
discussion deals with Protestants or Roman Catholics.
At various times throughout history Christians have struggled to function within society. The reasons for this vary as do the contexts. In some cases there's the threat of outright persecution from the state, a false religion, or even a dominant apostate ecclesiastical body. At other times the struggle is more subtle. Instead of acute danger there is a kind of wearisome grind that takes place – a slow breaking of the will that can (from another angle) be viewed as a kind of seduction. This would most accurately describe the situation in today's United States.
The fact that new Syriza leader Stefanos Kasselakis is a
sodomite does not make him Left-wing – any more than was his predecessor Alex
Tsipras. Tsipras who ran on Leftist platform and formed a coalition to that
end, was revealed as a tool of the bankers and the EU Establishment.
On 17 October 2023, several hundred Palestinians died in Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital that was hit by either a bomb or missile. Israel blames Islamic Jihad which is another well known Islamist group within the spectrum of Palestinian Islamism.
What do you even say to something like this? The whole thing is one big cinematic smoke and mirrors lie.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66907517
This story is already falling out of the news cycle
especially with all the other things happening in the Middle East.
After the July coup in Niger there was a great deal of focus
on the country and the new ruling junta. The signs were bad (from a Western
perspective) when Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland made a trip to
Niger and was effectively rebuffed.
In reference to the recent attacks based out of Gaza, I found it very interesting that a Hamas spokesman mentioned a movement to re-establish the Solomonic Temple as one motivation among others. That's not something you're going to typically hear in the mainstream media.
The article didn't reveal anything particularly new. For
those who have been paying even a little bit of attention there have been
stories trickling out over the past several years regarding the nature of Ham's
business dealings. He's manipulated a lot of the bookkeeping surrounding his
'ministries' to his own benefit and has grown quite wealthy. An examination of
his 'ministry' tax forms indicates he's playing all the same nepotistic games
that many of these guys engage in and given the fact that he's apparently worth
tens of millions of dollars, he's found other means to funnel money into his
coffers. And let's just say the tickets to his venues are not cheap – not that
I would ever give him a dime.
During the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, it looked as
if the Schengen Treaty (which provides open internal borders within the EU) was
ready to collapse. The EU weathered the storm, but there are still tensions –
and in some cases these tensions are fueled by external considerations.
As I stated in a related piece, the coverage of the Canadian Parliament scandal has been largely disingenuous and has omitted several critical points.
I caught this report on 11 September which was in connection
with the anniversary. It's rather stunning to consider that even after all
these years there are people still buying into the discredited narratives.
There's no reflection. They are truly zombies – unthinking semi-sentient beings
enslaved to the state and its manipulative narratives and rhetoric.
https://eurasianet.org/as-azerbaijan-takes-over-karabakh-armenian-russian-ties-reach-new-nadir
As I have related in the past, the Armenian lobby in the
United States has been faced with an impossible situation, a position divorced
from the realities of US foreign policy. Since the fall of the USSR, Armenia
has been allied with Russia and indirectly with Iran. America has, since the
formation of NATO been an ally of the Turks, and with the break-up of the
Soviet Union this relationship extended to the Turkish regime in Azerbaijan.
The latter country was particularly attractive given its oil resources and
geo-strategic position on the Caspian Sea which connects it to Central Asia.
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with yet another pastor by phone – once again of an Evangelical church about forty-five minutes away.
I don't do a lot of endorsements these days but I wish to commend the following website to readers – Deo Vicit Mundum. The site is run by Joshua Immanuel, a dear brother in the Lord who has been an encouragement to me. Based in the larger Atlanta area he (like so many of us) has struggled to find a solid Biblically-based church and as such he's putting out an appeal – one that I'm forwarding to my readers with the hope that maybe someone else is in the area or familiar with it and can contact him with a recommendation.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_218172.htm
This is from a speech given by NATO secretary-general Jens
Stoltenberg. Read this excerpt carefully.
Then lastly on Sweden. First of
all, it is historic that now Finland is member of the Alliance. And we have to
remember the background. The background was that President Putin declared in
the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to
sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement. That was what he sent us. And was a
pre-condition for not invade Ukraine. Of course we didn't sign that.
The opposite happened. He wanted
us to sign that promise, never to enlarge NATO. He wanted us to remove our
military infrastructure in all Allies that have joined NATO since 1997, meaning
half of NATO, all the Central and Eastern Europe, we should remove NATO from
that part of our Alliance, introducing some kind of B, or second class
membership. We rejected that.
So he went to war to prevent
NATO, more NATO, close to his borders.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66748670
Biden left the G-20 summit in New Delhi which ended on 10
September and headed for Vietnam. For years the US has been trying to coax
Hanoi into a military alliance – to win Vietnam away from China and over into
the US camp.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/08/30/booz-allen-maryland-military-facility/
Articles about Booz Allen Hamilton always catch my eye as the
company is well-known for its contract work with the CIA. Perhaps the most
famous episode in recent years was in reference to Edward Snowden. The company
is involved in all sorts of intelligence work, analysis, IT, and other forms of
consulting and its one of those companies that straddles the military and
intelligence spheres – in fact the line with a company like Booz Allen Hamilton
is completely blurred.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-us-espionage-cia-spying/
In August, Beijing arrested another one of its citizens
accusing them of spying for the CIA. The US media seems to get perturbed by these
reports and intuitively seems to take a defensive posture – as if the
accusation is prima facie absurd.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/what-the-brics-expansion-means-to-shipping
This short article merely touches on what is in fact a huge
topic – one that is only starting to be understood and thought out. As BRICS
expands and plays a larger role in creating an alternate economy the
ramifications for this in the realm of global trade and shipping will be significant
– which is why a publication like The Maritime Executive wants to bring it up.
https://www.breakpoint.org/50-years-ago-chuck-colson-was-granted-eternal-life/
The memory of Charles 'Chuck' Colson (1931-2012) is already
starting to fade away. He was of another generation and one that seems
increasingly distant. From time to time BreakPoint will replay one of his old
commentaries and they did so recently as 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of
his conversion – except I continue to argue the man was a fraud.
https://declassifieduk.org/bps-financing-of-colombias-murderous-military/
The documents referenced here merely confirm what was already
known – both governments and corporations were involved in the financing and
arming of Right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/pastor-indicted-alongside-trump-returns-to-pulpit/ar-AA1fX3di
https://www2.cbn.com/news/politics/freedom-caucus-leader-rep-mark-meadows-god-gets-credit
I find it rather interesting that LPR's Issues Etc. has not
bothered to cover this story – at least not yet.
One would think that a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)
talk radio show would sit up and take interest when one of their own faces
indictment alongside Donald Trump for attempting to manipulate and overturn the
results of the 2020 presidential election. There are other Evangelicals
involved such as Jenna Ellis who now has a show on American Family Radio (AFR)
and the Dominionist Mark Meadows who as Trump's Chief of Staff played an
important role in the plot.
Where's the coverage?
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-former-general-compares-palestinian-treatment-nazi-germany
One would think this story would get a little more press than
it has received.
Was this some left-wing firebrand that dared to compare
Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the Nazi regime or its West Bank
policies to apartheid South Africa?
https://julieroys.com/calvinist-activist-warns-white-nationalism-invading-reformed-churches/
I was encouraged to discover there are some who are concerned
over what is happening within the Church – and in this case the Reformed
sphere. And it's not just White Nationalism but a growing militancy that should
be sending up red flags. Gun culture is incompatible with New Testament
Christianity but what's been developing in recent years is far beyond the pale.
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/05/1192374014/russell-moore-on-altar-call-for-evangelical-america
I've written repeatedly about Russell Moore over the years
and while he's considered in some quarters to be a quasi-'woke' liberal today,
at one time he was as right-wing as anyone. I can't say that I've ever been a
fan though I do appreciate his stand against Trump – though perhaps for
different reasons than his. I will say he appeared the Christian when
contrasted with the likes of Franklin Graham, the master and inheritor of a
corrupt legacy and 'ministry' machine.
Investment is always viewed through the lens of economic
legitimacy – both as a means and an end. But it also needs to be understood that
a flood of money invariably generates corruption.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/04/john-bolton-trump-nato-2024
Some in the name of anti-globalisation would be more than
happy to see the US withdraw from NATO. Others make a similar isolationist argument
by appealing to Washington's 1796 farewell warning concerning 'foreign
entanglements'. For whatever the reason there is a growing voice within
Right-wing circles that is exhibiting no small degree of scepticism regarding
NATO. For some it's simply a nationalist impulse and an unwillingness to
contemplate spending American treasure and lives to defend some European
country that most Americans know nothing about. Regardless, this sentiment
represents a sharp break within the American conservatism that emerged after
World War II.
I think it safe to say that I'm not a fan of John Piper but
on occasion I can appreciate something he says. In this case, it's not really
about anything remarkable coming from Piper's pen. Rather, what piques my
interest is that such a statement has generated controversy.
I have not been watching all of the news coverage but I would hope that someone would point out the irony present in this situation. Giuliani has been swept up in the Georgia indictment on the basis of RICO – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested again and has now been sentenced to prison. Ousted from office in April 2022, he has repeatedly insisted the US played a role in what many view as a bureaucratic coup.
When this subject was last addressed at the beginning of June, the spring offensive was just getting under way. Two months later it has fizzled and even Western media seems incapable of spinning the story.
Coups in Africa are by some estimates far from unusual. There have been many in recent years and while often mentioned, the news coverage in the West is minimal. Africa does not generate a great deal of interest to Western audiences and for many it's impossibly complicated and they are unable to follow the stories or contextualize them.
I have been asked from time to time about recommendations for Christian movies, what review sites to trust and the like. The answer is very simple – none of them are to be trusted and I can't recommend any that I know of.
https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/22997/pastor-sentenced-by-the-venezuelan-authorities
I wouldn't for a moment wish to defend the Maduro-led
government of Venezuela. I would not want to justify, support, or defend
anything that government says or does – especially when it comes to its
relations with the Church.
That said, there are some questions that need to be asked.
Emanuela Orlandi disappeared from near the Vatican in 1983 and while the popes and curia wish the story would go away, it lingers on. It is captivating to say the least and every so often it pops up again in the news. Netflix recently released a documentary which more or less summarizes the story to this point and attempts to advance it a step or two. And much to the chagrin of the Vatican, this documentary has effectively put a spotlight on the story and has introduced it (and the scandals connected to it) to a new generation.
Two decades into the twenty-first century Mongolia is
something of an outlier, an outpost nation that straddles North and East Asia
and by some accounts represents the eastern edge of Central Asia. Within this
vast zone, Mongolia (it could be said) represents the last hope of Western
influencers.
https://eurasianet.org/rift-widens-between-armenian-church-government
This is a somewhat hopeless debate to wade into. There are
glaring assumptions being made that must be questioned. Armenia is viewed by
its Orthodox Church and the religious sections of its populace as a sacral
state. As such, Nagorno-Karabakh is in reality Artsakh – part of the ancient
conglomeration of Armenian kingdoms. As a people they have lost so much and
have been brought so low, that for some a line has been drawn. No further. They
will not brook any further humiliation at the hands of Turks and will not
tolerate any political party that even entertains capitulation. For some this
isn't just politics or nationalism – it's theological.
https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Supreme-Court-bans-interfaith-marriages-58840.html
Legally the issue cited in the article concerns the
jurisprudence of an Islamic nation – and to what degree Sharia or even a
limited or hybrid-Sharia can accommodate a Muslim-interfaith marriage. This
issue on its face is not a Christian concern apart from questions of civil
freedom and restrictions that result from a sacralist-Islamist framework.
The US Establishment doesn't want to jeopardize this key tool
by allowing it to become a political football. Also this vote and rejection of
Paul's amendment must be viewed in light of the Trump presidency and the damage
he did to NATO by suggesting Article 5 might be subject to question. Paul's
amendment more or less is a pathway to the same argument and uncommitted
position and as such not only weakens the treaty but effectively violates the
terms Washington already agreed to.
I post this with a few comments just to call attention to the
kind of Two Kingdom Theology which needs to be rejected and opposed. It caught
my eye because the author (Tom Hervey) was critical of Larry Ball, a Theonomist
writer I have countered on many an occasion. Happy to see someone answering him,
I was nevertheless mostly disappointed in Hervey's response.
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/20/1183140547/road-to-surrender-revisits-the-final-weeks-of-world-war-ii
Once again a mainstream reporter appeals to narratives that
are hardly Left-wing or 'woke' but instead belong on FOX or Newsmax. The divide
appealed to by so many on the Right is blurry at best and artificial at worst.
And keep in mind this is Evan Thomas who spent decades working at supposedly
Left-wing magazines like Time and Newsweek. Apparently it's Left-wing these
days to produce an apologia for Truman's use of atomic bombs, for that in the
end is the real purpose of his work. He defends their use, tries to argue that
their use was moral, and that those who made the choice to use them are in fact
heroes.
https://evangelicalfocus.com/features/22760/the-harassment-of-italian-evangelical-churches
Some of the events reported here are limited to the city of Rome
as the article acknowledges. I remember back in the 1990's when I spent a fair
bit of time there that Protestant churches couldn't ring bells and so forth –
orders from the Vatican, or so it was said. The Pope does indeed possess a degree
of unofficial leverage within the larger city.
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/06/19/emergence-of-a-new-non-alignment/
A New World Order is emerging but it's not the one predicted
by George HW Bush in the early 1990's. In fact this is the order he was trying
to prevent, the nightmare scenario US power-brokers have been trying to stave
off since that time. Ironically, they brought it on themselves but that's a long
story - one that cannot be explored here.
Fesko begs many questions in this piece. From his adoption of
the culture's language of 'service' to the tacitly endorsed feminism in
speaking of a military career, he simply assumes in good Kuyperian fashion that
the military is a viable option for the Christian.
This is a postscript to the Christian Kids in State Colleges piece even though these comments are largely restricted to primary and high school settings.
http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2023/06/inbox-christian-kids-in-state-colleges-i.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65428204
By all accounts, there is a spectrum to modern feminism. Some
feminists hate men and turn toward androgyny or ironically to an emulation of
masculinity. Other forms of feminism celebrate femininity but it is recast and
breaks with older forms and understandings of what that meant – often in forms
of libertine expression – a certain conception of womanhood turned up a few
notches as it were. Sometimes as a concept it begins to breakdown and blur and even
poses as being anti-feminist – and yet ultimately is part of the same cultural subversion
that has dismantled the older understandings of womanhood that once prevailed
in society and certainly within the Church.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/06/far-right-politics-hitler-d-day
The son of former CIA director Richard Helms is alarmed at
the present political climate in the United States and as a result has pulled
out a historical curiosity to make his point. He is in possession of a letter
written by his father in 1945. The future CIA director was part of the OSS and
wrote his infant son a letter on the recently defeated Hitler's stationary
warning him about the evils in the world and his witnessing of them.
At the end of May there was a telling episode that reveals something of Trump's character. He railed against Kayleigh McEnany his former press secretary and one of his staunchest allies when she proved unwilling to distort poll numbers in Trump's favour. The result was that it gave his rival Florida governor Ron DeSantis a needed boost as he is far behind in the polls.
https://thecradle.co/article-view/26056/syria-intends-to-join-brics-sco
Now that Assad has his foot back into the door of the
international community, he's looking to join institutions that will promote
stability, growth, and security. This is hardly surprising though it will
continue to outrage his critics in the West – the individuals, entities, and
governments that attempted to overthrow him and fomented a civil war in his
country that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of
refugees.
This article has been in the queue for a few weeks and I
might have tossed it aside other than it struck me today (24 June) of how absurd
it is in many respects even as NATO continues to push the narrative about the
threat of Russia. Russia has been exposed today as a nation in a state of
instability and peril. Not only did Putin's forces fail to take Kyiv in 2022,
he has now faced a very threatening mutiny and this is even in light Ukraine's
failed spring 2023 offensive. Putin looks weak in the eyes of the world.
When Western and even Christian media cover the situation in
Colombia they invariably focus on the terror and violence perpetrated by the
Leftist guerilla groups – such as the FARC. This is true enough but they
consistently misrepresent the story. There are cycles of violence and terror
and the reason many among the rural poor gravitate toward the Left is due to
the violence of Right-wing paramilitary groups which are often unofficial arms
of the state and in other cases are effectively private armies funded and
backed by Western corporations. And it must be remembered that groups like the
CIA are always in the background pulling strings and attempting to manage the
situation.
It's fascinating and perhaps even a little sad to reflect on
how the entire Covid episode could have played out in such different terms –
especially for the Christian Church in the United States.
This reporting relies on Forum 18 which as I contended last
year is problematic, as the organisation is a little too cozy with the European
Establishment. That said, (as with the Mariupol pastor story from October 2022),
this is not to say the story isn't true. It's more of a warning to be sceptical
of the source and to realize that despite their claims – they're not neutral or
apolitical observers.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/05/29/clashes-northern-kosovo/
There are statements from multiple entities such as the EU
and NATO condemning these events and yet everyone knows the key player here is
the United States. Washington created Kosovo and its government is completely
beholden to the United States.
In recent years a number of mainstream outlets have produced watchdog shows that attempt to navigate the larger media world and its increasingly conflicting and contradictory presentation of facts and narratives. These shows are meant to help one discern the truth and of course it is assumed that whatever the said outlet is, (such as the BBC) – it is in fact a guardian of it.
It's clear that Kyiv is basically unable to mount the much vaunted spring offensive – at least not anything of significance within the spectrum of conventional artillery-infantry oriented combat expected by its Western sponsors. Spring is more or less over at this point and for months the NATO Establishment has debated its next set of moves. It was determined some time ago that a general escalation was in order. The question was not if but when and how. There will an offensive but it is likely to change the very character and scope of the war.
https://mate.substack.com/p/elon-musk-is-right-bellingcat-is
Even blind squirrels get acorns on occasion. Musk is
certainly repugnant in every respect but as Aaron Mate points out – this time
he was right.
This interview was absurd and offensive and belies the claims
by the Right that NPR is 'Left-wing' or somehow anti-American. The interview is
a whitewash of Truman's record. The notion that somehow he was an
anti-corruption fighter – while failing to mention his well-established record
of corruption back in Missouri (and later during at least his first term in the
US Senate) reveals the farcical nature of the interview and NPR's role in
reporting history.
The European Union has always been a secularized attempt at
rekindling the Holy Roman Empire – and as time has made clear, the 'of the
German Nation' is probably more apropos than many would care to admit.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-elections-opposition-candidate-kilicdaroglu-refugees-expel
To the surprise of many, Erdogan not only did better than
expected in the first round of the election, he now stands all but poised to
win another term. This is despite the crushing economic troubles the country
faces and the scandal surrounding the response to the February 2023 earthquake
and subsequent questions surrounding corruption, building codes, and the like.
Listening to Taylor Marshall interview Eduard Habsburg I was
struck by many things. In many respects the interview was a waste of time as it
had nothing to do with the Christianity of Scripture but was instead an attempt
to create an amalgam – to join modern Catholic Integralism (with Throne and
Altar Ideology) with modern Liberalism and its democratic regime of rights, the
individual and capitalist economics. It doesn't work and the contradictions
were on display during this interview – for those paying attention.
Aside from the fact that Rick Warren has a less than robust
view of Scripture and is rapidly drifting into theological liberalism, and
aside from the fact that he's a corrupt political operative who befriends
millionaires and dictators, the truth is he's built his entire clerical career
based on a repudiation of Spurgeon's model of preaching and pastoral work.
Led by the United States, NATO is attempting to expand into
the Asian theatre in preparation for war with China. NATO is opening an office
in Japan, and the US in addition to strengthening ties with Australia, the
Philippines and other nations, is preparing to negotiate for new bases in Papua
New Guinea.
It is commonly voiced within the circles of American
Confessional Presbyterianism that Old Princeton ended when they carried BB Warfield
out of Miller Chapel.
Meloni publically states that she's against Italian
participation in the Beijing-sponsored Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Her administration
has attempted to patch-up differences with EU/NATO members France and with the
Washington Establishment – which has not been always thrilled with the
trajectory of the Italian Right, especially the Salvini-led Lega Party, which
is part of Meloni's coalition.
I sincerely don't mean this in any kind of sense of bitterness but something struck me today – it's instructive one might say. I caught the headline that Bill Oesterle, the founder of Angie's List died of ALS at the age of 57. It's a national story.
This is certainly a story that will not make it into
mainstream US media – as the US Establishment doesn't even want such questions
raised about the AUKUS alliance. And if the story emerges in other venues you can be certain that
operatives and 'commentators' will spin the story and make transform these
protestors into 'China stooges' or something along those lines. They might even
find a way to blame Putin for it.
Western Mainstream Media continues to largely ignore the situation with Julian Assange. He has now spent more than a decade effectively (and actually) imprisoned without ever facing any kind of trial or due process – the bogus charges being used as a pretense to seize him being found without merit and dropped. But by then he was caught in a series of legal traps and in order to avoid the snares laid for him by the CIA – he became a fugitive and asylum seeker.
Are these serious people – or merely actors and clowns? The
Squad is trying to start riots?
Recently I've heard rumblings from within the Christian community that US foreign policy should support (or foster) the break-up (or division) of Nigeria in order to protect the persecuted Christians that live there. They want a new state carved out for the Christian community to protect them from the various Islamic threats.
https://www.vcyamerica.org/crosstalk/2023/04/13/growing-violence-in-society/
I'm not going to waste a great deal of time interacting with what
is effectively John Birch Radio – or at least its Fundamentalist-Evangelical
arm. It is spiritually bankrupt and while there are bits of gospel truth to be
found on CrossTalk, the deception and error far outweigh it and expose the show
as a dangerous font of heresy and disinformation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/4/9/how-death-and-despair-haunt-pakistans-christian-minority
When it comes to the Subcontinent, most in the West are
likely to think of the troubles that Christians face under Narendra Modi's BJP
government in India. And indeed, Christians continue to face threats and
harassment by his administration and its paramilitary proxies such as the RSS.
Once again I wish to thank all those who have prayed for my son's recovery from a broken back. Nine months after the accident, months in a brace, and weeks of physical therapy, he was finally able to return to his job. And after a few months of office work and other temporary tasks, he just recently started driving again.
He's still dealing with some pain and awkwardness which is to
be expected. As a flatbed truck driver there's a lot of climbing up and down,
strapping, cranking, and slinging heavy chains. This is causing him some
difficulty. There are days where one makes multiple short runs which involve
more of this 'on the trailer' sort of work – securing and dismantling each load.
He's not as keen on that at present (as those are days of considerable pain)
and he does better with longer drives and less fuss. It's still going to take
some time and it may be in the end that he decides to pursue something else. Time
will tell.
Therefore, please keep praying if it comes to mind. But be assured that prayers have been answered. God be praised and thanks to all of you again. My son can not only walk but it would seem he's slowly returning to a normal life.
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/04/11/saudis-arent-afraid-of-us-anymore/
These are noteworthy developments to say the least. Riyadh still
maintains close ties with Washington and yet it's clear as the linked author
indicates – the Saudis are no longer afraid of America or of earning its
displeasure.
I recently had an interesting experience with Google. An article from 2016 was flagged by the Blogger platform as violating their community terms of use. It wasn't removed, but it was censored in that you have to agree that you were an adult to read it – and sign in via a Google log-in.
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2023/01/17/douglas-macarthur-christianity-and-japan/
All I can
say is 'wow'.
The way that
Bill Muehlenberg manages to distort both history and Scripture is nothing short
of remarkable.
During
World War I, the Wilson administration targeted dissenters and critics of
America's war policy and in many cases jailed and deported them. Even
suggesting that someone shouldn't register for the draft was enough to warrant
an investigation and possible arrest. It was also a time of vigilante groups,
and unofficial 'shadow' units within police and sheriff's departments. Groups
like the American Legion also played a part in pursuing and harassing critics
of the war.
https://theaquilareport.com/wokism-and-silent-preachers-a-redux-of-hitlers-germany/
The fool speaks again. We have certainly wasted some ink
responding to the likes of retired PCA minister Larry Ball, but given that his
material is published at The Aquila Report it's evident that someone finds it
to be noteworthy and intelligent. It's hard to imagine someone might find it
edifying but given that there are still people walking around with Newsmax and
Trump hats on – anything is possible.
American Family Radio (a subsidiary of the American Family Association) recently sent out emails for its spring fund raiser. I call on readers to note the confusion expressed in their statements and evaluate their claims.
The email begins:
|
Through the years, AFA
has developed a broad range of resources, strategies, and media outlets aimed
at promoting Christian values in all areas of our public life. Perhaps you
are already a listener to our broadcast division called American Family
Radio, where, right now, we are engaged in our Spring “Living Water”
Share-a-thon. |
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/greek-position-on-kosovos-independence-unchanged/
Though it aggravates the United States and even Brussels to no end, there are still multiple states within the European Union that refuse to recognize Kosovo as a state. It's telling just how much the media refuses to engage this issue because of course the Russian annexation of Crimea is effectively no different than what the US did with Kosovo in the late 1990's. In fact there's a much larger (and pernicious) story concerning the break-up of Yugoslavia and the American role in it that to this day is largely unknown.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/8/analysis-will-azerbaijan-iran-tensions-lead-to-war
This is a story that I've been following for years – the fact
that Azerbaijan has become a platform for Israeli military and espionage
operations directed against Iran. Azerbaijan itself is a divided land – the Turkic-speaking
region was carved out of Persia first by the Tsars in the nineteenth century
and then under Stalin the northern portion of the territory became part of the
USSR. Apart from a brief episode in the context of the Russian Revolution and
Civil War, Azerbaijan only became truly independent in 1991. And while the
population is mostly Shiite (orienting them toward Iran), being Turkic they
also retain close cultural ties to Ankara and share the general Turkish
hostility toward the Armenians – with whom they have fought two wars since the
break-up of the Soviet Union.
https://churchandfamilylife.com/podcasts/6390cc89fad8bafe3a9ec787
At about the twelve minute mark we come to:
5. Be on a Budget
Budgets are very helpful, but contrary to the narrative being
provided, there are people who spend years trying to get that money set aside
for tires or whatever and can never get there. Life keeps happening and because
the margins are too tight, they can't meet those goals. Others have volatile
incomes – shift workers whose hours change every week, or those who are
self-employed. A sickness can throw everything off and then while you're trying
to get it back on track – a car repair comes up that you can't pay for.
Sometimes it can take months to get back on track, but by then something else
has likely happened. These people are not necessarily doing anything wrong –
they're simply struggling.
https://churchandfamilylife.com/podcasts/6390cc89fad8bafe3a9ec787
Contrary to its claims, this podcast seemingly exists to
proclaim the insufficiency of Scripture because not only is the doctrine of the
New Testament ignored when it comes to money, its applications and attitudes
about mammon, possessions, and worldliness are rejected and replaced by an opposite
set of values.
Listening to American Family Radio (AFR) I was struck by something 'Bishop' EW Jackson said. When I'm down in a certain area I can pick up AFR and it seems like his show comes on while I'm in the car eating my lunch.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/is-germanys-lng-gold-rush-coming-to-an-end/
This article demonstrates the internal conflict that plagues
modern Western capitalist economies. Germany needs Liquefied Natural Gas, all
the more since the Nordstream pipelines were blown up and the gas supply from
Russia has been cut off.
The US media and Washington's political mouthpieces can
downplay this question all they want but the discussions are happening and at a
greater pace than seen before.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is a centrist
when compared to his coalition partners, understands the critical need for US
Evangelical support and while he undoubtedly views his American backers as
useful idiots and does not want to see their brand of Christianity flourish in
his country, he doesn't want to unnecessarily antagonize them – and thus has
(since this initial writing) made moves to counter this legislation which would
block their missionary work. Besides given the near uprising over his proposed
reform of the judiciary, he's got much bigger problems and needs his American
backers at a time like this.
It's one thing for Christian musicians to compose works that are informed or influenced by the faith and the ideas associated with it. But when such music is labeled 'Christian' then several important lines are blurred. It becomes a form of 'sacred' music in the minds of many and as such its performance can be associated with worship.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/03/06/south-korea-kill-web/
This ship has long sailed and the situation between North and
South Korea is a bit different due to the geopolitics, unresolved conflict, and
sheer proximity, but the systems outlined in this article demonstrate what must
be called the offensive nature of missile defense systems.
This story from back in January never gained any traction. It
was but one of many of a similar type that seems omnipresent within the news but
never subject to analysis or question.
A recent conversation led me to revisit the Austin Bombings
back in 2018. In some respects I'm surprised there hasn't been more of this
sort of thing – more Christian Terrorism as it were.
There are many people of similar mindset and developing in
the same matrix of ideas. Some can't deal with all the implications and
pressures and become radicalized.
No, this isn't about TikTok but about a state sponsored
registry app for Christians within China and the reporting failures of the Evangelical
infotainment, tabloid, and spin factories that try to pass themselves off as
news.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/should-john-witherspoons-statue-remain-at-princeton.html
The Capitalist decadence masquerading as
Cultural Revolution is now targeting the statue of John Witherspoon at
Princeton University. Witherspoon was a pivotal figure in the school's history
and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a
slaveholder, the activists of the hour want his statue (or monument) removed
and his legacy tarred.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/preserved-god
Leaving aside the misguided (though not unexpected) use of a
Winston Churchill quote, the problem with Parsons' argument is that he doesn't
define what saving faith is. And interestingly if you get a half-dozen
Confessional theologians into a room and ask this question, you'll likely end
up with a heated debate and a lack of consensus.
https://eurasianet.org/blinken-strikes-reassuring-tone-in-dialogue-with-central-asian-partners
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a recent trip to
Central Asia and despite attempts by Western media to spin the visit in a
positive light – it is being almost universally acknowledged as a failure. The
Central Asian states refuse to back US-sponsored resolutions in the UN that
would condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and they clearly rejected Blinken's
overtures – recognizing them for what they are, an attempt at warmongering.
https://issuesetc.org/2022/06/29/1802-just-war-dr-jonathan-shaw-6-29-22/
The fact that Jonathan Shaw is a retired military chaplain
already discredits him and identifies him as one sold out to the military
machine, and one that was willing to make endless compromises in order to do
so. Military chaplains are not worthy of any regard or respect. They are to be
rebuked.
That said, let's consider some of his points with regard to
the Just War tradition.
Listening to this sad and disturbing but already well
documented story of Cobalt mining in the Congo, I found myself frustrated on
multiple levels.
We finally found a church that we want to attend. Unfortunately it's an over an hour away and in a direction that we almost never go and has never appealed to us. We don't like the drive and the culture changes a bit over that way. Our entire area could be characterised as Trump country, with some areas voting for him in the seventy and eighty percentile range, but this town has always been on the extreme. Even during the peak of Covid, the town in question always had the highest counts and was the most recalcitrant to any kind of mitigation efforts. We just don't like the place much but we found this church that (all things considered) has been somewhat encouraging.
Profits are on the rise. The railroad industry is booming and
Norfolk Southern is buying back stocks to increase their value even as they
throw crumbs at the people in East Palestine, Ohio. Utility companies across the United States
and the world are raising prices even amid what are in some cases record
profits.
Why do I have to keep hearing about Kathy Ireland? Why are these people celebrated for their supposed faith? The woman became famous in the 1980's for taking her clothes off. Tame by today's standards, this was a more innocent time and a publication like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition was a big deal for teenage boys and young men – that was a lot of skin to lust over. It wouldn't even grab anyone's attention today but for years that magazine's annual release was a cultural moment and viewed as scandalous by anyone with a moral compass.
