Unreal and Heinous Hypocrisy: A PCA Pseudo-Scandal

https://theaquilareport.com/its-been-five-years-and-the-time-is-right-an-earnest-appeal-to-the-authors-of-2020s-heinous-killings-statement-at-byfaith/

Generally speaking I have appreciated Tom Hervey's commentaries that have appeared at The Aquila Report - I even bought his book of essays on Amazon. I'm sorry to say this was an exception. He excoriates those in the PCA that in 2020 condemned the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd and these same Presbyterians even described them as heinous.

Media Cover-ups and Fragmentation over Gaza Policy

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-civil-war-erupts-over-gaza-as-gop-rep-says-starve-away/

In some respects it seems like the situation in Gaza is getting less and less coverage even while the situation remains acute, with at least dozens dying every day, killed by bullets, bombs, starvation, or other forms of deprivation. The media is derelict and refuses to properly cover the story nor the fact that Israel has killed over two hundred journalists, and is clearly unwilling for anyone to do on the ground reporting.

More Ecclesiastical Cover-Ups

https://coreyjmahler.com/adolf-hitler-christian/

I already touched on this issue a couple of years ago when LPR's Issues Etc. chose not to cover a story of an LCMS minister caught up in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election in favour of Donald Trump.

Mike Johnson's Corrupt Patriotism and Bogus Christianity

https://newrepublic.com/post/195266/mike-johnson-donald-trump-defense-corruption

This story from May is already outdated but the substance is still pertinent. In addition to his hypocritical defense of the January 6 protesters (especially when compared to the Trumpite faction's rhetoric concerning Los Angeles), Johnson recently spun the incident involving California Senator Padilla at the Kristi Noem press conference. He put the blame on Padilla and suggested he 'charged' the podium - which is pure rubbish and he knows it. The Senator was thrown to the ground and handcuffed - an incident that reminded me of Charles Sumner getting caned on the Senate floor in 1856. These incidents are all pieces of a puzzle that future historians will point to when commenting on the collapse of America and its pending civil war.

Inbox: The Buice Scandal

I was asked to comment about Josh Buice and the scandal surrounding him. G3 Ministries is one of the big names in New Calvinism - even though I think Buice would want to distance himself from that label.

Materialist Interpretations of the Modern Papacy

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/24/nx-s1-5307022/jesus-wept-author-chronicles-the-debates-roiling-the-catholic-church

I'm afraid this episode of Fresh Air typifies the increasing divide in American news coverage. No sober thinking person (let alone a Spirit-filled one) can possibly appreciate the manipulative and superficial quality of Right-wing media outlets such as FOX and Newsmax. And yet this episode of Fresh Air (which had every reason and opportunity to be interesting) proved tiresome and I became more fixated on the liberal materialist assumptions of the interviewer and guest than the actual issues being discussed.

The Continuing Collapse of Israel's 7 October Narrative

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israel-still-cant-find-any-7-october-rape-victims-prosecutor-admits

As Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada was being detained and ultimately deported from Switzerland for his 'Anti-Semitic' views, Moran Gez the Israeli prosecutor has publicly admitted they have no evidence to suggest that rape occurred in connection with the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Shame on the UMC and on these Congregations Trying to Leave It

https://www.christianpost.com/news/court-rules-against-42-churches-trying-to-leave-the-umc.html

Ostensibly these congregations wish to leave the apostate United Methodist Church. But then in the process of making their moral stand they violate Scripture and drag the Church into the secular courts.

The Christian Supreme Court of the United States

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?

Pastor in Blackface Ignored by Evangelical Media

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/19/1200477030/southern-baptists-expel-church-as-pastor-defends-blackface-and-native-caricature

I shouldn't have to read about this on NPR.

LPR's Issues Etc. Ignores Indictment and Calls to Remove Trumpite LCMS Pastor

https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/thousands-urge-removal-of-lutheran-pastor-indicted-with-donald-trump

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?

The Orlandi Documentary

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.

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.

The Symbolism of Miller Chapel

https://religionnews.com/2022/01/27/princeton-theological-seminary-renames-chapel-titled-after-slaveholder/

It is commonly voiced within the circles of American Confessional Presbyterianism that Old Princeton ended when they carried BB Warfield out of Miller Chapel.

Christian Celebrities and their Fraudulent Testimonies

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.

Utilitarianism and the So-Called Culture of Life

I was disappointed but hardly surprised to find that a local 'Bible-believing' church leader posted anti-Covid material on Facebook.

In this case he couldn't believe the 'libtards' made such a big deal about a virus that only had a .004% death rate.

Christmas and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

There have been on again off again discussion for the past month or so over Christmas in Ukraine. And once again this has come up in the news cycle as a result of Putin's suggestion of temporary ceasefire for the Orthodox holiday.

Moral Character and Public Officials

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.

BreakPoint on a Roll

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.

The JD Hall Scandal: Ecclesiastical Failures All Down the Line

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.