Christian Zionism and the Jerusalem Patriarchs

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/18/jerusalem-patriarch-churches-say-christian-zionism-threatens-christianity

I won't pretend the Latin, Orthodox, and other Eastern Patriarchs have some of kind of great standing with me. It's not as if I respect their Christian opinions or ethical stands on the issues of the day.

Ethnic Christianity and the Nigeria-Persecution Controversy

https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0mx8ffc

I've been writing about the situation in Nigeria for some time and remain concerned over the way the situation is covered in Christian media.

The Christians who Bombed the Christians of Nagasaki

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/08/09/atomic-bombings-at-80-the-very-un-christian-nagasaki-bomb/

Growing up I always heard apologias for the use of atomic weapons but few discussed specifically what happened on August 9, 1945 and the place of Nagasaki within the framework of Japanese culture.

Christian Nationalism, Gaza, and the Ghosts of Beziers

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/21/us-congressman-andy-ogles-stirs-outrage-with-gaza-comment-kill-them-all

After this story broke in February, I waited weeks to see if there would be any real fallout. In terms of the Church, would he be called out, disciplined, even excommunicated? Nothing happened.

Armenia's Sacral Claims

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.

Serbian Orthodoxy and the Politics of the Djokovic Affair

https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/serbian-orthodox-church-profoundly-disappointed-over-djokovic-s-visa-cancellation-asks-for-immediate-repeal-and-written-apology

In times past you wouldn't have found a Western-connected Evangelical group sympathizing with the plight and positions of the Orthodox world and indeed were Djokovic a Russian, the response would have likely been different.

The Context for the Tigray Revolt

There's been a fair bit of news coverage regarding the situation in Ethiopia but as is often the case – little contextualisation. A quick survey will help to explain the nature of the conflict and its potential dangers to the wider region.

Russia: Protector of Oriental Christendom in the Face of Armenian Defeat

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-armenia-azerbaijan-karabakh-russia/putin-tells-azerbaijan-to-take-care-of-christian-shrines-in-nagorno-karabakh-idUKKBN27U0OJ

From Putin's standpoint this call to protect Armenia's Christian legacy is an attempt to recover face. Moscow dropped the ball in terms of its larger Orthodox narrative. It did not come to the aid of Armenia and turn back the tide of the Turk. Azerbaijan clearly won this round as Armenia, defeated and broken was forced to abandon the field and cede large portions of Artsakh, the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave it had captured in the 1990's.

The Danger Regarding the Flare-up in Nagorno-Karabakh

For many years I have followed and written about the tensions within the Caucasus and once again they're flaring up but many seem to sense there's something different this time – the potential is there for a greater regional war.

The Context of the Hagia Sophia Controversy

Erdogan's conversion of the Hagia Sophia museum back into a mosque has generated a fair bit of news coverage in the West, coupled with not a little consternation and some confusion.

A Warning to the Egyptian Churches

http://www.christianpost.com/news/treatment-of-christians-in-egypt-much-better-now-than-its-been-for-a-long-time-expert.html

Egyptian ethnic Christians and Protestants have always endured their share of struggles as modern Egyptian society has been torn apart by the conflicts between secular nationalist rule and religious traditionalism. The latter is represented by groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood which would (if allowed) take Egypt in the direction of a more deliberately Islamic society and this would also be reflected in terms of foreign policy – an issue that continues to tear modern Egyptian society apart.

A Very Wicked Syria Commentary

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/christians-face-threats-throughout-syria-thanks-to-its-president.html

I found this commentary to be somewhat shocking and as I read further I was offended. In a hostile and unstable region the Assad regime (for all its faults) has long been a friend to the Christian communities in Syria. An authoritarian regime, these groups have nevertheless been allowed to function and have been protected from Sunni violence, violence that has escalated throughout the region as a result of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.