Bait and Switch - Cal Thomas on the Constitutional Crisis

https://calthomas.com/2025/02/whom-to-blame-for-the-crisis/

Unfortunately I must report that Cal Thomas is still producing commentaries and this one appeared in our local newspaper the other day.

It's a case of classic bait-and-switch tactics. He ignores the issues surrounding the Constitutional Crisis and instead ventures down a dishonest rabbit trail of revisionism and spin. In other words, it's classic Cal Thomas.

The Habsburg Way of Lying

https://taylormarshall.com/2023/04/981-habsburg-way-interview-eduard-habsburg-dr-taylor-marshall-podcast.html

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.

A Travesty in London

https://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-appointed-first-ever-chancellor-of-spurgeons-college.html

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.

Seneca Falls in España

https://evangelicalfocus.com/life-tech/4871/we-identify-with-a-feminism-with-deep-historical-roots

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Sentiments

This is tragic in so many ways. Would it have ever occurred to these Spanish Christians to seek out, emulate, and celebrate the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention apart from American Evangelical influence?

Hungary, Italy and Christian Democracy

http://abouthungary.hu/blog/pm-orban-in-rome-liberalism-is-over-its-time-for-christian-democracy/

Christian Democracy means different things to different people. For some the movement is (as it is democratic) grounded within the liberal tradition. For others it represents a hybrid between traditionalist societal models and modern liberalism – a compromise of sorts.

Another HSLDA Travesty: Trump's UN Speech

https://hslda.org/content/hs/international/20190925-trumps-historic-un-speech-should-help-persecuted-homeschoolers.aspx

The twists and turns of history. Public education is largely a result of the sacral state and in the United States its genesis was championed by dyed in the wool Protestants that wanted to bring about social conformity and cultural unity especially in the face of massive immigration.

South Tyrol: A Chink in the EU's Armour

https://www.thelocal.it/20181018/italy-and-austria-at-odds-over-south-tyrol-dual-citizenship

The region of South Tyrol doesn't normally make it into the news. An alpine wonderland, for most it's just part of northern Italy and yet its story is far more complicated. It's actually one of the dozens of potential 'trouble spots' within Europe that retain the possibility of future political turmoil and unrest. South Tyrol isn't a 'hot spot' like Kosovo or even as contentious as Transylvania, Ulster or Catalonia but it still has the potential to generate trouble. The EU was supposed to eliminate these tensions, to bring these cycles of history to an end and yet history just won't go away. And as Brussels weakens, history is rearing its head.

Divergent Missionary Legacies in The Middle Kingdom

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Growing-Chinese-nationalism:-celebrating-Christmas-is-'a-burning-shame'-45828.html

The sad thing is that the Chinese government has a point. All too often Western missionary work has functioned as a form of cultural imperialism if not rank and overt tool of imperialism.

Tibetan Turmoil and Intrigue

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-Karmapa-Lama-issued-passport-of-Dominica-45369.html

The current Dalai Lama is 83 years old.

His death will create something of a crisis as the Panchen Lama is incognito. Effectively second in command the Panchen Lama also plays a critical role in the selection of the new Dalai Lama. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima who was selected as the Panchen Lama was taken by Beijing in 1995 when he was but six years old. He hasn't been seen since but it is believed that he is still alive in captivity.

Congo on the Knife-Edge: Kabila, Bemba and the 2018 Election

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dr-congos-kabila-promotes-blacklisted-generals-army-shake-155235623.html

At this point Joseph Kabila has nothing to lose, he knows everyone is scheming against him. His father was assassinated and while his motives are undoubtedly motivated (at least in part) by self-interest, his departure will also signal a serious change for the DRC.

Brussels is not Being Idle: The EU, Albania and Macedonia

https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/opinion/albania-and-macedonia-a-ray-of-hope-and-a-warning-for-balkans/

Despite all its woes the EU is looking to expand. The only countries left within the European orbit that aren't part of the EU are countries like Norway and Switzerland which have no interest in joining, nations like Ukraine and maybe Georgia which are riddled with controversy, states like Belarus and Moldova which are hostile to Brussels and the handful of Balkan nations which are a source of contention.

Confusion in Reporting on Christianity in China

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/05/asia/china-bible-online-christianity-intl/index.html

This CNN story includes a short video which juxtaposes the official state sanctioned Catholic Church (CPCA) with the underground movement. The same state of affairs exists within Protestantism with its Three-Self Patriotic Churches (TSP) and its underground.

Evangelicalism Divided and Destitute

A follow-up to Influential Evangelicals: The Enemies List

updated 6 January 2018

Labeling leading Evangelicals as enemies seems a bit extreme to some, even if they will grant that most of the names on the Newsmax list are problematic.

And yet as I've mentioned on numerous occasions, Iain Murray all but did the same back in 2000. And yet he did it in such a way that few seemed to grasp the full import of what he was saying.

Byzantine Bulgaria

http://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/bulgarias-pm-says-taking-steps-to-prevent-election-meddling-by-turkey/

Only in the Balkans.

Bulgaria which contains a large Turkish population and one that has endured no little difficulty fears that Erdogan may meddle in their elections and seek influence.

Balkan Tensions: A Generation After the Wars of the 1990's

http://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/news/nato-chief-tells-kosovo-and-serbia-to-calm-down/?nl_ref=30464471

This story points to two realities. One the situation in the Balkans has never fully been resolved. The tensions still exist and with Brussels' hand growing weak, NATO is attempting to step in and fill the gap. The NATO diplomatic intervention indicates something of a brewing crisis. With the exception of Slovenia and Croatia, the countries of Former Yugoslavia have not joined the EU and so it represents this pocket within Europe wherein Brussels cannot wield full control and has limited influence.

Vatican Intrigues and Italian Politics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/05/us-cardinal-raymond-burke-stokes-papal-tensions-by-meeting-nationalist-in-rome

Many a bookshelf could be filled with volumes on Vatican intrigues and there's no doubt that events for many future chapters are taking place right now.

Spurgeon on the Unrighteousness of War

A great quote from Charles Spurgeon. Isn't it interesting how when Bible-based Christians are not wielding political power, as indeed Non-conformists in 19^th century Great Britain certainly were not, there is no zeal for empire, for conquest, for the 'glory' of the nation. Establishment Christianity whether formal or simply the result of a contrived theological narrative is a poison to the Christian soul. How quickly does it invert the ethics of the Christian Church!

Walter Williams Does the Hustle

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/04/walter-e-williams/slavery-framers/

The very premise of American colonialisation vis-à-vis the Indians was racist. Imperialism in virtually every case is rooted in the idea that one people is better than another and has a 'right' or even 'obligation' to take lands and resources from lesser people and in many cases enslave them.

Waterloo

The battle took place on 18 June 1815

It was historic because it ended the Napoleonic Wars and ushered in the Pax Britannica. The 19^th century belonged to Britain. Until the rise of the United States, it was the grandest empire the world had ever seen.